Villalobos Graillet

Jose Eduardo Villalobos Graillet Field: Pragmatics- Applied Linguistics in Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language

A Pragmalinguistic Analysis of the Spanish Film Mondays in the Sun (Los lunes al sol).

"In my experience as a speaker of English as a second language, I remember having more misunderstandings among people from other cultures than the native speakers themselves, especially when using linguistic and metalinguistic elements that were not compatible with their own. Therefore, one can speak of culture shock on both sides, since we did not know the social and cultural norms of each conversational partner." This personal experience is one of the examples that foreign language students may have during communicative exchanges, mainly in the natural context of the target language. These phenomena are observed and studied by a relatively and conceptually new field in linguistics: pragmatics, which is considered by Bachman (1990) as part of overall communicative competence. According to this author, pragmatic competence can subdivided into illocutionary competence, the subfield dedicated to speech acts, and sociolinguistic competence, which observes the factors involved in the communication process such as situation, context of use, intentions of the participants, and rules and conventions involved in locution. In other words, as is additionally reiterated by Dez (2007), pragmatics focuses on what it is said, how it is said, and in what context.

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It is precisely in the context of the teaching language methodology and the communicative approach that this learning strategy has gained greater momentum, with the goal of developing materials and resources that will allow our students to be interpreters of the manifestations (reactions and behaviors) of the target culture. The integration of pragmatics to foreign language curricula, in this case the Spanish as a foreign language (in extenso SFL) curriculum, is intended, according to Galindo (2006), to develop successful communication events and avoid cultural conflicts, guiding learners to use the language appropriately in its real context and to be aware of the social and communicative effects of each linguistic utterance. The activity most used in foreign language books that encourages and develops this competence in the formal context is the presentation of videos and recordings of authentic input in everyday situations. This activity is occasionally performed explicitly in class to interpret and justify the linguistic and metalinguistic units of oral interaction between native speakers.

Methodology 1. Objectives This paper presents a pragmatic analysis of a segment of the Spanish film Mondays in the Sun (2002), which may be taken into account by other SFL teachers as a proposal to develop this competence in advanced students in order to contrast aspects of the Iberian culture with their own. It is recommended that the learners not only capture what it is said or done by the participants of the communication process, but the pragmatic intention of the statements and the actions according to situations in the video. According to Blanco (2006), this would help the class to understand and value

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the mentality and actions of the Spaniards, and learn when to use these elements in specific circumstances of use, as already explained.

2. Film synopsis Fernando Leon de Aranoa presented in Mondays in the Sun, a story of a group of middle-aged friends who were affected by the layoff in the artillery industry in Galicia in the late 90s. Santa and his comrades meet every night at Ricos bar, trying to fight with an enemy that is increasingly oxidized over time: unemployment in Spain. In this critical situation, the lives of some of these men are interspersed with anxiety and aggression while others experience dissent, tragedy, and family crisis. Mondays in the Sun depicts the days that these passive individuals have spent on finding a trace of hope and justice between the horizon and the sea. This analysis focuses on three scenes in the first twenty minutes of the film, when Santa goes to court for the third time (1st scene) for breaking a streetlight located at the entrance of the artillery factory where he used to work, shortly after he found out he was one of the 200 dismissed from his job at that time. Without sufficient grounds, because everything indicates that his action was an intentional act of protest, in the 2nd scene, Santas attorney forced him to pay a compensation of 8, 000 pesetas (45 Euros) for him damaging a private building; otherwise, the lawyer suggests a possible closure. Later, in the 3rd scene, Santa goes to Ricos bar, angry and not been able to accept his sentence, since losing a job is not comparable to breaking a streetlight; at minimum he takes that moral perspective when discussing with his friends about the value of that money.

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3. Analysis Methodology The completion of this analysis focuses on a sociological vision in three sections: language act, nonverbal language, and cinematic language. These ideas may be transferred to observation exercises and discussion in the classroom.

Communicational analysis 1. Communication components According to Poyatos (1994), the elements of the communicative process in the three scenes are described as follows: Participants: In the 1st scene, the artillery factorys attorney is a mere transmitter of the message, which is discussed immediately by the judge and Santas lawyer. These in turn are the main participants in the interaction, since Santa, in the role of defendant, is the "passive receiver," although he seeks to interrupt in more than one occasion. In the 2nd scene, we see the basic outline of communication between Santa and his attorney through the exchange of questions. Finally, in the 3rd scene, it seems that the act maintains a unidirectional character, being Santa who talks most of the time because his receptors are more attentive to the TV. The channel and context: In the three scenes the channels are principally oral communication, paralanguage, and visual communication. In the 1st scene the context is formal, unlike the last two, in which we see an environment of trust and greater familiarity between Santa and his comrades (3rd scene). Code: in order of scenes, language and dress code are used accordingly to each scenario from formal to casual.

