Linguistic Deviation on Bilingual Billboard Slogans in Cameroon: A Sociolinguistic Appraisal

Ita Nawom Itanghi; Victor Ngu Cheo; Atoh Julius Chenwi

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ijll.20231101.15

| Peer-Reviewed

Linguistic Deviation on Bilingual Billboard Slogans in Cameroon: A Sociolinguistic Appraisal

Ita Nawom Itanghi, Victor Ngu Cheo, Atoh Julius Chenwi

Published in International Journal of Language and Linguistics (Volume 11, Issue 1)

Received: 12 February 2023 Accepted: 27 February 2023 Published: 9 March 2023

Views: Downloads:

Download PDF

Share This Article

Twitter
Linked In
Facebook

Abstract

The link between linguistic deviation and translation techniques is enshrined in the conventionality of language use and communication. Linguistic deviation occurs when a text ignores conventional norms of a language in order to communicate a certain artistic merit and draw attention to the meaning of the message. The main objective of this paper is to interrogate how translation techniques used on bilingual billboard slogans in Cameroon lead to linguistic deviation and how such deviations affect communication and sociolinguistics. The corpus of this paper is composed of fifteen bilingual billboard slogans purposively selected from different parts of Cameroon. In terms of methodology, the data was collected by taking pictures of billboards and extracting their slogans. A qualitative descriptive method of document analysis was used with the help of Leech’s linguistic deviation theory and Jakobson’s communication functions. Regarding the results, the study identified graphological, semantical, grammatical and lexical deviations on the selected billboards caused by translation techniques like literal, reduction, adaptation, borrowing, discursive creation, amplification and transposition. As a result of linguistic deviation, the messages that were finally conveyed through bilingual billboards looked absurd and sometimes nonsensical. The paper recommends that certified translators should be employed to translate billboard slogans from French to English.

Published in	International Journal of Language and Linguistics (Volume 11, Issue 1)
DOI	10.11648/j.ijll.20231101.15
Page(s)	24-34
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Linguistic Deviation, Communication Functions, Bilingual Billboard Slogans, Translation Techniques, Conventional Norms

