Annals of the University of Craiova, Series

Annals of the University of Craiova ANALELE UNIVERSITĂŢII DIN CRAIOVA ANNALES DE L’UNIVERSITÉ DE CRAIOVA ANNALS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CRAIOVA SERIES: PHILOLOGY -ENGLISH- * YEAR XX, NO. 1-2, 2019 1 Annals of the University of Craiova ANNALS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CRAIOVA 13, Al. I. Cuza ROMANIA We make exchanges with similar institutions in Romania and abroad ANALELE UNIVERSITĂŢII DIN CRAIOVA Str. Al. I. Cuza, nr. 13 ROMÂNIA Efectuăm schimburi cu instituţii similare din ţară şi din străinătate ANNALES DE L’UNIVERSITÉ DE CRAIOVA 13, Rue Al. I. Cuza ROUMANIE On fait des échanges des publications avec les institutions similaires du pays et de l’étranger EDITORS General editor: Aloisia Sorop, University of Craiova, Romania Assistant editor: Ana-Maria Trantescu, University of Craiova, Romania Editorial secretary: Diana Oţăt, University of Craiova, Romania Reviewers: Professor Nicoleta Cimpoes, Worcester University, UK Professor Sylvie Crinquand, University of Bourgogne, Dijon, France Professor Vanessa Guignery, Ecole Normale Superieure de Lyon, France Professor Mariana Neagu, “Dunărea de Jos” University of Galați, Romania Professor Jopi Nyman - University of Eastern Finland, Finland Associate professor Rick St. Peter, Northwestern State University, USA Associate professor Melanie Shoffner, James Madison University, USA Associate professor Patrick Murphy, Nord University, Norway Associate professor Anne-Lise Wie, Nord University, Norway Associate Professor Mathew Graves, Aix-Marseille University, France The authors are fully responsible for the originality of their papers and for the accuracy of their notes. 2 Annals of the University of Craiova Issue coordinators: Professor Titela VȊLCEANU, PhD Senior Lecturer Sorin CAZACU, PhD Senior Lecturer Georgiana DILĂ, PhD Junior Lecturer Mihaela GAVRILĂ, PhD Junior Lecturer Diana OŢĂT, PhD 3 Annals of the University of Craiova 4 Annals of the University of Craiova CONTENTS LINGUISTICS AND APPLIED LINGUISTICS ANDREEA BRATU [ˈhӕrəs] or [,həˈrӕs], [’hɒtəl] or [həʊˈtɛl]? – What/ Whose Language Do Our Students Learn (and Why)? ......................................................... 8 MĂDĂLINA CERBAN Thematic Structure of the Clause. Recognising Themes and their Metafunctions in Systemic Functional Framework ............................... 17 ATTILA IMRE Odd Entries in Legal Dictionaries ........................................................... 26 PATRICK MURPHY Do Not Go Gentle into That Digital Night: In-Depth Learning through 3D Multi Modal Texts .............................................................................. 40 DIANA OŢĂT Dynamic Research Configurations in CBIS ........................................... 51 LITERATURE AND CULTURAL STUDIES AL SAFI HIND RAFEA ABALRASUL Identity, Time and Space in The Tale of Sindbad the Sailor ................. 68 ELENA BUTOESCU The Literary Atlas of Bread and Partners: From Beowulf to C.S. Lewis .............................................................................................. 82 SORIN CAZACU Shaping the Posthuman Other in Toni Morrison’s Home .................... 92 ESTELLA CIOBANU “What If There Is Nothing to Choose?” XXY, Sex, The Language of Science, and the Choice to Teach/Learn Non-Discrimination .............. 98 5 Annals of the University of Craiova GEORGIANA-ELENA DILĂ Samuel Beckett’s Tribute to Women in Happy Days ........................... 118 MIHAELA GAVRILĂ Childhood Memories and the Agent of Death in Dylan Thomas’s Poetry.........................................................................................................125 AMER ALI DAHHAM WATEEFI Charles Dickens’s Little Dorrit - the Writer’s Egress into Confessionalism ....................................................................................... 133 ANWER SABBAR ZAMIL AL-YASIR Arab-American Autobiography – Edward Said’s Out of Place ......... 147 6 Annals of the University of Craiova LINGUISTICS AND APPLIED LINGUISTICS 7 Annals of the University of Craiova [ˈhӕrəs] or [,həˈrӕs], [’hɒtəl] or [həʊˈtɛl]? – What/ Whose Language Do Our Students Learn (and Why)? Andreea Bratu University of Craiova, Romania Abstract: Learners of a foreign language (L2) are to a greater or smaller extent influenced by their native tongue (L1), be it at the level of the structures used or at the lexical and morphological levels (tenses used according to the L1 verbal behavior, to give just one example). The purpose of this paper is twofold: to investigate the deviations from the standard pronunciation in English that are common among Romanian students, trying to explain them, and to analyse the choices they make between British and American pronunciation. Questionnaires have been used with Ist and IInd year students of the English