Diverse Linguistic Backgrounds Research Articles

Exploring Bilingual Dynamics

This paper delves into the perspectives of students regarding the integration of bilingualism in Islamic Studies (IS) classrooms across English and Arabic medium international schools in Malaysia. Through the analysis of six focus group interviews, themes emerged elucidating the importance and benefits of utilizing both English and Arabic languages in IS education. Participants emphasized the significance of bilingualism for enhanced comprehension, communication, and engagement in IS learning. The findings underscore the necessity of incorporating both languages to cater to the diverse linguistic backgrounds of students and to facilitate a deeper understanding of Islamic teachings.

Critical Issues in Interculturality for Young Language Learners

This study critically addresses key issues related to interculturality among young language learners, focusing on an international primary school in Shenzhen, China. Interculturality is framed from a non-essentialist perspective, emphasizing the dynamic and reciprocal negotiation of meaning between individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds. The research explores how intercultural understanding can be cultivated through interactive pedagogical strategies such as storytelling and storycrafting, which facilitate both language learning and cultural exchange. The study highlights the unique characteristics of young learners, noting that their innate curiosity and active engagement make them well-suited to these approaches. Additionally, it examines the practical challenges of integrating intercultural encounters into language education, including the need for specialized teacher training and the complexity of managing diverse linguistic backgrounds. The study concludes that fostering interculturality in young learners requires a shift from traditional cultural instruction to engaging students in authentic, interactive experiences. These approaches not only enhance language acquisition but also promote deeper intercultural understanding and prepare students for global citizenship.

Structural and Functional Analysis of Complex Compound Sentences in Russian Syntax

This article examines the role of complex compound sentences (сложносочинённые предложения, or SSPs) in Russian syntax, focusing on their significance in expressing nuanced relationships between independent clauses. Utilizing both traditional and non-traditional linguistic frameworks, the study categorizes SSPs based on their coordinating conjunctions—connective, adversative, and disjunctive—and explores how each conjunction type impacts sentence meaning and structure. The findings highlight the syntactic independence of clauses within SSPs, which provides flexibility in creating cohesive, multi-layered sentences. The study also addresses pedagogical challenges for non-native learners, including punctuation errors and semantic misinterpretations, suggesting targeted teaching strategies to enhance learners’ proficiency. Recommendations for educators include exercises on differentiating SSPs from simple sentences with homogeneous parts and targeted practice with conjunction functions. Finally, the article suggests directions for future research on complex syntactic structures in Russian and their acquisition by learners from diverse linguistic backgrounds.

English varieties in Thai higher education: Views of international university students across Kachru’s circles

This qualitative study aimed to investigate the perceptions and adaptation strategies of international university students from Kachru’s Inner, Outer, and Expanding Circles regarding English varieties in Thai higher education. For data collection, the study used semi-structured interviews with six students chosen through purposive sampling: one from the Inner Circle, two from the Outer Circle, and three from the Expanding Circle. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze the data. The research aimed to provide a comprehensive understanding of how these students experience and engage with English varieties within their English programs. The context of globalization and internationalization highlights the growing prevalence of English programs in Thai universities, making it essential to explore how diverse linguistic backgrounds impact students’ learning experiences. The findings reveal that students encounter distinct challenges based on the English varieties, affecting the participants’ academic adaptation and overall engagement. The study underscores the importance of acknowledging and incorporating multiple English varieties into educational practices to support international students better. This research contributes to the broader discourse on Global Englishes (GE) by analyzing qualitative data from interviews, emphasizing the need for inclusive and adaptable pedagogical approaches.

Enhancing Communication Skills for Engineering Students

English is a crucial language in India, particularly in engineering, as it serves as both a lingua franca and a library language. It is essential for academic excellence in engineering, as it provides access to a vast repository of knowledge, advanced technical content, and enables students to understand complex concepts, participate in discussions, and perform well in exams. English also serves as a platform for interaction and collaboration, allowing students to share ideas, collaborate on projects, and engage in academic discussions. This exchange of knowledge enhances academic standards and fosters a collaborative learning environment. Effective communication in English prepares students for professional settings where they need to articulate their ideas clearly and work with peers from diverse linguistic backgrounds. The global nature of engineering careers also makes English indispensable; as Indian graduates often work in international environments or with multinational teams. Proficiency in English enables them to interact effectively with colleagues, present their work, and contribute to global projects, enhancing their career prospects and professional growth.

