Masteruppsatser / Institutionen för språk och litteraturer
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://gupea-staging.ub.gu.se/handle/2077/21397
Browse
Recent Submissions
Item MÁS ALLÁ DE LAS PALABRAS Un inventario comparativo de gestos emblemáticos de México, Colombia y Perú(2025-09-30) Durán Turizo, Jesús; University of Gothenburg/Department of Languages and Literatures; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för språk och litteraturerLos gestos emblemáticos como signos no verbales cuya principal característica es su equivalencia dentro del sistema lingüístico están codificados culturalmente y pueden generar malentendidos en interacciones interculturales. Sumado a esto, cuando se trata de comunidades de habla de países que comparten una misma lengua, existe el imaginario de que no son muchas las diferencias a nivel gestual. Basado en esto, este trabajo presenta un inventario comparativo de gestos emblemáticos utilizados en tres comunidades de habla hispana: México, Colombia y Perú. Los resultados evidencian relaciones de ausencia, equivalencia, confusión e igualdad entre los gestos analizados, lo que confirma la existencia de fenómenos como los ‘falsos amigos’ gestuales y evidencia que los gestos también se inscriben dentro del acervo cultural de un grupo, aspecto crucial para la correcta interpretación de estos signos.Item BETWEEN LANGUAGES & WORLDS: Literary Multilingualism & Cultural Identity in Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko (2017)(2025-09-25) Kakavand, Filippa; University of Gothenburg/Department of Languages and Literatures; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för språk och litteraturerThis thesis examines how untranslated Korean culture-specific items (CSIs) are represented in the English-language novel Pachinko (2017) by Min Jin Lee, and how these terms contribute to identity formation, emotional depth, and reader engagement. The study focuses on three categories of CSIs: terms of address, interjections, and food words. Examples were selected based on frequency, contextual clarity, and narrative function. A qualitative close reading approach was applied, combining analysis of form and representation, narrative function, and reader experience, supported by literary discourse analysis (Maingueneau, 2023). The interpretation draws on the concepts of foreignization and domestication (Venuti, 2018), literary multilingualism and strangeness (Valdés, 2023; Locher, 2017), and hybridity (Bhabha, 2004). Findings show that kinship terms of address are often retained in Korean, signalling intimacy and social hierarchy, with meanings understood from context. Interjections maintain emotional tone but may lose impact when context is limited. Food terms alternate between Korean and English, shaping how readers perceive cultural details. Overall, the novel keeps Korean words visible while ensuring accessibility for a global audience.Item “YASASHII NIHONGO” (EASY/PLAIN JAPANESE), 1985–2025 Contextual Developments and Public Attitudes as Indicators of Language Change — With Reference to the Swedish Case(2025-09-25) Suzuki, Sayo; University of Gothenburg/Department of Languages and Literatures; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för språk och litteraturerThis study examines the diachronic change of Yasashii Nihongo (1985–2025), originally created to support foreign residents during disasters and described in some official sources as extending to various everyday contexts, including Japanese children, the elderly, and people with disabilities. Using a quantitative, replicable method, 634 newspaper articles including the term Yasashii Nihongo were analyzed through text mining. For qualitative perspectives, public discourse on Yasashii Nihongo was also analyzed. Three chronological phases were identified: Japanese Language Education (1985–1994), Dissemination (1995–2015), and Development (2016–2025), with discourse primarily focused on use for foreign audiences. Comparison with Sweden revealed differences in the development of easy-to-understand communication styles and societal values. The study indicates that the spread of Yasashii Nihongo has led native speakers themselves, as recipients, to increasingly seek simple and clear Japanese, while its conceptual boundaries become increasingly blurred. Introducing the idea of International Japanese could mitigate citizens’ negative reactions to Yasashii Nihongo and help foster a society free from native-speaker dominance. Further research is needed to refine the concept and address underrepresented groups beyond foreigners.Item HISTORISK SLAVISTIK MED STÖD AV MASKININLÄRNING Automatiserad handskriftsigenkänning av östslavisk kyrkoslaviska från 1400-talet(2025-06-24) Hellsing Rydergård, Erika; University of Gothenburg/Department of Languages and Literatures; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för språk och litteraturerSyftet med uppsatsen är att bidra till den historiska slavistiken genom att skapa och utvärdera en modell baserad på maskininlärning för handskriftsigenkänning av halvuncial östslavisk handskrift samt att utvärdera hur den data som produceras genom automatisk handskriftsigenkänning (HTR) kan användas för att komplettera mer traditionella