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2. Linguistic acts This section is intended for the analysis of linguistic expressions from the video, based on the studies of Austin (1962) and Searle (1969) on the speech acts. Such utterances are interpreted to determine the meaning and intentions in the communication process, beyond their literal meaning points (i.e., the difference between direct and indirect speech acts). Note that the dialogues have been translated from Spanish into English. 1st scene Judge. - "but it wasnt the streetlights fault. Santas lawyer. - "Thats true, Your Honor, but it was badly placed." Judge. - "So its all the fault of whoever put it there?" Santas lawyer. - "Perhaps it could partly be seen like that, Your Honor." According to Searle (Ibid.), the two fragments of this conversation in court show a breach in the communication process since the sincerity and preparative conditions are not respected. That is because both parties know who the guilty of the offense is (i.e., known information), but Santas lawyer does not want to admit it publicly, as he gives excuses to continue defending his client. The lawyers response seems humorous as result of the perceived inconsistencies in the conversation (the humor in words of Grice). Judge. - "This is the third time weve heard this case. Indirect speech act. The meaning of the statement of this character is given by

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the tone of his voice. This illocutionary force expresses a warning to Santas lawyer and his client if they fail with the compensation. Additionally, it appears as though the judge is tired of trying this absurd case as a result of his objectivity and lack of empathy with Santas unemployment. 2nd scene Santa. - "I have been laid off [...] what is this? I pay them for laying me off?" Deviant act. The repetition of the verb "lay off" on the question indicates irony. Santa finds paying the fine while he is unemployed illogical. He refuses to be the perpetrator. Santas lawyer. You screwed their streetlight, right?" Besides the use of colloquial vocabulary in the conversation, it is worth noting that the phatic particle "right?" reinforces and justifies the claim the lawyer just made "[] to maintain or verify the contact [with Santa]," according to Briz (2001). In the same way, his question seeks to make Santa reflect on what he did. Santas lawyer. - "Do you know or not?" Indirect speech act. The illocutionary force of this question represents an ultimatum toward Santa to stop complaining. On a personal note, this expression may be ambiguous for SFL students and even for some native Spanish speakers from outside Spain. However, the repeated viewing of this scene helps to understand the context, and it is understood that the lawyer is talking about money. In other words, in this question he is asking Santa to pay the money as soon as possible and stop being stubborn. 3rd scene. Santa. - "Is Jos ugly or handsome? That depends too. His wife might like him." It is a criticism that is not offensive to Jos or to the rest of the group due to the camaraderie they share (emotional expressiveness vs. insult). For them it seems funny

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what Santa just said, likewise for someone who analyzes his words, especially by the ungrammaticality of Santas analogy. Santa implies with that expression that the value of things (money, beauty, unemployment, etc.) depends on the person and the situation in which they are. Santa. - "What are 8, 000 pesetas?" Indirect speech act. The moral sense of the circumstances determines the amount of the compensation, which is directly proportional to the damage (injustice) Santa feels. Rico. - "It still doesnt seem expensive." The first sentence could indicate, in a literal sense, correspondence to Santas opinion, however, it means the opposite in a figurative sense. Rico's tone is a sign of his lack of interest in what Santa thinks, because at least Rico has a secure job as a bar owner. Joseph. - "It must be fucking awesome to be on TV." The use and learning of swearing words seems to be a topic of discussion for SFL teachers, because for the most part they are avoided in the classroom, leaving the students to figure out their meaning.

3. Paralinguistic cues According to Poyatos (Ibid.), these quasi-lexical elements are vocalizations and conventional consonantizations that have little lexical content, but with great functional value. The signs observed in the video are: 1st scene.

