English-speaking Community Research Articles

A Comparative Study in English Translations of the Meanings of the Noble Qur'an

This study aimed to highlight the rules governing the translation of the Holy Qur'an and to present the views of scholars on the subject, both in the Arab world and globally. It also examined the development of Qur'anic translation in modern times. The study emphasized the importance of translating the meanings of the Holy Qur'an into all languages, to facilitate understanding for non-Arabic-speaking Muslims and to serve English-speaking communities. However, it acknowledges that no matter how accurate a translation may be, it will inevitably fall short of fully conveying the profound meanings contained in the miraculous Qur'anic text. The research also addressed the major challenges and difficulties encountered in translating the meanings of the Qur'an, as well as the essential features and conditions required for all types of translation. It reviewed the differing opinions of scholars from the four major Islamic schools of thought—Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i, and Hanbali—regarding the permissibility and rules of translating the Qur'an. Additionally, the study discussed contemporary Muslim scholars' perspectives on the translation of the Qur'an, including the views of the Sheikh of Al-Azhar and Sheikh Ahmed Mustafa Maraghi. Based on the findings, the researcher recommended the establishment of educational centers dedicated to teaching Arabic as a foreign language. Furthermore, it is essential to develop practical proposals to overcome the difficulties in teaching Arabic to non-native speakers, utilizing modern methods from the early stages of learning and book development.

THE SOCIOLINGUISTICS OF GENDERED NAMING IN ENGLISH-SPEAKING SOCIETIES

Names serve not only as markers of individual identity but also as cultural artifacts that encapsulate societal values, historical contexts, and linguistic evolution. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of gendered naming conventions in English-speaking communities, tracing their historical trajectories and examining contemporary trends. Employing a mixed-methods approach that integrates both quantitative and qualitative analyses, the research investigates naming practices from the Anglo-Saxon period to modern shifts toward gender inclusivity. The findings reveal that while traditional gender associations in naming remain deeply embedded, gender-neutral names are growing alongside the profound influence of globalization and technological advancements on naming conventions. By synthesizing insights from etymology, sociolinguistics, and cultural studies, this study elucidates the role of names in both reflecting and shaping individual identity within dynamic cultural landscapes.

Social Media and Stuttering: A Meta-Qualitative Synthesis of Representation and Impacts

Purpose: This systematic review aimed to explore how stuttering is represented across various social media platforms and the resulting impact on people who stutter. Social media has the potential to support people who stutter by fostering positive self-perceptions and community but can also perpetuate negative stereotypes and misinformation. Method: Following the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines—which promote transparency and rigor in systematic reviews—a comprehensive search was conducted across Google Scholar, PubMed, and Scopus for studies published between 2004 and 2024. Out of 86 identified articles, 13 studies met the inclusion criteria, including both human participant studies and content analyses. Data were synthesized using a qualitative meta-synthesis approach to explore themes related to stuttering representation and its effects on people who stutter. Results: The review found that platforms such as Instagram and Facebook often promote positive narratives that support self-acceptance and community among people who stutter. However, platforms such as X (Twitter) frequently perpetuate negative stereotypes, using stuttering as a metaphor for incompetence. Additionally, there is a significant gap between the confidence people who stutter gain from online interactions and their real-world communication experiences, highlighting challenges in translating digital confidence into offline contexts. Conclusions: This review underscores the complex role of social media in the lives of people who stutter, offering both opportunities for support and risks of perpetuating negative stereotypes. Integrated support systems that bridge the benefits of online and offline resources are necessary. Future research should focus on underexplored platforms such as TikTok and Reddit and address the experiences of younger people who stutter and non–English-speaking communities to enhance understanding of social media's impact on stuttering.