Promoting Language Learning and Social Inclusion in British and Irish Language Centres

As part of an integrated approach to promoting quality education, diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds as well as inclusive modalities must be considered as key indicators and be incorporated into educational programs (Council of Europe, 2020). This paper investigates how British and Irish University Language Centres present their services, facilities, and language courses to university students and the community in general. The main focus of this study is to understand which factors University Language Centres are emphasizing to foster “inward” and “outward” inclusive education for an effective participation in society. For this purpose, the content and language of a corpus of University Language Centre websites are examined in order to understand how universities are working towards a more multilingual, inclusive, and integrated community. In particular, the data collected refer to specific issues which signal the openness of the centres to welcome diversity and provide learners with the skills and tools to enter a new and more respectful world. As part of the study, we explore the way facilities for students with learning differences and sign language courses are signposted in the context of a broader integration (Heslinga & Nevenglosky, 2012).

Linguistic Diversity and Inclusion: Exploring International Students Attitudes Towards Their Own Accents and Those of Native English Speakers

International students studying in English-speaking countries represent a diverse linguistic background and may exhibit varying degrees of accent, which can influence their self-perception and their perception of others. Accordingly, the paper examines the attitudes of international students toward their own accents and those of native English speakers, with particular emphasis on their adaptation processes in academic and social contexts. In this paper, semi-structured interviews were conducted with undergraduate and postgraduate students from China, with varying levels of English proficiency and length of residence in the UK, which aims to elucidate the nuanced attitudes of international students towards accents and their adaptation strategies. The results show that while many students initially perceived British and American accents as prestigious and attempted to imitate them, as they progressed through the language environment they were more inclined to prioritize effective communication and intelligibility over achieving a perfect native accent. This shift is consistent with existing literature, which emphasizes the importance of prioritizing clarity and mutual understanding. Inclusive language policies that prioritize linguistic diversity and communicative effectiveness, thereby fostering learning environments that are conducive to language acquisition.

Turkish EFL learners’ knowledge, perception, and production of suprafixes as part of lexical competence

Vocabulary and grammar are essential to language proficiency (Richards, 2015). Some word families and grammatical categories can only be distinguished by prosodic properties such as suprafixes. In English, specific noun/adjective-verb pairs, sometimes called disyllabic words, receive primary stress on different syllables. Typically, nouns receive trochaic stress, while verbs receive iambic stress. Research shows that suprafixes are difficult for language learners from diverse linguistic and prosodic backgrounds. Given the scarcity of research in specific contexts (e.g., Turkish EFL), this study explored Turkish EFL learners’ suprafixational knowledge, perception, and production. Participants were B1-level preparatory school students of a prominent state university. Data were collected through a test of knowledge (n=110), a test of perception (n=80), and a test of production (n=50). Results showed poor knowledge, perception, and production of suprafixes among Turkish EFL learners. Minor variations in suprafixational competence were observed in males and females. Additionally, different noun-verb pairs posed a challenge for both genders. The results were discussed, and recommendations for future research were made. The study concludes that Turkish EFL learners must receive suprasegmental training focusing on suprafixes.

Do First Language, Word Frequency and Input Matter in Bilingual’s Language Acquisition?

The acquisition of morphosyntactic features, such as third-person singular (3SG) inflection, is a critical aspect of language development. While much research has focused on monolingual children’s acquisition of 3SG inflection, less is known about how bilingual children navigate this process, particularly those from non-inflectional first language (L1) backgrounds. Furthermore, two well established characteristics found in other bilingual groups: word frequency and L1 transfer are still remain unclear in the acquisition of 3SG inflection in Chinese-English bilingual groups. Addressing these gaps are crucial for understanding the unique challenges bilingual children face and the factors influencing their acquisition of English morphosyntatic feature. In this study, we employed corpus to analyze longitudinal naturalistic data from three Chinese-English bilingual children and one English monolingual child. We investigated the children’s use of 3SG inflection across obligatory contexts, examining the frequency of verb exposure in both parental input and a large corpus (COCA). Our results indicate that bilingual children, especially those from a non-inflectional L1 background, demonstrated delayed acquisition of 3SG inflection compared to monolingual counterparts. However, both groups showed better accuracy with high-frequency verbs, underscoring the importance of input frequency. Additionally, L1 transfer effects were evident in both monolingual children and bilingual children, with the bilingual children struggling more with verbs whose L1 lacked verb agreement. These findings suggest that both input frequency and L1 transfer play significant roles in shaping bilingual children’s acquisition of 3SG inflection. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of bilingual language development, with implications for language acquisition theory and educational practices, particularly in addressing the needs of children from diverse linguistic backgrounds.

