Stylistic devices in english film titles containing the words “heart” and “soul” with reference to vietnamese equivalents

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HANOI OPEN UNIVERSITY QUACH THI PHUONG STYLISTIC DEVICES IN ENGLISH FILM TITLES CONTAINING WORDS “HEART” AND “SOUL” WITH REFERENCE TO VIETNAMESE EQU

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

HANOI OPEN UNIVERSITY

QUACH THI PHUONG

STYLISTIC DEVICES IN ENGLISH FILM TITLES

CONTAINING WORDS “HEART” AND “SOUL” WITH REFERENCE TO VIETNAMESE EQUIVALENTS

(CÁC BIỆN PHÁP TU TỪ TRONG CÁC TIÊU ĐỀ PHIM TIẾNG ANH CÓ TỪ ―TRÁI TIM‖ VÀ ―TÂM HỒN‖ VÀ TƯƠNG

ĐƯƠNG TRONG TIẾNG VIỆT)

M.A THESIS FIELD: ENGLISH LANGUAGE

CODE: 8220201

HANOI, 2018

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

HANOI OPEN UNIVERSITY

QUACH THI PHUONG

STYLISTIC DEVICES IN ENGLISH FILM TITLES

CONTAINING WORDS “HEART” AND “SOUL” WITH REFERENCE TO VIETNAMESE EQUIVALENTS

(CÁC BIỆN PHÁP TU TỪ TRONG CÁC TIÊU ĐỀ PHIM TIẾNG ANH CÓ TỪ ―TRÁI TIM‖ VÀ ―TÂM HỒN‖ VÀ TƯƠNG

ĐƯƠNG TRONG TIẾNG VIỆT)

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP

I, the undersigned, hereby certify my authority of the study project

report entitled Stylistic devices in English film titles containing words

“heart” and “soul” with reference toVietnamese equivalents submitted in

partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master in English Language Except where the reference is indicated, no other person‘s work has been used without due acknowledgement in the text of the thesis

Hanoi, 2018

Quach Thi Phuong

Approved by SUPERVISOR

Assoc Prof Dr Nguyen Thi Thanh Huong

Date:………

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This thesis could not have been completed without the help and support from a number of people

First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Assoc Prof Dr Nguyen Thi Thanh Huong, my supervisor, who has patiently and constantly supported me through the stages of the study, and whose stimulating ideas, expertise, and suggestions have inspired me greatly through my growth as an academic researcher

My sincere acknowledgement also go to all my lecturers and officers of Faculty of Graduate Studies, Hanoi Open University, who have facilitated me with the best possible conditions during my whole course of studying

Last but not least, I am greatly indebted to my family, my friends for the sacrifice they have devoted to the fulfillment of this academic work

CONTENTS

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii

LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES vii

LIST OFABBREVIATIONS viii

ABSTRACT ix

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Rationale 1

1.2 Aims and objectives of the study 2

1.2.1 Aims 2

1.2.2 Objectives 2

1.3 Research questions 2

1.4 Methods of the study 3

1.5 Scope of the study 3

1.6 Significance of the study 4

1.7 Design of the study 4

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 6

2.1 Review of previous studies 6

2.1.1 Previous studies in English 6

2.1.2 Previous studies in Vietnamese 6

2.2 Review of theoretical background 6

2.2.1 Definition of film and film title 6

2.2.2 Film types 6

2.2.3 Characteristics of film titles 11

2.2.4 Functions of film titles 11

2.3 Review of theoretical framework 12

2.3.1 Review of stylistic devices 12

2.3.2Review of syntax 22

2.3.3Review of translation 25

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 29

3.1 Subjects 29

3.2 Instruments 29

3.3 Procedures 29

3.4 Statistical Analysis 30

3.5 Summary 30

CHAPTER 4: 31

TYPICAL STYLISTIC LEXICAL AND SYNTACTICAL DEVICES INENGLISH FILM TITLES CONTAINING THE WORDS ―HEART‖ AND ―SOUL‖ 31

4.1 Syntactical features of English film titles containing ‗heart‘ and ‗soul‘ 31

4.1.1 English film titles in the form of phrases 31

4.1.2 English film titles in the form of sentences 34

4.2 Typical stylistic lexical and syntactical devices in selected film titles 39

4.2.1Stylistic lexical devices in selected film titles 39

4.2.2Stylistic syntactical devices in selected film titles 46

4.3 Evaluating selected film titles rendered into Vietnamese 50

4.3.1 Titles containing or referringto film character 51

4.3.2 Title containing the film‘s message 55

4.3.3 Titles containing film location 56

4.4 Implication 59

4.4.1 For English Learners 59

4.4.2 For English Teachers 59

4.4.3 For Vietnamese translators 60

4.5 Summary 60

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 62

5.1 Summary of Findings 62

5.2 Conclusion remarks 63

5.3 Recommendation for further study 64

REFERENCES 65

APPENDICES 68

LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES

Table 4.1Functions of the word ―heart‖ and ―soul‖ in noun phrases titles 30 Table 4.2Common structure of English film titles containing ―heart‖ and

―soul‖

32

Table 4.3Film titles with and without lexical stylistic devices 44 Table 4.4 Frequency of Lexical Stylistic Devices in selected film titles 44 Table 4.5 Frequency of Syntactical Stylistic Devices in selected film titles

Chart 4.1 Common structures of English film titles in the films containing

the words ―heart‖ and ―soul

33

Chart 4.2 Common structures in terms of phrases and sentences in both

films

34

Chart 4.4 Film titles with lexical and without lexical stylistic devices 45 Chart 4.5 Frequency of Lexical Stylistic Devices in selected film titles 45

Chart 4.6 Relationship between film titles and film plots 54 Chart 4.7 Evaluation of some of English-Vietnamese film title translations 54

