Location and Context

• Filming on location in Stratford-Upon-Avon (Shakespeare's birthplace)
• Temperature ~2°C above freezing
• Presenter dealing with aggressive swans
• First time taking "Language Files" on location vs studio green-screen

Shakespeare's Background

• Born 1564 in Stratford-Upon-Avon
• Plays/poetry have distinctive rhythm and feeling
• French-speaking poet couldn't write something sounding like Shakespeare
• Language affects possible poetry/verse writing

English Lexical Stress

• English has lexical stress (stress built into words)
• Examples: "CON-test" (noun) vs "con-TEST" (verb)
• Wrong stress placement sounds ridiculous: "syl-LAB-le" vs "SYL-la-ble"
• Stressed syllables integral to English speech/poetic writing

Prosodic Stress vs Lexical Stress

• Prosodic stress: emphasis for meaning
  • "I want that" vs "I want that" vs "I want that"
  • All different interpretations of same three words
• Focus on lexical stress (built into words) not prosodic stress
• Lexical stress crucial in English poetry where meter/timing matter

Limerick Example

• Demonstrates lexical stress importance in English poetry
• "There once was a man from..." works with:
  • Leeds (one syllable)
  • Madras (stress on correct beat)
• Doesn't work with Washington:
  • "There once was a man from Washington" - stress too early
  • "There once was a man from Wa-SHING-ton" - forced stress sounds wrong
• Solution: "There once was a man... from Washington" (with pause, but clunky)
• Rule: lexical stress must land on the beat

French Language Stress Patterns

• French lacks lexical stress
• French speakers use prosodic stress for emphasis
• Default stress lands on last syllable of utterance
• To sound French: emphasize only last syllable of phrases
• Cannot create limericks in French due to lack of lexical stress

Shakespeare's Iambic Pentameter

• "Iambic pentameter" = stress every other syllable in pairs
• Five pairs per line
• Shakespeare's usual style (with exceptions)
• Example: "If MU-sic BE the FOOD of LOVE, play ON"
• Creates Shakespeare's distinctive rhythm

Translation Challenges

• French cannot replicate iambic pentameter
• French stress sits at end of utterance
• Can translate words/sentences/meanings but not sound
• Poetry translation often doesn't sound right/poetic
• Must translate style and stress patterns, not just words

French Alternative: Alexandrine

• French equivalent poetic form
• 12 syllables per line, broken into two parts
• Should rhyme
• Stress end of each half
• English has alexandrine form but works differently than French original

Conclusion

• French poets can have Shakespeare's wordplay/drama skills
• But could never sound like Shakespeare due to language constraints
• Reference to Gretchen McCulloch's Lingthusiasm podcast for more translation content