EDITOR'S FOREWORD
Abstract
It is a privilege to present the 2026 issue of the Online Journal of Humanities ETAGTSU, which brings together a diverse and engaging collection of scholarship exploring the intersections of linguistics and AI technology, literary narrative, and education. The contributions in this issue examine how meaning is constructed, transmitted, and reinterpreted across languages, artistic media, and educational contexts.
A central thread across several papers is the dynamic relationship between text, visual narrative, and semiotics. Tata Tevzadze (Georgia) investigates the semiotic shifts in adapting Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code from page to screen, highlighting how visual logic reshapes spectator engagement. Aura Caro Sampedro (Spain) analyses the visual construction of cognitive conceptual metaphors through colour symbolism in La La Land. Exploring narrative structures, Erika Lucia Silipo (Italy) introduces a feminist fabulation framework by contrasting Christopher Vogler’s Hero’s Journey with Maureen Murdock’s Heroine’s Journey through an intersectional lens. In literary studies, Sudan Altun (Turkey) provides a comparative analysis of individual-society conflicts in modernist and postmodernist contexts, drawing on Oğuz Atay's The Disconnected and Aka Morchiladze's Santa Esperanza, while Nino Tsurtsumia (Georgia) investigates the urban chronotope and stream of consciousness in James Joyce’s Ulysses.
Another key theme of the issue is the evolving landscape of translation of linguistic structures, particularly in the era of artificial intelligence at the intersection of linguistics, translation studies, and AI technology. Manana Khvingia (Georgia) evaluates Neural Machine Translation and Large Language Models for translating English idioms from George Orwell’s Animal Farm into Georgian and Russian. Addressing a similar challenge, Shorena Tsabadze (Georgia) examines phraseological transposition issues when using AI systems, drawing on examples from Mikhail Javakhishvili’s Arsena Marabdeli and detailing the complications introduced by English as an intermediary language. Complementing these computational approaches, Tibor M. Pintér (Hungary) traces the broader theoretical evolution of Bible translation from historical equivalence and Sociolinguistics to modern functionalism.
Linguistic structures and cultural cognitive models constitute another critical domain of enquiry. Nino Daraselia (Georgia) explores the conceptual metaphor UNDERSTANDING/KNOWING IS HEARING in the Georgian language and culture. In applied linguistics and meaning theory, Nino Kuratishvili (Georgia) conducts an ESP-based comparative study of wine-evaluation terms and registers in Georgian and Western technical sheets. Valeria Purtseladze (Georgia) applies Relevance Theory and Critical Discourse Analysis to investigate guilt-tripping as a pragmatic strategy in gaslighting discourse. Sonia Maria Melchiorre (Italy) adopts a transdisciplinary approach within a Queer Linguistic framework to investigate the "null curriculum" and the pragmatics of negation and erasure in educational contexts.
Finally, the volume offers practical insights for education and professional identity. Ewa Piechurska-Kuciel and Katarzyna Ożańska-Ponikwia (Poland) discuss the linguistic, personal, and cultural dimensions of study abroad experiences. Closing the issue, Nona Popiashvili (Georgia) analyses asynchronous online forums to reveal how English language teachers discursively construct professional identity and community.
Together, these contributions reflect the vibrancy of contemporary humanities research, offering fresh perspectives on linguistic communication, narrative, and meaning creation. We trust that readers will find this volume both intellectually stimulating and inspiring.
