English Language Speakers Research Articles

The discourse of persuasion: An analysis of students' communicative tasks

This discourse analysis aimed to investigate the different propaganda techniques used by students in their communicative tasks. This study utilized qualitative method with discourse analysis as an approach to identify and understand the discourse of persuasion manifested by students in their speaking performance. The researcher analysed the linguistic corpora using the theory of Gambril on propaganda techniques. Data revealed that students exhibited different propaganda techniques such as transfer, testimonial, glittering generalities and bandwagon. These communicative tasks in the language classroom focusing on the discourse of persuasion allow the non-native Speakers of English language to acquire communicative competence on the use of the target language. Having exposed to various communicative activities provides students an opportunity to explore the different use of language specifically in persuading other people. The activities provided by the teacher enable students to evaluate what specific area of language they have to improve and practice in order for them to acquire the target language with native like proficiency and sophistication.

An analysis of written English: assessing characteristics of English writing by Japanese university students through perspectives of World Englishes and English as a lingua franca

Abstract This paper investigates distinct characteristics of written English by Japanese L1 (first language) speakers of English and compares them with common features of English as a lingua franca (ELF). Utilizing categories drawn from the literature, I have analyzed 92 writing samples by Japanese university students in order to assess whether there are any distinct characteristics shared among L1 Japanese speakers of English, particularly as to (i) lexico-grammar, (ii) lexis, (iii) semantics, and (iv) pragmatics. I have then examined whether there is any overlap between Japanese characteristics and ELF. The phenomenon of extending a sense of the original English word in Japanese and of then using the extended sense in English has supplied evidence of L1 seeping into L2 (second language) English use. In addition, the use of certain expressions has been found to be tightly connected with the Japanese language and culture (e.g., ‘study society’) in this study. This study has also shown a clear overlap between the writing of Japanese university students and common ELF properties and features, including extra use and regularization – in particular, the extra use of the particle and the pluralization of uncountable nouns – and explicitness and neutrality in word choice.

Coping Strategies for English Language Speaking Anxiety among BS English Students of a Public Sector University in Karachi.

This study aims to find out the coping strategies used by the BS English students of a public sector university in Karachi. The present research is an attempt to bring into limelight those behaviors which cause speaking anxiety in students and the coping strategies which are used by them. This information may lead to open the forum for suggesting new coping techniques which would lead to lower the anxiousness related to speaking English language among users and learners. The research was qualitative in nature and used an open-ended questionnaire to take the detailed responses of 47 participants (12.5% males and 87.5% females). Participants were selected from a public sector university in Karachi. This study used the focused group convenient sampling technique. The findings revealed that regular practice, instructors’ guidance, code switching from L2 (English) to L1 (Urdu) are the coping strategies used by the students. The research also discovered the major factors which make the learners anxious such as low self-esteem, rude behavior of teachers, and fear of making mistakes due to peer pressure. Additionally, the major reason for English language speaking anxiety reported by the students is inflexibility of language teacher.

Formulaic language in L1 and advanced L2 English speech: multiword structures in the speech of two Swedish groups compared to a group of L1 English speakers

Abstract The aim of the study was to compare the use of formulaic language, here called multiword structures, in advanced L2 English speech of two Swedish groups with a group of first language (L1) speakers of English. One Swedish group was resident in London and one in Stockholm, thus implying different degrees of exposure to English. Three categories, notably multiword phrases, multiword utterances and metalinguistic multiword structures, were investigated by comparing quantity and distribution. The groups completed two oral tasks, a role play and a retelling task. The results of the Swedish group resident in London were similar to the L1 English group on all measurements of multiword structures in the role play. In the retelling task multiword phrases were significantly fewer in both second language (L2) groups compared to the L1 English group, although there were L2 individuals within the L1 speaker range. Another question concerned the extent to which the three groups used multiword structures which were equivalents, i.e. transferable between English and Swedish. In the retelling task both Swedish groups produced significantly more equivalents than the L1 speakers. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Scoping review of research practices in the investigation of bilingual effects on inhibition and attention in young people