Department of the Faculty of Letters in Craiova. Keywords: pronunciation, stress, L1, L2, British English, American English. The development of a high level of proficiency in the use of a foreign language can certainly be a challenging process, as it implies various types of competences that need to be considered. On the one hand, there is the linguistic competence that includes knowledge of pronunciation, morphology and syntax, but also of semantics and pragmatics. On the other, there is a need for the development of interactive skills that enable the language user to perform well in the foreign language. Of equal importance is the cultural knowledge attached to the foreign language and to the environment in which it is used, and very often this is where clashes may occur, especially when L1and L2 have very different cultural backgrounds. This, however, does not make the learning of a foreign language impossible. Most linguists have agreed upon the fact that learning a foreign language is an innate ability of human beings, while some prefer to consider it merely the result of laborious efforts. Either way, it has been proven that the earlier this process begins, the more successful it becomes. At an early stage, L2 learning is almost similar to the acquisition of L1: young learners are practically exposed to both languages at the same time and naturally grow bilingual. When the process starts later (as it happens with most L2 learners), the foreign language enters a territory already “settled” by the native tongue, and the latter may influence the degree of L2 proficiency obtained. Pronunciation is the first aspect of the language where one can notice this influence. We do not need Professor Higgins’ expertise to 8 Annals of the University of Craiova identify a German speaker of English by his/her pronunciation of letter /w/ as [v], a Chinese speaker, barely able to differentiate between [l] and [r], or a Spaniard who will struggle with [v] and [b]. The phonetic characteristics of the native tongue represent one of the several factors that may influence L2 learning and especially its pronunciation, as explained by several linguists. Two of them, Kenworthy (1987: 126) and Brown (1994: 284), as quoted by Dihllon (125-6), identify six factors that may engender difficulties when learning foreign language pronunciation. 1. the native language – similarities between L1 and L2 will help, while a completely different phonetic system of L1 will have an impact on Ls pronunciation, as in the examples mentioned above. 1. age – as previously stated, some specialists believe that younger learners will become more proficient in L2 and will have a better pronunciation. Other studies contradict this idea, however, stating that age is an irrelevant factor, and that application, motivation and a certain ability are more important. 2. experience, or exposure – L2 immersion is viewed by some linguists as mandatory for better pronunciation. 3. the learner’s skill, or phonetic ability – also called ‘aptitude for oral mimicry’, ‘phonetic coding ability’ or ‘auditory discrimination ability’: some learners seem to have a higher aptitude for foreign- language learning, being able to better discriminate between foreign sounds. 4. attitude and identity – the more a learner wishes to be identified as part of the aimed linguistic group, the more accurate the pronunciation acquired, it seems. 5. motivation and concern for accurate pronunciation – connected to the above-listed factor. In this line, in theory, at least, we would expect future teachers of L2 to be more concerned about their accurate pronunciation than someone who learns a foreign language in order to travel more easily. Starting from this theoretical framework, this paper analyses the pronunciation patterns favoured by Romanian students of English, in an 9 Annals of the University of Craiova attempt to explain whether they are the result of L1 influences, as presumed. Moreover, it will analyse and explain the students’ choices between British and American standard pronunciations and stress patterns. Methodology A survey was conducted among 102 Ist year students of our faculty (56 have English as first specialty and 46 study it as a second language). On average, most of them have been studying English for 8 years, while 3 declared to be at a beginner’s level. The students were asked to translate 34 Romanian words into English (see Annex, Table 1). The list included terms belonging to the common vocabulary that have different equivalents in British and American English, the purpose of this translation exercise being to record which variant the students are more inclined to use. Words with corresponding spelling variants were included on the list (apologis/ze, theatre/er, program/me). Moreover, we wanted to

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