ABSTRACT

This study investigates the stylistic devices used in English film titles which containing the words ―heart‖ and ―soul‖ with reference to Vietnamese equivalents The purpose of this study is finding out syntactical, lexical stylistic devices used in selected film titles and syntactical features in these titles as well About one hundred and seventeen English film titles containing the words ―heart‖ and ―soul‖ and their main contents have been collected from Internet, printed material Various methods have been adopted but descriptive and analysis method is the main method to find out the common structures used in titling a film, as well as figure out syntactical, lexical stylistic devices used in selected film titles because it is synthetic or analytic

in its approach Besides, the study also uses qualitative and quantitative approaches

as supporting methods which make analyzing data become reliable Then, the quantitative methods are applied to find out the frequent occurrence of these stylistic devices in these titles The findings show that most film titles are written in the form of phrase, especially noun phrase Moreover, lexical stylistic devices are more frequently used in titling films than syntactical stylistic devices After that, some of these translated film titles from Internet have been evaluated This study hopes to give better understanding and appreciation of stylistic devices in film titles

as well as contribute in teaching and learning stylistic devices and translating English film titles into Vietnamese through its implications

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale

Language is an indispensable tool in communication It‘s considered to have miraculous power in conveying the ideas, purposes and messages

With the globalization, Film industry is really becoming an integral part in the modern life It brings the audiences not only happiness, entertainment but also experiences in life No usual day goes by without seeing the films on TV, at the cinema, on the Internet Films really become a preciously spiritual form to satisfy all senses, and it also makes an emotional connection in conveying the life messages, thrilling experiences, excitement and awareness through its main emphasis aspects Sometimes, the films can bring back optimistic thoughts for unhappy person, enrich people‘s knowledge, and enhance people‘s analytical thinking Films make our life more vivid and exciting

Movie is so important that it has become the first arts of the human world Moreover, it‘s very clear that film titles are always the first impressive things come into the viewer‘s mind instead of the characters, director or the content of the film

A good film title certainly helps not only grab the viewers‘ interest but also bring the prediction about the content of the film, the main characters as well as its general view, even it helps to stimulate the audiences‘ curiosity and excitement for film goers It‘s also true in international environment when more and more English films are being watched in Vietnam in particular and in all countries all over the world in general As a result, the proper use of language in the film titles and their translated film titles must be taken into consideration carefully because the movie in target language is accepted in association with target cultures

A good way into coming up with a great movie title is to consider what the core essence of the story is What‘s it really about? What‘s the core conflict? What‘s the overall emotion screenwriter wants to convey in the script‘s title? Then,

it is stylistic devices that assist screenwriter to create a unique and memorable title because ―stylistic devices‖ just means ―fancy ways of saying or writing something‖ Therefore, in the practice of the writing film titles as well as film title translation

.People have to pay more and more attention to the use of stylistic devices to make the film title more succinct, accurate and vivid and to provide rich imagination and plentiful associations for readers so as to stimulate their desire and make a notable film title as producer‘s expectation

The stylistic devices have so far been the focus of attention of many linguists and researchers, especially in literary areas However, there are not many serious studies of the language used in film titles, especially stylistic devices used in English film titles with reference to Vietnamese equivalents The author chooses the film ―heart‖ and ―soul‖ in the film titles only because there is a close relationship between two words Actually, the ―heart‖ has both physical and spiritual meanings while the word ―soul‖ has mostly spiritual meaning In order to create favorable conditions for those who want to understand more about film title language, I

decide to carry out a detailed analysis of these features: “Stylistic devices in English film titles containing words “heart” and “soul” with reference to Vietnamese equivalents.”

1.2 Aims and objectives of the study

1.2.1 Aims

To help learners of English mastering stylistic devices in English film titles containing the words ―heart‖ and ―soul‖ and common structures in these English films with reference to Vietnamese equivalents

1.2.2 Objectives

Investigating the syntactical features in English film titles containing the words ―heart‖ and ―soul‖

Discovering lexical and syntactical stylistic devices in selected film titles

Examining how some of these English film titles are rendered into Vietnamese

1.3 Research questions

Findings are discussed in relation to the following research questions of the study:

1) What are typical stylistic syntactical features of English film titles

containing the words ―heart‖ and ―soul‖?

2) What are typical stylistic lexical and syntactical stylistic devices in

selected film titles?

3) How are selected English film titles rendered into Vietnamese?

1.4 Methods of the study

This study is conducted by employing qualitative and quantitative research approach to find out the lexical and syntactical stylistic devices in heart-title and soul-title films

Firstly, observation is applied into internet accessing to find out 117 film

titles for the study

Secondly, descriptive method enables the researcher to figure out syntactical

and lexical stylistic devices in selected English film titles After data are collected, all the selected films plots, film genres will be collected from internet for better understanding about the main content, characters, theme, and their ideological value, and the relationship between film titles and film contents

Next, statistical, quantitative methods show the frequency of occurrence of

some commonly used lexical and syntactical stylistic devices

1.5 Scope of the study

There are different types of film which can denote people, animal, plants, jobs, etc However, within the framework of this minor thesis, the author mainly focuses on the film titles containing the words ―heart‖ and ―soul‖ 117 English film titles, their film contents and some of these translated versions are collected mainly from Internet This study focuses on the findings of lexical and syntactical SDs in English film titles Together with SDs, the thesis also figures out the syntactical features of English film titles so that Vietnamese translators and audiences can have

an intensive understanding about the common structures in English Moreover, the thesis also evaluates some Vietnamese translations basing on determined SDs and film plots to find out whether Vietnamese translators base on SDs and film plots when translating film titles

In addition, the ―English‖ word in this thesis can be understood that the language of films is English All over the world, there are many varieties of English such as British English, Indian English, etc However, the thesis only focus on films manufactured mostly in United States because this is the main source of English and this thesis can figure out the beauty of English linguistics as a native language

1.6 Significance of the study

Theoretically, the research will provide a systematic insight into lexical and

syntactical SDs in the film containing the words ―heart‖ and ―soul‖

Practically, the research will be a valuable contribution to the teaching and learning of English and Vietnamese Stylistics in general and of stylistic devices in film tile language in particular The findings of the research will help Vietnamese learners appreciate the beauty of film title language Moreover, it will not only help them get better understanding of film title language but also provide them with some necessary strategies and techniques in writing film titles As a result, their experience will certainly facilitate their English language learning so that they will

be able to learn more effectively and successfully Stylistic devices are used not only in film titles but also in everyday life as well Understanding SDs in film titles help both film writer writes an effective title and audiences understand the hidden message under the title words so that audiences can choose the film to experience more quickly and accurately