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Expressive factors: Santa mumbles and repeats the word "many" that his attorney stated before. He does that to show how angry he is about the mass dismissal of artillerymen. Also, this behavior is rude in any context, but what Santa feels is justifiable. Moreover, the judge sighs as a sign that his patience is running out if they return to court. Silence: Santas lawyer hesitates and gives the vocalization "eeee" to find a valid answer to the unexpected Judges question. 2nd scene. Interactive regulators: Santa delivers a "huh?" to keep his turn in the conversation and make his lawyer understand how inconvenient it is for him to pay that amount of money when he was the most affected. Expressive factors: Santa uses an ironic tone on a "ts" to express how unfair and awkward this situation is. Silence: Santa takes a few seconds to understand the possible consequences of not paying for the streetlight he broke. In addition, he sighs as a sign of fatigue and despondency. 3rd scene. Expressive factors: Rico delivers an "ah" to express his disagreement over the value that Santa gives to the 8, 000 pesetas. Silence: This item appears to ponder the context of the conversation, since television is a distraction for the group, added to the lack of interest in the subject that Santa has brought in.

4. The conversation

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This section describes the phenomena observed in the interactions that occur in each context of the video. Items that are part of the Conversational Analysis (Tusn, 1997), the Speech Analysis (Calsamiglia & Tusn, 2007), the Cooperative Principle (Grice, 1975), and the Theory of Courtesy (Escandell, 1995): The 1st scene seems to be the only one in which turn-taking is given solemnly, with a normal rhythm in the conversation. The message is hindered and is understood by every participant of the communication process, even though Santa expresses his feelings during the trial. In the 2nd scene, the pace of the conversation is more rapid and abrupt, dominated by Santas emotions and his lawyer. Using dysphemisms is common among men, however these interjections, coupled with the use of a loud volume could be considered rude to other cultures, especially if the conversation is not between equals, since the status (authority) of Santas attorney is higher. The end of the conversation occurs abruptly when Santas lawyer gets angry and leaves the property without answering his clients question. In the 3rd scene Santa makes conversational questions, since he insists that his friends give their opinion on the subject. He also makes a joke in regards to Joss physical appearance to grab their attention while they are watching TV. They feel forced to respond to it. On the other hand, there is an overlap in the conversation, being Santa and Rico who repeat the same time the word "morally," a peculiar aspect in the Spanish culture, according to Cestero (2004), who points out the lack of breaks during taking turns. Finally Jos, who remained silent and watching the program during the entire conversation, interrupts and changes the subject, perhaps showing disinterest.

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Analysis of nonverbal language This section discusses the elements and functions that make up the Nonverbal Communication System, specifically those that stand in each scene. It is noteworthy that these components may be used in the classroom to develop and acquire pragmatic and intercultural strategies, in activities that "[allow] the observation, [the explicit] analysis, the interpretation, and the understanding of cultural differences [between the student's maternal language and the target language]," according to the definition of intercultural strategy in the CVC dictionary, translated into English. Therefore, the learner will be prepared to apply and understand such elements satisfactorily, avoiding cultural misunderstandings and conflicts.

1. Proxemic interaction 1st scene: public distance, as classified by Hall (1963), is maintained and expected in a formal context. However, aspects such as the location of the characters (the accused, the injured party and lawyers), the location, size, and height of the furniture, including the position of the judge in the video, are different to those used by the justice system in other countries (distribution of space: value assigned in each culture). In this scene lawyers retain a shorter distance in relation to Santa, who cannot intervene in the communicative act. 2nd scene: the distance between Santa and his lawyer is personal and comfortable. This special observation might be different if it were taken into account from a cultural perspective, especially if our students are not familiar with the target culture; it seems that Santa and his lawyer maintain a friendship instead of professional relationship. However, when walking through the halls, we see Santas lawyer taking

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the lead as a possible signal of hierarchy. 3rd scene: proxemics is social and casual, since Santa and his friends are in a bar.

2. Synesthesia / kinesthesia 1st scene: during the trial, Santa nods his head when he hears the information provided by the affected party and the judge as a sign that he understands the explanations without fully agreeing with them. This is proved when his lawyer speaks and Santa raises his eyebrows to indicate that he found his attorneys arguments as valid. This gesture is also made by his lawyer and the judge repeatedly: the first one to emphasize his statement on the dismissal of 200 workers, including his client (pointing Santa out with his pen, which could be considered rude), the second one to indicate his rejection of the absurd explanations he just heard about the streetlight, and the number of times they have been summoned to discuss the same topic. Moreover, eye contact is stable between the characters, except for Santa and his lawyer when they put their heads down due to nervousness and guilt. In fact, Santa expresses his indignation and intolerance, putting his hands on his hips, squeezing his eyes and desperately moving his fingers on the table when he hears the unfairness of the dismissal and the amount he has to pay for the streetlight. The judge looks askance as if beckoning to Santas bad behavior. He cannot have an effect in him. 2nd scene: the use of gestures abounds in this part of the video, which is considered a reflection of the characters behavior, especially Santas, who uses them to express his emotions about the situation he is experiencing. In the SFL classroom, these gestures may be exaggerated for our students, especially if they have stereotyped the Hispanic culture as very expressive and sometimes dramatic. It is necessary to sensitize

