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Chapter 12. Sleeping with the fishes

Italian Americans in animation
  • Ilaria Parini
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Reassessing Dubbing
This chapter is in the book Reassessing Dubbing

Abstract

The use of accents and language variation in films is a long established practice that manipulates language as a tool in the construction of characters, so as to convey specific characteristics. This is even more evident in animated films, where language is used as a quick way to build character and reaffirm stereotype. Shark Tale is an animated comedy produced in 2004 by DreamWorks Animation. The characters of the film speak different variations of American English, which are used to attribute different features to them. This paper will focus on a group of characters who present a series of elements (both on a narrative and a linguistic level) that makes it easy to identify them as Italian American Mafiosi, and on the strategies used in Italian dubbing.

Abstract

The use of accents and language variation in films is a long established practice that manipulates language as a tool in the construction of characters, so as to convey specific characteristics. This is even more evident in animated films, where language is used as a quick way to build character and reaffirm stereotype. Shark Tale is an animated comedy produced in 2004 by DreamWorks Animation. The characters of the film speak different variations of American English, which are used to attribute different features to them. This paper will focus on a group of characters who present a series of elements (both on a narrative and a linguistic level) that makes it easy to identify them as Italian American Mafiosi, and on the strategies used in Italian dubbing.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. The dubbing revolution 1
  4. Part I. Historical approaches
  5. Chapter 1. Undoing dubbing 17
  6. Chapter 2. When the Thief of Bagdad tried to steal the show 41
  7. Chapter 3. Locked into dubbing 63
  8. Chapter 4. Auteur dubbing 79
  9. Part II. New trends in dubbing research and practice
  10. Chapter 5. Audiovisual translation in the age of digital transformation 103
  11. Chapter 6. Are we all together across languages? 125
  12. Chapter 7. Fandubbing across time and space 145
  13. Chapter 8. To Europe with love 169
  14. Part III. The linguistics of dubbing
  15. Chapter 9. More than words can say 191
  16. Chapter 10. Representing orality through questions in original and translated film dialogue 211
  17. Chapter 11. English films vs Italian films 229
  18. Part IV. Identity construction in dubbing
  19. Chapter 12. Sleeping with the fishes 245
  20. Chapter 13. Constructing youth identities in dubbed movies 263
  21. General Index 281
  22. Name Index 283
https://doi.org/10.1075/btl.148.12par

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. The dubbing revolution 1
  4. Part I. Historical approaches
  5. Chapter 1. Undoing dubbing 17
  6. Chapter 2. When the Thief of Bagdad tried to steal the show 41
  7. Chapter 3. Locked into dubbing 63
  8. Chapter 4. Auteur dubbing 79
  9. Part II. New trends in dubbing research and practice
  10. Chapter 5. Audiovisual translation in the age of digital transformation 103
  11. Chapter 6. Are we all together across languages? 125
  12. Chapter 7. Fandubbing across time and space 145
  13. Chapter 8. To Europe with love 169
  14. Part III. The linguistics of dubbing
  15. Chapter 9. More than words can say 191
  16. Chapter 10. Representing orality through questions in original and translated film dialogue 211
  17. Chapter 11. English films vs Italian films 229
  18. Part IV. Identity construction in dubbing
  19. Chapter 12. Sleeping with the fishes 245
  20. Chapter 13. Constructing youth identities in dubbed movies 263
  21. General Index 281
  22. Name Index 283
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