1.7 Design of the study

The study is organized into five chapters as follows:

Chapter 1 – INTRODUCTION– presents the rationale, aims and objectives,

research questions, methods of the study, scope of the study, significance of the

study, and design of the study

Chapter 2 – LITERATURE REVIEW– presents a review of prior studies and

concepts related to the problem under study General views of film titles and some fundamental theoretical background to the study will also be presented

Chapter 3 – METHODOLOGY– presents research design, research method and

procedure, description of population and sample, data collection and data analysis will be fully described

Chapter 4 – FINDINGS and DISCUSSION– provides the findings of typical

structures in these selected film tiles, stylistic devices used in these selected film titles in terms of syntactical stylistic devices and lexical stylistic devices, evaluates some translated films and gives some suggestions for teaching, learning translating these film titles into Vietnamese based on the determined SDs and film plot

Chapter 5 – CONCLUSION– gives summary of findings, conclusions and

recommendations for further Study

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Review of previous studies

2.1.1 Previous studies in English

Many scholars have been investigating about stylistics all over the world because it has the long century development

In English, Here are outstanding linguistics experts with their works including

Galper in with Stylistics (1977), A handbook of Rhetorical Devices‖ by Harris

(2003), Sachkova with ―Lectures on English Stylistics‖ (2012), they not only present an overview of English stylistics but also categorize English stylistic devices into different groups and provide carefully analyzed examples

2.1.2 Previous studies in Vietnamese

It appears that Vietnamese scholars also take interest in this field resulting in great related works Some famous works are ―Phong cách học và đặc điểm tu từ tiếng Việt‖ by Cu Dinh Tu (1983), ―99 phương tiện và biện pháp tu từ tiếng Việt‖ by Dinh Trong Lac (2003), which present and analyze stylistic devices in Vietnamese language

In addition, there are many thesis carried out basing on stylistics However, most studies emphasizes on the SDs in prose, poems or stories

2.2 Review of theoretical background

2.2.1 Definition of film and film title

According to Oxford learner‘s dictionary ―film is a series of moving pictures recorded with sound that tell a story, show on television art at the cinema/ movie theater‖ [27]

It also defines that ―title is the name of a book, poem, painting, piece of music, etc.‖ Therefore, film title is the name of a film which is a series of moving pictures recorded with sound that tell a story, show on television art at the cinema or movie theater

2.2.2 Film types

There are many types of films, and here are some of the most common and identifiable film genre categories, with descriptions of each type or category Most

information in this section base on the theory of Dirk [21]

2.2.2.1 Comedy

Comedies are light-hearted plots consistently and deliberately designed to amuse and provoke laughter by exaggerating the situation, the language, action, relationships and characters Films in this style typically have a happy ending One

of the oldest genres in film, some of the very first silent movies was comedies Comedy, unlike other film genres, puts much more focus on individual stars, with many former stand-up comic transitioning to the film industry due to their popularity While many comic films are lighthearted stories with no intent other than to amuse, others contain political or social commentary.[21]

2.2.2.2 Drama

A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, racial prejudice religious intolerance, poverty, crime and corruption put the characters in conflict with themselves, others, society and even natural phenomenon.[21]

The film genre can be contrasted with an action film, which relies on fast- paced action and physical conflict but superficial character development, All film genres can include dramatic elements, but typically, films considered drama films focus mainly on the drama of the main issue

2.2.2.3 Crime/mystery

Crime films are developed around the sinister actions of criminals or mobsters, particularly bank robbers, underworld figures, or ruthless hoodlums who operate outside the law, stealing and murdering their way through life The criminals or gangsters are often counteracted by a detective-protagonist with a who-dun-it plot Hard-boiled detective films reached their peak during the 40s and 50s (classic film noir), although have continued to the present day

Therefore, crime and gangster films are often categorized as film noir or mystery films, and sometimes as courtroom/crime legal thrillers - because of underlying similarities between these cinematic forms This category also includes various 'serial killer' films.[21]

2.2.2.6 Action

Action movie is a film genre where in the story is largely told through physical action as opposed to dialogue The action typically involves individual efforts on the part of the hero While action has long been an element of film, the ―Action movie‖ as a genre of its own began to develop in the 1970s, the genre is closely linked with thriller and adventure film genres While action films have traditionally been a reliable source of revenue for movie studios, relatively few action films genre critical praise While action films have traditionally been aimed at male audiences, from the early teens to the mid-30s, many action filmmakers from the

1990s, and 2000s added female heroines in response to the times, glorifying the strong female archetype[21]

2.2.2.7 Adventure film

Adventure films are usually exciting stories, with new experiences or exotic locales, very similar to or often paired with the action film genre They can include traditional swashbucklers or pirate films, serialized films, and historical spectacles (similar to the epics film genre), searches or expeditions for lost continents, "jungle" and "desert" epics, treasure hunts, disaster films, or searches for the unknown.[21]

2.2.2.8 Romantic film

Romantic films of passionate love relationships between men and women have always held a special place in our cultural heritage Movies about great love affairs have been made from the classic stories of Lancelot and Guinevere, Heloise and Abelard, and Romeo and Juliet These timeless treasures are remembered as symbols of physical passion and spiritual devotion Although they are most often regarded as love stories, the literary foundation of these romantic movies is that of tragedies, and tragedies of the most telling kind.[21]

2.2.2.9 Horror film

Horror films are movies that strive to elicit the emotions of fear, horror and terror from viewers Their plots frequently involve themes of death, the supernatural or mental illness Many horror movies also include a central villain

Early horror movies are largely based on classic literature of the gothic horror genre, such as ―Dracula‖, ―Frankenstein‖, ―The Phantom of the Opera‖, and

―Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde‖ More recent horror films continue to exploit the monsters

of literature, and also draw inspiration from the insecurities of modern life Horror films have been dismissed as violent, low budget and exploitation films Nonetheless, all the major studios and many respected directors have made forays into the genre Serious critics have analyzed horror films through the prisms of genre theory and the amateur theory Some horror films incorporate elements of other genres such as science fiction, fantasy, documentary, black comedy, and thrillers.[21]

