Language Situation Research Articles

ESSAY ON THE LANGUAGE SITUATION IN THE UKRAINIAN DANUBE REGION

The purpose of the study is to outline the current language situation in one of the multiethnic, and, accordingly, multilingual and multicultural regions of Ukraine — Budzhak. The Research objectives are: a) to identify the main differential features of the language situation in the region; b) to identify the components of the language situation — idioms that interact in the studied region; c) to identify the functional load of idioms in everyday and official communication; d) to study the influence of standard (literary) languages on dialect systems. The object of the study is the language situation in one of the region of Ukraine; the subject of the study is the structure and peculiarities of the modern language situation in the multiethnic region of the Ukrainian Danube. Conclusions. In the studied region the language situation is complex, exoglossic (idioms (dialects) of different languages interact: Bulgarian, Gagauz, Albanian, Moldovan (Romanian), Ukrainian, Russian, etc.); endoglossic (dialects and standard languages compete); unbalanced (components are functionally unequal and are distributed by spheres of use). Ukrainian serves as a language of official communication and education, while Russian serves as a lingua franca and informal communication. We see the prospect of further research in the study of interlingual interaction, mixed dialects and regionalisms. We consider it necessary and urgent to draw up a programme of comprehensive sociolinguistic research of the region as a model that can be used in other multiethnic regions in order to improve language planning and language policy of the state in general.

Awareness of Enhancing Pragmatic Competence Via Movies and Effectiveness of Teaching Conversational Implicature Using Films

Rapid advancements in language technologies have created enormous opportunities for teaching and learning a second language. Using films as an aid is the best teaching method available to support students and also to enable them to study in a purposeful manner with fun and entertainment. Films are one of the infrequently used multimedia technologies. In this light this study focuses on the value of understanding the meaning behind the individual’s utterances, the complexity of speech in a language, and the knowledge of teaching and learning conversational implicature through movies. This research investigates the perception of implicature via a questionnaire to EFL learners in Saudi Arabia, where, as in East Asian countries, English is acquired as a foreign language. There were 441 respondents. Also this descriptive qualitative study lists the floutings of Paul Grice’s Cooperative Principle (1975) and the implicature in Plane Movie. In real life in queer situations if asked a personal question, to which they are reluctant to reply, 66.5% of the respondents chose to opt for flouting Maxim of Relevance, whereas 32.4% opted for flouting to the quality maxim Their responses to the question of whether language learning can be done through regular classroom studies ormovies, or both, came out in favor of both. In contrast to the 22.1% who said they could only acquire the language through studies and the 23.2% who said they could only learn it from movies, 54.7% of respondents said they could learn the language in both situations. The study suggests that in order to teach pragmatic concepts like conversational implicature, English curriculum should also contain visual aids like movies, and language teachers should use them while assigning homework or assignments. This study’s findings has significant repercussions that might be advantageous to EFL/ESL students, teachers, and curriculum designers.

Peculiarities of bilingual language situation in secondary schools of Ukraine (according to the results of a mass survey)

Peculiarities of bilingual language situation in secondary schools of Ukraine (according to the results of a mass survey)

7 A Comparison of Performance of Educationally Disadvantaged Non-English-Speaking Participants on a Category Verbal Fluency Test using English or the First Language

Objective:South Africa has a multi-lingual population where fewer than 10% of the population speak English as a first language. This poses a challenge regarding language usage for a verbal fluency task. This study investigated the difference in number of words produced by independent groups of non-English examinees required to produce words in English, or in their first language, on a category verbal fluency task.Participants and Methods:A study on South African non-English first language participants was conducted using the Category Verbal Fluency test (animals) for a sample of nonclinical adults (N = 264) aged 18-60 years with 8-12 years of disadvantaged (poorly resourced) quality of education. Participants either had an African indigenous first language, or Afrikaans (a Dutch derivative) as a first language. The data were derived from one group of either African indigenous or Afrikaans first language participants who were required to use English for word production (Group A English) (n = 159; African indigenous n = 135; Afrikaans n = 24) and another group of participants who were required to use their first language (Group B First Language) (n = 105; African indigenous n = 83; Afrikaans n = 22). The comparative data were stratified for age ranges 18-20, 21-30, 31-40, 41-50 and 51-60 years. Level of education was broadly equivalent across the comparative groups. T-test analyses compared the number of words produced between the English versus indigenous African groups, and English versus Afrikaans first language groups for each age category.Results:The comparison for the indigenous African first language participants, revealed no significant differences in word production for words produced in English or first language regardless of age. In the comparison for the Afrikaans first language participants there was a highly consistent tendency for better word production in Afrikaans than in English. These results indicate that socio-cultural factors may be influential for English language proficiency on a verbal fluency task, rather than the effect of first language usage “per se”.Conclusions:Since the dismantling of the Apartheid system in South Africa thirty years ago, English has become the main language used in government and business and is the preferred language of tuition in schools for those speaking English or an African indigenous language, whereas during the Apartheid era, two official languages were used for government, business, and schooling (Afrikaans and English). Currently, many Afrikaans speaking individuals continue to have Afrikaans as the preferred primary language of tuition in the schools and it persists as the preferred language for use in many Afrikaans dominated business arenas. This study attests to a high level of English fluency amongst those South Africans with an indigenous African first language, who clearly are as fluent in word production using English as they are when using their first language, in contrast to the indications for Afrikaans speaking individuals. Practitioners need to be alert to sociocultural factors that can impact on the optimal use of language in test situations, which may not necessarily be the first language.

