Assignment3_posts

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 * By Anastasita Bondarchuk **

For a paradigmatic analysis of this video, we can use the binary opposition.  The first part of the video. We can see a foreigner who goes through the oriental market. His clothes are different from the clothes of local people. He speaks English, but nobody understands him. Local people just want to sell their goods to the foreigner. He is trying to look calm, refusing goods, he says something like: "I do not want the water because fish breed in it". But he is shocked and nervous, he continues to ask: "Does anyone speak English or Old Greek?" The comical effect achieved by behavior of this foreigner. When we are in a different country, especially in the oriental market, we don’t know the local language and culture, we try to be quiet, not to draw attention to themselves, because we don’t want to look ridiculous or to be in a danger. We know this from our experience; it is different from the video. We can call this a binary opposition: "expected behavior - unusual behavior".  The second part of the video. The foreigner suddenly comes across with his friend. Then they meet two identical men. We understand, that they are spies (black suits, black hats, sunglasses, unexpected meeting). They say they are museum workers. But the foreigner’s friend told him, that they have no museums in the neighborhood. We can identify the opposition: "stereotypical spies – ordinary people". The spies behave themselves strange (their greeting like greeting before a dance). The opposition: "traditional behavior - unusual behavior". Foreigner’s friend, Salla, wants to save him and tells him to run away, but the foreigner doesn’t understand him. Viewers understand that now is a dangerous moment, the atmosphere becomes heated. The opposition: "expected dangerous situation – unawareness of danger". Salla says "Run" quietly, with the same intonation. He wants spies don't understand this. It makes us laugh. In this situation, a simple man is smarter than intelligent and well educated scientist. The opposition: "smart person - slow person".  The third part of the video. Suddenly Salla strikes the spy through the newspaper, the fight begins. We can emphasize the opposition: "athletic person - not athletic person". Salla wants to hide the foreigner behind the door. But this door turns kidnapers' truck. It is the last opposition: "safe place - unsafe place". All these stereotypical oppositions create comical effect in this video.


 * By Nastya Khokhlova**

Comical effect of this video is achieved through several funny situations, which are based on binary oppositions. The first funny situation is the beginning of the video. We see a man who asks people if somebody speaks English or Old-Greek. Naturally, nobody talks to him because he is on one local market and nobody cares about it. Here people sell or buy things, but the main character keeps asking and saying "No, thanks, no thanks". <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Moreover, he is differ from others with his appearance, clothes and not appropriate behavior for the situation. Based on these observations, we understand that this person is in another country and we conclude that he is a foreigner.His behavior is contrary to our expectations. When people are in a foreign country and especially in the market, they usually least want to draw attention to themselves trying to be quiet and calm not to be in an ridiculous or danger situation. In this case, foreigner makes this ridiculous situation. This discrepancy with our expectations is the first binary opposition. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Then the foreigner bumps into his friend or acquaintance who looks oriental like local people. Suddenly they meet two men dressed in exactly the same black suit, dark sunglasses and black hat. Such appearance is suspect, but they introduce themselves as the workers of a museum in this city. The foreigner’s friend says that there are no any museums in this city, but men ask him to show his papers and we realize that they are spies. Then we see another comical situation. Everyone realize that they are in danger except for the foreigner. He does not notice the hints of his friend and only at the end when the friend shouts him “Run!” professor reacts. Here we can find one more binary opposition: we expect that the foreigner understands hints of his friend and run away, but he behaved in the opposite way creating a comical effect. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The last binary opposition is failed attempt of friend to hide professor. We expect that the foreigner will hide behind the door, but this is bandits' trap. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Thus, all funny moments of the video are based on binary oppositions that make the whole video humorous. They are exactly opposite something stereotypical we know from our previous experience. Stereotypical because it makes everyone laugh. The situations are chosen so that everyone understands the cause of every funny moment.

This video consists of short comic situations, which are funny due to the binary oppositions they are based on. First of all, there is an opposition of expectation and reality. Expectation divides into what the audience (viewers) expect and what the characters of the movie expect. Sometimes they coincide. Secondly, there is an opposition of native and foreign (us-them), which shows in appearance. Mr Brody is definitely a foreigner in this country judging by his european-like looks and spies are different both from Mr Brody and the natives because they not only fail to look oriental, but they are also strange by european standards: they wear black suits, hats and sunglasses. All of this creates a sequence of funny episodes, which become funny because they are based on what is unexpected, and most funny stories and anecdotes use this principle.
 * by Olga Kaptieva**
 * 1) Viewers/plot. Viewers expect that Mr Brody is safe after Salla closes the door after him, but it's actually a trap.
 * 2) Viewers&characters/plot. Both characters (Salla) and viewers expect Mr Brody to run immediately after he is told to, but he can't recognize the hint and is hesitant.
 * 3) Characters/plot. Native people expect Mr Brody to buy something, since it is actually a market and he is supposed to, but he doesn't.
 * 4) Viewers/plot. Viewers are supposed to believe what's happening on screen and what is said on screen. So when 'spies' tell about the museum viewers take for granted that the museum exists, so when Salla confutes this it comes as a surprise. Reminds of 'unreliable narrator'.
 * 5) Characters/plot. Obviously, Mr Brody doesn't expect two mysterious sunglasses-wearing guys to turn out his enemies.
 * 6) Viewers/plot. Viewers would expect spies to hide the very fact they are spies, but those guys look grotesquely spyish.
 * 7) Viewers/plot. It is usually expected that foreigners try to speak most widely-spoken languages. When Mr Brody asks if somebody speaks English or Ancient Greek it creates a contradiction. English is very popular and Ancient Greek is dead and it is very unlikely that the natives (or any other people) speak it.