275 Promoting health equity through social media: A community engaged approach to bidirectional public health communication

Objectives/Goals: Access to accurate public health information is an essential component to ensuring health equity. We launched our social media channels on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok to highlight, engage with, and bring culturally tailored and language appropriate health and research information to our target communities. Methods/Study Population: Monitoring engagement patterns with our content on each platform influenced the development of a range of innovative campaigns in both English and Spanish that were informed by our core values of inclusivity, trust-building, ongoing bidirectional communication, and co-creation. These three platforms were chosen to ensure reach and engagement with the different demographics within our target populations. The campaigns included those that provided relevant and accurate health information, highlighted the diversity of our team, uplifted our community partners, and gave voice to our community members. This content included health-related infographics, mini-documentary reels, video essays, interviews, and photos. Results/Anticipated Results: We assessed effectiveness, reach, and engagement based on the robustness of the analytics for each platform. Facebook content, the majority of which is in Spanish, appealed more to older, Latino community members. TikTok content appealed more to younger (under 35), primarily English-speaking community members, while Instagram appealed more to organizational partners and community health workers. A 2023 trendline analysis of average monthly Instagram content reach and interactions indicated a moderate-to-strong relationship between our tailored content and audience engagement. Storytelling techniques consistently outperformed other content types across platforms, and community partner collaboration drastically enhanced our visibility, reach, and further validated our approach. Discussion/Significance of Impact: Social media has become increasingly central to bidirectional information dissemination. Implementing tailored strategies and leveraging storytelling techniques is an effective means of engaging diverse audiences, enhancing public health communication, and building and maintaining trust by providing accurate, accessible information.

탈제국주의적 시민교육 이론 구축 - 과정적 개념으로서 시민성의 재구성

This study analyzes how the meaning of “citizenship education” deflects in its academic literature based in South Korea and English-speaking academic communities of North America. Based on this analysis, I explore the potential for reconstructing a theory of citizenship education from an East Asian perspective. This exploration is inspired by a call to move beyond Western-centrism in knowledge production by developing a methodology to build theory by utilizing “inter-referencing” proposed by Chen Kuan-Hsing (2010). I first look into the deflections across translations between Korean and English academic discourses. In South Korea, literature on civic education and (democratic) citizenship education reflects the dynamism of pro-democracy movements and civil society. In North American discourses, the concept of citizenship is on the one hand constructed through a state-centered concept of citizenship while on the other hand being challenged from a decolonial perspective for its imperialistic motivations. In restructuring democracy, citizenship, and education from an East Asian perspective, the intersection of meritocracy and democracy emerges as a significant portion of discussion. By re-examining the relation between the concept of merit, often articulated from a Confucian perspective, and political systems, I draw on two words from the Korean language, 권한(kwon-han) and 권위(kwon-wi), mapping onto “authority” in the English language, as a key framework to be considered at the intersection of democracy, citizenship, and education. This framework unpacks Western discourses that considers “citizenship” as a preset component of democracy that is to be used in education. Instead, I argue that educators and researchers in citizenship education should consider how citizenship education interacts with other systems to intervene in its decision making processes (권한, kwon-han), or how collective and societal recognition of certain knowledges, values, or virtues emerge to gain authority (권위, kwon-wi).

Computer-Mediated Communication in Language Teaching: Challenges and Responses of Filipino ESL Teachers in the Philippines

The use of technology has permeated every aspect of our life in the twenty-first century. The Internet and computers have transformed communication, giving people from all walks of life a chance to connect globally. However, computers also provide new challenges for teachers, particularly in language education. For instance, English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers in the Philippines frequently face these challenges as they attempt to integrate technology into their international students' instruction methods. Hence, this paper discusses the challenges faced by Filipino ESL teachers in teaching English to their Korean students and how they responded to these difficulties. Using the snowball sampling technique, this study gathered 30 ESL teachers across the Philippines. The findings indicate that technology proficiency, cultural differences, students' lack of exposure to the English-speaking community, and the use of "Konglish" by their students are only a few of the challenges Filipino ESL teachers face in language teaching. Based on the study, computer-mediated communication plays a significant part in language teaching to develop original and cutting-edge teaching strategies. Accordingly, Filipino ESL teachers believe that using computer-mediated communication to improve teaching and learning is essential to build a comprehensive and unified plan that considers pre-existing values, beliefs, and competencies. Computer-mediated language pedagogy will also assist Filipino ESL teachers in increasing output and learning more about how to improve and adapt the current language teaching and learning approach to contribute to the development of Korean students. Keywords: Computer-mediated communication, language teaching, language learning, ESL, Filipino ESL teachers.

Exploring public perceptions of dementia on Twitter (X): a cross-cultural analysis.