Languaging-as-practice in science education: an alternative to metaphors of language-as-tool

AbstractThis commentary proposes the metaphor of “languaging-as-practice” in science education as an alternative to “language-as-tool” metaphors. Describing language as a tool implicitly positions language as static and unchanging and assumes that named languages are distinct and bounded entities. In contrast, describing languaging as a practice acknowledges the multiple and advanced ways speakers draw on many aspects of their linguistic repertoires while often crossing purported boundaries between named languages. This approach is grounded in translanguaging theory and offers a dynamic understanding of language in educational settings. It envisions students constructing and expressing scientific knowledge by drawing on their complete linguistic repertoires. By advocating for this approach, we aim to promote practices that acknowledge and leverage the diverse linguistic backgrounds of students, fostering inclusive and effective learning environments. While this approach has gained some traction in language-education circles, we believe it needs more consideration in the science education community. We also critique the limitations of viewing language merely as a tool for reproducing predefined scientific concepts and discourses, proposing that a more expansive approach to language can enhance opportunities for scientific sense-making and knowledge construction. We urge science education researchers and practitioners to shift how we think and talk about language in the science classroom to adopt and act upon a metaphor of “languaging-as-practice.”

Labor migration and commodity production in Africa: global entanglements

This introductory article presents the objectives, scope and contents of the Special Issue titled Labor Migration and Commodity Production in Africa: Global Entanglements. By congregating a diverse team of scholars from Brazil, Turkey, Germany, France, the United States, and Cameroon, all at different stages of their careers, this Special Issue seeks to build upon current trends in the fields of Global and African History to expand our current understanding of the centrality of African subjects in the making of the contemporary, densely globalized yet deeply unequal world. This introduction sets the theoretical framework that guided our call for papers, summarizes the key findings of each article, and situate their individual contributions within the topics related to the agency of African subjects in the creation of increasingly interconnected societies. We argue that the articles in this Special Issue offer a path to further strengthen and expand both fields of African and Global History by incorporating the analysis of understudied sources from diverse linguistic backgrounds, such as Arabic, Turkish, Portuguese and German, as well as legal documents produced by contemporary African states.

Online Academic Tutoring for English Language Learning: A Case Study of Receptive Skills Development in Ecuadorian Students

This study examines the impact of online academic tutoring on Ecuadorian students of 5°, 6°, and 7° grades of Educación General Básica (EGB) on English receptive skills. Despite English's importance and integration into Ecuador's education system, language acquisition keeps facing some challenges due to resource limitations and diverse linguistic backgrounds. The research involved 52 students and 57 preservice teachers in an exploratory case study. Statistical data showed how digital education along with online academic tutoring contributed to improvements in the receptive skills of a group of English language students as well as let researchers see the most significant gains in 7th graders. Preservice teachers also developed pedagogically but encountered technical challenges. Findings underscore online tutoring's potential to address educational gaps, highlighting the need for greater investment in digital infrastructure and teacher training. Future research should examine the socio-emotional impact of online tutoring on learners' confidence and well-being.