 * by Ekaterina Melnikova**

This piece of movie has a lot of moments which make us laugh or smile. Those moments can be funny because they are based on oppositions.

The certain type of oppositions is binary oppositions. They make comical effect because they are exactly opposite something we know from our previous experience and background; they can be opposite something we expect. First of all we can see the man all confused on one local Arabian market. He asks about if anybody speaks Ancient Greek and English and he says that he won’t drink their water, also he always says ‘no, thank you’ even if nobody understands him. We expect him to be smart, because he looks like a professor, but he is acting not very smart, he doesn’t know how to behave and he is over polite. Then he meets his acquaintance and spies, and he doesn’t know what they are spies, which seems to be obvious, but his local acquaintance unexpectedly appears to be smart and catches on very fast. He is even able to outwit the spies and do it in a very smart way. He talks about the newspaper instead of his real papers and he uses the moment to start a fight from a beneficial point. The spies, who are also expected to be smart, are really awkward and they give themselves away. The global binary opposition in these scenes is about being smart or not being smart and at the same time about who we expect to be smart and who we don’t. Those oppositions create the comical effect. The oppositions are shown by the way the characters behave, their funny body language and even the way they are dressed.

We have a set of choices in every situation in this piece of movie. In our case it’s binary choices. Choosing the exact behavior and looks of the characters in every situation the creators of this movie make it funny. So in my opinion the whole meaning of this part is that this is a comedy. The binary oppositions create the genre.


 * by Ekaterina Zemlyanuchina**

Carrying out the paradigmatic analysis for video, we can use binary oppositions for description. This piece of video is about a foreigner walking in the oriental market. It’s understandable, because he has another style of clothing (the others wear typical oriental clothes), he speaks English and he tries to find a person, who can speak English or Old-Greek, he is asking the necessary trip, though the market isn’t the best place for looking-for a guide. Market is a place, where people buying something, haggling with sellers, tricking tourists. Audience is waiting for these actions. But this man stands out from the crowd on the market, his actions are opposite. I suppose that it’s the first comical situation, which is based on **binary opposition “expectation – reality”** (or we can call it “traditional conception – unexpected vision”).

It was the first part of the video. The second part begins, when the main character suddenly comes across with his friend or acquaintance. In other words, he suddenly meets the necessary person. They begin to speak and then meet two identical persons. Everybody knows that they are spies (identical appearance, glasses, black suits, unexpected meeting, and their awareness about the main character). Everybody, except the main character. Strangers want to show him the road for a museum, though the foreigner’s friend told him, that they have no museums in the neighborhood. These two persons stand out of the crowd, like the main character. That’s why we can take it as a binary **opposition “stereotypical spies – ordinary local people”**. Foreigner’s friend wants to save him and tells him to run away, but the main character doesn’t understand him. So, again, the audience understands, that the atmosphere becomes heated, though only professor doesn’t understand it. We can empathize the opposition **“expected actions in dangerous situation – ignorance of danger”**, because professor, who looks like intelligent and well educated person, is not smart enough to catch the situation. So, the opposition **“intelligent person – smart person”** is consequence from the previous idea.

Suddenly Salla strikes the first spy through the newspaper and prevails over the second. It’s opposition **“athletic prepared person – smart unprepared person”**. Salla hides the main character behind the door. And the viewers expect, that it’s the happy end. But then it opened, that it’s the door of the track and all Salla’s efforts were for nothing. I suppose that It’s the variant of **the first opposition**.

To sum it up, here we see several comical moments, all of them are based on oppositions. Oppositions are understandable, because they’re stereotypical. So, the system of all oppositions creates comical effect in the scene.