References

[1]	Dhyaningrum, A. (2020). Linguistic Deviation and Techniques of Translation in Spring of Kumari Tears. Journal of Language and Literature, 20 (2): 1410-5691. Accessed from https://e-journal.usd.ac.id/index.php/JOLL/index
[2]	Hossein, P., & Medhat, V. (2011). Linguistic Deviation in Poetry Translation: An Investigation into the English Renderings of Shamlu’s Poetry. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 2 (6): 1329-1336. Accessed from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228834847
[3]	Leech, G. (1969). A linguistic guide to English poetry. London: Longman.
[4]	Halliday, M. A. K. (1973). Explorations in the Functions of Language. London: Longman.
[5]	Jakobson, R. (1981). Linguistic and Poetics. In Newton K. M. Twentieth Century Literary Theory. London: Macmillan.
[6]	Chi, R. and Hao, Y. (2013). Language Deviation in English Advertising. China: Changchun.
[7]	Torresi, I. (2010). Translating promotional and advertisement texts. UK: St. Jerome Publishing.
[8]	Akpan, I., Akpan, E. & Obukoadata, P. (2013). A semiotic deconstruction of symbols in print advertisement contents: Implications for consumers’ purchase decisions in Nigeria. Research on Humanities and Social Sciences, 3 (13), 13-25.
[9]	Shuping, R. (2013). Translation as Rewriting. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 3 (18), 55–59.
[10]	Nawom, I. N. (2010). Towards the Translation of Kom Birth Songs into English. Unpublished MA Thesis in Translation, University of Buea.
[11]	Steiner, G. (1998). After Babel: Aspects of Language and Translation. Boston: Beacon Press.
[12]	Selver, P. (1966). The Art of Translating Poetry. Boston: The Writer Inc.
[13]	Landers, C. E. (2001). Translation. A Practical Guide. Cleveland: Multilingual Matters.
[14]	Davies, C. E. (2003). How English-learners joke with native speakers: an interactional sociolinguistic perspective on humor as collaborative discourse across cultures. Journal of Pragmatics, 35 (9): 1361–1385.
[15]	Tymoczko, M. F. (1999). Translation in a Postcolonial Context: Early Irish Literature in English Translation. Manchester: St Jerome Publishing.
[16]	Bobda, A. S. (2002). Watch Your English: A Collection of Remedial Lessons on English Usage. Yaoundé: B&K Language Institute.
[17]	Ayamba, A. C. (2011). An Appraisal of the English Version of Femmes d’Impact: Les 50 des Cinquantenaires: a Lexico-Semantic Analysis, A Dissertation for a Vocational Certificate, Institute of Translation and Interpretation (ISTI), Yaoundé.
[18]	Kouega, J.-P. (2003). Word formative processes in Camfranglais. World Englishes, 22 (4): 511-539.
[19]	Pütz, M. (2020). Exploring the linguistic landscape of Cameroon: Reflections on language policy and ideology. Russian Journal of Linguistics, 24 (2): 294-324.
[20]	Kappe, F. C. (2012). The Translation of Advertisements: Issues of semiotics, symbolism and persuasion. MA Thesis, Johannesburg: University of Witwaterstand.
[21]	Widdowson, H, G. (2007). Discourse Analysis. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
[22]	Savory, T. (1968). The Art of Translation. London, Jonathan Cape.
[23]	Biloa, E. (2004). La Langue française au Cameroun: Analyse linguistique et didactique. In Obeng Samuel, African Linguistics across the disciplines: Selected Papers from the 48th Annual Conference of African Linguistics. Bruxelles: Peter Lang.
[24]	Leech, G. & Short, M. (1981). Style in Fiction: A linguistic introduction to English Fictional Prose. London: Longman.
[25]	Lithgow, D. M. (1999). The effective use of billboards as a communications tool. Theses and Dissertations. Accessed from https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd/1841
[26]	Mooney, A. & Betsy, E. (2019). Language, Society and Power. London: Routledge.
[27]	Yaghubyan, M. (2020). Linguistic Deviation in Business Advertisements. Armenian Folia Anglistika, 16, 2 (22), 9-19. Accessed from https://doi.org/10.46991/AFA/2020.16.2.009.
[28]	Crystal, D. (2003). A dictionary of linguistics and phonetics. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell.
[29]	Woolf, H. (ed.) (1981). Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary, New York: G. & C. Merriam Company.
[30]	Molina, L., & Albir, A. H. (2002). Translation techniques revisited: A dynamic and functionalist approach. Meta, 47 (4), 498– 512.
[31]	Melis, N. M. & Albir, A. H. (2001). Assessment in Translation Studies: Research Needs, in Meta, 46 (2), 272-287. Accessed from https://doi.org/1072/003624ar
[32]	Vinay, J. P. & Darbelnet, J. (2000). Comparative Stylistics of French and English: A Methodology for Translation. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing.
[33]	Catford, J. C. (1965). A Linguistic Theory of Translation: An Essay in Applied Linguistics. London: Oxford University Press.
[34]	Partee, B. H. (1999). Formal Semantics: Origins, Issues, Early Impact. In Hans Kamp & Barbara Hall Partee (eds), The Handbook of Contemporary Semantic Theory. Boston: Beacon Press.
[35]	Jakobson, R. (2000). Linguistics and Poetics. In Language in Literature. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
[36]	Lanigan, R. L. (1991). Jakobson’s Semiotic Theory of Communication. Revised version of a paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Speech Communication Association in Atlanta. Accessed from https://www.academia.edu.
[37]	Waugh, L. R. (1980). The Poetic Function in the Theory of Roman Jakobson. Poetics Today. Duke University Press. 2 (1): 57–82.
[38]	Asobele, T. (1984). The preparation of teachers of English, French and Yoruba for school system in the Nigerian language teacher. Lagos: National Language Centre.
[39]	Yu, H. (2013). Language deviation in English advertising. Studies in Literature and Language, 7 (2), 85-89. Accessed from http://www.cscanada.net.
[40]	Singh, R. K. (2013). Deviations in Language of Literature. International Journal of English and Literature (IJEL), 3 (5), 43– 48.
[41]	Ouameur, G. O. & Daddi, M, (2013). Linguistic Deviation in Dickens’s “Hard Times.” Algeria: University of Ouargla.
[42]	Supeno, S. (2019). An Investigation into Linguistic Deviation in the Students’ Translation of “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost. Journal of English Language Studies, 4 (2), 226–239.
[43]	Vermeer, H. (1978). A Skopos Theory of Translation, Heidelberg: Universitat.
[44]	Kenworthy, J. (1991). Language in Action. New York: Longman.

