The course aims to: • develop linguistic and translation competence through the analysis of figurative language in both everyday and literary French; • deepen understanding of the cognitive and cultural dimension of metaphor as a tool of thought and expression; • recognize and analyze the main idiomatic expressions in authentic French texts; • reflect on the translatability of figurative language (proverbs, idioms, cultural imagery) and on strategies for rendering it from French into Italian; • strengthen intercultural competence by relating language to worldview.
Course Prerequisites
• Knowledge of French at a B2 level of the CEFR. • Basic mastery of general linguistics and text analysis.
Teaching Methods
•Lectures supported by audiovisual and multimedia materials. •Translation and text analysis workshops. •Possible use of digital platforms for collaborative exercises.
Assessment Methods
• Oral exam: discussion and critical re-elaboration of the topics covered during the course.
Texts
• George Lakoff, Mark Johnson, Les métaphores dans la vie quotidienne, Paris, Minuit, 1985. • Yves-Marie Visetti, Pierre Cadiot, Motifs et Proverbes. Essai de sémantique proverbiale, PUF, 2006. • Alberto Martinengo, Filosofie della Metafora, Milano, Guerini Scientifica, 2016. • Nadine Celotti, Mots et culture dans tous les sens, UTET, 2015. • Michele Prandi, Le metafore tra le figure. Una mappa ragionata, UTET, 2021.
Contents
1. Theoretical introduction to figurative language: • Definition of figurative language; metaphor and thought. 2. Metaphor in everyday and literary language: • Theoretical introduction to metaphor and the main rhetorical figures. • Analysis of metaphors in French texts from journalistic, advertising, and literary sources. 3. Proverbs and idiomatic expressions: • Theoretical introduction: origin, structure, cultural and translational value. • Focus: translation strategies for rendering French proverbs into Italian. 4. Figures and imagery in translation: • Translation strategies for figurative language. • Case studies and practical translation exercises.
