This paper investigates the upwards intensifiers (adverbs of intensifying) in the English, German and Croatian language. Intensity as an important human cognitive category, and language expressivity is differently treated in grammars and dictionaries of all three languages, especially with respect to different degrees of intensity. In this paper we argue that it is possible to model a typology of upwards adverb intensifiers in the three languages, according to their morphosyntactic and semantic aspects. When it comes to intensifiers, it is necessary to describe which collocates are modified by intensifiers and which semantic fields the collocates belong to. The results of the corpus analysis based on Harry Potter novels show that all the three languages express the category of the upwards intensity in the same way: the number of intensifiers is similar, the collocates mostly belong to the same semantic fields and word classes, they have similar syntactic functions.

In the early novels of the Carvalho detective series by Manuel Vázquez Montalbán, set in the years of Spain’s transition to democracy, the negotiation of identities and political stance are paramount characterization resources. Given the role of speech in the construction of identity, translations may vary in the readings they afford beyond the detective aspects. We apply the sociolinguistic concepts of identity work and language style (albeit mediated by fictive orality), and the discourse analysis tools of Appraisal Theory, to analyse two working-class characters inLos mares del sur(1979) and in its English (1986) and Croatian (2007) translations.In Spanish the language style of both characters reflects class allegiance, involvement and tenacity, intense feelings, a direct interpersonal approach and a rejection of altercasting. Their vocabulary and quotations from external sources index their ideology. The English translation is the least aware of identity work through language style and interaction. The characters’ standardized speech shows less involvement, tenacity and intensity. The Croatian translation follows the source text literally; involvement is maintained within a fictive colloquial spoken variety. Both translations maintain directness and a contractive dialogic style, and both make references to class and ideology more explicit.

Izposojenka kot znak gibanja v prostoru: primer Špancirfest V prispevku je analiziran odnos med osnovnimi prostorsko-časovnimi in kulturnimi značilnostmi Špancirfesta, uličnega festivala, ki ga tradicionalno prirejajo v Varaždinu na severozahodu Hrvaške, in besedo, iz katere je izpeljano ime festivala-špancir 'sprehod'. Prispevek sledi teoretični diskusiji o možnostih raziskovanja različnih tipov prostorov, ki so relevantni za sociolingvistično analizo, s tem pa ponuja pregled uličnih festivalov kot posebnih tipov javnega prostora, pa tudi vpogled v nemški jezikovni vpliv na severu Hrvaške, kar je osnova za analizo besede špancir kot nemške izposojenke. Korpus je sestavljen iz leksemov, povezanih s Špancirfestom, ki jih najdemo v časopisnih člankah iz let 2010-2016. Izvedena raziskava vključuje tudi uporabo vprašalnika med prebivalci Varaždina.

No abstract

The paper investigates how obesity as an aspect of physical appearance is represented in English and German. The existence of various expressions that refer to obesity leads to the assumption that both investigated languages rely on euphemisms and dysphemisms to talk about obesity. Using a corpus of different expressions from lexicographic sources, we analyse their descriptions and their classification as euphemisms in specialized and general dictionaries. Semantic phenomena that might be identified within such expressions were also taken into consideration. To investigate the usage of the identified euphemisms and dysphemisms, a questionnaire was administered among native speakers of English and German. The corpus was used to trace the space between euphemisms and dysphemisms in language use. The main goal was to identify the ways in which obesity is referred to in two different sociocultural contexts, and to establish the extent to which lexicographic identifications and descriptions of euphemisms overlap with native speakers’ perceptions and use of such items.