نشریه پژوهش ادبیات معاصر جهان
پیاپی 57 (بهار 1389)

Only two voices have been represented in Italian grammar. If we look at the passive constructions from a pragmatic point of view, it can be seen as a language strategy being classified as an event. This change of perspective creates different structures. In this article we shall study a speaker’s change of perspective in attention to the Valence Theory. According to this theory, a verb on the basis of its valence predetermines its syntactic environment and its required arguments on the surrounding constituents in reference to its grammatical characteristics. So we can change a sentence structure by means of verb valence or in other words by decreasing the verb valence. This is an approach to express an action on different perspectives. In this framework we are going to indicate that Italian grammar has three voices: active, middle, and passive, so that the passive meaning in the middle voice is dominant. Therefore, it is the base for our sentence analysis. We shall put forward different kinds of passive voices and variant structures that Italians use for this purpose. Most of the Italian passive structures are used for topicalization.

This paper examines translating free indirect discourse (FID) in three Persian translations of Woolf's To the Lighthouse. First, it is referred to narrative discourse and the linguistic markers of FID as well as its effects and functions briefly. Then, translating FID in three Hoseinis, Bejanian's and Keyhan's translations of Woolf's novel is analyzed, through comparing and contrasting FID linguistic indicators: pronouns, temporal and distal deixis, modality, exclamations and adverbs of doubt and certainty. Finally, it is concluded that to what extent each translator (with different degrees) could/ could not recreate FID linguistic indicators in Persian.

The domain of the study of myths and its evaluation in literary criticism has always been in the process of development. However, myth critics sometimes put theme, symbol, and motive into one structure so that what is considered as a theme in one case can considered as a myth, in another. Nevertheless, there is a vast difference between these words, atlthough there is no consensus among the critics about their meanings. For example how does a historical figure change into a myth? When can a myth appear in a literary context? In the study of mythical criticism, in finding out the roots of the myths and in comparison between them, which one of the following is possible? The method of diachronic or synchronic study? In this article, by referring to the views of the theorists of mythical criticism, we have tried to find out responses for the above mentioned questions.

Improving teaching and assessment practice requires a change in the attitudes of both teachers and learners towards the new trends introduced in the field of testing. The reason for this is that no educational change can be effectively and efficiently implemented unless teachers are not only convinced but also willing to implement the new achievements. The present study aims to investigate one aspect of teacher attitudes toward self-assessment in which learners take the responsibility of assessing their own language performance. A qualitative research was launched by using an attitude questionnaire. Thirty-two staff members and part time language teachers from different departments of the Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures took part in this study and answered the questionnaire. The results of this study confirmed the directional hypothesis assumed by the researcher that Iranian language teachers at the University of Tehran hold a negative attitude towards alternative assessment in general and self-assessment in particular. It was observed that years of experience also created a kind of fixation on the traditional methods of teaching as well as assessment these teachers used in their classes. It was also shown that unfamiliarity with the new trends in language assessment was generally shared by experienced ones while the novice teachers enjoyed the advantage of familiarity with them. This familiarity did not eventually lead to the use of the new methods due to the existence of several factors. The main one is the resistance these teachers usually hold about change in general. Another reason for the teachers’ negative attitude towards the use of self-assessment can be that teachers believe that by using self-assessment they are relinquishing the power and authority in class to the learners.

In the field of language teaching, the use of “knowledge” and “culture” as two integral parts of a language is undeniable. In other words, there is a necessity for an efficient cognitive and cultural interaction in foreign languages. Within the bounds of this article we have attempted to examine knowledge and culture, their relation and evolution during the history of language teaching, specially French teaching. We have also tried to examine the relation between these two concepts by a descriptive-analytic study of different French methodologies (from the traditional methodology to the actional approach). Through this study, we have come to this conclusion that with the evolution of knowledge from a structural concept to a more flexible concept, the concept of culture has transformed from a vision-culture to an action-culture which has opened the way to intercultural and co-cultural points of views. In fact, the interaction between culture and the knowledge is always in relation with the evolution of social and philosophical points of views and also the evolution of technology.

Teaching foreign languages has a long, extended history. Ever Since man needed to communicate with other nations, the teaching of a foreign language gained a marked significance. By the end of the 18th century, after the industrial revolution, learning a foreign language and therefore teaching it became even more important. As in teaching a language the main goal is to enable learners to read, write, speak, and comprehend in that language, then studying the factors that have a key role in helping learners and improving their skills becomes more significant than before. Teaching a foreign language is almost impossible if we do not take cultural aspects into consideration. Therefore, we are required to familiarize learners with the culture of the target language community. For this purpose, cinema has been used and referred to as one of the important means for reflecting the culture of the community that speaks a special language.

"Childhood" is an autobiographical book of the French author Nathalie Sarraute.In this masterpiece, Sarraute by recalling memories and omitting the boundry between reality and fantasy, has crated a world which is a combination of these two elements.Sarraute presents in this work, a new form of the "I" i.e. the author. Sometimes, this "I" is a child who narrates the events and sometimes this "I" becomes visible like a narrator who analysis the events.This article attempts to study the function of narration in Childhood so that the writer of this essay finds a suitable answer to the following question: why has Sarraute used dialogue between the personage and the narrator for her memories? This article additionally attempts to investigate the style of writing, structure, and important charateristics that distinguish the new novel from the traditional one.

The recent increase in the number of publications devoted to teaching the Persian language to speakers of other languages and the development of such courses in Iran and elsewhere signify a cultural movement. However, one of the shortcomings of this movement pertains to its oblivious stance to Persian language proficiency. This paper aims at defining language proficiency bringing its importance to the development of a national proficiency test. Attempt is, therefore, made to develop and validate a Persian language proficiency test. Two validation procedures were used mainly, retrospective protocol analysis of three subject informants and a validation procedure based on the recent argument theory. The reliability of the test was measured using the Cronbach Alpha formula in the initial phase of the test measurement. Further, the importance of the test is discussed with reference to cultural and political identity of our country.

Translation does not occur in vacuum but in correspondence with language system and extralinguistic factors. Languages typically provide diverse structures or alternatives for the same sentence. Hence, a translator can choose out of different tracks. What strategies do translators provoke subsume both linguistic and extralinguistic factors including context as well as ideology. Highlighting (choosing) one element out of possible alternatives yields different sentences. This article seeks to delve into strategies upon which Quranic translations can be manifested. In so far as this article is concerned, the concept of choice is intimately in accord with strategies begged in the Holey Quran translations.

Anton Pavlovich Chekhov is a Russian writer and playwright with considerable contribution in the expansion of world literature including Iran. Many theater critics and directors believe that Akbar Radi was influenced by Anton Chekhov's works, and by using Chekhov's achievements and expanding them he has written his own unique and noble plays. This study investigates general properties of Radi and Chekhov's plays. Comparing the similarities and differences of their works, the article implies the possibility for conforming the influence of Chekhov's works in Radi's artistic world. It also can be a useful tool for more precise understanding of the works of both writers, and to shed light on the common aspects of their plays. Since playwriting in Iran has been far from serious analysis in comparision to global level, we have attempted to critisize playwriting in a wider range in Iran with respect to similarities in Radi's plays and Chekhov's and have considered the reflection of world ideas in the noble works of the Iranian writer. Among the most significant characteristics of their works we can refer to: their tendency towards mental quest of heroes and their efforts for finding their position in the society, seclusion and loneliness of contemporary man and his opposition and conflict with the surrounding world.