metoder. Uppsatsen är teoretiskt grundad i utvecklingen av textkritisk metod och teori sedan 1800-talet och särskilt relationen mellan kopia och text som diskuterats av både förespråkare för och kritiker av den genealogiska metoden. Likväl som att den medeltida kopian av en historisk text är ett medium mellan forskaren och det utforskade, kan den elektroniska kopian och dess transkription ses som ytterligare mellanhänder. Uppsatsens undersökning baserar sig på detta förhållande. Metoden som används i uppsatsen är främst kvantitativ kompletterad med kvalitativa aspekter. Två östslaviska handskrifter av den kyrkslaviska månadsboken för november med liknande innehåll har valts ut. Flera versioner av HTR-modeller har sedan tagits fram och utvärderats i plattformen Transkribus baserat på detta material. Materialet har slutligen transkriberats i sin helhet och analyserats, främst med hjälp av programmeringsspråket R. Undersökningen visar att de modeller som publicerats i Transkribus och som baserats på en stor mängd träningsdata har liknande resultat som det som kan uppnås för en specialiserad modell med den minimala mängd träningsdata som rekommenderas av Transkribus. Däremot ger både de befintliga och nya modellerna fortsatt en relativt hög andel fel för tecken som ligger ovanför skrivraden. Dessutom har valen av de glyfvarianter som används i träningsdata betydelse för modellens transkriptioner. Resultaten av den lingvistiska analysen pekar på att de kvantitativa data som genererats med hjälp av HTR-modeller kan komplettera traditionella kvalitativa metoder för att analysera specifika språkliga drag i handskrifterna. Slutligen stödjer den teoretiska diskussionen baserat på uppsatsens resultat den riktning inom textkritisk metod som poängterar kopians värde jämte textens som analytisk enhet.Item THINKING WITH TIME Time Travel as a Method for Exploring Ideas in The Time Machine, Children of Time, and Hyperion Cantos(2025-05-27) Rasmusson, Theodor; University of Gothenburg/Department of Languages and Literatures; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för språk och litteraturerThe aim of this thesis is to examine the role that time travel plays in exploring ideas and themes, to study the relationship time travel has to science, and how that might impact its usefulness as a literary tool. This analysis is done through a combination of a narratological framework as defined by Mieke Bal with the ideas of naturalization and cognitive estrangement developed by Simon Spiegel. To achieve this end, the study focuses the analysis on the time travel novels The Time Machine (1895), The Children of Time (2015) and Hyperion Cantos (1989). The study found an extensive variety of methods for using time travel as well as themes explored through time travel. Examples include employing time travel as a lens through which history can be observed by a constant character-bound narrator or as a mechanism to explore themes such as aging and evolution. Moreover, time travel allows for a more realistic presentation of otherwise fantastical, or at the very least speculative, events, by being deeply tied to both science itself and a scientific aesthetic.Item Metaforer inom populärvetenskap(2024-11-13) Larsson, Anna; University of Gothenburg/Department of Languages and Literatures; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för språk och litteraturerJag har valt att översätta en populärvetenskaplig text från spanska till svenska och därefter undersöka de metaforer som förekommer i källtexten, vad de förmedlar samt på vilket sätt dessa hanteras i översättningen. I både käll- och måltexten förmedlades åldrandet som en linjär, ej cyklisk process bestående av försämringar av kroppsliga funktioner. Människan liknades vid en maskin medan ting besjälades och fenomen besjälades. 49.5 % av metaforerna i källtexten översattes med metaforer med samma bildled, 27.6 % översattes med metaforer med andra bildled och 20.5 % översattes med ord som ska tolkas bokstavligt. Vid 1 % av fallen togs metaforen och det den uttryckte bort, vid 0.5 % bestod översättningen av en metafor i kombination med ord som ska tolkas bokstavligt och vid 1 % översattes ord i källtexten som ska tolkas bokstavligt med metaforer i måltexten. I studien kom jag fram till att metaforer var vanligare i rubriker och ingresser än i löpande text och bildtext, vilket kan vara ett retoriskt grepp att fånga läsarens uppmärksamhet och få denna att läsa vidare.Item Translating Path-based Logics to Modal mu-Calculus(2024-10-07) Lim, Fong Yuan; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för filosofi, lingvistik och vetenskapsteori; Göteborg University/Department of Philosophy, Linguistics and Theory of ScienceThe modal μ-calculus Lμ is an expressive temporal logic defined on full transition systems. Lμ merely has immediate neighbour modalities and no direct way to specify properties on a path-by-path basis, so it is remarkable that Lμ can simulate logics such as linear temporal logic (LTL) whose semantics are based on linear paths, where an LTL formula ϕ is said to hold at a state s if ϕ holds on every path starting from s. However, expressing such path-based properties in Lμ is generally nontrivial. As a baseline, one may find a translation by