Cite This Article

Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

Ita Nawom Itanghi, Victor Ngu Cheo, Atoh Julius Chenwi. (2023). Linguistic Deviation on Bilingual Billboard Slogans in Cameroon: A Sociolinguistic Appraisal. International Journal of Language and Linguistics, 11(1), 24-34. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijll.20231101.15

Copy | Download

ACS Style

Ita Nawom Itanghi; Victor Ngu Cheo; Atoh Julius Chenwi. Linguistic Deviation on Bilingual Billboard Slogans in Cameroon: A Sociolinguistic Appraisal. Int. J. Lang. Linguist. 2023, 11(1), 24-34. doi: 10.11648/j.ijll.20231101.15

Copy | Download

AMA Style

Ita Nawom Itanghi, Victor Ngu Cheo, Atoh Julius Chenwi. Linguistic Deviation on Bilingual Billboard Slogans in Cameroon: A Sociolinguistic Appraisal. Int J Lang Linguist. 2023;11(1):24-34. doi: 10.11648/j.ijll.20231101.15

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.ijll.20231101.15,
  author = {Ita Nawom Itanghi and Victor Ngu Cheo and Atoh Julius Chenwi},
  title = {Linguistic Deviation on Bilingual Billboard Slogans in Cameroon: A Sociolinguistic Appraisal},
  journal = {International Journal of Language and Linguistics},
  volume = {11},
  number = {1},
  pages = {24-34},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijll.20231101.15},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijll.20231101.15},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijll.20231101.15},
  abstract = {The link between linguistic deviation and translation techniques is enshrined in the conventionality of language use and communication. Linguistic deviation occurs when a text ignores conventional norms of a language in order to communicate a certain artistic merit and draw attention to the meaning of the message. The main objective of this paper is to interrogate how translation techniques used on bilingual billboard slogans in Cameroon lead to linguistic deviation and how such deviations affect communication and sociolinguistics. The corpus of this paper is composed of fifteen bilingual billboard slogans purposively selected from different parts of Cameroon. In terms of methodology, the data was collected by taking pictures of billboards and extracting their slogans. A qualitative descriptive method of document analysis was used with the help of Leech’s linguistic deviation theory and Jakobson’s communication functions. Regarding the results, the study identified graphological, semantical, grammatical and lexical deviations on the selected billboards caused by translation techniques like literal, reduction, adaptation, borrowing, discursive creation, amplification and transposition. As a result of linguistic deviation, the messages that were finally conveyed through bilingual billboards looked absurd and sometimes nonsensical. The paper recommends that certified translators should be employed to translate billboard slogans from French to English.},
 year = {2023}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Linguistic Deviation on Bilingual Billboard Slogans in Cameroon: A Sociolinguistic Appraisal
AU  - Ita Nawom Itanghi
AU  - Victor Ngu Cheo
AU  - Atoh Julius Chenwi
Y1  - 2023/03/09
PY  - 2023
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijll.20231101.15
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijll.20231101.15
T2  - International Journal of Language and Linguistics
JF  - International Journal of Language and Linguistics
JO  - International Journal of Language and Linguistics
SP  - 24
EP  - 34
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2330-0221
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijll.20231101.15
AB  - The link between linguistic deviation and translation techniques is enshrined in the conventionality of language use and communication. Linguistic deviation occurs when a text ignores conventional norms of a language in order to communicate a certain artistic merit and draw attention to the meaning of the message. The main objective of this paper is to interrogate how translation techniques used on bilingual billboard slogans in Cameroon lead to linguistic deviation and how such deviations affect communication and sociolinguistics. The corpus of this paper is composed of fifteen bilingual billboard slogans purposively selected from different parts of Cameroon. In terms of methodology, the data was collected by taking pictures of billboards and extracting their slogans. A qualitative descriptive method of document analysis was used with the help of Leech’s linguistic deviation theory and Jakobson’s communication functions. Regarding the results, the study identified graphological, semantical, grammatical and lexical deviations on the selected billboards caused by translation techniques like literal, reduction, adaptation, borrowing, discursive creation, amplification and transposition. As a result of linguistic deviation, the messages that were finally conveyed through bilingual billboards looked absurd and sometimes nonsensical. The paper recommends that certified translators should be employed to translate billboard slogans from French to English.
VL  - 11
IS  - 1
ER  -