Twitter (X) is widely used to reflect individual perspectives. We wished to study social insight regarding dementia using this digital platform. We conducted a cross-sectional study retrieving tweets containing "dementia" or "#dementia" and their Thai equivalents. English tweets were randomly selected, while all Thai tweets were collected. We identified user types, topics, and sentiments. Of 10,062 English and 9511 Thai tweets, general users were the most prevalent in both languages. "Dementia" was used accurately in 39.0% of English tweets and as misinformation in 49.2% of Thai tweets. Stigma was significantly more common in English (38.9%) than inThai (22.6%) tweets (p-value<0.001), and negative perceptions were expressed in 44.2% and 81.3% of English and Thai tweets, respectively (p-value<0.001). Different inappropriate uses of "dementia" were observed. To alleviate negative perceptions, reducing stigmatization is urgently needed in English-speaking communities, whereas inThailand, appropriate dementia education should be undertaken immediately. We found differences in the perceptions of "dementia" between English and Thai tweets. Using "dementia" to attack individuals was common among English Twitter (X) users. "Misinformation" regarding the term "dementia" was observed among Thai users.

Bilingual Language Input to Infants in Bolivia and the United States.

Characterizing dual language input in children's environments is critical to understand how early language experiences influence bilingual language development. However, little is known about how dual language exposure is distributed across factors known to influence the kinds of input children receive. This study examined how infants' exposure to each of their languages is distributed across different speakers (adults vs. other children) and speech registers (child- versus adult-directed speech). We examined daylong audio recordings of infants' language environments in two bilingual communities: an indigenous Quechua- and Spanish-speaking community in Bolivia (n=10, age=5.7-23.4months, five females, five males) and an immigrant Spanish- and English-speaking community in the United States (n=10, age=6.4-12.6, four females, six males). Infants in both communities were more likely to hear the societal language from older children than from adult caregivers. Infants were also more likely to hear the societal language in child-directed speech, and more of the minoritized language in adult-directed speech, by a factor of more than 4 to 1. These findings shed light on how bilingual infants' language exposure is distributed across social contexts, which may have implications for bilingual language development and maintenance, as distinct social contexts afford different opportunities for engagement and interaction over the course of learning two languages in infancy.

Functional characteristics of English-language computer slang

The article studies the definition of slang, the origin of this term, its difference from jargon, as well as the functions and methods of its formation in Modern English. The aim of the study is to consider the functioning peculiarities of computer vocabulary, in particular computer slang. Structural features of computer slang, its types, productive ways of forming and methods of translation from English into Russian are also analyzed. The relevance of this work is due to the specifics and complexity of the functioning of computer slang in Modern English, to the peculiarities of the lexical units under consideration, as well as the lack of research papers on this topic. In particular, there are no monographic works devoted to this topic in the theoretical literature. The novelty lies in substantiating the role of information technologies in various spheres of human life, including the aviation industry and the need for a systematic study of slang units in the English-speaking online community. During the research such methods as analysis, synthesis, generalization, comparison and sampling, as well as survey, were used. As part of the study, a survey of students was conducted in order to identify the role of computer slang in the life of a modern person. The research carried out in the article allowed to underline the increasing role of computer slang in the life of modern society. If earlier computer slang was used mainly by programmers and IT specialists, now it is widespread among a wide audience and actively influences everyday speech, forming a new communicative environment. All this makes it important to consider computer slang, which consists not only in studying its vocabulary, methods of forming and translation from one language to another, but also in analyzing the social, cultural and technological processes that influence its development.

Phytonyms in British folklore (linguistic and cultural approach)