constructing an automaton as an intermediate step. However, a naive implementation of such a method may cause a non-elementary blowup in the size of the translation. A translation obtained this way also tends to reflect the structure of the automaton rather than that of the original input formula. In this thesis, we investigate a more syntactic approach to translate path-based logics into Lμ. In particular, we analyse the method given by [Dam94] to translate LTL into Lμ in depth, and reformulate it in several aspects. Furthermore, we generalise the method to the fragment of the linear-time μ-calculus LTμ where fixpoint variables in a formula occur exactly once and are not nested. These translations achieve a worst-case doubly exponential blowup in formula size. For simpler inputs, directly inspecting the translations may yield insights as to how Lμ accommodates path-based properties.Item TRANSFER OF IDEOLOGY IN THE TRANSLATION OF POLITICAL SPEECHES - Yasser Arafat’s Speech at the UN in 1974(2024-07-04) Abudaher, Alaa M; University of Gothenburg/Department of Languages and Literatures; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för språk och litteraturerThis study focuses on examining the process of translating political speeches and how the ideology expressed in the speech is transmitted and how it can influence the process of translation. The main data used in this study are the Arabic and English transcripts of the late Palestinian President Yasser Arafat’s speech to the UN in 1974. The study moves within the discipline of Translation Studies by adopting the theoretical framework of translation strategies and theories of Hermeneutic translation, Equivalence and Skopos theory. The study follows a descriptive comparative analysis of selected examples from the Arabic text and its English translation. The results of the study show examples of ideological manipulation in which the translator used translation techniques such as omission, addition, reformulation of sentence structure and paraphrasing of problematic and controversial elements in the speech in order to harmonise the meaning of the speech with the ideological beliefs and political affiliations of the target audience.Item ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE: William Shakespeare´s A Midsummer Night´s Dream – Tragic Aspects and Social Significance(2024-07-04) Kubresli, Cathérina; University of Gothenburg/Department of Languages and Literatures; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för språk och litteraturerThroughout the years, A Midsummer Night´s Dream has often been performed with a variety of interpretations made by different directors. At the Royal Shakespeare Company, Dream is frequently performed. This is unsurprising; full of mirth, laughter, drama and magic, why should this play not be one of Shakespeare´s most amusing comedies, if not his greatest one? With a forest inhabited by faeries, a flamboyant king and queen, a foolish henchman called Puck and four lovers who get lost and affected by the royal couple´s marriage problems, it is all but impossible for the play not to produce laughter. However, this research does not focus on how comic Dream is. Instead, the focus of this paper lies on the play´s tragic nature. By defining what elements are included in Shakespearean tragedy, I show that Dream has many tragic features. The results of this analysis demonstrate that the play is an intricate interplay of Senecan elements, Ovidian metamorphosis, Aristotelian dramaturgy, Greco-Roman mythology, plots, philosophy and modern literary theories. I will use concepts from feminism/patriarchy and post-colonialism to create a gender-colonial perspective (concerning foreignness and Otherness). I will also use neurosis from Freudian psychoanalysis. This essay aims to investigate the tragic aspects of Dream and its social significance to provide a deeper understanding of the play. Despite ending with a wedding celebration where the lovers are permitted to wed alongside Theseus and Hippolyta in Athens and a comic meta-play that sounds tremendously silly, the combination of the aforesaid elements allows audiences or readers to understand that Dream might be a classified comedy, but is has many tragic aspects of social significance that can help us understand the play in a different way.Item CODE-SWITCHING IN KONTEMPORÄREN DEUTSCHRAPTEXTEN Eine Analyse ausgewählter Texte von Capital Bra und RAF Camora(2024-07-04) Bräutigam, Sofie; University of Gothenburg/Department of Languages and Literatures; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för språk och litteraturerDas Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit ist es, zu untersuchen, was der plötzliche Einschub von fremdsprachigen Elementen in ausgewählten Deutschraptexten leistet. Ein Teil der Analyse bezieht sich auf die inhaltlichen Domänen, in denen Code-Switching besonders häufig in den Texten auftritt. Zudem wird untersucht, welche syntaktischen Elemente durch fremdsprachige Einschübe ersetzt werden. Der Untersuchungsgegenstand sind ausgewählte Deutschraptexte der zwei namhaften Deutschrapper Capital Bra und RAF Camora. Die Rapper bedienen sich neben dem Deutschen insgesamt 9 verschiedener sprachlicher Codes. Die qualitative Textanalyse wurde durch verschiedene theoretische Konzepte im Bereich Code-Switching und linguistischer Kulturwissenschaft gestützt. Auch der soziopolitische Kontext von Rapmusik in Deutschland wurde in der Untersuchung berücksichtigt. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass es durchaus fremdsprachige Codes gibt, die für bestimmte inhaltliche Domänen im Deutschrap genutzt werden, wie z.B. Emotionalität oder Beleidigungen. Es lassen sich teilweise Überschneidungen bezüglich der inhaltlichen Verwendung der Codes feststellen, die Capital Bra und RAF Camora nutzen. Neben der inhaltlichen Funktion sorgt Code-Switching weiterhin für Abwechslung in den Texten und erleichtert die Reimbildung auf technischer Ebene. Die Analyse zeigte zudem, dass beide Rapper in den meisten Fällen lediglich ein Wort oder eine Phrase im Satz austauschen, während ein Sprachwechsel innerhalb eines Satzes oder zwischen Sätzen nur an ausgewählten Stellen stattfindet.Item THE KIMONO Traditional wear, nightclothes, or cultural appropriation?(2024-06-19) Bendall, Lisa; University of Gothenburg/Department of Languages and Literatures; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för språk och litteraturerThis thesis hopes to investigate how the kimono has gone from being everyday wear in Japan, to loungewear in the West. A brief historic overview of the kimono, both in Japan and in Europe will be given, as well as how the garment is worn today. I will also delve into the semantic shift of the word kimono in both Japanese and English, to investigate how the meaning of the word has changed historically. The concept of cultural appropriation will also be discussed, in relation to the kimono. These things will be explained with the help of various books, articles, and a self-conducted survey, in which the contemporary views of both Japanese and non-Japanese people will be given. Finally, the results of my findings as well as the survey will be given, and a discussion will be had concerning the modern view of the kimono, as well as its place in the context of cultural appropriation.Item PARALENGUAJE PARA EL LENGUAJE Los signos paralingüísticos en dos programas de contexto mediático(2024-06-17) Careborg, Eric; University of Gothenburg/Department of Languages and Literatures; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för språk och litteraturerEl propósito general de este estudio es investigar cómo los hispanohablantes usan el lenguaje no verbal en las conversaciones. Este estudio se concentra específicamente en los signos paralingüísticos. Las preguntas de investigación se enfocan en qué signos paralingüísticos son destacables en la producción de los enunciados producidos por hispanohablantes en programas de contexto mediático, al igual que el papel que desempeñan estos signos paralingüísticos en la conversación/discurso. Los programas que se analizan para la investigación son Estado Nacional de Chile y La noche en 24 horas de España. El análisis se enfoca en la comunicación auditiva y el material ha sido analizado a través del método de análisis de la conversación. Los resultados muestran que algunos signos paralingüísticos en particular se resaltan de manera más clara que otros signos, como, por ejemplo, la entonación, la velocidad de habla, el tipo de la voz y el uso de pausas. Estos signos paralingüísticos cumplen funciones comunicativas que tienen importancia en las conversaciones, como el hecho de poner énfasis y destacar mensajes igual que expresar el compromiso y las emociones. Los resultados del estudio aportan más información al área del paralenguaje. La investigación asimismo ofrece pistas para los estudios de ELE, brindando conocimiento sobre los signos paralingüísticos en el español.Item MEN CAN BE VICTIMS TOO A Discourse Analysis of the Representation of Male Victims of Sexual Assault in Official Documents Issued by INGOs and NGOs in the Democratic Republic of Congo(2024-04-03) de Boer, Esther; University of Gothenburg/Department of Languages and Literatures; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för språk och litteraturerMale victimisation of sexual assault is not often spoken about and hidden by the victims. This trend can be found within research as well, where men play a marginalised role in the literature about sexual assault. It is precisely this gap that has been identified in 2012, and that is to be explored again within the following analysis. Several INGO and NGO websites and reports from organisations in the Democratic Republic of Congo have been analysed through a multimodal multi-layered discourse analysis. The conceptualisation of these male victims is reviewed with the help of discourse analytical tools from Spitzmüller and Warnke (2011), Mackay (2015), Van Leeuwen (2007), and Schröter (2018). The latter dives deeper into the silence that can be found as part of the dominant discourse. The silence is what is often recognised by these male victims of sexual assault. This silence is investigated in the conducted analysis, as the male representation of victims of sexual assault is still lacking within several organisations. The analysis and conclusion present how the silence and absence, marginalisation and stigmatisation can be found among male victims