2.2.2.10 Thriller

Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that involves excitement and suspense in the audience The suspense element, found in most films' plots, is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre Tension is created by delaying what the audience sees as inevitable, and is built through situations that are menacing or where escape seems impossible.[21]

2.2.2.11 War

War films are a film genre concerned with warfare, usually about naval, airor land battles, sometimes focusing instead on prisoners of war, covert operations, military training or other related subjects At times war films focus on daily military or civilian life in wartime without depicting battles Their stories may be fiction, based

on history, docudrama or occasionally, biographical The term anti-war film is sometimes used to describe films which bring to the viewer the pain and horror of war, often from a political or ideological perspective.[21]

2.2.3 Characteristics of film titles

Generally speaking, we can study the characteristics of film title from three aspects: language characteristics, cultural characteristics, and aesthetic characteristics

2.2.3.1 Language Characteristics

The title is a sales tool designed to get people to read the script, rent the film

or ask for more information It is not only an artistic statement Therefore, the most obvious language characteristic of the film title is its clearness and conciseness and simple, for film title can highly concentrate the content of a film In general, the number of words in a title shouldn‘t be more than five words, so it‘s necessary to keep the titles as short as possible According to search, for most of the Academy Awards winning films and nominated films, their titles usually contain two words

or four words In addition, the titles should hint at the genre of the film, and they should honestly and succinctly reflect the story [20,33]

2.2.3.2 Cultural Characteristics

Films mirror culture, and films reflect the customs, beliefs, and values of the cultures that produce them, they also help to shape and solidify a culture‘s beliefs Films can record the changes of the cultural development; it can also capture the complex things of social life that in other ways can‘t achieve Although films cannot substitute for actual interaction with members of other cultures, they can provide useful preparation for those encounters by fostering understanding and developing sensitivity All good films are cultural phenomena and ideological trend of social production of specific era In short, culture is the basis of films, films also enrich the culture at the same time Intercultural contact through films enables people to understand other actions and to have empathy with members of minority groups [20,33]

2.2.3.3 Aesthetic Characteristics

Film title should not only be concise and express cultural information, but also should be beautiful or aesthetic which explores the nature of art, beauty, and taste, with the creation and appreciation of beauty The title‘s artistic conception and the title‘s rhyme should be loud and clear, flow freely, and have musical rhythm, and can let a person enjoy auditory felling, and film titles should

be simple to understand but must be creative and attractive Above all, the film title should have the characteristics of three aspects; they are language characteristics; cultural characteristics, and aesthetic characteristics Only with these three characteristics, can a film title be a qualified film title.[20,33]

2.2.4 Functions of film titles

In general, the film title has three functions, namely informative function, aesthetic function and commercial function

2.2.4.1 Informative/Descriptive Function

The informative function is the basic fundamental one of the film This kind

of title can convey content, theme, character, location or time related to the film The information can‘t reflect the whole film but it helps audiences directly to draw a summary about the upcoming film based on these limited words in titles

Many English films can be known much about the films only through their titles‘ information which have great influence on audiences‘ choices.[35,608]

2.2.4.2 Aesthetic Function

Film titles are a kind of art, and art always highly appreciate the beauty, and the emotional entertainment with creation Film title should be concise and express cultural information, and transfer the beauty of language However, film titles with aesthetic function promotes the emphasis on the charm of language more than indicate the movie plot or characters For example, English is an intonation language which can make the sentence from a statement into a question by changing the pitch; it can also change those structures which are meaningless to the whole sentence English can also create aesthetic rhythm through the use of different tones and stresses [35,608]

As a result, among millions of film titles all over the world, a unique and unforgettable film title is given more points in making its film become more

popular [35,608]

2.3 Review of theoretical framework

2.3.1 Review of stylistic devices

2.3.1.1 Definition of Stylistic Devices

Stylistic Devices is a branch of general linguistic which is regarded as a language science According Galperin (1977), Stylistics studies expressive means of

a language which are those phonetic, morphological, word-building, lexical, phrase logical and syntactical forms which exist in language-as-a-system for the purpose of logical and/or emotional intensification of the utterance [6,27]

Galperin also adds that Stylistic devices (SDs)is a conscious and intentional

intensification of some typical structural and/or semantic property of a language unit (neutral or expressive) promoted to a generalized status and thus becoming a generative model‖ Most SDs display an application of two meanings: the ordinary one is the meaning (lexical or structural) which has already been established in the language-as-a-system, and a special meaning which originates within certain context and is contextual [6, 29]

Stylistic devices are also called rhetorical devices or figures of speech It is a stylistic use of a language unit acquires what we call a stylistic meaning, and a stylistic device is the realization of an already well-known abstract scheme designed

to achieve a particular artistic effect

Mark Brendan (2008) assumes that Stylistic devices deal with the artificial structures of reality that in their compound complexities constitutes what we call culture We do it an injustice to define it simply as communication, etc Rhetoric is itself a structuring art As an art of persuasion its materials are words and images, sentences and paragraphs, arguments and examples, all of which are used to organize the responses and actions of an audience As an attitude about the world, rhetoric underwrites all kinds of processes and methods that aim to produce order out of chaos [4, 60]

In short, Stylistic Devices is a science, a branch of general linguistic which investigates principles and the results of selection and use of lexical, grammatical, phonetic and other language means for the transfer of thoughts and emotions It deals with the result of the act of communication It means that stylistic devices take into consideration the output of the act of communication The most frequent definition of stylistic devices is one defined as the ability to write clearly, correctly and in a manner calculated to interest the readers

2.3.1.2 Functions of Stylistic Devices

Galperin(1977) gives the notion of basic function of stylistic that ―SDs function in texts as marked units They always carry some kind of additional information, either emotive or logical‖ [6, 30]

The idea of the function of SDs is expressed most fully that the justification and the sense of each device lies in the wholeness of the artistic impression which the work of art as a self-contained thing produces on us Each separate aesthetic fact, each poetical device finds its place in the system, the sounds and sense of the words, the syntactical structures, the scheme of the plot, the compositional purport – all in equal degree express this wholeness and find justification