Copy | Download

Author Information

Ita Nawom Itanghi

Faculty of Arts, University of Bamenda, Bamenda, Cameroon
Victor Ngu Cheo

Faculty of Arts, University of Bamenda, Bamenda, Cameroon
Atoh Julius Chenwi

Faculty of Arts, University of Bamenda, Bamenda, Cameroon

Download PDF

Sections

Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

Ita Nawom Itanghi, Victor Ngu Cheo, Atoh Julius Chenwi. (2023). Linguistic Deviation on Bilingual Billboard Slogans in Cameroon: A Sociolinguistic Appraisal. International Journal of Language and Linguistics, 11(1), 24-34. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijll.20231101.15

Copy | Download

ACS Style

Ita Nawom Itanghi; Victor Ngu Cheo; Atoh Julius Chenwi. Linguistic Deviation on Bilingual Billboard Slogans in Cameroon: A Sociolinguistic Appraisal. Int. J. Lang. Linguist. 2023, 11(1), 24-34. doi: 10.11648/j.ijll.20231101.15

Copy | Download

AMA Style

Ita Nawom Itanghi, Victor Ngu Cheo, Atoh Julius Chenwi. Linguistic Deviation on Bilingual Billboard Slogans in Cameroon: A Sociolinguistic Appraisal. Int J Lang Linguist. 2023;11(1):24-34. doi: 10.11648/j.ijll.20231101.15

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.ijll.20231101.15,
  author = {Ita Nawom Itanghi and Victor Ngu Cheo and Atoh Julius Chenwi},
  title = {Linguistic Deviation on Bilingual Billboard Slogans in Cameroon: A Sociolinguistic Appraisal},
  journal = {International Journal of Language and Linguistics},
  volume = {11},
  number = {1},
  pages = {24-34},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijll.20231101.15},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijll.20231101.15},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijll.20231101.15},
  abstract = {The link between linguistic deviation and translation techniques is enshrined in the conventionality of language use and communication. Linguistic deviation occurs when a text ignores conventional norms of a language in order to communicate a certain artistic merit and draw attention to the meaning of the message. The main objective of this paper is to interrogate how translation techniques used on bilingual billboard slogans in Cameroon lead to linguistic deviation and how such deviations affect communication and sociolinguistics. The corpus of this paper is composed of fifteen bilingual billboard slogans purposively selected from different parts of Cameroon. In terms of methodology, the data was collected by taking pictures of billboards and extracting their slogans. A qualitative descriptive method of document analysis was used with the help of Leech’s linguistic deviation theory and Jakobson’s communication functions. Regarding the results, the study identified graphological, semantical, grammatical and lexical deviations on the selected billboards caused by translation techniques like literal, reduction, adaptation, borrowing, discursive creation, amplification and transposition. As a result of linguistic deviation, the messages that were finally conveyed through bilingual billboards looked absurd and sometimes nonsensical. The paper recommends that certified translators should be employed to translate billboard slogans from French to English.},
 year = {2023}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Linguistic Deviation on Bilingual Billboard Slogans in Cameroon: A Sociolinguistic Appraisal
AU  - Ita Nawom Itanghi
AU  - Victor Ngu Cheo
AU  - Atoh Julius Chenwi
Y1  - 2023/03/09
PY  - 2023
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijll.20231101.15
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijll.20231101.15
T2  - International Journal of Language and Linguistics
JF  - International Journal of Language and Linguistics
JO  - International Journal of Language and Linguistics
SP  - 24
EP  - 34
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2330-0221
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijll.20231101.15
AB  - The link between linguistic deviation and translation techniques is enshrined in the conventionality of language use and communication. Linguistic deviation occurs when a text ignores conventional norms of a language in order to communicate a certain artistic merit and draw attention to the meaning of the message. The main objective of this paper is to interrogate how translation techniques used on bilingual billboard slogans in Cameroon lead to linguistic deviation and how such deviations affect communication and sociolinguistics. The corpus of this paper is composed of fifteen bilingual billboard slogans purposively selected from different parts of Cameroon. In terms of methodology, the data was collected by taking pictures of billboards and extracting their slogans. A qualitative descriptive method of document analysis was used with the help of Leech’s linguistic deviation theory and Jakobson’s communication functions. Regarding the results, the study identified graphological, semantical, grammatical and lexical deviations on the selected billboards caused by translation techniques like literal, reduction, adaptation, borrowing, discursive creation, amplification and transposition. As a result of linguistic deviation, the messages that were finally conveyed through bilingual billboards looked absurd and sometimes nonsensical. The paper recommends that certified translators should be employed to translate billboard slogans from French to English.
VL  - 11
IS  - 1
ER  -

Copy | Download