Language Faculty Research Articles

The Word’s Unity of Existence

Linguists do not agree on the origin of human language or the reasons for the human species’ unique possession of language faculty on the path of evolution. Any theoretical approach in cognitive science and linguistics eventually faces an impasse in its quest for the origin of language when reaching the realm of consciousness and mind which requires an accessibility beyond the physical inquiry. This article introduces Mohammad Ali Taheri’s theory of consciousness, T-Consciousness, as the gateway to the origin of language in the human mind. T-Consciousness stands for the non-material and non-energetic constituent of the universe, the third fundamental element which generates both matter and energy. Taheri theorizes that human beings have detected language rather than inventing it, following the Language Software’s primary activation in the human mind through an inter-T-Consciousness-level connection that extracts Fara-lingual information and adapts it into language. This study investigates Taheri’s language theory in relation to Chomsky’s UG theory, and offers a diversifying approach to UG theory, biolinguistics and psycholinguistics. The article introduces the Word’s Unity of Existence/ Vahdat-e Vojood-e Kalameh and conceptualizes the Unified Body of Languages, initiating an interdisciplinary discourse to revisit cognitive science, phenomenology, hermeneutics, and intertextuality.

The Evaluation of the S1 Students’ Frequency Use of Reading Comprehension Strategies and Familiarity with them: A Case Study at the Faculty of Languages, Literature and Art, Ibn Tofail University, Kenitra, Morocco

The most challenging skill for S1 university students in the EFL context is Reading comprehension. This may be due to the lack of possessing the necessary reading comprehension strategies that would help them to understand English texts efficiently. In this respect, this study is first intended to determine the relationship between the frequency of use of reading-comprehension strategies and the students’ familiarity with them before and after completing the usual curriculum of reading comprehension course. Furthermore, this study also attempts to evaluate the effect of the S1 students’ familiarity with and frequency of use of reading comprehension strategies on their performance in reading comprehension tasks. A sample of 85 University students in EFL context was chosen, but only 73 of them filled in the questionnaire and completed their pre-test and post-test. All of these 73 students attended the usual reading curriculum without any special treatment. The findings of the study indicate that the students’ awareness and frequency of use do not show any improvement as the S1 students completed their usual reading comprehension courses. Another major finding is that reading strategies frequency use and familiarity with them show no correlation with the students’ performance while taking both the pre-test and post-test. Therefore, the fact that S1 students show no development of both their use and awareness of reading comprehension strategies after completing the usual reading comprehension course and also no improvement in their performance can be explained by the ineffective training that they underwent during Semester 1 of their English studies journey. In other words, the students’ high or low scores in reading comprehension courses are not determined by their familiarity with reading comprehension strategies or their frequency use. Thus, researchers on education are urged to hold studies that shall investigate the teaching of reading comprehension strategies in the usual curriculum and how they should be taught efficiently.

Social and Academic Integration in the Virtual Classroom: Techniques to Foster Community, Belonging, and Retention

In this article, we, as 3 faculty members in the English for Speakers of Other Languages Program at the Community College of Baltimore County, reflect on our experiences of transforming online and remote classrooms into a community during the pandemic and examine the literature that underscores how classroom community and belonging contribute to student success. We share research on 3 engaging learning activities that have successfully built this community among students in our own virtual classrooms: hall of fame, discussion boards, and jigsaw readings. Although what we share is rooted in our experiences as English for speakers of other languages faculty in the context of a large community college, we have chosen activities that can be applied in various contexts to foster community.

IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING STAFF AT THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY, VIETNAM IN THE CURRENT PHASE

Thai Nguyen University in Vietnam identifies improving the quality of the foreign language teaching staff as one of the priority tasks in the development strategy, training advanced and modern human resources to serve the economic, political, cultural, and social development needs of the midland and northern mountainous regions. Despite certain achievements, due to its unique characteristics, Thai Nguyen University is facing numerous challenges, especially in terms of the foreign language faculty, which is deficient and weak compared to the requirements. To meet the needs of training and cultivating foreign language teachers in the future, it is necessary to conduct research to accurately assess the current situation and propose solutions to improve the quality of the foreign language teaching staff.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0045/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Self supervised learning and the poverty of the stimulus

