A diachronic analysis of apologies and thanks in five Little Women adaptations and their Italian dubbings

This paper aims to investigate the representation and the Italian dubbing of the two politeness formulae apologies and thanks in five telecinematic adaptations of Alcott’s coming-of-age novel, Little Women (i.e., in the 1933, 1949, 1994, and 2019 movies and the 2017 TV series). In particular, the research focuses on how each of these adaptations renders the conversational nature that characterizes the intimate and domestic world of Little Women, whose dialogues (both in the original novel and in later adaptations) play a crucial role in the development of the plot as well as in the advancement of the relationships between the main characters. The study consists of a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the formulaic sequences used in the dialogues, followed by a thorough study of the translation strategies used to dub specific expressions of gratitude and regret.