Aims and objectives: The aim of this scoping review is to curate and summarize research methodologies used to assess the effects of bilingualism on inhibition and attention in young people. Methodology: The methodology of a scoping review was followed. Searches of the literature using inclusive search strings were conducted using PubMed, Scopus, Proquest, and PsyArXiv. Study selection followed the guidance of the PRISMA-ScR checklist with published and unpublished studies included. Data and analysis: Extracted data included study authors, year of publication, source format (e.g., journal article, thesis), country in which the study was conducted, sample size, average age of participants in the sample, language combination used by participants in the bilingual sample, task(s) used to assess inhibition, task(s) used to assess attention, and method used for data analysis. Findings and conclusions: Studies identified were disproportionately conducted in English-speaking (Western) language environments, based on bilingual samples who were proficient in English and a second language that was typically a related Indo-European language (e.g., English-Spanish). Tasks employed were most often aimed at measuring differences in inhibition compared with attention. Finally, almost all studies were limited to between group designs and fixed-effects analysis methods. Future research can be improved through inclusion of samples from a wider range of language backgrounds that is representative of more diverse language combinations, and underrepresented age groups. Furthermore, within participant mixed-effects analysis methods that account for the diversity of bilingual experience would strengthen the methodological rigor of future studies. Originality: This is the first scoping review focused on methods used to investigate bilingual effects in young people. Significance: We provide strong evidence that standard methods ignore nontrivial differences in bilingual experience. In addition, Westocentric sampling trends provide an incomplete and biased understanding of the true effects of bilingualism.

Perceptions of lecturers on English as a primary medium of instruction at a selected university in South Africa

In the current era of globalization, English medium instruction (EMI) in higher education in non-English speaking countries has gained prominence worldwide. The reasons for this include to increase institutions’ international visibility and competitiveness in the global market, to attract international students and to ensure graduates’ chances of international employability. In addition, more academic conferences are conducted in English and more prominent authors and academic journals choose to publish in English. Thus, many higher education systems privilege English in academic discourse. In light of this, this study explored lecturers' perceptions of the recent implementation of English as a primary medium of instruction at a selected university in South Africa. Said’s and Bhabha’s postcolonial theories were used as theoretical lenses to inform the study and frame the data analysis. The sample chosen comprised three lecturers who are English Second Language (ESL) speakers. Data were gathered using classroom observations and individual semi-structured interviews. The results indicated that English as a primary medium of instruction diminished effective teaching and learning. The participants frequently code switched between African languages in the classroom. However, they acknowledged the role of English as a communication means in a multilingual context. It is recommended that students be adequately supported through the provision of adequately funded and quality English literacy programs and the implementation of African languages as media of instruction.

Intelligibility of Select World Englishes and the Factors Affecting It: The Case of High School ESL Learners

With the significant upsurge of English language speakers in the world, it is easier to anticipate the chances of both native and non-native speakers communicating with each other. As a consequence, the question of the intelligibility of the different English varieties has become a significant area to be studied. Normally, most studies utilized participants who have an extensive background in the language, such as English majors, teachers, or natives of the English language, to investigate the intelligibility of World Englishes. However, in the Philippine setting, students across all grade levels also use English as their second official language. Stemming from the aforementioned, this paper projects to establish the research space by employing ESL senior high school students of Southern Mindanao to determine the intelligibility of American, Philippine, and Chinese Englishes and the factors that affect the intelligibility of these varieties. With a mixed method research design, the study found that Philippine English was relatively the most intelligible variety to the students. Moreover, the study further revealed that accent familiarity, pronunciation, speech rate, and linguistic environment are the factors that influence intelligibility. The findings of the study suggest that English language users should be keen on the factors that affect intelligibility to increase their awareness of the different varieties of English. It is also suggested that teachers should adopt a variety that is most beneficial for the users to achieve better intelligibility.

