Self help books and their titles – a lexical and syntactical analysis
Katarzyna Skrzypczak
Uniwersytet Warmińsko-Mazurski w OlsztynieАннотация
The article presents results of an analysis of titles of English self-help books as an
important phenomenon of pop culture. The focus was placed on the role of the title both
as a key factor for the consumer decision-making process and as a carrier of cultural
thought or an element of culture. Individual titles of self-help publications were divided
according to, among others, their length, structural and semantic features. The lexical
layer was discussed with particular emphasis on the elements that stand out from the
selected research material. A syntactic analysis was undertaken in order to identify the
most common structures to determine whether there is a rule for titling self-help books
that would ensure their commercial success. The article also mentions the problem
of intertextual references and rhetorical procedures that make titles more attractive
and perform advertising functions. The subject under scrutiny spans several branches
of science, including psychology and sociology.
Ключевые слова:
discourse analysis, linguistic analysis, titles analysis, self-help genreБиблиографические ссылки
Afful J.B.A., Mwinlaaru I. (2010): Commonality and individuality in academic writing: An analysis of conference paper titles of four scholars. „ESP World” 1(27), pp. 1–32. Google Scholar
Busch-Lauer I. (2000): Titles in English and German research papers in medicine and linguistics. [In:] Analysing profeesional genres. A. Trosborg (ed.). Amsterdam, pp. 77–97.
Crossref
Google Scholar
Butler-Bowdon T. (2003): 50 Self-Help Classics. London. Google Scholar
Haggan M. (2004): Research paper titles in literature, linguistics and science: dimensions of attraction. „Journal of Pragmatics” 36(2), pp. 293–317.
Crossref
Google Scholar
Kapell B., McLean S. (2015): Public pedagogy from the learner’s perspective: Women reading self-help relationship books. „Studies in Continuing Education” 36(3), pp. 342–357.
Crossref
Google Scholar
Leitão L., Amaro S., Henriques C., Fonseca P. (2018): Do consumers judge a book by its cover? A study of the factors that influence the purchasing of books. „Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services” 42, pp. 88–97.
Crossref
Google Scholar
Levinson J. (1985): Titles. „Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism” 44, pp. 29–39.
Crossref
Google Scholar
Maiorino G. (2008): First Pages. A Poetics of Titles. University Park PA.
Crossref
Google Scholar
McLean S. (2014): Learning on the margins of adult education: Self-help reading about health, relationships, and career success. „Studies in the Education of Adults” 46(1), pp. 4–22.
Crossref
Google Scholar
McLean S. (2015): With or Without a Therapist: Self-help Reading for Mental Health. „Health Education Journal” 74(4), pp. 442–457.
Crossref
Google Scholar
McLean S., Kapell B. (2015): He Reads, She Reads: Gender Differences and Learning through Self-help Books. „European Journal for Research on the Education and Learning of Adults” 6(1), pp. 55–72.
Crossref
Google Scholar
McLean S., Vermeylen L. (2019): From Getting Ahead to Getting Back on One’s Feet: Performing Masculinity as a Self-Help Reader. „Men & Masculinities” 22(4), pp. 716–737.
Crossref
Google Scholar
Moattarian A., Alibabaee A. (2015): Syntactic Structures in Research Article Titles from Three Different Disciplines. „Applied Linguistics, Civil Engineering, and Dentistry. Journal of Teaching Language Skills” 7(1), pp. 27–50. Google Scholar
Naruszewicz-Duchlińska A. (2016): Analiza językowa tytułów seriali. [W:] Seriale w kontekście kulturowym: serialowe sedno. Red. M. Cichmińska, A. Krawczyk-Łaskarzewska, P. Przytuła. Olsztyn, s. 1–13. Google Scholar
Nord Ch. (1994): Translation as a process of linguistic and cultural adaptation. [In:] Teaching Translation and Interpreting. 2: Insights, Aims, Visions. C. Dollerup, A. Lindegaard (eds). Amsterdam–Philadelphia. pp. 59–67
Crossref
Google Scholar
Nord Ch. (1995): Text-Functions in Translation: Titles and Headings as a Case in Point. „Target” 7(2), pp. 261–284.
Crossref
Google Scholar
Schueller S., Parks A. (2014): The Science of Self-Help Translating Positive Psychology Research Into Increased Individual Happiness. „European Psychologist” 19, p. 145.
Crossref
Google Scholar
Starker S. (1989): Oracle at the supermarket. The American Preoccupation with Self-help Books. Oxford. Google Scholar
Steiner C., Perry P. (1997): Achieving Emotional Literacy. London. Google Scholar
Stine J.M. (1997): Writing successful self-help and how-to books. New York. Google Scholar
Vanderkam L. (2012): The Paperback Quest for Joy: America’s unique love affair with self-help books. „City Journal” (New York), , accessed: 20 March 2016. Google Scholar
Viezzi M. (2011): The translation of book titles. Theoretical and practical aspects. [In:] Beyond Borders – Translation Moving Languages, Literatures and Cultures. P. Kujamäki, L. Kolehmainen, E. Penttilä, H. Kemppanen (eds). Berlin, pp. 183–195. Google Scholar
Wilson D., Cash T. (2000): Who reads self-help books?: Development and validation of the Self-Help Reading Attitudes Survey. „Personality and Individual Differences” 29, pp. 119–129.
Crossref
Google Scholar
Yakhontova T. (2002): Titles of conference presentation abstracts: a crosscultural perspective. [In:] The language of conferencing. E. Ventola, C. Shalom, S. Thompson (eds). Frankfurt, pp. 277–300. Google Scholar
Uniwersytet Warmińsko-Mazurski w Olsztynie