The Impact of Native Language on English Pronunciation among TESL Undergraduates

In today's globalized world, being fluent in English, including speaking and pronunciation, is crucial, it is frequently a need for academic and professional success in addition to being a great asset. As an English Language teacher, clarity in pronunciation is the utmost importance. However, a lot of the TESL undergraduate students faced trouble in pronouncing English words properly. The influence of the first language (L1) is a profound reason of the inaccuracies in pronouncing English words among undergraduates. This research examines the relationship between the native language and English pronunciation among TESL. This study, conducted through interviews with seven participants, explores the impact of cultural factors, cognates, phonological, and intonation patterns on pronunciation. Thematic analysis reveals the nuanced influences of the participants' native languages on their English articulation. Additionally, the research investigates strategies for improving pronunciation, including individualized plans and peer learning. This research explored both positive and negative aspects of language transfer among participants from diverse linguistic backgrounds. The findings revealed nuanced insights into the impact of native languages on English pronunciation. The findings contributed valuable insights to the understanding of language transfer effects and offer practical recommendations for enhancing English language teaching and learning in TESL programs. Beyond educational implications, this study sheds light on linguistic diversity and has the potential to influence language policies in Malaysia.

Exploring the Impact of Emojis on Paralanguage in Social Media Communication among University Students

This research investigated the evolving role of emojis in shaping paralanguage within social media communication, with a particular focus on how these visual symbols enhance linguistic and emotional expression. The study examined the nuanced ways in which emojis contribute to the overall tone, context, and meaning in written discourse, while also considering cultural and contextual variations in emoji usage among individuals from diverse linguistic backgrounds. Conducted with a sample of 55 Year-3 Bachelor of Education students at a university in Fiji, where English is a second language, the research employed a mixed methods approach to analyze data on the usage and perception of emojis in social media communication. This paper argues that emojis play a crucial role in conveying emotions, fostering engagement, and adding personality to messages, thereby augmenting textual communication with emotional nuance and clarity, leading to more empathetic and meaningful online interactions. The findings indicate that emojis are widely used across various communication channels, including text messages, comments, and direct messages, reflecting their versatility and widespread adoption. Respondents overwhelmingly perceive emojis as positive tools that enhance the effectiveness of digital communication by conveying emotions, fostering engagement, and adding personality to messages. The study also highlights the significant role emojis play in nonverbal communication, particularly in expressing emotions that may be difficult to articulate through text alone. By providing emotional nuance, clarity, and depth, emojis contribute to more empathetic and meaningful interactions in online spaces. Overall, this research provides valuable insights into the dynamic interplay between emojis and paralanguage in contemporary digital communication, signifying the importance of these symbols in enriching text-based exchanges and fostering more engaging and emotionally resonant social media interactions.

Development and Validation of the Tablet-Based ERAL Nonverbal Intelligence Test 5-17 (ERAL-NIT)

Intelligence has been extensively explored across various disciplines such as psychology, cognitive science, and neurology. Countless scholars have delved into understanding why certain individuals exhibit higher mental acuity and knowledge. Consequently, numerous studies aim to unveil the essence of intelligence and gauge human cognitive capacity. This study introduces and validates the ERAL Nonverbal Intelligence Test (ERAL-NIT) for children aged 5 to 17. Unlike many existing tests, ERAL-NIT is nonverbal, accommodating diverse linguistic backgrounds. Moreover, it incorporates parental assessments, enhancing its holistic approach. Administered via tablet with specialized software, ERAL-NIT provides comprehensive reports to practitioners and families. Its development integrates analyses of hemispheric specialization and executive functions of different brain areas. Content validity is ensured through expert input, while criterion validity is established by comparing results with established assessments and medical diagnoses. ERAL-NIT yields insights into pervasive developmental disorders, specific learning disabilities, attention deficits, and language disorders, thereby enriching diagnostic practices.

In-service and Pre-service Perspectives: Cultivating Plurilingual Awareness in Multicultural Classrooms

Recent years have seen a growing interest in fostering inclusivity and interaction among individuals from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds in FL or L2 classes, which has led to the proliferation of intercomprehension practices in language teacher education, facilitating teachers' identity development, intercultural sensitivity, and plurilingual awareness. Using plurilingualism as a conceptual framework, the data of this qualitative study is collected from a pre-service teacher education program and an intensive language education program at two state universities. Building on the previous research and challenges reported by in-service teachers in multicultural and multilingual classrooms, some scenarios are formed with prompts to reveal metaphors, followed by semi-structured interviews to elaborate on the participants' perspectives. In light of the findings, some suggestions and implications are provided with pedagogical purposes to soften the bonds among different cultures in language classrooms and foster interaction among members of different societies and awareness of plurilingual competences. Acknowledging the substantial impact of English language teachers' intercultural sensitivity, diversity, and inclusion, and an emerging need for enhanced educational equality and social justice in teacher training, this study contributes to the existing research by providing implications for teacher identity development.