of sexual violence. The need for these voices to be heard to take the first step to acknowledge the existence, and the need of these victims of sexual assault is necessary to break the spiral of silence that these men suffer from.Item Identity Changes for Iraqi Employees in Multinational Corporations Using English as the Lingua Franca(2023-11-01) Majeed Hamad Amin Ahlgren, Sarezh; University of Gothenburg/Department of Languages and Literatures; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för språk och litteraturerWith the help of this study, I aim to understand how Iraqi employees whose first language is Arabic, deal with situations where they have to speak English in their workplace, and how their identity changes. Through this study, a better understanding of how people go through and experience such a drastic change in their daily lives. To conduct this study, I conducted interviews with 15 Iraqi employees to collect qualitative data. Based on the findings of the study, I incorporated the Communication Accommodation theory, with the help of which I aimed to understand how such theories can help such individuals in establishing a better situation for themselves. Communication Accommodation theory is usually applied in situations where individuals are made to speak a certain language, which they don’t usually speak, and thus, with the help of this theory, a better understanding of how individuals build a better environment for themselves in the process of their identity change, in instances where their local language is not being spoken, is built. It was seen that with proper policies, rules, and regulations, multinational corporations can build a friendlier environment for such individuals who are dealing with linguistic identity change and thus, are not used to speaking English. Through this, they can also ensure that the rights are being protected of such people.Item ‘NOTHING IS IN VAIN': Non-Standard Negation and Cyclical Change in Kutu, Kwere, and Zalamo(2023-10-31) Zahran, Aron; University of Gothenburg/Department of Languages and Literatures; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för språk och litteraturerThis work concerns the polyfunctionality and grammaticalization of an item bule in the under described Tanzanian Bantu languages, Kutu, Kwere, and Zalamo. Through collection and analysis of field data, it is shown that the original adverbial element bule ‘for free, in vain, for no reason’ has developed a wide range of functions within the domain of non-standard negation. The innovated functions of bule are negative emphatic particle, negative interjection, and negative possessive and locational predication. The study compares language data from the three languages under study and from five other Tanzanian Bantu languages: Kami, Ndamba, Ndengeleko, Pogolo, and Vidunda. In these languages, hela/hera and -duhu/tʊpʊ are found to be almost identical to bule in form and function. Through analysis of microvariation, it is proposed that bule, hela/hera, and -duhu/tʊpʊ all have followed the same pathway of change. Furthermore, it is suggested that the grammaticalization path is cyclical, in which a new item, e.g., bule is incorporated into the cycle and follows the same conceptual pattern as a previous item e.g., duhu.Item COLLOCATION COMPETENCY AMONG IRANIAN STUDENTS IN SWEDEN(2023-10-03) Shatery, Kazhal; University of Gothenburg/Department of Languages and Literatures; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för språk och litteraturerIn the current study, a quantitative approach was taken to explore the impact of the first language on the transfer of lexical collocations, highlighting both positive and negative transfer effects. It explored the correlation between English language proficiency and collocation competency, along with the influence of gender on collocation competency. The current study investigated the phenomenon of transfer in the context of English as a foreign language (EFL) learning. It specifically focused on collocation competency among Iranian students studying in Sweden, using the cloze procedure. Transfer refers to how the learner’s first language affects their production in the target language, while collocation, which involves the frequent co-occurrence of words, poses a significant challenge for English learners as a foreign language. Understanding the importance of collocation competency in achieving English language proficiency, it becomes crucial to comprehend the mechanisms of transfer and its correlation with collocation competency. This knowledge is essential for developing effective language teaching strategies and improving overall English language proficiency in English as a foreign language.Item THE ADAPTATION CYCLE OF COMIC BOOKS AND CINEMA: Authorship, Intermediality and Fidelity in Batman Adaptations(2023-09-20) Camoglio, Nicola; University of Gothenburg/Department of Languages and Literatures; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för språk och litteraturerThis thesis explores the adaptation process from comic books to cinema, by leveraging theoretical frameworks found in the modern field of adaptation studies. The focus lies primarily on film adaptations of Batman, one of the most famous and