 * By Nastya Abaikina**

This video consists of different funny moments which create the comical effect of the whole video. These funny moments are based on the use of binary oppositions. The first funny moment we can see in the beginning of the video. We see a foreigner who is in some oriental country. We understand that because of the difference between clothes of the foreigner and clothes of local people. He looks really different with his hat and European suit. The comical effect achieved by behavior of this foreigner. He asks people if somebody speaks English or Old-Greek instead of buying something. He looks very confused and continues to say “No, thanks”. Of course, nobody understands him; local people just want to sell their goods because it’s some market. We know from our life experience people behave differently when they visit some country and especially if they are in market. Sometime people look confused because of the new country and its culture but if they are in market, they don’t ask somebody to speak some language, they try keeping calm and behaving quietly. The situation with the foreigner is different. It is contrary to our expectations (the binary opposition). Discrepancy with our expectations helped to create this comical effect. Then the foreigner meets some friend who looks oriental like local people. The foreigner is really happy to see him. Suddenly they meet suspicious men in black suits, with black hats and sunglasses. They look like spies because of their clothes but they say they are museum workers. According to the words of the foreigner’s friend we understand that it isn’t true. He says that there are no any museums in this area. Despite the fact that suspicious men greeted with the foreigner and called his name, they suddenly asked his paper. Foreigner’s friend notices that these men have designs against the foreigner and he says "Run" to the foreigner continuing a conversation with one of the spies. The way he is saying “Run” makes us smile. He said it, trying to keep calm and conversation, alluding to the foreigner to perform an action. But the foreigner continues to stand still, answering "yes, yes" and watching his friend and the spy. Again we see the binary opposition. We expect that the foreigner understands hints of his friend and run away, but we get another. The last funny moment is the escape of the foreigner. The friend trying to help the foreigner sends him the wrong way. We with foreigner’s friend expect that the foreigner will hide behind the door. But it turns out that this is the door of the truck of the kidnapers. Perhaps, this last binary opposition wouldn’t create a comical effect without acting of the previous oppositions. This is kidnapping and there is nothing funny about it. But the previous oppositions influence the creation of the comical effect of the last scene showing clumsiness of the foreigner, gumption of his friend and unexpected turns of events. As a result, we can say that all the video is based on discrepancy with our expectations and it makes the audience laugh.


 * By Kseniya Romasheva**

The first part of the video. We see a foreigner who goes through the oriental market. Why do we understand he's a foreigner? Because of his European clothes and English speech. His behaviour is a bit strange for such circumstances: he's confused (we can explain it as a cultural shock) but, despite it, he asks for a way in inappropriate place. Nobody talks to him, tradesmen just try to sell their goods, but foreigner keeps saying "No, thanks, no thanks". There's a disrepancy between what we expect and what we get: when people come to a foreign country they are usually interested in its culture, people, they want to buy souvenirs (especially if they visit a market); sometimes they look nervous and confused because of unknown culture and they don't attract a lot of attention shouting "Does anybody speak English or Old Greek?" All these binary oppositions create the comical effect. The second part of the video. Our foreigner suddenly bumps into necessary person. This man is a kind of his security guard and the guide. Then they meet two people who introduce themselves as a staff of the local museum and in whom we easily recognize the spies (they embody stereotypical images of the spies: they look completely identical, wear black suits, hats and square sunglasses). And again, there's a binary opposition: the color of their clothes and their appearance contrast with colors and appearances of the local population. Men's pattern behaviour is also stereotypical: they know who professor is but ask him to show his papers. Where's the comical effect in this scene? Those men look really suspicious, and Salla tells professor Brody that there are no any museums in the town but professor doesn't notice anything. One more thing is a body language of greeting: man in black bows like before the dancing. The third part of the video. Professor's friend shows the newspaper instead of papers and whispers to professor "Run!" Professor doesn't listen to him and answers "Yes, yes"; and then Salla shouts "Run!" but professor keeps standing, he doesn't feel this moment of danger. There's the comical effect - we expect people to behave another way in dangerous situations. Here we can find one more binary opposition: professor is a well-educated person but in this case smart look doesn't mean smart behaviour; professor's friend looks like ordinary person but he doesn't lose courage in difficult situation. The last binary opposition which creates the comical effect is "safe place": Salla hides professor behind the door but this is bandits' trap. The combination of all binary oppositions and stereotypical models create whole humorous picture.