In a word, stylistic device is the study of the principles and devices by which writing is made more effective and persuasive Stylistic device in language can be defined as distinctive linguistic expression to serve its own purposes and effect with its own inventory of tool

Stylistic devices have many functions based on the different situations Stylistic devices used in titles will help to arouse the readers‘ interest and catch their attention Stylistic devices such as paradox will make the reader think, and create vivid/graphic mental images through metaphors, and personifications If repetition, parallelism, alliteration emphasize certain aspects, euphemism, similes, metaphors amuse or entertain the readers

2.3.1.3 Classification of Stylistic devices

Galperin classifies SDs into three different types: phonetic, lexical and syntactical SDs However, the thesis mainly focuses on lexical and syntactical SDs, phonetic SDs aren‘t mentioned in detailed in this study

1) Lexical stylistic devices

a Metaphor

Metaphor is one of the most beautiful and symbolic rhetorical devices in the field of stylistics It is a type of expressive and figurative language in which one semantic field of reference is carried over or transferred to another A metaphor

consists of two main parts: the tenor and the vehicle The tenor is the implied idea

or the hidden subject of the comparison; the vehicle is the metaphorical word(s) or

image(s) by which the tenor is conveyed These two parts are combined together basing on the common ground between them For example in the following

sentence: Life is a yo-yo, the tenor of life and the vehicle is yo-yo The fact that both

life and yo-yo have ups and downs is the ground Metaphor is different from logic

comparison, a device focusing on the aspects of comparison directly, simply in order to find out the likeness between /amongst objects in the same class Logic comparison seems to be a very simple rhetorical device that draws less attention from the language users Metaphor, in contrast to logic comparison, carries more affirmative characteristic in comparing to simile; when focusing on a certain aspect

of comparison, it requires a higher level of cognitive competence Metaphor, undoubtedly, much more creativeness, and this is also the reason why it has been widely used by thousands of writers, composers and advertisers in many styles of language, especially in poet, music and advertising language Here, many kinds of metaphor are used; to bring about many new, strange feelings; stimulate the creativeness in ways of thought from the readers and hearers and especially, to draw attention and persuade the consumers to products, goods or services

Accordingly, metaphor is thought as the currency of mind Metaphor is a fundamental and indispensable structure of human understanding It is by means of metaphor that we generate new perceptions of the world; it is through metaphor that

we organize and make sense out of experience Let‘s look at some closest citation

of metaphor

Galperin (1977) A metaphor is a relation between the dictionary and contextual logical meanings based on the affinity or similarity of certain properties

or features of the two corresponding concepts.[6, 136]

He also mentions that the more obvious the similarity, the less need there is for deciphering words in the con text

According Oxford Learner‘s Dictionaries metaphor is ―a word or phrase used

to describe somebody/something else, in a way that is different from its normal use,

in order to show that the two things have the same qualities and to make the description more powerful‖

Metaphor can be embodied in all the meaningful parts of speech, in nouns, adjectives, verbs, and adverbs and sometimes even in the auxiliary parts of speech,

as in prepositions

Metaphor is one of the most potent means of creating images which helps writer transfer meanings in a beautiful way

However, Metaphor is easily confused with simile and metonymy because they all base on associative relations Therefore, simile and metonymy should be mentioned herein in comparison with metaphor

b Metonymy

As mentioned by E.V Sachkova(2012) , metonymy denotes transference of meaning which is based on contiguity of notion Metonymy represents meanings based on proximity, and the similar association connects 2 objects or concepts [17, 25]

Galperin(1977) says that Metonymy is based on a different type of relation between the dictionary and contextual meanings, a relation based not on affinity, but on some kind of association connecting the two concepts which these meanings represent on a proximity [6, 144]

Metaphor and metonymy are similar in various aspects but the major difference is that if a metaphor substitutes a concept with another, a metonymy selects a related term So, if metaphor is for substitution, metonymy is for association For example, the sentence ‗he is a tiger in class‘ is a metaphor Here the word tiger is used in substitution for displaying an attribute of character of the person The sentence ‗the tiger called his students to the meeting room‘ is a metonymy Here there is no substitution; instead the person is associated with a tiger for his nature

In addition, Metaphor is an extension to a word‘s meaning on the account of similarity and metonymy is a way of extending the meaning of a word based on its association to another Another difference between metaphor and metonymy is that

a metaphor acts by suppressing an idea while metonymy acts by combining ideas But both metaphor and metonymy are used to express ideas which are greatly different from the original meaning in the psychic realm When a person uses a metonymy, the qualities are not transferred from the original word to the

metonymy But in metaphor, when there is a comparison, the comparison is based

on the qualities and some qualities are transferred from the original to the metaphor Galperin classifies it into 5 main types[6, 146]

 In the relations between the symbol and the thing it denotes

 in the relations between the instrument and the action performed with this instrument;

E.g His pen is rather sharp

 in the relation between the container and the thing it contains;

E.g He drank one more cup

 the concrete is put for the abstract;

E.g it was a representative gathering (science, politics)

 a part is put for the whole;

E.g the crown - king, a hand - worker

Understanding the context of metonymy is important For example, every time you hear the word "pen," it's not necessarily a stand-in for "the written word." Sometimes, a pen is just a pen Look for context clues in the sentence to help you decide if the word is simply a word or a representation

In short, Metonymy represents meanings based on proximity, and the similar association connects two objects or concepts Metonyms are members of the figurative language family, so they serve as colorful ways to take interest, create special emotions and

c Epithet

Galperin (1977) points out that Epithet is based on the interplay of emotive and logical meaning in an attributive word, phrase or even sentence, used to characterize an object and pointing out to the reader some of the properties or features of the object with the aim of giving an individual perception and evaluation

of these features or properties [6, 157]

The Epithet makes a strong impact on the reader, and it can convey the subjective and evaluative attitude of the writer The epithet is a powerful means for

making the desired impact on the reader, and therefore its ties with the noun are generally contextual

Epithet is an SDs which describes a place, a thing, or a person in such a way that it helps in making its characteristics more prominent than they actually are Let‘s look at one example of Epithet ―Ivan the Terrible” Ivan earned his epithet for

the fear, he inspired in his subjects and enemies In this example, the epithet takes the form of the byname ―the Terrible.‖

