scholarly journals So Manga Pananaroon Sa Ranaw: Reflections of Meranaw Culture and Worldview

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 78-93
Author(s):  
Mohammad Abdul Hamid Bantog ◽  
Hasmina Sarip-Macarambon
Keyword(s):  
Oral Tradition ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Cultural Group ◽  
Semiotic Analysis ◽  
System Sensitivity ◽  
Class System ◽  
Focal Concerns ◽  
Folklore Studies ◽  
Viable Approach

This study was undertaken to analyze the Meranaw pananaroon and discover, through the signs incorporated in them, what they express and reveal of the Meranaw people’s worldview, culture, and character. Sample pananaroons were classified and described according to context in the culture, that is, situations for which they are designed or meant to be used, based on appropriateness or fittingness and relevance. They were next subjected to semiotic and intertextual analysis, with cultural semiotics as the approach, focusing on how the signs are utilized for meaning-making, and what these reveal of the Meranaws as individuals and as a socio-cultural group. Focal concerns in the study were the Meranaw worldview, culture, and character. The study established that the pananaroon, the Meranaw word for the English proverb, adage, aphorism, and other gnomic sayings or utterances and homespun generalizations about life, are employed not only for rhetoric but purposes such as emphasis on a central message, conveyance of indirection and subtlety to avoid offense, allusion, self-deprecation or show of humility/self-effacement, irony, scorn (kapangilat), overstatement (hyperbole) and understatement. From the analyses of select pananaroon, through the lenses of the natural and cultural signs that conveyed them, the foundational ideals and overarching worldview that Meranaws value regardless of context and situation were also drawn: patience and prudence, avoidance of acting or deciding on impulse; belief in calculated boldness and arduous journeys; finding procrastination or vacillation as a fault; allowance and forgiveness for falling short of one’s expectations; humility; awareness of one’s station, revealing an ingrained and internalized class system; sensitivity, and; an overarching wish for clearness, harmony, order and peace (rinaw) in all things. The depths that the results this study reached not only strengthens semiotic analysis as a viable approach to proverb and linguistic/folklore studies, but also opens up new avenues or paths for fresh inquiry on Meranaw pananaroon, oral tradition, and folklore, and culture in general.

FOLKLORISTS OUT OF THEIR ELEMENT: THE FORUM

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 15-48
Author(s):  
Serafima E. Nikitina ◽  
◽  
Nikita V. Petrov ◽  
Irina A. Razumova ◽  
Andrey L. Toporkov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oral Tradition ◽  
Oral Communication ◽  
Field Work ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Social Structures ◽  
Academic Disciplines ◽  
Research Experience ◽  
Extensive Experience ◽  
Folklore Studies ◽  
Methodological Principles

From the semiotic point of view, folklore tradition is transmitting culturally and socially significant messages via oral communication channels. Strong interrelation to dynamic interaction of people in vernacular contexts (as opposed to rigid institutional channels and static social structures) is one of folklore’s primary characteristics. With this perception of folklore tradition, folklore studies become a disciplinary area that accumulates unique research experience both on comprehension of transmitted messages and on methodological principles of working with texts and mechanisms of their transmission. This allows us to suggest that in research practice in neighboring fields two variants of transference of folklore studies’ theoretical resources may prove productive: according to presence of folklore elements in the studied material and according to general principles of working with texts (in the broad semiotic sense of the word). The participants of the forum, all of them researchers with extensive experience in field work as well as in theoretical comprehension of oral tradition – were offered various problems for discussion. These problems included, but were not limited to, the boundaries of folklore studies’ object field, employing folklore studies’ methodological tools for analysis of other disciplinary fields’ objects, interaction of folklore studies with other academic disciplines, etc.