The subject of the study is phytonyms in the British linguistic culture. The authors consider phytonyms in folklore in detail, namely in love spells, beliefs, magic formulas, conspiracies, predictions, and folk medicine. Phytonyms in this work mean all names of plants and their parts. When classifying phytonyms, the authors rely on a naive picture of the world and divide phytonyms into dendronyms (names of trees and bushes), floronyms (names of flowers) and herbonyms (names of herbs).The purpose of the study is to consider the problem of using phytonymic vocabulary and the peculiarities of the existence of forms of its representation in the field of folk culture of the English-speaking community of Britain from the standpoint of everyday linguistics. The objectives of the study include identifying the specifics of the representation of phytonomic vocabulary in British folklore, as well as systematization and description of its functions. The work uses methods of complex analysis based on the methods of various sciences (history, cultural studies), among which the following approaches are considered important: a systematic approach, a semiotic approach, a cultural-anthropological approach. The novelty of the research lies, firstly, in the consideration of phytonyms in British folklore from the standpoint of the linguistics of everyday life, complementing the linguistic picture of the world, the modeling of which is gaining popularity in modern language science. In linguistics of recent decades, there has been an obvious trend towards shifting the emphasis to everyday life and everyday human consciousness. Phytonyms have previously been widely studied, but within the framework of other linguistic paradigms. As a result of the research, it was found that the essence of the socio-philosophical concept of everyday life lies in the fact that it is the closest, familiar reality to a person. For modern linguistics, which has turned its attention to the everyday consciousness and daily life of an individual, everyday discourse, including folklore, is valuable. Also, in the course of the study, the functional features of phytonyms in British folklore were considered, which allowed us to draw the following conclusions. In folk art and medicine, phytonyms perform an expressive function that helps to increase expression and, of course, cognitive, since poetry-spells, sayings carry knowledge and wisdom contained in the memory of generations.

Гетьманат Павла Скоропадського на сторінках англомовної преси США.

The aim of this study is to analyze the perspectives of English-speaking communities on the domestic and foreign policies of Hetman Pavlo Skoropadskyi, based on materials from the US press of 1918–1919, and to examine the influence of the German occupation authorities on his activities. The methodological basis of the research includes the principles of historicism, systematic approach, and comprehensiveness, as well as problem-chronological and diachronic methods, and discourse analysis. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the fact that, for the first time, the views of the American public on the nature of power and the main activities of the Hetmanate have been studied specifically through English-language press materials.Conclusions. The rhetoric of the English-speaking press largely reflected the political alliances of the United States during World War I. Given that Hetman Pavlo Skoropadskyi came to power with German support, American press reactions to his activities were almost unanimously negative or, at best, neutral. Most publications directly state that the coup, which aimed to overthrow the Ukrainian Central Rada, was orchestrated by Germany, after which the Hetman received and followed orders from the German authorities. Skoropadskyi is depicted as a former Russian general who established a military dictatorship in Ukraine. He is described as a monarchist striving to restore the old Tsarist regime. Particular attention was paid to the efforts of the German occupation authorities to extract food resources from Ukrainian peasants, which caused widespread dissatisfaction and eventually led to a peasant uprising (crops intended for Germany were destroyed by partisans). The newspapers also covered the unsuccessful Russian-Ukrainian negotiations, emphasizing that the true rulers of Ukraine at the time were the Germans. Jewish authors criticized the Hetman for failing to take action to prevent pogroms. At the same time, we must note that the periodicals we have analyzed are of a regional nature and therefore cannot reflect the views of the entire American people.

The Dynamics of Turkism Usage in the English Language: An Analysis Based on Google Ngram Data

This article explores the dynamics of Turkism usage in the English language, leveraging Google Ngram data to analyze historical and contemporary trends. It investigates the origins, dissemination, and impact of these borrowings, which arose from cultural exchanges, trade routes, and historical interactions between Turkic peoples and English-speaking communities. Turkisms are categorized into several domains: toponyms (e.g., Caspian Sea, Khiva), terms related to social structures and titles (e.g., khan, bey), culinary terms (e.g., kebab, yogurt), and others. The study examines their etymology, semantic transformations, and roles in enriching the English lexicon, reflecting the significance of linguistic and cultural connections over centuries. The research employs a multidisciplinary approach, combining statistical analysis using Google Ngram with historical and sociolinguistic perspectives. It identifies patterns in the integration of Turkisms, highlighting their persistence and adaptability within the English language. Key findings reveal how these borrowings have become deeply embedded in various aspects of English vocabulary, symbolizing cultural interaction and historical ties. Examples such as "kebab" and "yurt" illustrate the influence of Turkic traditions on global linguistic systems, particularly in areas such as cuisine, geography, and governance. The article emphasizes the importance of further studies on borrowings to better understand their contributions to the development of global languages. It concludes that Turkisms are not only markers of historical and cultural exchange but also play an ongoing role in shaping linguistic identity in the context of globalization.