He classifies Epithet into 2 main types

 Associated with the noun following it, pointing to a feature which is

essential to the objects they describe: dark forest; careful attention

 Unassociated with the noun, epithets that add a feature which is

unexpected and which strikes the reader: smiling sun, voiceless

sounds

d Antonomasia

Like epithet, antonomasia involves the substitution of a name for another Whereas epithets may be nicknames applied to a wide variety of subjects, antonomasia is the substitution of a well-known and documented name for a famous person

According to Galperin(1977), Antonomasia is the result of interaction between logical and nominal meaning of a word There are two different types of Antonomasia as following

 When the proper name of a person, who is famous for some reasons, is put for a person having the same feature

E.g her husband is an Othello

 A common noun is used instead of a proper name,

E g I agree with you Mr Logic

e Simile

Simile is a specific semantic trope in stylistics, especially in stylistic devices The existence of simile in stylistic devices has partly created the creativeness in the development of languages In the language of literature, music as well as the one of

film title, it can easily find out many kinds of simile and they themselves have enabled these kinds of language to be more attractive, more expressive, charming and persuasive By using similes, the poets, the writers, the musicians, the advertisers, etc have helped us to approach such ways of figurative comparison although they are very deviatory Since they are comparisons of objects belonging

to entirely different classes, they have high value of expressiveness stimulating the conceptual ability from the hearers and readers In order to understand what is simile and how it works in languages, let‘s study some simile definitions

As Sachkova(2012), Simile is a direct comparison of an object by bringing it into contact with another object belonging to an entirely different class of things Simile is based on the intensification of a certain feature of a thing or phenomenon Similes have formal elements in their structure: connective words such as like, as, such as, as if, seem [16, 38]

According to Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching & Applied

Linguistics, “Simile is an expression in which something is compared to something

else by the use of function words such as like or as.‖

By examining the definitions above, to some extent, a basic knowledge about what is simile is figured out In fact, to understand thoroughly about simile and apply its theories in analyzing structural or stylistic feature is not such an easy game

at all It requires a passion for linguistic research as well as a wish to maintain the fascinating beauty ofrhetoric

E.g a thousand pardons, scared to death

Like many stylistic devices, hyperbole may lose its quality as a stylistic device through frequent repetition and become a unit of the language-as-a- system, reproduced in speech in its unaltered form

Hyperbole differs from mere exaggeration in that it is intended to be understood as an exaggeration In this connection the following quotations deserve

a passing note

Hyperbole is the result of a kind of intoxication by emotion, which prevents

a person from seeing things in their true dimensions… If the reader (listener) is not carried away by the emotion of the writer (speaker), hyperbole becomes a mere lie

In short, Hyperbole is a device which sharpens the reader‘s ability to make a logical assessment of the utterance This is achieved, as in the case with other devices , by awakening the dichotomy of thought and feeling where thought takes place the upper hand thought not to the detriment of feeling

g Clichés

It is generally defined as an expression that has become hackneyed and trite

It has lost its precise meaning by constant reiteration; In other words, it has become stereotyped Cliché is a kind of stable word combination which has become familiar and which has been accepted as a unit of a language

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of clichés in the English language Many of them have meanings that are obvious; others have meanings that are only clear if you know the context For example, the cliché, "any port in a storm" has a hidden meaning The obvious meaning is that, in a bad situation, any help will do However, this cliché may also be used when talking about someone who has many lovers

Some clichés can be interpreted differently based on their context, and not all clichés are necessarily true either Some are a matter of interpretation

h Idioms

Cambridge English Dictionary defines idioms is ―a group of words in

a fixed order that have a particular meaning that is different from the meanings of each word on its own‖

Idioms are figurative phrases with an implied meaning; the phrase is not to

be taken literally An example of an idiom is, "having a chip on your shoulder."

That means you think you're better than everyone else, not that you actually have a chip of something on your shoulder

Clichés are often idioms This makes clichés difficult to translate into other languages because their meaning won't always be understood by people from different cultures

As a brief phrase that implies a lot an idiom can become a cliché if it's used often enough

Titles use idioms should take idioms‘ meaning in consideration in comparison with the content of the film

2) Syntactical stylistic devices

a Stylistic Inversion

According to Galperin(1977), ―any change which doesn't influence the meaning but is only aimed at emphasis is called a stylistic inversion Stylistic inversion aims at attaching logical stress or additional emotional coloring to the surface meaning of the utterance‖ [6, 204]

Stylistic inversion aims at attaching logical stress or additional emotional coloring to the surface meaning of the utterance Therefore a specific intonation pattern is the inevitable satellite of inversion

The following patterns of stylistic inversion are most frequently met in both English prose and English poetry

 The object is placed at the beginning of the sentence

 The attribute is placed after the word it modifies

E.g With fingers weary and worn

 The predicate is placed before the subject

E.g A good generous prayer it was

 The adverbial modifier is placed at the beginning of the sentence

E.g My dearest daughter, at your feet I fall

 Both modifier and predicate stand before the subject

E.g In went Mr Pickwick

b Parallel construction

According to Sachkova(2012), parallel construction is a stylistic device of creating two or more syntactic structures with the same syntactic pattern The necessary condition in parallel construction is identical or similar, syntactical structure in two or more sentences or parts of sentence The aims of parallel construction is create rhythm and emphasize the similar things or opposite meaning [17, 52]

In Parallel construction, words and phrases should not only match in structure,but also in tense Writers use parallel structure to add clarity to their writing and to make it easier to understand It also adds value to a writer's overall composition and shows that their writing is structurally and grammatically correct

In brief, Parallel structure provides flow in a sentence It keeps your writing balanced and makes it easier to read These structures are repetitions that offer an enjoyable time for the readers to absorb and understand ideas, facts, and concepts E.g "There were, ., real silver spoons to stir the tea with, and real china cups to drink it out of, and plates of the same to hold the cakes and toast in." (Dickens)

c Antithesis

E.V Sachkova (2012) defines that antithesis is a stylistic device in which two opposite ideas or pattern are combined together in a sentence so that a contrasting effect will be achieved [17, 55]