Exploring the relationship between behavior matching and interlocutor perceptions in L2 interaction

Alignment in nonverbal behavior can be understood through reference to behavior matching, which is the tendency to adopt the behaviors, postures, or mannerisms of a conversational partner. Although behavior matching is believed to occur unintentionally and unconsciously, its occurrence is associated with how interlocutors perceive each other. Drawing on corpus data of conversations between English second language (L2) speakers, this study examines the relationship between behavior matching and interlocutor perceptions, which were measured through post-task ratings of partner collaboration and motivation. Conversations (N = 51) between 102 English L2 university students were coded for nonverbal behaviors in five categories (face, head, hand, posture, self-adaption), and each behavior was coded as being matched or not matched by the interlocutor. The proportion of matched behaviors per dyad in each category were correlated with the mean motivation and collaboration partner ratings, and a linear regression model identified hand behavior matching as a significant predictor of partner motivation. Potential implications and avenues for future research about nonverbal alignment are discussed.

Constructed dialogue in motivational discourse: functions and cross-cultural specifics

The article is devoted to the phenomenon of constructed dialogue (CD) which is understood as a speaker’s reproduction of someone’s words according to his/her information interpretation. The term of CD was introduced by Deborah Tannen and is defined by contemporary as an efficient communication strategy that allows to simultaneously fulfil a complex of goals. The purpose of this research is to examine the specifics of the CD use by motivational speakers in English and in Russian. The research corpus comprises three motivational speeches in Russian and four motivational speeches in English. Prior to discourse analysis, all the speeches were transcribed and the examples of CD, found in them, were numbered. Tannen’s classification of CD types was used to identify their characteristics. The research shows that CD is a typical feature of motivational discourse, where it performs simultaneously entertaining, expressive, and contact-establishing functions. Russian and English-language speakers who are emotional and rely during their speech delivery on verbal and nonverbal channels mostly use choral and inner speech types. These varieties of CD allow them to openly share their emotions and express their feelings about the discussed events. Those speakers who prefer to rely on arguments, comparisons and explanations use CD as instantiation type. The research concludes that the specifics of the CD use depend more on the communication type of the speakers rather than on their cultural background.

Examining associations in congenital syphilis infection and socioeconomic factors between California's small-to-medium and large metro counties.

To investigate differences in congenital syphilis (CS) infection between California's small-to-medium and large metropolitan counties and the socioeconomic mechanisms behind these differences. County-level data from 2019 and 2020 on CS infection and other socioeconomic covariates were obtained from the California Department of Public Health and the United States Census Bureau. Counties were stratified into small-to-medium or large metropolitan counties by the National Center for Health Statistics Urban-Rural Classification Scheme and analyzed using simple and multiple Poisson regression models. California's small-to-medium metropolitan counties reported significantly higher rates of CS incidence, female poverty, and uninsured females, and significantly lower rates of English-language speaking ability and female education level compared to large metropolitan counties. CS infection was significantly associated with female poverty and education level. Rates of CS infection in the California counties are more dependent on socioeconomic indicators than county classification itself.

Translanguaging in an English First Additional Language context in the further education and training phase

English is used as a medium of teaching and learning in most South African public schools although most of these learners are English First Additional Language (EFAL) speakers. To counter this anxiety, translanguaging as a multilingual intervention becomes handy. Translanguaging is about engaging in multilingual discourse practices; it is an approach to bilingualism that is centred not on languages, as has been often the case but on the practices of bilinguals that are readily observable. This study aimed at exploring how grade 11 EFAL learners feel/behave when the teacher orders them to abandon their home languages the moment they enter the classroom and how to promote one’s home language in the classroom.This qualitative study involved 12 grade 11 EFAL learners, equally divided into two interview focus groups. These EFAL learners were purposively selected from one education district in South Africa. The findings indicate that learning involves building on what the learner knows, so that the learner brings it to the current situation, restructures it and creates new knowledge. Also, more knowledge is needed about how to prepare teachers to best serve multilingual learner populations, including how to incorporate new understandings of translanguaging into instruction and assessment practices.

