Articles

Mid vowels are presented by two series of sounds: mid-high vowels /e/ ~ /ø/ ~ /o/ and mid-low /ɛ/ ~ /œ/ ~ /ɔ/ vowels. Compared to other vowels in French, they are characterized by significant variability, which is explained by several factors. One of them is the so called “oi de position” or closed/open syllable adjustment. This means that mid-high vowels are pronounced mainly in an open syllable, while mid-low vowels are pronounced in a closed one. Despite the existing phonological limitations, the realization of the law of position in the stressed syllable is becoming increasingly widespread in modern usage. This trend gives reason to consider the phonemes composing the oppositions /е/ ~ /ɛ/, /ø/ ~ /œ/, /о/ ~ /ɔ/ as positional variants of three phonemes /E/, /Ø/, /O/. Another important factor of the mid vowels vari- ability is distant regressive assimilation or vowel harmonization, which consists in the fact that the vowel of the stressed syllable affects the realization of the mid vowel in the preceding syllable. Until now, it was believed that assimilation affected the tongue height (first formant) of an unstressed vowel. In other words, high stressed vowels tend to increase the height of unstressed mid-low vowels, whereas low stressed vowels tend to low mid-high vowels. Therefore, in an unstressed position, as a rule, the sound of the middle timbre is pronounced [E], [Ø], [O]. The article discusses new data obtained in the corpus studies of this phenomenon in the last decade. Those data let us formulate methodological recommendations for teaching theoretical and practical phonetics of the French language.

The article discusses the translation of fictional realia motivated by non-fictional lexical units (as opposed to neologisms coined by writers of fiction). Fictional realia are understood as a special kind of lexical units that denote objects, concepts, and phenomena specific to a fictional world. The article attempts to draw connections between the degree of realism of a fictional world and the number of fictional realia motivated by non-fictional lexical units that are present in the text. Motivation by non-fictional lexical units is seen as a condition which makes it possible to translate fictional realia using ready-made equivalents. However, it is argued that the possibility to translate realia using the aforementioned equivalents does not make the translator’s task any easier. Conversely, this condition can present an obstacle, since the most obvious translation is not necessarily the most precise one. Translation of this kind of fictional realia involves a deep understanding of the role that a particular unit plays in the context of its fictional world. “Never Let Me Go” by Kazuo Ishiguro, which can be considered an example of a realistic dystopian novel, is used as the material for the study.

The article considers the Chinese cuisine taste characteristics as an integral part of the national gastronomic art. Chinese culinary traditions have been formed for centuries, during which many culinary trends have appeared, thousands of different dishes have been created, differing in a variety of flavors. The number “eight” in Chinese numerology symbolizes prosperity and luck. The symbolism of the number “eight” is also used in Chinese cooking. The fundamental tastes of national cuisine — Eight Immortal Tastes: Hom — Tom, Tim — Sin, Fu — Lot, Heong — Gum. Of these, there are five basic tastes: sour Sin, sweet Tim, bitter Fu, spicy Lot, salty Hom and three minor ones — tasteless (bland) Tom, fragrant Heong, golden Gum. Combining registers of flavors and their complex combination are the main characteristics of authentic Chinese cuisine.