In this work we intend to resume the article written by Farese (2019) in order to observe the linguistic practice of exaggeration as a form of semantic and cultural preference of the Italian-speaking during the full expressions of his feelings within some daily life contexts.
This article is made with the intent of spread Farese (2019 )'s work in this field of cross-cultural pragmatics with his article "Ethnopragmatics of English understatement and Italian exageration". The focus of this article intends to refer only to the Italian part as the readers of this article are mainly interested in a greater cultural knowledge of Italian society through the instrument of the Italian language.
In this article it is highlighted how the Italian speaker when him speak about something will try often deliberately to exaggerate a proper statements with the expression of a thought translatable in this way:
"I want to say more, I think about this in this way; this is something very good / beautiful / ugly / big / small.
The occurrence of these terms of "exaggeration" in daily speeches allows us to think that in Italian linguaculture this terms are relevant and are encouraged in some informal contexts. The wide use of exaggeration can be linked to the cultural assumption that it is something good to express one's feelings within a speech in a completely free and unrestricted way.
In the contrary with the concept of "understatement" into British culture, exaggeration consists in saying much more than what is meant in reality. The right interpretation of a hyperbolic statement is possible through the implications of the context and the competences of the interlocutor in understanding the implicit meaning. In the Italian discourse, exaggeration is carried out morphologically and lexically, for example the morphological realization of exaggeration can take place with: the use of the "superlativo assoluto" - issimo / a, as well as with derivational morphs with reference to "large, very great".
Some examples are bellissimo, grandissimo, carissimo, gentilissimo and in the adverbs as pianissimo, fortissimo, prestissimo. Some nouns can be used in this way such as: offertissima, amicissimi.
From a pragmatic point of view, exaggeration can perform two functions:
- the intent to emphasize a statement and the sentiment of the speaker.
- to confirm and correct a previous statement making it more precise and more emphatic.
For example in these two sentences we can see their use in practice:
1. Sei contenta? Altro che ! sono contentissima.
2. Sei guarito? sono guaritissimo.
In these examples you can see how in case 1 you could claim to be "contenta" but I want to say a lot more than me by saying " contentissima". By saying things in this way I feel on that way.
This expression of exaggeration also accompanies the speaker's sentiment in Italian culture. As Wierzbicka (2003: 275) has argued, the " superlativo assoluto" in Italian grammar represents a tool that allows speakers to make an expression with greater emphasis at any time.
For example, you could translate the expression " sei bellissima" with the terms of NSM (natural semantic metalanguage):
- I want to say something to you about you now and I don't want to use the word beautiful.
- at the same time, I want to say something more, much more
- I want to say something like this:
- nobody is like you
- when I think of you, I can't help but I think of something good
- I can't not tell you about this
The prefixes "stra-, maxi-, iper, super and suffixes previously discussed with -one are included with the derivational morphemes to express" grande "or" grandissimo. "These morphemes can be added to the adjectives nouns and sometimes to verbs.
Let's take the following examples:
Scoppia maxirissa tra parenti.
- ci fa discutere la stravittoria di Tony Blair
-parla e straparla di se stesso.
We can argue that in some contexts, the prefix stra- can't compete with the suffix -issimo as we can see in these two examples:
. il cinema Odeon e' pienissimo
. Il cinema Raffaello martedì era strapieno.
In general, these two morphemes are not exactly equivalent in the Italian language because words like "pulitissimo o strapulito" are not the same as strapulito or strafacile where the prefix stra- indicates a greater degree of "excess" compared to -issimo.
In addition we can notice another difference between "stra" and "issimo" in terms of the essence of expression of feelings with the use of the prefix "stra". This hypothesis mentioned by Farese (2019) is based on the fact that "stra" is found only in addition to names that objectively denote facts, they are not evaluative adjectives as "bello", which includes an expression of feeling in its meaning. It is possible to form derived words such as overwhelming, extravagant, overwhelming, extravagant where the prefix "stra" in "strapieno" allows you to observe a speaker in front of the fact of a room full as a fact. Saying it is "pienissimo", the aspect of surprise for the speaker in finding himself in front of a full hall is highlighted.
