MULTILINGUALISM AND CINEMA

Authors

  • Simber Atay Head of Photography Department, Fine Arts Faculty, Dokuz Eylül University, Turkey

Keywords:

multilingualism, multilingual movie genre, Chris Wahl, Tower of Babel, Hermes, Benjamin Lee Whorf

Abstract

Multilingualism is a very wide interdisciplinary research area. Multilingualism means speaking, reading, writing and self-expression in at least three languages. Sometimes, multilingualism is confused with bilingualism. But they are two different categories. Hence, there should be at least three languages in any multilingual structure. Multilingualism is also a cultural policy aimed quality communication from the Sumerian bureaucracy to nowadays. Besides, multilingualism is a significant inspiration source for cinema. In fact multilingual movie is a phenomenon of History of Cinema and moreover since the mid-1980s until today multilingual movie becomes a particular genre. In the present chapter, some components of multilingualism like Tower of Babel, Hermes, lingual politics of Renaissance, Lingua Franca, Esperanto, linguistic relativity and some sample multilingual movies like Lost in Translation (2003) of Sophia Coppola, The New World (2005) and To the Wonder (2012) of Terrence Malick, Babel (2006) of Alejandro G. Iñarritu, Avatar (2009) of James Cameron, Inglourious Basterds (2009) of Quentin Tarantino, Arrival (2016) of Denis Villeneuve, and Radio Dreams (2016) of Babak Jalali are studied within a descriptive approach.

References

Aronin, L. & Ó. Laoine, M. (2013). The Material Culture of Multilingualism: Moving beyond the Linguistic Landscape. International Journal of Multilingualism, 10:3, 225-235. Retrieved October 10, 2017, from http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14790718.2012.679734.

Atay, S. (2016, 6-9 September). Being Polyglot and Becoming Polyglot. Paper presented at the Conference VIІ. ПАНЕЛНА ДИСКУСИЯ зала 58 Http://lcmm2016.com/wp-content/uploads/07-neu_VIІ-panel Varna, Bulgaria.

Behera, S. (2007). Hermeneutics: Some Methodological Claims. In M. Ghosh & R. Ghosh (Eds), Language and Interpretation: Hermeneutics from East-West Perspective (pp. 178-193).New Delhi: Northern Book Centre.

Bender, L. (Producer) & Tarantino, Q. (Director). (2009). Inglourious Basterds (Motion picture), USA: Universal Pictures

Black, M. (Apr. 1959). Linguistic Relativity: The Views of Benjamin Lee Whorf. The Philosophical Review, 68(2), 228-238 Published by Duke University Press. Retrieved January 4, 2018 from http://www.jstor.org/stable/2182168.

Bleichenbacher, L. (2008). Linguistic Replacement in the Movies.Poznan Studies in Contemporary Linguistics 44(2), 179-196. Retrieved from https://www.degruyter.com/downloadpdf/j/psicl.2008.44.issue-2/v10010-008-0008-9/v10010-008-0008-9.pdf

Burckhardt, J. (1974).İtalya’da Rönesans Kültürü, Vol.I, (B.S.Baykal, Trans.), Şereflikoçhisar: Devlet Kitapları.

Burckhardt, J. (1978). İtalya’da Rönesans Kültürü,Vol.II, (B.S.Baykal, Trans.), Ankara: Kültür Bakanlığı.

Cameron, J. (Producer) &Cameron, J. (Director). (2009). Avatar (Motion picture). USA: Twentieth Century Fox.

Cerdán Los Arcos, J. (2004). Cinematografias periféricas en el sistema global de distribución: tensiones estructurales. Revista CIDOB, 66/67, 151-164. Retrieved November 24, 2017 from http://www.jstor.org/stable/40586100

Cenoz, J. (2013) Defining Multilingualism, Annual Review of Applied Linguistics 33, 3-18 Retrieved October, 10, 2017 from https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/annual-review-of-applied-linguistics/article/defining-multilingualism/43CE7314179D99DF482C36287AEB7FB0.

Coppola, S. (Producer), & Coppola, S. (Director). (2003). Lost in Translation (Motion picture). USA: Focus Features.