Стратегии толератности в англоязычном дискурсе (на материале интервью “Celines’s Story: AN NBC News Special With Hoda Kotb)

The article examines tolerance as a key principle of communication, which is actively studied in the English-speaking academic community. The author analyzes the linguistic techniques used in the strategies of tolerance and their role in public speaking on the basis of an interview with singer Celine Dion. The relevance of the work is determined by the need to study linguistic influence and develop effective mechanisms for intercultural communication. The analysis revealed a significant pragmatic potential of these strategies for fostering tolerant attitudes among people.

The impact of international trade relations on French borrowings into English in the sparkling wine industry: A corpus-driven study conducted by a terminologist

This article serves several purposes. First, it aims to consolidate the view that knowledge models make effective diagnostic tools that terminologists can use in their attempt to find answers to research questions about communication in professional fields. Secondly, the article serves to demonstrate the results of preliminary research into professional communication in the sparkling wine industry, with the working English-language model showing the presence of borrowings from French, the industry’s leading language. Notably, the percentage of French borrowings in the sparkling wine industry, an integral part of the domain of special wines, has been found to be greater than the percentage of loanwords from Portuguese and Spanish, leading languages in the fortified wine industries representing the same industrial domain (OIV 2022: I.1.4-1). This finding bears out the view that communication in a professional field may be typified by more than one leading (national) language. Moreover, outcomes of the study of encyclopaedic knowledge on sparkling wines, when combined with the results of the study into communication in the fortified wines sector (Nagórka 2021, Nagórka 2023: 94–105), indicate that the history of commercial ties between pertinent language communities (English-speaking community with French-, Portuguese- and Spanish-speaking communities) may be reflected in the scale of borrowing into English for professional purposes. The rise in borrowing from leading languages seems inversely proportional to the intensity of (amicable) trade relations between the communities concerned, a hypothesis that may contribute to explaining the observed differences in borrowability.

A STUDY OF STUDENTS’ PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS IN LEARNING SPEAKING AT CLASS VIII BAHASA OF MTS PERGURUAN MU’ALLIMAT JOMBANG

Nowadays Indonesia lives in a world that is nearly using English in many aspects of life. With English we can easily interact with foreign, get job easily, and many more. In contrast, speaking English is the problem for the students. The present study aims at investigating some English-speaking problems encountered by the students at class 8 Bahasa of MTs Perguruan Muallimat Cukir Jombang and offering some solutions for English speaking problems itself. This study used a descriptive qualitative approach and the data were taken from semi-structured interviews, observation and Questionnaire. Students in class VIII Bahasa of MTs Perguruan Mu’allimat Jombang were chosen as the respondent of this research. There are 29 students who have been requested to complete a questionnaire and have been chosen as interviewers to express their opinions about the problems and challenges they encounter while they were learning speaking.The results of the analysis reveal that the problems encountered by the students in at class 8 Bahasa of MTs Perguruan Muallimat Cukir Jombang in speaking English cover the lack of motivation to speak English outside the class and English input in everyday life, lack of pronunciation, lack of vocabulary enrichment and lack of confidence. There have been some solutions offered to overcome students’ problem in speaking English. Firstly, a well-designed speaking curriculum is essential. Second, educators should create curricula for English-speaking students that use social media and technology and encourage them to learn about and experience different cultures. In order to give students additional opportunities to speak English both within and outside of the classroom, lecturers should thirdly support the English-speaking curriculum in collaboration with the English-speaking community. The study also provides presents suggestions for future research

Engaging under-represented groups in soundscape evaluation through creative, embodied listening practices

Soundscape studies has been dominated by responses from hearing and neuro normative, middle class and English-speaking communities, often ignoring how noise can illuminate urban power structures and more readily affect underrepresented city communities. A re-evaluation of current methods is required to engage with a more diverse and representative response. This presentation will discuss findings from co-produced research practice that engages in participatory soundscape evaluation with a range of underrepresented groups including neurodiverse, non-English speaking, and refugee communities. The research uses two accessible and innovative visual methods across specially chosen community focus groups: graphic scoring (the abstracted visual representation of sounds taking from musicological practices) and emotional body mapping, (using a body outline as a template, to investigate 'embodied listening') alongside a guided listening practice inspired by Deep Listening. These methods move beyond the lack of common public lexicon around sound and the absence of defined Western listening practices to create new, perspectives, deepening the exploration of the direct impact of environmental sound and building a more inclusive, representative, and equitable 'Acoustemology of Community'.