Galperin(1977) also defines that Parallel construction is most frequently used

in enumeration, antithesis and in climax, thus consolidating the general effect achieved by these stylistic devices Parallel construction is used in different styles

of writing with slightly different functions When used in the matter-of-fact styles, it carries, in the main, the idea of semantic equality of the parts, as in scientific prose, where the logical principle of arranging ideas predominates In the belles-lettres style parallel construction carries an emotive function That is why it is mainly used

as a technical means in building up other stylistic devices, thus securing their unity [6, 208]

2.3.2 Review of syntax

In this section, the thesis only focuses on the syntactic features of phrases and sentences

E.g He is laughing at the joker

A phrase functions as a noun, verb, adverb, adjective or preposition in a sentence The function of a phrase depends on its construction (words it contains)

On the basis of their functions and constructions, phrases are divided into various types i.e noun phrase, verb phrase, adverb phrase, adjective phrase, appositive phrase, infinite phrase, participle phrase and gerund phrase

2) Types of phrases

a Noun Phrase

A noun phrase consists of a noun and other related words (usually modifiers and determiners) which modify the noun It functions like a noun in a sentence.[11,103]

A noun phrase consists of a noun as the head word and other words (usually modifiers and determiners) which come after or before the noun The whole phrase works as a noun in a sentence

Noun Phrase = noun + modifiers (the modifiers can be after or before noun)

E.g He is wearing a nice red shirt.(as noun/object)

She brought a glass full of water (as noun/object)

A sentence can also contain more noun phrases

E.g The girl with blue eyes bought a beautiful chair

b Prepositional phrase

A prepositional phrase consists of a preposition and a noun or pronoun that serves as the preposition‘s object, and often one or more adjectives [26]

E.g on a table, near a wall, in the room, at the door, under a tree

A prepositional phrase starts with a preposition and mostly ends with a noun

or pronoun Whatever prepositional phrase ends with is called object of preposition

A prepositional phrase functions as an adjective or adverb in a sentence

E.g A boy on the roof is singing a song (As adjective)

c Adjective Phrase

An adjective phrase is a group of words that functions like an adjective in a sentence It consists of adjectives, modifier and any word that modifies a noun or pronoun [11, 125]

An adjective phrase functions like an adjective to modify (or tell about) a noun or a pronoun in a sentence

E.g He is wearing a nice red shirt (modifies shirt)

The girl with brown hair is singing a song (modifies girl)

Prepositional phrases and participle phrases also function as adjectives so we can also call them adjective phrases when they function as adjective

Infinitive Phrase

An infinitive phrase consist of an infinitive(to + simple form of verb) and modifiers or other words associated to the infinitive An infinitive phrase always functions as an adjective, adverb or a noun in a sentence [26]

E.g He likes to read books (As noun/object)

To earn money is a desire of everyone (As noun/subject)

d Gerund Phrase

A gerund phrase consists of a gerund (verb + ing) and modifiers or other

words associated with the gerund A gerund phrase acts as a noun in a sentence.[26] E.g I like writing good essays.(As noun/object)

She started thinkingabout the problem (As noun/object)

e Participle Phrase

A participle phrase consists of a present participle (verb + ing), a past participle (verb ending in -ed or other form in case of irregular verbs) and modifiers

or other associate words A participle phrase is separated by commas It always acts

as an adjective in a sentence.[26]

E.g The kids,making a noise, need food (modifieskids)

I received a letter, mentioning about my exam (modifiesletter)

2.3.2.2 Sentences

1) Simple sentences

Simple sentence consists of just one independent clause Consistent with this rule, when a simple sentence is further analyzed , there is just one subject and one finite verb phrase [11,120]

There are 7 types of simple sentence [16,721]

 SVO the film bored me

 SVC your dinner seems ready

 SVA my office is in the next builing

 SVOO I must send him a card

 SVOC students make her happy

 SVOA you can put the dish on the table

2) Imperative sentences

It is a sentence in the form of a direction or a command; the subject- you is usually deleted [11,101]

E.g Come in

3) Interrogative subordinate sentence

It is a sentence with wh- question and with subject and verb

E.g When the car goes

2.3.3 Review of translation

2.3.3.1 Definition of translation

Translation is a kind of activity, which inevitably involves at least two languages and two cultural traditions [19,200]

Translation consists of producing in the target language the closest natural equivalent of the source language message, firstly with respect to meaning and secondly with respect to style.‖ [13,54]

2.3.3.2 Types of translation

For learners of English, there are different approaches to translation For a number of definitions of translation given above, we can see that understanding towards translation varies from one to another As the results of such diversity, translation can be classified into different viewpoints According to Newmark, there are 8 methods of translation

1) Word-to- word translation

This is the type of translation that learners of English are likely to take up in the process of mastering their translation skill In word-to-word translation, the source language word order is preserved and the words translated singly by their most common meanings, out of context.[12,45]

In word-for-word translation, the result often makes little sense, especially when idioms are involved The translators can useword-to word translation both to understand the mechanism of the source language and to construct a rough process for a difficult text

E.g ―Red eye‖ is translated into ―Mắt đỏ‖

2) Literal translation

Literal translation is a broader of translation, each source language word has

a corresponding target language word, but their primary meanings may differ Literal translation follows very closely the grammatical and lexical forms of the source textlanguage.[12,46]

Literal translation is considered as the basic translation step, both in communicative and semantic translation

E.g ―Brave heart‖ is translated into ―Trái tim dũng cảm‖

3) Faithful translation

A faithful translation requires a faithful precision in meaning and grammar structure of the original However, we can also transmit the source language text into the target language one more flexibly basing on its contextual meaning.[12,46]

4) Free translation

In free translation, the linguistics structure of the source language is ignored, and equivelent is found based upon the meaning it conveys Free translation is sometimes called paraphrases The disadvantage of this type is that translating is too casual to understand the original because of its freedom.[12,46]

5) Adaptation

Adaptation has a property of lending the ideas of the original to create a new text by a new language more than to be faithful to the original The creation in adaptation is completely objective in content as well as form‖ So, adaptation is the freest form of translation.[12,46]