Cross-linguistic issues in the acquisition of Mandarin Chinese negation by Shona–English bilinguals at the University of Zimbabwe: implications for second language teaching

This article provides insights into the nature of the transitional language during the acquisition of Mandarin Chinese as an additional foreign language by students at the University of Zimbabwe. The students concerned are first language speakers of Shona and English as their second language. The article examines linguistic features apparent in the intermediate stages of the acquisition of Mandarin negation systems in a formal learning environment. In establishing this, the researchers employed discourse completion tasks, semi-structured interviews with learners and language instructors, and personal reports as methods of gathering data. Secondary sources, including Mandarin textbooks and Mandarin language instructors, were also consulted to assist in error identification, description and explanation. From the findings, it is apparent that, during the acquisition of Mandarin negation, the intermediate stages can be characterised by a complex system of rules and syntactic-semantic permutations which are independent of both the target language and of previously-acquired languages. The research contributes to an understanding of the development of learner’s language during the acquisition of a typologically-dissimilar foreign additional language, and has further implications for solving problems in foreign language teaching and learning.

Investigating the Problems Faced by the University EFL Learners in Speaking English Language

Speaking English is a part of the daily academic life of the EFL learners at the undergraduate level of the major English programs in Bangladesh. This practice sometimes creates many problems for first-year undergraduate public and private university students. Despite its importance, sufficient data about the problems Bangladeshi university students face in speaking English was not found. To investigate the problems of speaking faced by the undergraduate students, the current study applied mixed methods, and eighty-eight students and four teachers from four universities participated in it. The result shows that both public and private university students with English majors face a lot of problems communicating in English. However, this study has found that public university students are slightly more competent in English and face fewer problems than private university students. The participants expressed different insights on the roles of curriculum, teaching techniques, and individual institutions to overcome the students' weakness in English speaking skills. Finally, the study puts forward some very specific recommendations on the basis of the findings for the concerned stakeholders.

INVESTIGATING THE IMPACT OF ORAL APPROACH AND SITUATIONAL LANGUAGE TEACHING ON COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN GUSAU METROPOLIS ZAMFARA STATE

This study was conducted to examine the Effect of Oral Approach and Situational Language Teaching on communicative Competence of Secondary School Students in Gusau Metropolis Zamfara State. Pretest-post-test quasi-experimental research design was used. The population of the study was 19,094 and four intact classes comprised 230 SS I students were drawn from the population. The instrument of the study was an adapted oral test version of English Language Speaking Test (ELST) and it was tagged Student Communicative Competence in English Test (SCCIET). It was validated by the experts in Language Education at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto. The modified SCCIET was pilot tested for two weeks. After test-retest, Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient (PPMCC) was computed and coefficient of r = 0.82 was established. Three null hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 levels of significance. T-test was used in testing all the three null hypotheses. After testing, all the three null hypotheses were rejected. The findings showed that Experimental group performed better than control group in English communicative competence. The study recommended the use of Oral Approach and Situational Language Teaching to teach students because it develops proficiency in English language speaking skills and reduce the level of speaking anxiety.

Inculcation of Communicative Skills

English is now hailed as a lingua-franca of the modern era. While English is not an official language in many countries, it is currently the language most often taught as a second language around the world. India has a large population of English language speakers and our growth in areas like Information Technology and Business process Outsourcing has been attributed to this fact. The population of non-native speakers of English has risen tremendously in recent times that some linguists believe that it is no longer the exclusive cultural sign of “Native English Speakers”, but it is rather a language that is absorbing aspects of cultures worldwide as it continues to grow.

Technical single and multiword unit vocabulary in spoken rugby discourse

Rugby union is played by first and second language speakers of English in many countries. Rugby has its own technical vocabulary (e.g., ruck, inside pass) and its knowledge is crucial for joining the rugby community. This article reports on a study into the nature and knowledge of technical vocabulary in spoken rugby discourse through identifying technical vocabulary and developing both single and multiword word lists. This study involved the creation of a spoken rugby corpus (61,295 running words) and a vocabulary load analysis using Nation's (2012) BNC/COCA frequency and supplementary lists. The results found learners need over 4,000 word families plus supplementary lists to reach 98% comprehension. The corpus analysis resulted in a list of 252 technical single words which covers over 12% of the spoken corpus. A pedagogically oriented multi-word unit list of 267 items was also created. A receptive knowledge task using a sample of the rugby lexis and general English words was administered to 77 (29 English L1; 48 L2 speakers of English) participants. The results highlighted differing levels of technical rugby vocabulary knowledge between first and second language speakers of English. This article concludes with implications for ESP rugby courses and suggestions for possible future research.

