Practical application of the discourse analysis software atlas.ti: variation of the German ethnolect and its impact on the translation technique of migrant literature

Abstract

Thanks to modern speech technology, it is possible to automatically obtain and investigate a large amount of linguistic data. The qualitative discourse analysis of extracts from the work of the German writer Dmitrij Kapitelman, who immigrated from the USSR in his time, was carried out as part of this work. Particularly noteworthy is the ethnolect, which is typical of migrant literature and consists of a mixture of German and Russian expressions, unusual phraseology, intercultural turns, multilingual metaphors and linguistic elements. The discourse analysis software ATLAS.ti was able to investigate this linguistic phenomenon. The findings shed light on the endless combinations of neural connections that human memory builds between different languages. The aim of our research was to investigate the mechanisms of linguistic memory functioning and its reproduction at the multilingual level, distinguishing linguistic creativity against bilingualism or trilingualism, and identifying and etiquette different translation strategies, thereby contributing to translation studies. With the emergence of a new generation of residents with migrant backgrounds in many countries, migrant literature is gaining momentum, giving fiction more and more heterogeneity and diversity. This phenomenon deserves more indepth empirical linguistic research with the application of new speech technologies and artificial intelligence mechanisms.