Exploring global linguistic nuances: analyzing region-specific inflectional morpheme frequency in ICNALE

This study investigates region-specific inflectional morpheme frequencies within the ICNALE Corpus, exploring significant global linguistic intricacies. Through a quantitative, corpus-based approach, it conducts a comprehensive contrastive analysis, leveraging the extensive accessibility of the online ICNALE. Despite inherent limitations in data collection primarily reliant on interviews and written compositions within the ICNALE Corpus, the study offers illuminating insights into how diverse linguistic backgrounds influence the usage of inflectional morphemes in English. The findings bring to light interesting patterns in possessive usage, reflecting variations among ESL learners in acquiring grammatical features. Additionally, it highlights complexities in acquiring comparative and superlative degrees, aligning with challenges encountered by learners in mastering specific inflections. Analyses of plural noun inflections, subject-verb agreement, past tense, past participle, and present participle usage underscore the multifaceted influences of language background, acquisition stages, and instructional emphasis on learners’ morphological patterns. Future inquiries could further investigate the impact of instructional methodologies on inflectional morpheme acquisition, undertake comparative studies across proficiency levels and age groups, explore morphological transfer from learners’ native languages, and deepen comprehension of cognitive processes guiding effective learning strategies. These endeavors hold promise in refining pedagogical methodologies and enriching language learning experiences for diverse learner cohorts.

Asymmetry in the Acquisition of Directed Motion Constructions in L2 Vietnamese A Comparative Study of Chinese and Korean Learners

This paper offers a comparative overview of the expression of directed motion constructions in Vietnamese, Chinese, and Korean, and explores the acquisition of these constructions by L1 Korean and L1 Chinese learners of Vietnamese, with a focus on the role of typological factors and language-specific morpho-syntactic properties in the acquisition process. This investigation not only provides valuable insights into the challenges faced by learners of L2 Vietnamese from diverse linguistic backgrounds but also enriches our understanding of the typology of motion events.

Lifeworld dimensions in language education and the integration of refugee students in Germany: Results from a study with Ukrainian refugees

This paper examines the educational challenges and language acquisition processes of newly immigrated students in Germany, with a focus on children and adolescents who have fled Ukraine. Utilizing qualitative interviews with Ukrainian refugees, the study explores the impact of migration, particularly due to the Russian war against Ukraine, on the language education of these individuals in German as a Second Language settings. The interviews, which were conducted with women who have fled Ukraine, and include their perspectives on familial language practices and educational orientations, reveal the complexities faced by this population in their host country. The paper discusses the implications of experiences of flight, language use within the family, structural changes in educational approaches, and the Ukrainian online schooling in sustaining educational continuity. The findings underscore the need for trauma sensitive, culture informed, and language specific pedagogy, alongside the importance of considering the emotional and psychological wellbeing of refugee students. The paper calls for more nuanced research, and didactic considerations that align with the diverse linguistic and educational backgrounds of refugee students.

Pronunciation Pedagogy Revisited: Voices From Omani B. Ed. Students

This article investigates the attitudes of Omani B. Ed. students towards various aspects of pronunciation pedagogy. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the study captures students' preferences for pronunciation instruction methods, their attitudes towards different English accents, the role of technology in pronunciation learning, and the influence of extracurricular exposure to English. The findings reveal a strong preference for instructor-led methodologies, the use of technology, and a focus on communicative competence. Additionally, the study highlights a preference for Received Pronunciation among students, while views on American and International accents are polarised, reflecting the complex interplay of cultural, educational, and personal factors in accent choice. The research also underscores the significant role of extracurricular exposure to English in shaping students' attitudes towards pronunciation learning and correction. The study's insights have profound implications for curriculum design and teaching methodologies in English language teaching in Oman, emphasising the need for pedagogical approaches that are responsive to students' diverse linguistic backgrounds and experiences.