well-regarded characters from the comic book medium. Through the exploration of a selection of Batman adaptations, the thesis explores notions of authorship, authorial intention, canon, thematic fidelity and the concept of geneticism. Having been adapted multiple times over the years since his 1939 debut, Batman is ripe for exploration in the field of adaptation studies. Many visionary directors such as Tim Burton, Joel Schumacher and Christopher Nolan have left their mark on the character, with a series of wildly different adaptations that highlight the importance of authorship, while also establishing an extensive intermedial network between source material, adaptation and authorial intention. By building upon the methods delineated by Bryant and Bruhn, the thesis explores the role of each director as an auteur and adaptor, whose work is placed within a larger lineage of versions of a story. The modern frameworks of the study highlight the importance of a more nuanced understanding of fidelity, which is fundamental when approaching comic book characters, whose canonical features do not stem from a single source text, but from decades of stories authored by a plethora of writers and pencilers.Item Vetenskapen vid vägskälet: En studie av sovjetisk vetenskapssyn vid trettiotalets början(2023-09-19) Malmgren, Johannes; University of Gothenburg/Department of Languages and Literatures; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för språk och litteraturerAt the Second International Congress of the History of Science in 1931, Soviet academics had a rare opportunity to present their view of science to an international audience. At this time, science was becoming an increasingly politicized endeavor in the Soviet Union. The purpose of this thesis is to examine what views of science Soviet delegates Nikolai Bukharin and Boris Hessen expressed in their congress contributions and how these views were shaped by the sharp dichotomization between bourgeois and socialist science then prevalent in the USSR. The delegates are shown to have acted from the premise of the congress being a moment of struggle between worldviews, reflecting the partyness of science. The practice-oriented and politicized conception of science promoted by the delegates leads them to perceive the building of socialism as the highest aim of science, thereby accepting an ontologizing version of dialectics shaped to mirror the achievements of non-Marxist-Leninist science, rather than to be mainly a tool for revolutionary action.Item Intercultural (mis)communication in Swedish Workplaces from the Perspective of Brazilian Employees(2023-08-10) Viera de Carvalho, Ana Paula; University of Gothenburg/Department of Languages and Literatures; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för språk och litteraturerThis study explores politeness and linguistic strategies in intercultural workplace communication in Sweden from the perspective of Brazilian white-collar employees. Employing Brown and Levinson's (1987) politeness framework and Hofstede's (2001; 2011) dimensions of Power Distance and Masculinity/Femininity. Data from two intercultural mealtime interactions were collected from a multinational consultancy company in Gothenburg. In addition, a questionnaire collected data from Brazilians working throughout Sweden proving data triangulation. Challenges in intercultural communication include low English proficiency, vocabulary differences, accent comprehension difficulties, cultural expectations, and limited intercultural training. Brazilians employ humor, rephrasing, and linguistic alternatives to bridge cultural differences. Gender influences politeness strategies, with males using swearing and employing foul language to build rapport, while females avoid it. Power Distance also affects behavior and language, with caution exhibited by Brazilians when communicating with superiors. This study contributes to understanding intercultural workplace communication, highlighting language challenges, effective politeness strategies, and the influence of gender and power distance.Item Do our stories shape our identity? A case study of narratives and discourses among Iranian immigrants in Sweden.(2023-07-07) Soghari Vash, Neda; University of Gothenburg/Department of Languages and Literatures; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för språk och litteraturerGlobal migration movements are a daily occurrence in our globalized world. Immigrants’ identities evolve and are affected by the cultural norms, policies, and practices in host countries during their journeys. Throughout this paper, I examine how Iranian immigrants’ narratives affect the subjectivities of immigrants in Sweden and how they negotiate these narratives to construct their experiences and form identities. This study has taken a qualitative approach and utilized transcripts of in-depth interviews of nine educated Iranian immigrants to Sweden to compile its findings. It aims to understand how self-perception and identity are represented through discourse and narrative. The focus is on immigrants’ discourses and identities, which reflect the complexity of immigration realities and experiences and the reasons for the identity transformation of immigrants.