Within the lexical forms to express the exaggeration in Italian we have a series of adjectives such as
" orrendo, schifoso, stupendo, molto assolutamente, decisamente, eccessivamente, eccezionalmente, estremamente, incredibilmente, completamente, del tutto."
Another way to lexicalize the expression of exaggeration is the use of symbolic numbers to indicate a wide range or a small amount such as " dire un milione di volte, fare due chiacchiere, quattro passi, aspettare un secondo, volerci tre ore, costare una vita, e' una vita che ti aspetto".
There are also expressions to express a large amount such as "" c'era un casino di gente, pagare una cifra, un sacco di soldi". All these expressions in various ways mean "molto molto" and are pronounced in an emphatic tone that expresses in both cases the feeling of the speaker and the idea that I cannot fail to say it.
The same metaphors are used to exaggerate such as in expressions: it is a tragedy, it is the end of the world. These expressions are very common in Italy. In the same Divine Comedy there are many hyperbolic metaphors, such as " sono al settimo cieloo, toccare le stelle".
Another very common way of making metaphors is related to the concept of death since it is not too complicated to understand that there is nothing more extreme than death as an irreversible state.
In fact there are expressions such as "da morire" such as "ti amo da morire, morire di caldo/ freddo, morire di fame/sete, morire da ridere/ dal sonno.
All these tools available to the Italian speaker carry out the idea that exaggeration in lexical and grammatical terms are widespread and encouraged among friends or in more informal situations with the intention of expressing personal feelings or opinions. All these linguistic expressions indicate that in Italy we find a peculiar cultural trait when "to say more it is a good thing to say much more than what we want to say as a strategic form of improving the credibility of an utterance and of expressing feelings in the discussion.
These cultural implications can be described as a "cultural script" (in Italian canovaccio culturale), in which the Italian "cultural script" pushes itself to use forms of exaggeration during informal interactions.
For the Italian tendency to exaggeration, using the NSM method, this "cultural script" could be said:
- I think about it this way: this is something great
- It's good if I can say much more. It's good if i can tell someone something like this.
- I know that if I say this to someone, this someone can think about it like this:
- That's not true, it's not something very big
- I know this
- At the same time, this someone may know that when i say this I feel good for this reason and I want this for that person. It is good if people can say other people's things in this way.
"Cultural script" theory as a pedagogical tool for cultural differences
The field of ethnopragmatics (Goddard, 2006, Goddard and Yu, 2015) investigates the connections between discursive practices and cultural values in a cross-linguistic and cross-cultural perspective.
Starting from the axiom that "people speak differently because they think differently, feel differently and refer to others differently (Goddard 2006: 3). This approach aims to identify different cultural values within different societies with the intent to understand the cross-linguistic differences present in discursive practices. Connections are identified through semantic representations called "cultural script" (Goddard, Wierzbicka, 2004, 2007) with the aim of having access to an "internal" perspective to formulate descriptions of discursive practices pronounced with terms that are recognized as belonging to the linguistic community under investigation by the researcher.
These "Cultural Script" are obtained through a precise structure, that is, they begin with a formula like "in a country X, many people think in this way" as a way of validating a shared and recognized discursive practice recognized as important within a data community of speakers.
The following element of the NSM collects the shared way of thinking and its formulation is typically focused on moral evaluation "it is nice / bad if someone does / says this" or it is (im) possible to do something (when things are Thus, people can / cannot do this. The "script" is divided into two levels of generalization: the "high level" or "mastery" where the cultural script gathers the main values or the way of thinking of a society, while on the "low level", the script collects the implications of this value on the way of speaking. In this article of Farese about the exaggeration in Italian as a way of speaking we are in the context of the analysis of the "low" level of the NSM.