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students on this aspect to show openness to the culture of the language they are studying and to avoid misunderstandings while communicating with native speakers. Another important point is the gaze that the attorney gives to Santa as an indicator of threat if he does not pay the compensation. In turn, the latter seems not to feel intimidated by the Santas advocate question, and then challenges him with another interrogative statement. 3rd scene: the eyes of most of the characters seem to be lost on the TV, except when they participate in the discussion. In fact, they look disinterested and distracted by their own problems: Lino with arms crossed (possible boredom), Jos with a finger in his mouth (nervousness and insecurity), and Nata reading the newspaper with her feet on the table (rather than signal of bad manners, it is considered as a state of comfort in a casual scenario).

Cinematographic analysis: technical aspects This section includes the cinematographic language proposed by Martin (2002).

1. Camera angles The first two scenes show the use of medium short shot when the characters are discussing Santas situation. This technical feature is intended to focus exclusively on the participants of the communicative act and exclude those who are not actively involved in it, such as the secretary and the police office. While Santa and his lawyer walk through the halls and in the 3rd scene, medium shots are given to emphasize the position of the actors, i.e., if they are sitting, standing or leaning.

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2. Camera movement techniques The foreshortened shot used in the first and the third scene highlights the immediate reactions and refutations of the participants. Also, the shot reverse shot shows the context where the actions take place. Although this kind of shot is fast, the director used the subtlety in it to make the communication process more natural. Moreover, in the 2nd scene frontal shot, retro traveling is used when Santa and his lawyer are walking. The foreshortening shot is used to highlight Santas lawyers reaction as he exits the building. As for the 3rd scene, the lateral shot is used to accentuate the state of distraction of Jos and Nata. These characters do not pay attention to the discussion that is taking place around them, because they are not interested in the topic or they feel uncomfortable when talking about money. Sometimes Jos is focused on a close-up (regardless of background) to highlight his passivity, although he reacted to the joke Santa made, and to cause some uncertainty for the audience, as he is expected to reply. 3. Transitions The three sequences are immediate and static scenes. Fading to black is avoided to give liveliness to the protagonist's emotions. From the 1st to the 2nd scene Santa's voice is off by a few seconds and he is fit it into a medium close-up, making a contrast of his participation in both scenes. In the 2nd and the 3rd scene, a detailed shot of the TV is used to introduce the new scenario. 4. Music, light and image chromaticity The first aspect is avoided by the importance given to the arguments of the characters, their verbal and nonverbal reactions, which endow the video unit. Light is used to highlight Santa and companys feelings, especially in the 3rd scene.

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As a personal note and from a cultural perspective of a non-Iberian spectator, I've always catalogued Spanish movies with dark light using colors such as brown, red, and green, which give a sense of nostalgia, as if we were watching old films. It would be interesting to add an exercise about this point (the opinion of students on Spanish films: light and color) to film pragmatic analysis in the SFL classroom.

Conclusion As seen throughout this analysis, interpreting a target language requires more concentration and preparation from a learner to encode received messages, taking into account both the channel and the context of use. In order to reach that level of mastery, as teachers of SFL we should stimulate the pragmatic strategy in our classrooms by helping students encode linguistic expressions, beyond its literal sense: to recognize conversational implications (Martnez, 2005) for each situation, as well as understanding cultural behaviors (including the nonverbal communication) of native speakers of Spanish. Thus, pragmatics would be used not only as a teaching resource to avoid misunderstandings and culture shock, but also as a tool to develop the intercultural competence of students in three levels: understanding, rapprochement, and cultural integration.

References

Mondays in the Sun. Dir. Fernado L. de Aranoa. Producciones Cinematogrficas S.L., 2002. DVD.

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Blanco, Ana Isabel. Soportes para ensear pragmtica en una clase de ELE. La competencia pragmtica o la Enseanza del Espaol como Lengua Extranjera. Actas del XVI Congreso Internacional de ASELE (2006): 190-195. Web. 31 Aug. 2013.

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Poyatos, Fernando. La comunicacin no verbal. Paralenguaje, Kinsica e interaccin. Madrid: Istmo, 1994. Print.

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