Tradurre i nomi dei Sette Nani in LIS: riflessione sui segni-nome

Abstract

Within the literary system, names often – in fact, usually – trigge connotations; this is reflected in the case of the Seven Dwarfs in «Snow White», the 1937 Disney film (the Grimm brothers did not give the dwarfs names). This paper reflects on the translation of the names of the seven dwarfs into Italian Sign Language (LIS). Translating the names of the seven dwarfs into LIS means giving to every one of them a «name sign», that is the sign used to refer to a person that belongs to the Deaf community. Creating name signs for fairy tale characters is generally a job for those who have an educational relationship with deaf children– parents and communication assistants. This paper analyzes the translation proposals made by two deaf parents with deaf children, and two communication assistants; a comparison is made with translations into other vocal languages. In the course of an examination of ‘pertinentization strategies’ linked to a peculiarity of character, the paper chiefly reflects on onomastic categories of a descriptive nature.