“Suddenly Everyone Started to Love Our Anthem, Our Flag”: Identity Construction, Crisis, and Change in (Almost) Sovereign Kosovo

2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 721-736
Author(s):  
Alissa Boguslaw
Keyword(s):  
National Identity ◽  
Social Construction ◽  
Identity Construction ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Alternative Theory ◽  
Semiotic Analysis ◽  
Political Independence ◽  
National Symbols ◽  
The World

AbstractHow, amidst a crisis of sovereignty and identity, did once-rejected national symbols become meaningful to Kosovo’s Albanians? Having declared independence in 2008, a 2014 study found that less than one-third of Kosovo’s citizens identified with their newly adopted state symbols. As meanings are always shifting, depending on the contexts in which their forms appear and the actors involved, theories of social construction have focused on the representational aspects of meaning-making: the ways in which the forms stabilize (or destabilize) the constructs they depict. Instead of focusing on the representational—the determinable, measurable, and rational aspects, this article investigates the discursive mechanisms that mobilize meanings and configure contexts, extending Robin Wagner-Pacifici’s alternative theory of events. Through discourse and semiotic analysis, it tracks Kosovo’s new flag and anthem through the construction, crisis, and transformation of three social realities: political independence, national identity, and the world of international competitive judo, illuminating how changing meanings change, shifting contexts shift, and how to interpret actors’ fleeting emotions. In the Kosovo case, the construction is the crisis, as well as the change.

scholarly journals A Semiotic Analysis of Gender Discursive Patterns in Pakistani Television Commercials

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 192
Author(s):  
Muhammad Haseeb Nasir
Keyword(s):  
Theoretical Foundation ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Reliability And Validity ◽  
Social Institutions ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Semiotic Analysis ◽  
Television Commercials ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Purposive Sampling ◽  
Discursive Patterns

The study is multidisciplinary that ventures into the domains of semiotics, linguistics and cultural studies. Media has become one of the most viable social institutions of disseminating information to a wider audience. It has got power to (re)frame the ideology of larger audience through its visual/linguistic content and to pave the way to social change. The current study aims to investigate the manifestation of gender discursive patterns in the Pakistani television commercials. This study draws its theoretical foundation on the theory of semiotics propounded by Dyer (1982) in her book Advertising as Communication. Semiotics is conceived an appropriate tool for the critical inquiry of the televised commercials because of its wide ranging acceptability and reliability in the meaning making process. Williamson (1978), Dyer (1982) and Jhally (1990) not only recommended but they also practically employed semiotics as a tool of investigation for critically examining the meaning making process in the commercials that enhances the reliability and validity of semiotics as a tool of inquiry. The data for the current study comprises television commercials broadcasted on famous Pakistani television channels. The sampling technique is based on non-probability purposive sampling. The rationale of choosing purposive sampling technique is to include only those commercials which reflect gender representation. The findings of the study highlight that the commercials present layers of meanings via semiotic modes at symbolic level where men and women are displayed in stereotypical manner. The existing gender narratives in the Pakistani commercials subscribes to patriarchal structures. The study presents recommendations about the change in the content of the televised material and also highlights the unexplored avenues which can be brought under considerations by the future researchers.

scholarly journals Issues of terrorism on the internet in the wave of democratization of post-reform Indonesia: A semiotic analysis

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 305
Author(s):  
Aceng Ruhendi Saifullah
Keyword(s):  
News Media ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Freedom Of Expression ◽  
Political Elite ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Semiotic Analysis ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Reform Era ◽  
The Media ◽  
Interactive Discourse

The discourse of terrorism is a global issue but tends to be interpreted as controversial. This study sought to dismantle the controversy of meanings through the analysis of signs and meanings, with a view to explore and demonstrate the wave of democratization that took place in post-reform era in Indonesia. This study was a case study using readers’ responses to terrorism issues provided by cyber media on the Internet. It also rests primarily on the semiotic theory of Peirce and the concept of democratization of Huntington. The results showed that participation, freedom of expression, and equal power relations occurred in the interactive discourse in the cyber news media in the form of a dialogue between the responders, the media, and the debate among the responders. Responders tended to argue that signs and meanings are constructed by the media and to interpret information about terrorism as "political engineering" which was expressed by means of emotive tone. Meanwhile, the media tended to construct a "political imagery" which was expressed in a confrontational way, and the resources tended to understand it as "noise level of political elite ", which was expressed in a persuasive manner. Such differences occurred due to the factors of media context that tended to be "convivial" and the context of the communication situation on the Internet that tends to show "discretion". Based on these findings, this study concluded that interactive discourse in the Internet can be formulated as a democratic forum as the meaning making of the text is no longer dominated by media and the sources of information, but tend to be shared with the public. However, in terms of discourse process, interactive discourse in cyber media tends to be anarchic because the tone of interaction tends to be little, the relationship patterns tend to center on and be dominated by responders, the identities of responders tend to be anonymous, and linguistic expressions of the responders tend to be emotive.

