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French pop music remakes in Turkey: A cognitive semiotic inquiry into cultural transfer

Günes, Azize LU (2017) SPVR01 20171
Cognitive Semiotics
Master's Programme: Language and Linguistics
Abstract
In this thesis, the importation, transformation and distribution of French popular music in Turkey during the 20th century have been investigated as a case study of cultural transfer. By using theories and methods within a cognitive semiotic framework, this study provides an overview of the phenomenon of French pop music remakes in Turkey by accounting for the initial situation of communication of remade pop music through recorded materials, and by providing an analysis of the changes made to the songs when transformed from French to Turkish, as well as the linguistic meanings that were made available to the Turkish public in this process. Meaning making procedures in connection to pop music have been considered by analyzing components of... (More)
In this thesis, the importation, transformation and distribution of French popular music in Turkey during the 20th century have been investigated as a case study of cultural transfer. By using theories and methods within a cognitive semiotic framework, this study provides an overview of the phenomenon of French pop music remakes in Turkey by accounting for the initial situation of communication of remade pop music through recorded materials, and by providing an analysis of the changes made to the songs when transformed from French to Turkish, as well as the linguistic meanings that were made available to the Turkish public in this process. Meaning making procedures in connection to pop music have been considered by analyzing components of pop music, the cognitive capacities of human beings to understand pop music, and procedures of cultural communication enabling the integration of new artefacts in a culture. According to the results of this thesis, 160 Turkish language remakes of songs originally performed in French have been produced and distributed in Turkey between 1961- 1991. The most concentrated period of production occurred during a 10-year period between 1967-1977, with a considerable peak in 1968-1969. Of the songs produced during the peak of 1968-1969, 25% account for the original French song lyrics either as “song translations” or “adaptations” of their original French versions, transferring linguistic meanings to the Turkish target culture. A thematic analysis shows that the linguistic meanings transferred from French songs to Turkish remakes in 1968-1969 are ideas related to love, difficulties associated with love, the passing of time, memories, remembering, forgetting, nostalgia, relationships, infidelity, dependence, separation, reconciliation, and morality. Conceptualized as models of reality made available for the Turkish listener, these linguistic meanings provide options for understanding, acting in and narrating social life and the self. The meanings transferred to Turkey through the distribution of French pop music remakes are placed within a larger historical and cultural context of import and translation of Western artefacts in Turkey during the 20th century. (Less)
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author
Günes, Azize LU
supervisor
organization
course
SPVR01 20171
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Popular music, song remakes, song adaptation, song translation, Turkey, Turkish pop music, French pop music, cultural transfer, cognitive semiotics, cultural communication, westernization
language
English
id
8921150
date added to LUP
2017-07-05 08:58:16
date last changed
2017-07-05 08:58:16
@misc{8921150,
  abstract     = {{In this thesis, the importation, transformation and distribution of French popular music in Turkey during the 20th century have been investigated as a case study of cultural transfer. By using theories and methods within a cognitive semiotic framework, this study provides an overview of the phenomenon of French pop music remakes in Turkey by accounting for the initial situation of communication of remade pop music through recorded materials, and by providing an analysis of the changes made to the songs when transformed from French to Turkish, as well as the linguistic meanings that were made available to the Turkish public in this process. Meaning making procedures in connection to pop music have been considered by analyzing components of pop music, the cognitive capacities of human beings to understand pop music, and procedures of cultural communication enabling the integration of new artefacts in a culture. According to the results of this thesis, 160 Turkish language remakes of songs originally performed in French have been produced and distributed in Turkey between 1961- 1991. The most concentrated period of production occurred during a 10-year period between 1967-1977, with a considerable peak in 1968-1969. Of the songs produced during the peak of 1968-1969, 25% account for the original French song lyrics either as “song translations” or “adaptations” of their original French versions, transferring linguistic meanings to the Turkish target culture. A thematic analysis shows that the linguistic meanings transferred from French songs to Turkish remakes in 1968-1969 are ideas related to love, difficulties associated with love, the passing of time, memories, remembering, forgetting, nostalgia, relationships, infidelity, dependence, separation, reconciliation, and morality. Conceptualized as models of reality made available for the Turkish listener, these linguistic meanings provide options for understanding, acting in and narrating social life and the self. The meanings transferred to Turkey through the distribution of French pop music remakes are placed within a larger historical and cultural context of import and translation of Western artefacts in Turkey during the 20th century.}},
  author       = {{Günes, Azize}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{French pop music remakes in Turkey: A cognitive semiotic inquiry into cultural transfer}},
  year         = {{2017}},
}