Diathesis alternations are the possible expressions of the arguments of verbs in different, systematically related subcategorization frames. Semantically similar verbs such as spill and spray can behave differently with respect to the alternations they can participate in. For example one can “spill/spray water on the plant”, but while one can “spray the plant with water”, it is odd to say “spill the plant with water”. “Spray” is a verb which can alternate between syntactic frames while “spill” is not alternating. How human speakers learn the difference between such verbs is not clearly understood, because the primary linguistic data (PLD) they receive does not appear sufficient to infer the knowledge required for adult competence. More generally the poverty of the stimulus (POS) hypothesis states that the PLD is not sufficient for a learner to infer full adult competence of language. That is, learning relies on prior constraints introduced by the language faculty. We tested state-of-the-art machine learning models trained by self supervision, and found some evidence that they could in fact learn the correct pattern of acceptability judgement in the locative alternation. However, we argued that this was partially a result of fine-tuning which introduced negative evidence into the learning data, which facilitated shortcut learning. Large language models (LLMs) cannot learn some linguistic facts from normal language data, but they can compensate to some extent by learning spurious correlated features when negative feedback is introduced during the training cycle.

MENINGKATKAN KEMAMPUAN BAHASA DAN KETERAMPILAN BERNYANYI BAHASA INGGRIS BAGI MUDA MUDI GEREJA HKBP MARTUBUNG

The ability to speak English in today's digital era has become a must for everyone to be able to survive in global competition. For this reason, the team from the Faculty of Languages and Arts, University of HKBP Nommensen Medan, provided training to the young people of the HKBP Martubung church to develop their English language skills and their application in singing techniques. In this training, the method used is interactive question-and-answer discussions and lectures to increase the motivation and participation of participants in each activity. Based on the results of the learning evaluation obtained by the Language and Arts Faculty team, there was a good change and an increase from the first month of training to the end of this activity. All participants were very enthusiastic about showing their ability to sing in English, although there were still some children who seemed reluctant to show their abilities in singing. Given the limited time available, it is hoped that the intensity of training like this can be carried out regularly so that the motivation and desire to learn among young people can continue to be developed in order to gain better skills.

Washback Effects on English Language Learning and Teaching at Aden University

This quantitative study investigated the topic of washback, drawing language educators’ and assessors’ attention to the irreducible importance of feedback for learners. Besides discussing key concepts such as language testing, feedback, washback, and backwash, it investigated the washback effects on (a) developing students' language skills and motivation and (b) teachers' techniques and materials. Questionnaires were used to collect data from 42 English language teachers and 200 students in two departments of English and Translation at the Faculty of Languages and Translation, University of Aden in Yemen. Findings revealed positive effects of washback on the (a) development of students' language skills, abilities, and motivation and (b) teaching techniques and materials. The study generally showed that the faculty members, because of academic loads, only sometimes give their students individual feedback on areas of weakness, and they believe they should not shoulder this burden alone. This provides an amalgam of ideas for more effective teacher-made test washback, considering the teaching loads and training on tests and washback and their effects on learning and teaching English in an Arab context.

Teacher's Written Feedback in Academic Writing Class: Students' Perceptions

Teacher's written feedback is one crucial thing that influences students' success in writing class. This feedback can benefit students' essays and writing performances in writing class. This study focuses on Academic Writing students' perceptions of teacher's written feedback in Academic Writing class. The purpose of this study is to investigate Academic Writing students' perceptions toward teacher's written feedback for their writing performances in Academic Writing class. This study was conducted in the English Language Education Program (ELEP), the Faculty of Language and Arts, Universitas Kristen Satya Wacana. The participants for this study were 31 students who were taking an Academic Writing course in Semester Gasal, 2022/2023 academic year. This study used questionnaires and semi-structured interviews to gather the data. The result showed that Academic Writing students had varied perceptions of teacher's written feedback from their lecturers. There were three types of students' perceptions of teacher's written feedback which were positive, mixed, and negative. This study hopefully can contribute valuable suggestions for the Academic Writing teacher in giving good written feedback and reveals the fact that teacher's written feedback can enhance students' writing performance.