De Bonis, G. (2015). Tradurre Il Multilingualismo al Cinema: Lingua, Identità culturali e loro rappresentazione sullo schermo. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Università di Bologna, Bologna.

Deleuze, G. & Guattari, F. (1986). Kafka Toward a Minor Literature,(D, Polan, Trans.), Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.

Deleuze, G. (1989). L’immagine-tempo Cinema 2, (L.Rampello&P.L.Cerri,Trans.), Milano:Ubulibri

Derrida, J. (1985), Des Tours de Babel. In J. F. Graham (Ed. and Trans.), Difference in Translation, Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press.

Dor, D. (2004). From Englishization to Imposed Multilingualism: Globalization, the Internet, and the Political Economy of the Linguistic Code. Public Culture, 16(1), 97-118. Retrieved October 25, 2017 from Project Muse DOI: 10.1215/08992363-16-1-97.

Dwyer, T. (n.d.) Universally Speaking: Lost in Translation and Polyglot Cinema. Retrieved from https://lans.ua.ac.be/index.php/LANS-TTS/article/viewFile/143/85.

Eco, U. (1993, November). The language of Europe is translation. Lecture presented at the conference of ATLAS: Assises de la traduction littéraire, Arles,France.

Ebert, R. (2006, January 19). The New World. Retrieved from www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the -new-world-2006.

Franceschini, R. (2011). Multilingualism and Multicompetence: A Conceptual View. MLJ The Modern Language Journal, 95(3): 344-355. Retrieved November 24, 2017 from http://www.jstor.org/stable/41262371.

Frank, T. (2016, September 23). The Language of Europe is Translation. Hungarian Review Vol. VII, No: 5. Retrieved December 16, 2018 from http://www.hungarianreview.com/print/20160923__the_language_of_europe_is_translation_.

Gadamer, H. G. (2009).Hakikat ve Yöntem, Volume II, ( H. Arslan &İ.Yavuzcan, Trans.), İstanbul: Paradigma.

Ginsburgh, V. & Weber, S. (2011). How Many Languages Do We Need? The Economics of Linguistic Diversity. New Jersey: Princeton University Press.

Green, S. (Producer) & Malick, T. (Director). (2005). The New World (Motion picture). USA: New Line Cinema

Gode, A. (Autumn 1954). Le Moderne Interlinguistica e Benjamin Lee Whorf. ETC 12(1): 48-57. Retrieved January 4, 2018 from http://www.jstor.org/stable/24234299.

Golin, S. (Producer) & Iñárritu, A. G. (Director). (2006). Babel (Motion picture). USA: Paramount Pictures

Gonda, N. (Producer) & Malick, T. (Director). (2012). To the Wonder (Motion picture). USA: Brothers K Productions.

Hansen, M. (1991). Babel and Babylon Spectatorship in American Silent Film. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

Harshav, B. (2011). Language: Multilingualism. In YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe. Retrieved March 28, 2018 from http://www.yivoencyclopedia.org/article.aspx/Language/Multilingualism.

Johnson, C. D. (2012). Memory, Metaphor, and Aby Warburg’s Atlas of Images, Ithaka-New York: Cornell University Press-A Signale Book.

Kienpointner, M. (2016). Argumentation and Latin Linguistics. In P. Poccetti (Ed), Latinitatis Rationes: Descriptive and Historical Accounts for the Latin Language. (pp.840-868). Berlin: De Gruyter.

Knauth, K. A. (2009). Literary Multilingualism I: General Outlines and Western World. In L. Block de Behar,P. Mildonian,J-M. D., D. Kadir, A., Knauth, D. Romero Lopez and M. Seligmann Silva (Eds), Comparative Literature: Sharing Knowledges for Preserving Cultural Diversity Volume III Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems, Unesco, (pp.41-64), Oxford: Eolss.

Lasagabaster, D. (2015). Different Educational Approaches to Bi-or Multilingualism and Their Effect on Language Attitudes. Content-based Language Learning in Multilingual Educational Environments, Educational Linguistics 23, 13-30. Berlin: Springer. Retrieved January 7, 2018 from DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-11496-5_2.

Levine, D. (Producer) & Levy, S. (Producer) & Linde, D. (Producer) & Villeneuve, D. (Director). (2016). Arrival (Motion picture). USA: Lava Bear Films.

