Bridging Gaps across Cultures. The Case of Glosses in Caramelo, a Chicana Novel

MARÍA MARTA GARCÍA NEGRONI Y MARÍA LAURA SPOTURNO

Intercultural Miscommunication, Past and Present

Peter Lang

Lugar: Frankfurt en Main; Año: 2012; p. 149 - 159

 This paper explores the function of certain metadiscursive elements in Caramelo, a Chicana novel by Sandra Cisneros. More specifically, will focus on the use of glosses as metadiscursive devices meant to play a role in the construction of an intercultural discurse. According to Authier-Revuz (1984, 1995), glosses can be defined as forms of discourse, which, signalling a point of alterity, account for the presence of a constitutive Other. We will argue that the glosses in Caramelo must be included within the domain of interlingual heterogeneity (Spoturno, 2010) and analyzed following certain reading procedures (García Negroni, 2000). Cisneros?s writing, built mainly upon the appeal to two different languages, evidences a double function of glosses. On the one hand, glosses are used to build a bridge over to the other who does not know the enunciative subject?s culture and language, i.e., communication; on the other hand, glosses present the difficulty inherent to communication within this narrative universe; i.e., miscommunication.