Parenting strategies to support adolescent mental health during a pandemic: A Delphi consensus study

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has had ongoing detrimental effects on mental health, especially for young people. Parents can play a crucial role in the prevention of youth depression and anxiety disorders. While parenting guidelines for reducing the risk of adolescent depression and anxiety have been developed, they needed to be adapted for the unique challenges brought by a pandemic. MethodThis study employed the Delphi methodology to establish expert consensus on parenting strategies that are important for preventing adolescent depression or anxiety disorders during a pandemic. Through a literature search and panel recommendations, we identified 304 parenting recommendations. These were presented to an international panel of 35 experts in parenting and youth mental health, who rated the importance of these recommendations in preventing adolescent depression and anxiety over three survey rounds. ResultsThere were 167 parenting strategies endorsed as important or essential in reducing adolescents' risk of developing depression or anxiety disorders during a pandemic by ≥90% of the panel. These strategies were written into a set of specific and actionable guidelines for parenting through the pandemic, and made freely available online for parents. ConclusionsThis study adapted an original set of parenting guidelines for the COVID-19 pandemic, supported by research evidence and/or international experts, which can be promoted in Western English-speaking communities to help parents protect their adolescents from depression and anxiety disorders during pandemic and post-pandemic times.

Pragmatic sociology and the economics of convention: Introducing a ‘novel’ approach to English-speaking education research

This special issue brings together current work in education research that engages with a pragmatic, yet critical theoretical tradition sprung from the French context during the 1980s. Based on a particular understanding of existence, perception, reality and the dynamics of social life, this theoretical tradition has continuously been developed over the past four decades in a variety of fields, such as law, economic studies, political sciences, education research and sociology. Despite its rich history, this approach has until recently only garnered limited attention from English-speaking research communities. Consequently, our aim is to introduce the approach to the European Education Research Journal readership and demonstrate the tradition’s richness and range of use for education research. By showing the many ways in which this perspective can be utilised in education research, we hope to inspire more scholars who publish in English-speaking contexts to engage with us and explore what insights this ‘novel’ perspective can bring to our research field. In this editorial, we briefly explain the perspective’s base assumptions and key features, discuss the potential relevance of this approach for education research, and introduce the articles of the special issue. First, however, we want to address the issue of naming.

Needs Analysis of English for Specific Purposes for Health Sciences Students: A Cross-Sectional Study at a University in the U.A.E.

This paper presents findings from a needs analysis survey to determine the extent to which the current English for Specific Purposes (ESP) course for healthcare students meets the needs of this population. A structured questionnaire was shared with the students (N=180) from different healthcare departments to examine the preferability of different aspects. Many participants gave great value to ESP courses whose importance was mainly to learn medical or pharmaceutical terminology and communicative skills. Yet, the participants preferred the conversational content over the grammatical one. Most participants perceived the four English skills as important. The overall conclusion shows that the main objective of an ESP course is language fluency to be able to communicate and achieve any requirement in their career. Moreover, the study shows that the conventional methods of assessment are less preferred and that students prefer assessments where teamwork is involved. They also preferred to receive the learning materials via online or technological methods, and they preferred class activities and audio/video aids. Yet, a great number did not prefer using an English Language Laboratory. Finally, most of them agreed that being in a mostly English-speaking community at the university is convenient to enhance their communication skills in English.

English-language newspaper benchmarking in Macau

This paper explores the development of English media in Macau, a region known for its Chinese and Portuguese language dominance. While the English media market is smaller than other languages, it caters to the English-speaking communities in Macau, including foreign migrants and immigrants. However, more research is needed on how English media influences the culturally diverse Macau under its current regime. As Macau soon celebrates its 25th anniversary since its return to China in 1999, it is fitting to examine the region's media development. This paper aims to understand the connection between the media's contribution to Macau's development and the freedom of the press. By analysing the role of English media in Macau, we can gain insights into the dynamics of a multilingual media environment and its implications for the region's cultural and social fabric. The findings of this study contribute to the existing literature on media and provide a deeper understanding of the role of English media in Macau's societal and economic progress.