Large languages, impossible languages and human brains

We aim at offering a contribution to highlight the essential differences between Large Language Models (LLM) and the human language faculty. More explicitly, we claim that the existence of impossible languages for humans does not have any equivalent for LLM making them unsuitable models of the human language faculty, especially for a neurobiological point of view. The core part is preceded by two premises bearing on the distinction between machines and humans and the distinction between competence and performance.

Beyond Teaching Languages for Communication—Humanistic Perspectives and Practices

Our purpose is to trace and explain theoretical and practical developments in foreign/world language teaching over the last decade or more. Language teaching in its modern form, from the Reform Movement of the late 19th century, has focused upon the need for learners to learn or acquire a foreign language in order to use it for communication. Other purposes involve language learning as an intellectual exercise, the development of a language faculty, and opening (young) people’s eyes to new worlds by introducing them to other countries. Here, we argue that these purposes are reasonable and enriching, but only if they are combined. We suggest that, by taking a humanistic perspective, language teaching can go beyond communication as a dominant purpose. This humanistic perspective is realised through two complementary developments. One is to emphasise that learners are members of various communities, including their local community, their national community, and a world community. The second is to pay attention to the fact that learners bring to the classroom their concerns and fears, especially in times of crisis. Language teachers, who are not only instructors in skills but educators of the whole person, should respond to their learners’ needs both as denizens of their society and as unique individuals. We first explain the theoretical framework and how it has evolved and then describe two experimental projects, one which focuses on the societal needs and one which adds to this a response to the affective needs of learners. We finally discuss how a recent controversy might be addressed in the language teaching class.

Analisis Fungsi kakujoshi de dalam Aplikasi Todai Easy Japanese News

Analysis the function of kakujoshi de In Today Easy Japanese News Application. Thesis. Padang: Japanese Language Education Study Program, English Language and Literature Department, Faculty of Languages and Arts, Padang State University. In general, joshi can be divided into four types, that are setsuzokujoshi, fukujoshi, kakujoshi, fukujosi, and shuujoshi. Kakujoshi is a particle in Japanese which is a link between noun and predicate. Kakujoshi has various functions and meanings, in a sentence kakujoshi there are several different functions. The researcher appraise that the importance of research analyzes kakujoshi in the Today Easy Japanese News application, so that there is no misunderstanding of students. The aims of this study is to describe the function of kakujoshi in Today Easy Japanese News application. This study uses descriptive qualitative design. The data in this study are sentences that use kakujoshi function in Today Easy Japanese News application according to Sugihartono's theory (2001). The data source in this study is the Today Easy Japanese News application. The instrument of this research is the research itself. Based on the results of the research conducted, researcher found seven functions of kakujoshi de in the Today Easy Japanese News application based on Sugihartono's theory (2001). Kakujoshi function that is not found in Today Easy Japanese News application is the function of showing the “most” at a certain scope/group in revealing something.

The Great Pirahã Brouhaha: Linguistic Diversity and Cognitive Universality

Claims made by linguist Daniel Everett, that the Pirahã language, spoken by a small group of native Amazonians, lacks features thought to be universally present in languages, captured the imaginations of scholars and prompted broader questions on the nature of language, the diversity in languages, and the universals shared by them. Everett claimed that, in Pirahã, he had found a language without numbers, colors, mythology, abstract thinking, or recursive embedding. These claims were challenged by proponents of a universal grammar and by other biological linguists concerned with identifying shared faculties that undergird human cognitive capacities and by linguistic anthropologists concerned with the products of those potentials as they are actualized in the interactivity of speaking. Situating the Pirahã in historical and sociological context, I question the novelty of a faculty of language and many of Everett's claims of Pirahã exceptionality, and I explore the renewed interest in the nature of language.

