Page 396 - Gabrijela Kišiček and Igor Ž. Žagar (eds.), What do we know about the world? Rhetorical and argumentative perspectives, Digital Library, Educational Research Institute, Ljubljana 2013
P. 396
What Do We Know about the World?
was not to compare the frequency of paraphrases in various papers dur-
ing the same period. Thirty-one copies of each daily paper from August
till December 2011, and thirty-one copies of each weekly paper from
October 2009 till December 2011 were analyzed.
In the second part of research the reception of paraphrases with-
in two groups of examinees was analyzed. There were 80 examinees,
40 younger and 40 older ones. Respondents were given a questionnaire
with 57 paraphrased headlines from the first part of the research. In
the first part of the questionnaire basic demographic data were col-
lected (age, gender, level of education, profession). Also data about
examinees’ cultural awareness (reading books and magazines, going to
the theatre, doing quizzes) were gathered. For the last two questions
(general and cultural awareness) respondents were offered scaled an-
swers: rare (less than 5), periodically (from 5 to 10), regularly (more
than 10). In the second part of the questionnaire, the respondents had
to suggest the original form of the modified headline, e.g. for the prov-
erb Through the mud to the stars3 / Preko blata do zvijezda4 they had to
write Through the thorns to the stars / Preko trnja do zvijezda. The au-
thors of this paper wanted to ascertain the recognition of the original
form of the paraphrase which would enable readers to have a better re-
ception of the headlines.
In order to ascertain the degree of the recipients’ recognition and un-
derstanding of paraphrases in headlines, the questionnaire was given to
80 examinees. The first group consisted of 40 undergraduate and gradu-
ate students of Croatian Language and Literature at the Faculty of Phi-
losophy in Split and their average age was 22. The second group consist-
ed of 40 examinees and their average age was 56. In the first group, most
of the examinees enrolled in undergraduate and graduate programs af-
ter completing gymnasium high schools (78 %). In the second group, ex-
aminees with completed high school education were predominant (63
%), while only 37 % of examinees only completed a high school educa-
tion. In the first group the women to men ratio was 80:20 % and in the
second group it was 25:75 %.
3 Per aspera ad astra or Ad astra per aspera is a Latin phrase which means any of the following: »Through
hardships to the stars«, »A rough road leads to the stars« or »To the stars through difficulties«. The
phrase is one of many Latin sayings which use the expression Ad astra.
4 Since the examples were collected from Croatian newspaper, they will be always presented both in
Croatian and English. The meaning of the examples discussed or used for illustration will also be ex-
plained the first time they appear.
was not to compare the frequency of paraphrases in various papers dur-
ing the same period. Thirty-one copies of each daily paper from August
till December 2011, and thirty-one copies of each weekly paper from
October 2009 till December 2011 were analyzed.
In the second part of research the reception of paraphrases with-
in two groups of examinees was analyzed. There were 80 examinees,
40 younger and 40 older ones. Respondents were given a questionnaire
with 57 paraphrased headlines from the first part of the research. In
the first part of the questionnaire basic demographic data were col-
lected (age, gender, level of education, profession). Also data about
examinees’ cultural awareness (reading books and magazines, going to
the theatre, doing quizzes) were gathered. For the last two questions
(general and cultural awareness) respondents were offered scaled an-
swers: rare (less than 5), periodically (from 5 to 10), regularly (more
than 10). In the second part of the questionnaire, the respondents had
to suggest the original form of the modified headline, e.g. for the prov-
erb Through the mud to the stars3 / Preko blata do zvijezda4 they had to
write Through the thorns to the stars / Preko trnja do zvijezda. The au-
thors of this paper wanted to ascertain the recognition of the original
form of the paraphrase which would enable readers to have a better re-
ception of the headlines.
In order to ascertain the degree of the recipients’ recognition and un-
derstanding of paraphrases in headlines, the questionnaire was given to
80 examinees. The first group consisted of 40 undergraduate and gradu-
ate students of Croatian Language and Literature at the Faculty of Phi-
losophy in Split and their average age was 22. The second group consist-
ed of 40 examinees and their average age was 56. In the first group, most
of the examinees enrolled in undergraduate and graduate programs af-
ter completing gymnasium high schools (78 %). In the second group, ex-
aminees with completed high school education were predominant (63
%), while only 37 % of examinees only completed a high school educa-
tion. In the first group the women to men ratio was 80:20 % and in the
second group it was 25:75 %.
3 Per aspera ad astra or Ad astra per aspera is a Latin phrase which means any of the following: »Through
hardships to the stars«, »A rough road leads to the stars« or »To the stars through difficulties«. The
phrase is one of many Latin sayings which use the expression Ad astra.
4 Since the examples were collected from Croatian newspaper, they will be always presented both in
Croatian and English. The meaning of the examples discussed or used for illustration will also be ex-
plained the first time they appear.