scholarly journals Cross-cultural Language Learning: Interpretative Engagement

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 82-96
Author(s):  
Anzhelika Solodka ◽  
Oksana Filatova ◽  
Oksana Hinkevych ◽  
Oleksandr Spanatiy
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Narrative Analysis ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Semiotic Analysis ◽  
Multiple Perspectives ◽  
Context Analysis

Conceptualization of foreign language teaching as a cross-cultural interaction means engaging learners in various cultural mediations. Language use becomes a form of interpretative architecture of a target language. Understanding language use from a discursive perspective develops meta-pragmatic awareness and interpretative capacities of learners. The study answers the question of how to design the architecture of context analysis. This research aims to determine the effective ways of interpretative engagement of learners with aspects of pragmatics in the Ukrainian university setting. The study investigates how the process of interaction shapes the engagement of learners in practices of noticing, reflection, and comparison of cross-cultural situations. The data came from a case study on cross-cultural language learning within the second semester, 2021. The study analyzes the audio-recording of the classes, researcher notes, and post-course interviews of 24 participants. This research used a method of the content analysis. The study of the results, based on six categories (narrative analysis, discourse analysis, semiotic analysis, interpretative analyses, conversation analysis, and critical analysis), showed that the learners started to consider the nature of their cross-cultural mediation. The research proved that through such an interpretative engagement, students become engaged into working with languages and cultures. The study presents some recommendations for language teachers to create a meaning-making process from multiple perspectives.

scholarly journals “The Meranaw Rina-rinaw and its Emerging Semiotic Resources”

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 185-192
Author(s):  
Hasmina Domato Sarip
Keyword(s):  
General Public ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Ethnographic Research ◽  
Public Place ◽  
Semiotic Analysis ◽  
Semiotic Resources ◽  
Musical Accompaniment

This study aims to discover the emerging semiotic resources found in the Meranaw rina-rinaw. Through semiotic analysis, this ethnographic research determines how faithful the rina-rinaw has remained to the prototype, the traditional bayok, or how far it has drifted from the latter. Specifically, this study seeks to identify and discuss how the semiotic resources contribute to the meaning-making function of the rina-rinaw. The findings revealed the emerging semiotic resources such as the use of guitar as a musical accompaniment, the wearing of modern evening gowns instead of the Meranaw traditional malong or landap, transfer of the setting from the torogan to a private residence or more public place, and less formality and exclusiveness of the contemporary rina-rinaw event which, unlike the traditional bayok, is performed for the delectation of the general public. These semiotic resources have evolved in its own time. There are also evidence of departures or breaks where singers no longer exhibit the typical Meranaw arts of “kakini-kini” and “kakurum.” Instead, the onor walks naturally toward the stage. Moreover, the rina-rinaw event is open for everyone. The audience is no longer as exclusive as that of the traditional bayok; it is more heterogeneous. The participants could become rowdy or boisterous.

scholarly journals Cross-cultural Language Learning: Interpretative Engagement

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anzhelika Solodka ◽  
Oksana Filatova ◽  
Oksana Hinkevych ◽  
Oleksandr Spanatiy
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Narrative Analysis ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Semiotic Analysis ◽  
Multiple Perspectives ◽  
Context Analysis

Conceptualization of foreign language teaching as a cross-cultural interaction means engaging learners in various cultural mediations. Language use becomes a form of interpretative architecture of a target language. Understanding language use from a discursive perspective develops meta-pragmatic awareness and interpretative capacities of learners. The study answers the question of how to design the architecture of context analysis. This research aims to determine the effective ways of interpretative engagement of learners with aspects of pragmatics in the Ukrainian university setting. The study investigates how the process of interaction shapes the engagement of learners in practices of noticing, reflection, and comparison of cross-cultural situations. The data came from a case study on cross-cultural language learning within the second semester, 2021. The study analyzes the audio-recording of the classes, researcher notes, and post-course interviews of 24 participants. This research used a method of the content analysis. The study of the results, based on six categories (narrative analysis, discourse analysis, semiotic analysis, interpretative analyses, conversation analysis, and critical analysis), showed that the learners started to consider the nature of their cross-cultural mediation. The research proved that through such an interpretative engagement, students become engaged into working with languages and cultures. The study presents some recommendations for language teachers to create a meaning-making process from multiple perspectives.