DEVELOPMENT OF A PROJECT BASED ONLINE LEARNING MODEL TO IMPROVE THE SKILLS AND ABILITIES OF ACTORS FOR STUDENTS

This study describes the development process and feasibility of project-based online learning development to improve actorship abilities and skills for students of the Sendratasik Education Study Program, Faculty of Language and Arts, Surabaya State University. Using research methods, ADDIE development consists of 5 stages of implementation. The implementation stage of this research is only until development is carried out in the drama, dance, and music education study program with students consisting of one Sendratasik study program consisting of 3 traditional theater, actor, and educational theater courses. The research instruments are interview guidelines, expert validation instruments, questionnaires, and observation sheets. The improvement of abilities and skills developed has stages adjusted to the Project Based Online Learning model. There are six syntaxes of the Project Based Online Learning model: online product planning, designing online product planning, preparing online creation schedules, monitoring online project activity and development, testing work online, and evaluating online learning experiences. Based on the assessment of project-based online learning validators, the results of action on content suitability are high criteria, and aspects of construction and readability are very high.

English Teachers’ Approaches to E-teaching during the Second Term of Emergency Remote Teaching

Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) has disrupted teaching situations around the world. In Mexico, the first term taught with ERT was characterized by an abrupt transition that caught many institutions and teachers unprepared. The second term of ERT was a more planned process where training was provided to teachers; nevertheless, little is known about how English teachers approached online teaching in response to a shifting, complex teaching situation. This phenomenographic study aimed at characterizing the approaches to e-teaching of a group of sixteen Mexican ELT and English as a Foreign Language (EFL) faculty members in connection with their perceptions of the teaching situation. Interviews, discovery-based coding, and theme analysis were used. The findings show that many teachers adhered to less sophisticated approaches, in part due to negative perceptions of the teaching situation. A minority held complex, collaboration-focused approaches to e-teaching. However, some teachers with negative views implemented sophisticated approaches, while some who held complex views could not implement them due to constraints in the teaching situation and their personal lives. The digital gap and student dishonesty and disengagement were among the negative elements of the teaching situation that had an impact on teachers’ approaches. These findings suggest that teachers need more training in collaborative, knowledge-building approaches and governments need to do more to address the digital gap.

Exploring German Language Skills Learning Experiences Using The NURS Teaching Model

This mixed-method research study explores German skills using the NURS teaching model for students. It was conducted in the German educational department program at the Faculty of Language and Literature at Makassar State University. The research subject was 28 German academic students from two classes in the second semester. Research instruments in this study include syllabi, teaching plans, student activity sheets, and formative tests. Researchers use reading, listening, writing, and speaking tests to determine students’ competencies and skills. The data was examined by researchers using percentage techniques. German Average score of the students before they learn using the NURS teaching model is 75. The result shows that the average student's German-language skills in the A class are 80.75 and 83.50 for the B class. These improvements could be seen in the improvement in each class. Students of A class have improved in listening, 7.5% in reading, 13% in writing, and 11.5% in speaking. Conversely, students of B class have improved by 12% in listening, 9% in reading, 18% in writing and 15% in speaking. Another value of using the NURS teaching model in learning German is that it positively effect on the teachers’ skills, like management of teaching, time, and how to make students more enthusiastic during the learning process. It can be concluded that the NURS teaching model can improve students' German skills in the German educational department at the Faculty of Language and Literature of Makassar State University.

Subject of Main Instruments (Violin) Madya Level Course In Music Study Program, Faculty of Languages and Arts, Universitas Negeri Surabaya

Soprano violin is part of a stringed instrument. Today, the violin is one of the most popular musical instruments in the community. Many people learn this violin instrument in studios, music courses, schools and other educational institutions. Therefore, the need for the availability of this violin instrument is quite a lot. This also has an impact on the needs of teachers/tutors, the need for books/tools to support the ability to play the violin, and so on. Music Study Program, Faculty of Languages ​​and Arts, Universitas Negeri Surabaya is one of the educational institutions where many students choose the violin major specialization. This research is a class action research at the intermediate level elective principal instrument subject using the case study method through direct observation of the level of difficulty and suitability of the material, so that it can produce a book output. This book is a guide in learning the violin musical instrument which is equipped with techniques, scales, etudes, and repertoire for students of the Music Study Program, Faculty of Languages ​​and Arts, Universitas Negeri Surabaya who are taking the subject matter of violin at the intermediate level.

