LINGUIST List 11.2601

Fri Dec 1 2000

Qs: Negative Questions, Pragmatics/Film Dubbing

Editor for this issue: Karen Milligan <karenlinguistlist.org>



We'd like to remind readers that the responses to queries are usually best posted to the individual asking the question. That individual is then strongly encouraged to post a summary to the list. This policy was instituted to help control the huge volume of mail on LINGUIST; so we would appreciate your cooperating with it whenever it seems appropriate.

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  • YANAGI Tomohiro, Answer to negative question
  • Xu Xiaofei, Pragmatics/film dubbing

    Message 1: Answer to negative question

     Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2000 10:00:46 +0900
    From: YANAGI Tomohiro <yanagi_tmbox.media.nagoya-u.ac.jp>
    Subject: Answer to negative question


    Dear editors and LINGUIST listers, I'm interested in how to answer negative questions like (1) in many languages: (1) Aren't you Japanese? For example, in English, an answer to (1) would be 'No, I'm not Japanese' or 'Yes, I'm Japanese.' 'No' is always used with negative sentences and 'yes' with positive sentences. By contrast, Japanese exhibits a different behavior. If a person who is ask ed is Japanese, the person says 'Iie, nihonjin desu. ((lit.) No, I'm Japanes e.' If not Japanese, the answer is 'Hai, nihonjin dewa arimasen. ((lit.) Ye s, I'm not Japanese.' 'Hai (yes)' and 'iie (no)' can be used with positive and negative sentences in Japanese.

    I want to examine crosslinguistically whether there is a correlation between this difference and syntactic difference . If anyone of you helps me with this survey, please e-mail me directly:

    yanagi_tmbox.media.nagoya-u.ac.jp

    In addition, please inform me of a paper or book concerning this subject.

    Thank you in advance.

    Message 2: Pragmatics/film dubbing

     Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2000 09:11:15 +0800
    From: Xu Xiaofei <tammyxu263.net>
    Subject: Pragmatics/film dubbing


    Dear linguists:

    I have been studying issues on the pragmatic adaptation theory's influences on translation for film dubbing (of dialogs). I need to know how this subject has been developing -- could anyone tell me something about the relevant existing literature? I am in want of some bibliographical information badly. Thank you very much! Any help will be highly appreciated.

    Tammy Xu Faculty of English Language and Culture Guangdong University of Foreign Studies Guangzhou, 510420 P. R. CHINA tammyxu263.net