Audiovisual Texts and Subtitling in the Teaching of Pragmatics

In this paper I analyze the potentialities inscribed in the use of audiovisual material – two different TV series, Lost and Brothers & Sisters – and subtitles (DVD subtitles and the fansubs produced by the two largest Italian fansubbing communities, i.e. Itasa and Subsfactory) in teaching the dynamics of (im)politeness rituals. Since unwritten politeness rules vary considerably across cultures, a TV series offers learners examples of situated language use, where all the semiotic codes contribute equally to communication. In the case of Lost, the setting and the theme of the series make the dialogues simple and essential, with people very often opting out from expected politeness rituals because of the urgency of the situation. These features are not a shortcoming but an advantage, as they facilitate understanding in a teaching context. In Brothers and Sisters, on the other hand, interactions are generally more relaxed, as they involve family members and friends in everyday situations, but because of a high level of intimacy or rivalry between family members, they often dispense with politeness. In particular, I analyze the interactional style, the conversational behavior and politeness, or most often impoliteness, strategies used by the main protagonists of the two series in their pilot episode, showing how different subtitles can be used to favor the understanding and learning of pragmatic phenomena.