The Effectiveness of Educational Environment Based on Smart Learning in Developing English Language Speaking Skill among IUG Female Student

This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of educational environment based on smart learning in developing English Language speaking skill among IUG female students. To achieve this aim, the researcher adopted the quasi-experimental approach. The study was applied on a representative sample of (30) female students of journalism and media second-level at the Islamic University of Gaza, and that is in the second semester of the academic year (2020-2021). In order to collect data, the researcher used one main tool, a pre- and post-speaking test, and then he verified the validity and reliability of the test. Results of the study revealed that There were significant statistically difference at level (0.05) between the average scores of female students in journalism and media at the Islamic University in the pre and post applications to test skill of speaking in English language and in favor of the post application. Based on upon the previous findings, the study recommended the necessity of implementing smart learning in teaching and learning English speaking skill to bring about better outcomes in female students' achievement. Also, the researcher suggested that further research should be conducted concerning the effectiveness of educational environment based on smart learning in teaching different English language skills.

Conceptualising English L1 speakers’ motivation for learning L2 Chinese in Australian universities

ABSTRACT This study investigated English first language (L1) speakers’ motivation for learning Chinese as a second language (L2) in Australia and the links of underlying motivational components to learner sociobiographical (e.g. gender and reasons for learning) and language learning variables (i.e. experience abroad, hours of self-study, and speaking with Chinese L1 speakers). A total of 164 Australian university students participated in the study. The findings show that instrumentality (e.g. employment and travel) tops their orientations to learn L2 Chinese, followed by integrative orientations (e.g. interest in the Chinese language and culture and desire to communicate with the Chinese people), with mandatory requirements as the least agreed reason. Statistical analyses reveal that the underlying structure of their motivation consists of six components: intrinsic motivation, orientation, anxiety, integrativeness, instrumentality, and sociality. Some of them are linked to certain learner background variables. Females demonstrated stronger instrumental orientation than their male counterparts. Visiting China and self-study hours have positive connections with intrinsic motivation. The findings shed light on the complexities and multifaceted characteristics of motivation and their links with learner sociobiographical and learning variables by providing evidence for global language speakers’ motivation to learn other languages.

A Study of English-Chinese Subtitle Translation from the Perspective of Suprasegmental Phonemes —Exemplified by Desperate Housewives

With frequent communications between China and other countries, more and more domestic linguists began to research English phonology, but the study of segmental phonemes is not enough to meet the development of linguistics, so suprasegmental phonemes has gradually entered the vision of scholars. In recent decades, Chinese audiences have become enthusiastic about English movies and English television dramas. Subtitle translation has become the research direction of more and more relevant scholars. Since subtitle translators need to translate English-Chinese subtitles through oral expressions of characters, this thesis analyzes the direction from spoken English language, selects stress, rhythm and intonation of suprasegmental phonemes as perspectives. The thesis takes English-Chinese subtitle translation of Desperate Housewives as a case to analyze English-Chinese subtitle translation from the perspective of suprasegmental phonemes. Although there are many studies about suprasegmental phonemes and English-Chinese subtitle translation, there are few that combine both of them. Therefore, this thesis holds that from the perspective of suprasegmental phonemes: under stress, rhythm and intonation, the appropriate English-Chinese subtitle translation strategies and methods, such as reduction, amplification, domestication, are conductive to translators to get closer to plots and make translation more natural, so as to improve translation quality of English-Chinese subtitles.

Processing of Figurative Language: Evidence from Native and Non-Native Language Speakers of English

Processing of Figurative Language: Evidence from Native and Non-Native Language Speakers of English