The field of ethnopragmatics (Goddard, 2006, Goddard and Yu, 2015) investigates the connections between discursive practices and cultural values in a cross-linguistic and cross-cultural perspective.
Starting from the axiom that "people speak differently because they think differently, feel differently and refer to others differently (Goddard 2006: 3). This approach aims to identify different cultural values within different societies with the intent to understand the cross-linguistic differences present in discursive practices. Connections are identified through semantic representations called "cultural script" (Goddard, Wierzbicka, 2004, 2007) with the aim of having access to an "internal" perspective to formulate descriptions of discursive practices pronounced with terms that are recognized as belonging to the linguistic community under investigation by the researcher.
These "Cultural Script" are obtained through a precise structure, that is, they begin with a formula like "in a country X, many people think in this way" as a way of validating a shared and recognized discursive practice recognized as important within a data community of speakers.
The following element of the NSM collects the shared way of thinking and its formulation is typically focused on moral evaluation "it is nice / bad if someone does / says this" or it is (im) possible to do something (when things are Thus, people can / cannot do this. The "script" is divided into two levels of generalization: the "high level" or "mastery" where the cultural script gathers the main values or the way of thinking of a society, while on the "low level", the script collects the implications of this value on the way of speaking. In this article of Farese about the exaggeration in Italian as a way of speaking we are in the context of the analysis of the "low" level of the NSM.
The cultural script is not thought of as an instrument for proscribing linguistic behavior but represents an attempt to "grasp" the tacit rules of linguistic practice, which are to a certain extent ritualized and widespread within a given community . In fact, even those who do not feel to adhere to such "cultural script" are familiar with the concept analyzed as a linguistic or cultural element belonging to speech and social behavior in a given cultural context (Goddard, Wierzbicka, 2004: 157).
In keeping with this approach, the "cultural script" is presented not as "rules for the speaker" but as a semantic representation of culturally relevant lexical points on how to speak in order to facilitate the study of languages in contrastive terms.
In the context of the cultural script we find four main reasons for its use:
-1 Cultural scripts are not limited only to the description of a discursive practice but try to "grasp" the reasons why people speak in this way, perhaps making it easier to understand the linguistic practice in question.
2. the use of NSM terminology as an easy tool for translating and for learning a foreign language and culture.
3. The script for two different languages makes it easier to compare in the light of the NSM categories.
4. The fourth reason that when you read a cultural script for learning another culture, you become more aware of your "cultural script" at the same time, making it easier to grasp the differences and appreciate the similarities between your cultural world and that of the language you are studying.
This work done by Farese emphasizes a great deal on the great potential located in the analysis of the Italian language as a privileged corpus of investigation in order to access to the tacit rules present in the peculiar and variegate Italian languacultura.
In keeping with this approach, the "cultural script" is presented not as "rules for the speaker" but as a semantic representation of culturally relevant lexical points on how to speak in order to facilitate the study of languages in contrastive terms.
In the context of the cultural script we find four main reasons for its use:
-1 Cultural scripts are not limited only to the description of a discursive practice but try to "grasp" the reasons why people speak in this way, perhaps making it easier to understand the linguistic practice in question.
2. the use of NSM terminology as an easy tool for translating and for learning a foreign language and culture.
3. The script for two different languages makes it easier to compare in the light of the NSM categories.
4. The fourth reason that when you read a cultural script for learning another culture, you become more aware of your "cultural script" at the same time, making it easier to grasp the differences and appreciate the similarities between your cultural world and that of the language you are studying.
This work done by Farese emphasizes a great deal on the great potential located in the analysis of the Italian language as a privileged corpus of investigation in order to access to the tacit rules present in the peculiar and variegate Italian languacultura.
Bibliography
Farese ( 2019) " Ethnopragmatics of English understatement and Italian exageration".
https://www.academia.edu/40906/The_Ethnopragmatics_of_English_Understatement_and_Italian_Exaggeration_Clashing_Cultural_Scripts_for_the_Expression_of_Personal_Opinions
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