Linden, S. J. (2003). The alchemy reader: From Hermes Trismegistus to Isaac Newton. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Lovgren, S. (2006, January 20). ‘New World’ Film Revives Extinct Native American Tongue, National Geographic News. Retrieved from http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/01/0120_060120_new_world.html

Manovich, L. (1999). Avant garde as Software.1-20 Retrieved April 22, 2018, from http://manovich.net/content/04-projects/027-avant-garde-as-software/24_article_1999.pdf

Moghimi, M. (Producer) & Golozar, T. (Co-producer) &Jalali, B. (Director). (2016). Radio Dreams (Motion picture). USA | Iran: Butimar Productions.

Nenno, N. P. (2011). Language, the Voice and Esperantism in Early German Sound Film: The Case of “Niemandsland”, Colloquia Germanica, 44(3): 283-302. Retrieved January 4, 2018 from http://www.jstor.org/stable/23981968.

Niles, J. D. (2016). Old English Literature: A Guide to Criticism with Selected Readings. Oxford: Wiley Blackwell.

O'Malley, S. (2013). Griffith's 'Intolerance,' a foundational film that's also a great one, at Film Forum. Politico. Retrieved from https://www.politico.com/states/new-york/city-hall/story/2013/08/griffiths-intolerance-a-foundational-film-thats-also-a-great-one-at-film-forum-067223

Onaran, A. Ş. (1976). The History of World Cinema, Unpublished Lecture Notes. Dokuz Eylül University, İzmir.

O’Sullivan, C. (2007). Multilingualism at the multiplex: a new audience for screen translation? Linguistica Antverpiensia, 6:81-95.Retrieved from https://lans-tts.uantwerpen.be/index.php/LANS-TTS/article/view/181

Scudder, R. (2010, April 20) How the Na'vi Language Was Developed for AVATAR (Web log comment) Retrieved from http://avatarblog.typepad.com/avatar-blog/2010/04/where-did-the-navi-language-come-from-who-developed-the-navi-language-in-avatar-.html .

Seyhan, A. (2005). From Istanbul to Berlin: Stations on the Road to a Transcultural/Translational Literature. German Politics & Society, 2 (74): 152-170. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/23740917

St. Pierre, P. M. (2010). E. A. Dupont and His Contribution to British Film: Varieté, Moulin Rouge, Piccadilly, Atlantic, Two Worlds, Cape Forlorn. Madison, Teaneck: Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Press.

V. Berger, V. & M. Komori, M. (Eds). (2010). The Polyglot Cinema: Migration and Transcultural Narration İn France, Italy, Portugal and Spain. Wien: LIT Verlag.

Wahl, C. (2008). Inside the Robots’ Castle: Ufa’s English-Language Versions in the Early 1930s. In T. Bergfelder &C. Cargnelli (Eds), Destination London: German-Speaking Emigres and British Cinema, 1925-1950 (pp.47-61), New York-Oxford: Berghahn.

Woessner, M. (2011). What Is Heideggerian Cinema? Film, Philosophy, and Cultural Mobility. New German Critique 113, 38 (2), 129-145. Retrieved from DOI 10.1215/0094033X-1221803.

Wilford, J. N. (2006, March 7). Linguists Find the Words, and Pocahontas Speaks Again. The New York Times. Retrieved from www.nytimes.com/2006/03/07/science/07lang.html.

Whorf, B. L. (1940). Science and linguistics. MIT Technology Review 42: 229-31. Retrieved from http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Benjamin_Lee_Whorf.

Yannic, A. (2010). Francophonie, plurilingualisme, traduction: La mondialization des enjeux identitaires, Hermès, La Revue 2010/1, 56: 29-34. Retrieved from https://www.cairn.info/revue-hermes-la-revue-2010-1-page-29.htm.

Zoller Seitz, M. (2006, January 2). There is only this…All else is unreal. Slant Magazine. Retrieved March 10, 2018 from https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/there-is-only-this-all-else-is-unreal/

Downloads

Published

2019-10-03

Issue

Vol. 2 No. 1 (2019)

Section

Articles

License

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.

Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.

Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).