MASTERARBEIT / MASTER’S THESIS Titel der Masterarbeit / Title of the Master‘s Thesis Strategies for translating British humour in sitcoms using "Fawlty Towers" as an example verfasst von / submitted by Owen Davies angestrebter akademischer Grad / in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (MA) Wien / Vienna, 2017 Studienkennzahl lt. Studienblatt / A 060 331 360 degree programme code as it appears on the student record sheet: Studienrichtung lt. Studienblatt / Masterstudium Übersetzen Deutsch Russisch degree programme as it appears on the student record sheet: Contents 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 5 2. Theoretical basis of translation studies ............................................................................... 7 2.1. Skopos theory .............................................................................................................. 7 2.1.1. Skopos .................................................................................................................. 8 2.1.2. Equivalence and adequacy ................................................................................... 9 2.1.3. Coherence .......................................................................................................... 10 2.1.4. Intertextual coherence (fidelity) ......................................................................... 11 2.1.5. Offer of information ........................................................................................... 12 2.1.6. Translation as cultural transfer ........................................................................... 13 2.1.7. Discussion of Skopos theory .............................................................................. 14 2.2. Theory of translatorial action .................................................................................... 16 2.2.1. Translators as experts ......................................................................................... 18 2.2.2. Texts as message transmitters ............................................................................ 20 2.2.3. Actant roles ........................................................................................................ 21 2.3. The role of culture ..................................................................................................... 23 2.3.1. Definition of culture ........................................................................................... 24 2.3.2. Cultural competence .......................................................................................... 25 2.3.3. Cultural specifics ............................................................................................... 26 2.3.4. Globalisation ...................................................................................................... 27 3. Humour ............................................................................................................................. 28 3.1. Defining humour ....................................................................................................... 28 3.2. Humour theories ........................................................................................................ 30 3.2.1. Relief theory....................................................................................................... 30 3.2.2. Superiority theory .............................................................................................. 31 3.2.3. Incongruity theory .............................................................................................. 31 3.3. Humour analysis models ........................................................................................... 32 3.3.1. Semantic Script Theory of Humour ................................................................... 32 3.3.2. General Theory of Verbal Humour .................................................................... 33 3.3.2.1. Language (LA) ........................................................................................... 34 3.3.2.2. Narrative strategy (NS) ............................................................................... 34 3.3.2.3. Target (TA) ................................................................................................. 34 3.3.2.4. Situation (SI)............................................................................................... 35 2 3.3.2.5. Logical mechanism (LM) ........................................................................... 35 3.3.2.6. Script opposition (SO) ................................................................................ 35 3.3.2.7. Similarity metric ......................................................................................... 35 3.3.3. Brock's model .................................................................................................... 36 3.3.3.1. Introduction and development of expectation ............................................ 37 3.3.3.2. Starting point of the incongruity ................................................................. 38 3.3.3.3. Introduction and development of the incongruity ...................................... 38 3.3.3.4. Incongruity carriers ..................................................................................... 39 3.3.3.5. Combination of incongruities ..................................................................... 39 3.3.3.6. Degree of deviation from expectation ........................................................ 40 3.3.3.7. Resolution of the incongruity ..................................................................... 40 3.3.3.8. Controlling reception through knowledge and/or humour maxims ............ 41 3.4. British humour........................................................................................................... 41 3.4.1. Bathos ................................................................................................................ 42 3.4.2. Irreverence ......................................................................................................... 43 3.4.3. Understatement .................................................................................................. 43 3.4.4. Self-irony ........................................................................................................... 44 3.4.5. Cruelty................................................................................................................ 44 3.4.6. Coldness ............................................................................................................. 45 3.4.7. Tongue-in-cheekness ......................................................................................... 45 3.4.8. Hypocrisy ........................................................................................................... 45 3.4.9. Eccentricity ........................................................................................................ 45 3.4.10. Anti-intellectualism............................................................................................ 46 3.4.11. Tastelessness ...................................................................................................... 46 3.4.12. Nonsense ............................................................................................................ 46 3.4.13. Black humour ..................................................................................................... 47 3.4.14. Rumbustiousness................................................................................................ 47 3.4.15. Obscenity ........................................................................................................... 48 3.4.16. "Bottom-up" humour ......................................................................................... 48 3.5. Humour translation .................................................................................................... 48 3.5.1. Pragmatic approach ............................................................................................ 48 3.5.2. Zabalbeascoa's linguistic approach .................................................................... 50 3.5.3. Attardo's adaption of the General Theory of Verbal Humour ........................... 53 3 3.5.4. Translation strategies ......................................................................................... 55 4. Audiovisual translation ..................................................................................................... 58 4.1. What is audiovisual translation (AVT)?.................................................................... 58 4.2. Development of audiovisual translation .................................................................... 59 4.3. Dubbing vs. subtitling ............................................................................................... 59 4.3.1. Synchronicity ..................................................................................................... 62 4.3.1.1. Lip synchronicity ........................................................................................ 62 4.3.1.2. Gesture synchronicity ................................................................................. 65 4.3.1.3. Character synchrony ................................................................................... 66 4.3.1.4.