Chapter I: Jargon as a distinct variety of language [623669]

Contents

Introduction

Chapter I: Jargon as a distinct variety of language
I.1 Definitions of jargon
I.2 Jargon vs. Slang
I.3 Development of Jargon
I.4 Linguistic processes involved in jargon creation
I.5 Characteristics of jargon

Chapter II: Jargon in “The Godfather”
II.1 The mafia in popular culture
II.2 How the mafia got its name
II.3 Cosa Nostra
II.4 Formation and usage of terms in „The Godfather”
II.5 The presence and evolution of jargon terms throughout time

Chapter III: Puzo’s style in Romanian translations
III.1 The two translations of „The Godfather”
III.2 The translator’s strategies in dealing with jargon words
III.3 The
III.4 The 2007 edition

Conclusions

Bibliography

II.1 The Mafia in popular culture

“The Mafia” has become the primary pop culture expression of the Italian American identity–much
to the dismay of many Italian Americans. This is due mostly to the influence of Francis Ford
Coppola’s 1972 Oscar-winning film “The Godfather” (based on Mario Puzo’s novel) and its
reinvention of the gangster movie genre.

In an interview filmed for the documentary "Under the Influence" (2003), Francis Ford Coppola
said he saw "The Godfather" as a classic Shakespearean tale: the story of a king and his three sons.
According to producer Robert Evans, Coppola also made his Mafia story a metaphor for capitalism.

Puzo’s novel is about a Sicilian immigrant, Vito Corleone, and the family and “business” he built
in New York, including the struggles of his youngest son Michael, later known as the new “Don.”
It painted an undeniably romantic portrait of the mafioso as a man of contradiction, who was
ruthless toward his enemy but devoted to his family and friends above all else.
Though pop culture’s fascination with the Mafia has undeniably fueled certain negative stereotypes
about Italian Americans, acclaimed works like “The Godfather” have also given many Italian
Americans a sense of shared identity and experience. Despite its controversial nature, the myth of
the Mafia–as created and nurtured by “The Godfather” and its many pop culture descendants–
continues to enthrall the masses of Italian and non-Italians alike.

The Godfather changed not just the way Italian-Americans saw themselves, but how Americans of
all backgrounds viewed their individual and national self-identities, their possibilities, and attendant
disappointment. It changed the image of the Mafia, it sparked the modern cultural obsession with
the mob. It marked the time at which it really became fascinating to a wide range of people who
ordinarily wouldn’t have anything to do with it. It marked the first moment at which we were
invited to see things from the other side where we were made intimately familiar with these sort of
rituals, and these behaviors, the family structure, the initiation of the new members, the whole idea
of the consigliere, which were not really dealt with in previous portrayals of the mafia.

Still, for years, italian antidefamation groups have denounced ''The Godfather," as well as other
films as ''GoodFellas," for reinforcing stereotypes that can demean an entire ethnic group. While
portrayals of other groups ''have become more diverse and true to life," Italian-Americans ''continue

to be defined mainly through the tiny minority of criminals known as gangsters, mobsters, Mafiosi,
goodfellas, and wiseguys, and through the related stereotype of the crude, sexist, and violent.

II.2 The So-Called mafia: How the mafia got its name

In Palerno dialect the adjective „mafioso” once meant „beautiful”, „bold”, „self
confident”. Anyone who was worthy of being described as mafioso therefore had a certain
something, an attribute called „mafia”. „Cool” is about the closest modern English equivalent; a
mafioso was someone who fancied himself.
The word mafioso began to have criminal connotations because of a hugely successful
play written in Sicilian dialects, I mafiusi di la Vicaria (The mafiusi of Vicaria Prison) , which was
first performed in 1863. This play is at heart a sentimental fable about the redemption of criminals.
The first ever literary representation of the mafia is also the first ever version of the myth of the
good mafia, a mafia that is honourable and protects the weak. The word „mafiosi” is only used
once, in the title of I mafiusi di la Vicaria, and the term „mafia” never appears at all, and in fact, it
was only when the Italian authorities picked up on „mafia” that the term entered general use and
became a significant part of the sect’s own story.
Although it was I mafiusi di la Vicaria that began to give mafia its ciminal meaning on the
streets of Palermo, it was the government that turned the word into a subject of national debate. In
fact it was only when the Italian authorities picked up on „mafia” that the term entered general use
and became a significant part of the sect’s own story. The word „mafia” rapidly entered general
use and simultaneously became the subject of furious controversy. For every person who used
„mafia” to mean a criminal conspiracy, there were others who maintained that it still meant nothing
more menacing than a peculiarly Sicilian form of self-confident pride.

II.3 Cosa Nostra

„We have to understand that the mafia is not a matter of poverty and underdevelopment, but
prosperity; that it is not just a story about criminals, but a story about the government; a story that
affects not only the south, but all of Italy, the Europe, the whole world; and finally, that the mafia –
whether we like it or not – has values.” – Enzo Ciconte
Lots of examples, even recent ones, explain the role of the Cosa Nostra. The journalist
Francesca La Licata was telling how one of her aunts, who was going through some financial
problems during the 70’s, took her jewelery to the Mount of Piety in Palermo. A year after that, the
day she was supposed to take them back, she was late half an hour, so they wouldn’t return her
goods for the reason that it was „too late”. The lady went back home crying, and complained to one
of her neighbours who said: „Don’t worry, we will go to Don Carlo”. Don Carlo was a kind man,
known by everyone in the city. He listened to her story and told her to come the following day.
When she went back, she received her jewelery among with the money that she would have been
supposed to pay to get them back. Who would dare say that Don Carlo didn’t act as an intelligent
state, instead of a blind, insensible state?
The „mafia feeling” – this way of being in harmony with the values of the mafia world – has
led to the creation of a real criminal organization, called Cosa Nostra. Every mafia family (made up
of the „capofamiglia”, the „vicecapo”, the „consigliere” , the „capodecina”, the „soldati” and the
„uomini d’onore”) forms a mandamento (district). The head of each mandamento is a member of
the Comission, Cosa Nostra’s parliament or board of management for the province of Palermo. The
Comission is formed by all the capi mandamento who elect the boss and the „secretary” (the man
who arranges all the meetings of the Comission). His role is to mantain a balance between the
affairs of the certain families, avoiding the interference of interests between them. This
extraordinarily functionable, democratic structure has been officialized in 1984 by Tomasso
Buscetta’s declarations to the italian judge Giovanni Falcone.
It was understood that the mafia wasn’t just about drug traffic and solving problems, rackets
and exploitation of public resources, but also a socio-economical community, a world of values that
offer security and opportunities to the people.

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