“Soul Buddyz Clubs are for Children, about Children and by Children”: Youth Empowerment through Edutainment

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabihah Moola ◽  
Christiaan Cilliers
Keyword(s):  
Health Promotion ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Cognitive Theory ◽  
Reasoned Action ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Behavioural Change ◽  
Empowerment Theory ◽  
Semiotic Analysis ◽  
Rural And Urban Areas ◽  
Likelihood Model

This article analyses a brochure of the Soul Buddyz club, which elaborates the core focus of the organisation, the duties of the Soul Buddyz clubs as well as success stories of actual club members and leaders. The literature review expands on health promotion through edutainment, social behavioural change communication theories, namely the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) and the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA)/Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), Empowerment Theory, and Social Cognitive Theory (SCT). A qualitative semiotic analysis was conducted of the brochure, Children Taking the Lead, to establish the meaning-making and use of edutainment via health promotion. The findings indicate how the brochure makes use of a variety of visuals to create meaning, as illustrated throughout the text. Health literacy is core when communicating health promotional messages to the youth. The Soul Buddyz clubs have established a welcoming, secure environment for the youth by creating opportunities such as learning about life skills and health aspects, among other social ills affecting children within rural and urban areas.  

scholarly journals Verbalization of Emotional States in Multimodal Text: Intersemiotic Translation (Based on the Material of the English and Ukrainian Languages)

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Meaning Making ◽  
Emotional States ◽  
Semiotic Analysis ◽  
Multimodal Texts ◽  
Basic Emotions ◽  
Visual Texts ◽  
Semiotic Systems ◽  
Multimodal Text ◽  
Visual Text ◽  
English Speaking

The article highlights the problem of translation of visual texts, meaning-making based on the analyses and comparison of descriptions of emotions, feelings, sensations and associations in the multimodal text; the paper considers the notions of multimodality, intersemiotic translation, interpretation of the visual text of illustration; the article investigates the communicative function of multimodal texts that contain the signs of different semiotic systems and represent one referential situation by different means of semiotics; it outlines the features of the artistic language of illustration; the article looks at the issues of interoception and basic emotions; it carries out the semiotic analysis of figures, forms, lines and colors, as well as the analyses of the reviews of English-speaking film critics and the film ,the interpretations of illustration symbols by the Ukrainian-speaking subjects of the associative experiment; the work conducts the comparative analysis of the interpretations of emotional states in both the English critical articles and the representatives of Ukrainian culture.

scholarly journals Manifestation of Gender-Binaries in Pakistani Television Commercials: A Semiotic Analysis

2018 ◽  
Vol III (I) ◽  
pp. 355-375
Author(s):  
Muhammad Haseeb Nasir ◽  
Muhammad Safiullah ◽  
Sana Hussan
Keyword(s):  
Social Change ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Social Institutions ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Media Discourse ◽  
Semiotic Analysis ◽  
Television Commercials ◽  
Theoretical Underpinning ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Gender Binary

The current study investigates the prevalent gender-binary narrative in Pakistani television commercials. It tends to portray the dominant gender representational mechanisms which are implicitly employed by the advertisers. Television commercials, having the power to (re)frame the ideology of larger audience through visual/linguistic content and agency to pave the way for social change have become one of the most viable social institutions of disseminating information to a wider audience. The theoretical underpinning of the study is based on the theory of semiotics outlined by Dyer in “Advertising as Communication”. Semiotics is considered a critical tool for investigating meaning making process in media discourse because of its wideranged acceptability and reliability. The data for the current study comprise television commercials which are broadcast on popular Pakistani television channels. The sampling technique is purposive in nature including only those commercials which largely reflect gender representation. The study finds the commercials presenting layers of meanings at symbolic level of semiotic modes where men and women are displayed in stereotypical manner, subscribing to patriarchal structures.

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