__**By Ekaterina Gordeyeva**__

The paradigmatic analysis can be applicable at any semiotics level, from a choice of a separate word, an image or a sound to a sort or medium (intermediary) choice. Let’s сarry out paradigmatic analysis of this video. **In the beginning** of the video the English-speaking professor comes to oriental country, where he communicates with locals in English. Nobody talks to him, but he keeps talking. It has the comical effect. Semiotics is often focused on studying of why the separate paradigm is used in a specific context: on studying of that, on what often specify as on "absence". In this episode the audience expects that the professor will be nervous and alarmed. It should be impressed with new culture. Also the audience expects that the hero will be silent and listen to new words. On the contrary the professor behaves quietly as he feels at home. He quite loudly communicates on - English. It is the binary opposition constructed on use of a certain paradigm in an unexpected context.
 * The second** comical situation is caused by appearance of two English-speaking people, which are dressed as spies. Their black clothes (the European style) contrast with clothes of white color locals (east style).Then two persons say, that they are workers of a museum in this city. The audience expects to hear some details-the name of the museum, why these people need the professor and so on. “But there are no museums in this city” – was the answer of professor’s friend. Two men look suspicious, that should cause suspicions of the professor and his friend which shouldn't follow the strangers. Instead of it both heroes speak “we are glad to help you”. In this case was used the same method – binary opposition. Again a certain paradigm was used in an unexpected context.
 * The last** comical situation happened, when the spy ask to show the paper –in this case he behaves as a policeman, not like a worker of one museum. The friend of professor shows him newspaper (The oppositions which elements are internally excluding, but aren't distinctions. Elements of these pairs are considered in a sense as conversion of each other). After this episode follows a new one, when the friend says very loud:”Run away”, but the professor says “ok” and stays and doesn't movie. Then, there is a fight after which friend of the professor suggests to take cover in a safe place. This place - the truck of the kidnappers. This video has the comical effect because was used binary opposition, where we can find a paradigm in an unexpected context.

__**By Kalashnikova Svetlana**__

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 14pt;">This video is a kidnapping of foreign scientist by special agents or spies. I think that comical effect in the scene is created by some binary oppositions. For example, when foreign scientist shouldn’t talk because he doesn’t know the language, he is speaking but nobody understand him, so he is speaking with himself. It’s very funny. Then we see how foreign scientist friend tries to save him. He talks him “run away”, but instead of escaping he stands without any movements and doesn’t understand nothing. Moreover, when foreign scientist’s friend understood that two men in black are special agents or spies and they want to kidnap his friend he instead of running away continues the conversation with them. And the funniest moment is when foreign scientist’s friend tries to save his friend in some house door he, without knowing that, promotes kidnapping have put his friend in a van of some car. So because of some binary oppositions we have got very funny movie scene.

By Gulya Akhatova

In this video we can see accident which happened with scientist (professor), who are a foreigner. The part of the movie is full of comical effects due to binary oppositions, in other words binary oppositions make some comical effects. Let's enumerate them.

1. The first binary opposition is found out when English speaker scientist is going through the market and talking to "yourself". The point is that, he speaks English and local people don't understand him. But he is in the hope of finding English speakers anyway. I think that here we can make out binary opposition. The scientist talks, while he shouldn't do it, because he doesn't know language of local people.

2. The second binary opposition I got when The scientist ask - speak somebody Old-Greek language or not. Of couse, the question had comical effect. Probably, Nobody had spoken Old Greek language at that time. If somebody spoke Old-Greek language, the scientist wouldn't ask - speak somebody Old-Greek language. I think he just would ask - speak somebody Greek laguage.

3. The next binary oppositionis made out when unexpectedly appeared men in black ask the scientist to follow them to museum. But the scientist's friend says that there are no any museums in the town where they are now.I think it is also impossible catch comical effect because of binary opposition in the proposition.

4. The forth binary opposition I found out when the scientist's friend orders the scientist to run away while he is standing without any movements. Where can the scientist run if he doesn't know the town, the place where he is now; Where is safe, where is no.

5. The last binary oppsition I saw in the whole story. As I understood the scientist's friend wanted to help the scientist, to save him. Thus his acts were unsuccesful. And almost all his acts had comical effects. In conclusion I want to say that comical effects were created by binary oppositions. For example, absence or presence of museum, to talk or not to talk in some situations. So the right choise of them lead to comical effects.

=__<span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 10pt;">By Elena Men’shikova __= =<span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 10pt;">This piece of video is kidnapping of famous foreigner by bad guys in oriental country. It is the paradigm. And we have some moments that don’t match this paradigm. For example, clothes of professor and spies do not match the paradigm of oriental country. Another moment is when professor tries to talk to local people in English and doesn’t stop talking even when nobody understands him. According to our stereotypes he is supposed to feel unconfident and stop speaking but he behaves in unexpected way. It makes us laugh. The third moment is when professor’s friend says him to run away. According to our experience people in such circumstances usually run away from danger but professor doesn’t try to escape. We don’t expect such behaviour so we are laughing again. And the last case when something doesn’t match the paradigm is the situation when professor’s friend says him to enter the door and hide there and then we see that it was the door of kidnappers’ car so they reached their aim and friend’s help wasn’t useful. For us a door is the symbol of exit from problems and in this moment we consider the professor to be in safety but unexpectedly we see that it was not exit from problems but entrance to them. All these moments don’t match our expectations and stereotypes that’s why they make us laugh. = <span style="display: block; height: 1px; left: -40px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: -25px; width: 1px;">http://tpl-semiotics.narod.ru/lesson4_7.htm