Pengenalan Budaya Tiongkok Melalui Kerajinan Tangan Simpul Cina di Sekolah SMA PL Don Bosko

Higher Education is obliged to carry out the Tridarma, including Education and Teaching, Research, and Community Service. This is stated in Law Number 12 of 2012. In the Law, Paragraph 11 states that community service is an activity of the academic community that utilizes Science and Technology to advance public welfare and educate the nation's life. The Faculty of Language and Arts Universitas Negeri Jakarta (FBS UNJ) has knit sustainable partnerships with several leading schools around Jabodetabek and want to expand partnerships with several other important related institutions, other museums, one of which is PL Don Bosko High School as part of FBS UNJ, The Chinese Language Education Study Program (PSPBM) this year collaborates with several excellent schools and plans to expand public knowledge about Mandarin language and Chinese culture. In accordance with the study program knowledge family, this activity is expected to contribute to the development of MSMEs, especially the provision of skills for students to start online entrepreneurship with the production of handicrafts 'Chinese knots' as one of the symbols of Chinese culture. This activity is one of PSPBM's efforts to contribute to introducing Chinese culture to ordinary people and also participate in developing Small and Medium Community Enterprises.

Language evolution and computational capabilities: conceptualization of the first language units

This work addresses from the perspective of evolutionary pressure, the delicate issue of the mechanisms and causes that are behind the emergence of the faculty of language among early Homo sapiens ancestors. It mainly focuses on the motives or driving forces that are behind the emergence of the first units of language. The latter are defined in this paper, as the first vocal signals that convey information and meanings that go far beyond the usual vocal repertoire of non-human primates. They emerged as a consequence to make a sense to the principle of fairness by probing equal amounts of quantities in the context of food sharing operations after a collaborative labor. Early hominins realized that learning how to make equal food quantities, which should be regarded today as the most fundamental level for doing mathematics, is a prerequisite for the sustainability of collaborative labor (cooperation). This ancestral computing innovation is shown in this paper to be the greatest achievement of evolution in the Homo lineage. By developing the first computational capabilities, early hominins passed successfully the transition that allowed them to move from the instinct driven behavior, which prevails in the animal realm, to reasoning guided behavior in which processing information and language are two fundamental consequences.

통역이론 교육의 학습효과에 관한 소고

This research is a case study on interpretation education in majors related to Chinese, the most widely taught language at foreign language faculties in Korea following English.
 The study focuses on an undergraduate interpreter education subject called “Theory and Practice of Chinese Interpreting”, a two-hour class that consists of teaching interpretation theories in the first hour and interpretation practice in the second hour, designed to provide continuous and multifaceted theoretical lectures for enhancing interpreting competence.
 Research method consists on studying its effect on students attending the class, which is offered every first semester, based on questionnaires conducted on a total of 109 students over a period of 2 years.
 According to results, 76.2% of students felt that interpretation theory education at an undergraduate level was necessary, and they preferred those that could be directly applied to interpreting practice, such as note-taking, over those that were purely theoretical. In the matter of educational effect, students answered that it deepened their understanding on interpretation and the profession of an interpreter.

Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory and Its Implementation in Markeso Mudo's Garingan Ludrukan Monologue

This paper aims to create works of art with Bandura's social cognitive theory approach consisting of a) Attention (attention), b) Retention, c) Motion Reproduction and d) Motivation as a foundation in the creative process of art learning in monologue courses in the Drama Concentration, Drama, Dance and Music Education Study Program (Sendratasik) Faculty of Language and Arts, Surabaya State University. This lecture is a type of practice with a total of 4 credits, students are directed to practice directly through various methods, strategies and competency content contained in the course. The focus in the current discussion is to practice the Monologue Ludrukan Garingan Markeso Mudo is a competency achievement that will be obtained by students if the stages can be carried out according to the procedure. The implementation of the Ludrukan Garingan Markeso Mudo Monologue is simulated in public spaces targeting crowded places such as markets, stalls or other public spaces that are in accordance with the needs of the actor's concept. The application of Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory as a tool to produce student process space in obtaining structured steps before implementing in the Monologue Ludrukan Garingan Markeso Mudo. Finally, it can obtain a good implementation formulation in practice in the field