E.g ―Perfect storm‖ film is translated into ―Cơn bão kinh hoàng‖

6) Communicative translation

Communicative translation allows the translator to transmit the source language into the target language by ready and comprehensible ways to the readership ―But even here the translator still has to respect and work on the form of the source language text as the only material basic for his work‖ [12,39]

7) Idiomatic translation

Idiomatic translation is concerned with communicating the meaning of the source text using the natural grammatical and lexical items of the target language Idiomatic translation is used for colloquialism and idioms whose literalism of the origin, uses the translation of colloquialism andidioms.[12,47]

E.g ―As good as it gets‖ is translated into ―Không thể tốt hơn‖

8) Semantictranslation

Semantic translating where the translator attempts, within the base syntactic and semantic constraints of the target language, to reproduce the precise contextual meaning of the author Therefore, the semantic translation is more flexible than

faithful, admits the creative exception and allows the translator‘s intuitive concession with the original.[12,46]

2.4 Summary

The first section of this chapter has given a brief description of previous studies related to the research area, which have been done overseas and in Vietnam These are considered as a valuable source of reference In the second section, the review

of the theoretical background film titles and their functions, characteristics, relationship between film title and film plots After that, review of theoretical framework about stylistic devices, their functions and classification has been presented, and framework of phrases and sentences are added Basing on such a foundation, the common structures in English film titles are figured out and all lexical and syntactical SDs in selected films will be described and analyzed and some of these Vietnamese translations will be evaluated in the chapter 4

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 3.1 Subjects

The subject involved the study is the film titles containing the words ―heart‖ and ―soul‖ in English All of films are manufactured in United States so that the author can explore the beauty of native language in these titles Only 117 films produced in United States of America become data for this thesis 95 heart-title and

22 soul-title films are classified into different genres for collecting data

In terms of stylistic devices, there are a number of stylistic devices, however, this thesis mainly emphasizes on some common stylistic devices used in these selected film titles such as lexical SDs like Metaphor, Metonymy, Epithet, Simile, Hyperbole, Clichés, Idioms and syntactical SDs such as Parallel construction, Antithesis, and Inversion

3.2 Instruments

To find out the film titles containing the word ―heart‖ and ―soul‖, the author accesses the internet and find out all the English film titles manufactured in United States In general, 117 selected films and their main plots are collected synthetically from various English websites such as ranker, imdb or rotten tomatoes useful instruments to collect data Printed booksabout stylistic devices provide reliable and valid theories to identify lexical and syntactical stylistic devices in selected film titles The main analysis of some SDs under investigation is based on the theory of Galperin (1977), E.V Sachkova (2012) A large number of relevant journals, newspapers, reference materials have been taken thanks to Google research Computer statistics are also helpful for stating the results of analysis and the percentage as well Moreover, frequent talks with the supervisor, lecturers and experts on the field have proved to be a very useful way for the completion of the study

3.3 Procedures

Descriptive and analysis research is supposed to be the main method for the study because it is synthetic or analytic in its approach Besides, the study also uses qualitative and quantitative approaches as supporting methods which make

analyzing data become reliable, due to the main aims and objectives of the study, the following procedures are for data collection and analysis

Stage 1: Collecting all the film titles containing the word ―heart‖ and ―soul‖

manufactured in United States their main contents, genres and their possible Vietnamese translation versions

Stage 2: Collecting all information available about stylistic devices, film titles

which is listed in the reference at the end of the thesis in order to set

up a review which deals with all the theories related to the topic Stage 3:Pointing out the common structure used in these titles, then figure out

syntactical and lexical stylistic devices in these films After that the frequency of these lexical and syntactical has been synthesized Then, some translated versions have been evaluated

Stage 4: Putting forward some implications in teaching and learning stylistic

devices in general and translating English film titles into Vietnamese

3.4 Statistical Analysis

After collecting all the films, all data are processed 117 films are sorted out

to serve as illustration examples for the analysis of the lexical and syntactical stylistic devices.The data are first computed and analyzed by statistic procedures to find the answers to the questions of the research questions

The data are continued with materials and references written by linguists in English The findings must indicate what the lexical and syntactical stylistic devices are and how much percent they account for, and explain the reasons for it

3.5 Summary

In brief, this chapter gives an overview of the way to carry out the research During the process of researching, descriptive method and analysis method and evaluative method are mainly used for the findings of the study Books, printed materials, the internet tools, computer statistics are useful instruments for collecting and analyzing the data to find out the lexical and syntactical stylistic devices in English film titles

CHAPTER 4:

TYPICAL STYLISTIC LEXICAL AND SYNTACTICAL DEVICES INENGLISH FILM TITLES CONTAINING

THE WORDS “HEART” AND “SOUL”

4.1 Syntactical features of English film titles containing „heart‟ and „soul‟

According to a famousFilmmaker Chris Jones, he scribed in his blog that the most important tips for titling a film is ―the shorter the better‖ In addition, a Hollywood screenwriter Terry Rossio shares the similar ideas in naming a film when saying ―keep the title as short as possible ―and he also firmly states that ―a good title could get your script moved up from the bottom of the stack of to-read

scripts to the top – and change your life” Therefore, some film-writers try to make

an impressive, aesthetic, and commercial film title first, and then they write the script in a way that emphasizes the title of the movie The title can make a film a noted film or a distracted one only through its first impression Let‘s find out the most popular form of title

4.1.1 English film titles in the form of phrases

4.1.1.1 English film titles in the form of noun phrases

Most films all over the world are named after noun phrases, and these selected films will be not an exception In total, there are 71 English films with

―heart‖ titles and 20 English film titles with ―soul‖ in the form of noun phrases In these films, ―heart‖ and ―soul‖ can function as head noun, pre-modifier and post-modifier in noun phrases; however, functioning as head noun is dominated over functioning as pre-modifier and post-modifier because these headshelpto grab the viewers‘ attention to brainstorm about the main content and characters

1) “Heart” and “soul” functioning as head

There are 50 films out of 70 heart-title films and 10 out of 22 soul-title films

 Head nouns can be modified by an adjective as pre-modifier

By ordinary adjective

E.g The wild heart