Student perspectives on improvisation as a tool for developing interactional competence: the case of Polish secondary students learning French

ABSTRACT Improvisational theatre activities can be used as a tool for developing interactional competence in a language classroom. The unpredictable nature of improvisation resembles authentic communication, as it requires topic negotiation, spontaneous reactions and cooperation. The present article examines the student perspective on improvisation, which helps gain a better understanding of how this teaching tool should be implemented in practice. The study reported here is part of an action study conducted with a group of Polish secondary students learning French who participated in improvisational activities in French over a period of three consecutive semesters. During group interviews at the end of the project, students were asked about their opinions on improvisation in a language classroom. Analysis shows students perceive improvisation as beneficial for their interactional competence, as it allows them to use the target language in life-like situations and enhances their perceived self-efficacy. Obstacles encountered by students are insufficient linguistic competences and stress related to public speaking. Students also provide valuable suggestions concerning the implementation of improvisation in a language classroom, which in their opinion should be introduced slowly, starting from ludic activities. They also consider the teacher's attitude an important factor in overcoming socio-affective obstacles to improvisation.

ANALISIS GAYA BAHASA PENGANTAR GURU DALAM PROSES PEMBELAJARAN SISWA KELAS VI SDI BONTOBILA

This research aims to describe the intensity of Indonesian as the teacher's language of instruction in developing the speaking skills of class VI students at SD Inpres Bontobila, describing the problems of using the teacher's language of instruction in communicating with students in the classroom. This type of research is qualitative. The research results revealed that the intensity of using Indonesian as the language of instruction in the learning process was limited to simple basic sentences regarding standard learning requirements, both in initial activities, core activities, and final learning activities. The problems of using the teacher's language of instruction in communicating with students in the classroom are classified into three problems: the use of standard Indonesian, which hinders learning; differences in the rules of regional languages and Indonesian, causing language interference; and the frequent use of regional languages in educational environments and learning situations.

Role of situational pedagogics in English teaching in the context of soft computing and fuzzy sets

This paper improves the current situation of English language teaching from a technological perspective. Fuzzy that is a method of having local information to project the whole. Soft computing is a kind of optimization relative to traditional should computing, emphasizing the uncertainty and imprecision of things, and with the development of modern society, soft computing can solve many problems in production practice. Scenario teaching method is an important asset to enrich classroom content and mobilize students’ learning enthusiasm. Situational teaching is the sum use of preparation before class to improvisation in the classroom. It has been proved that using scenario teaching in the process of English teaching can improve students’ English ability. However, this traditional situational teaching method has problems such as incomplete evaluation index and poor teaching effect. To solve this problem, we constructed a new situational teaching method and a fuzzy evaluation system based on fuzzy sets and soft computing technology, and verified through experiments that both the new situational teaching method and the fuzzy evaluation system have good effects. At present, the popularity of situational English teaching is low, the overall level of English teaching is not high, fill-in-the-blank teaching is predominant, spoken English is weak, the cost of situational teaching is high, and teachers’ willingness to implement it is low. To improve these problems, based on the research results above we propose the following four recommendations to improve the quality of contextualized teaching, solve the problems of contextualized teaching, and reduce teachers’ pressure to prepare lessons. Finally, we make recommendations based on the current situation of the development of scenario-based teaching. (1) Build situational teaching in many ways. (2) Improve the quality of teachers’ English. (3) Develop individualized improvement programs for students. (4) Promote the reform of teaching tools.

LANGUAGE CHOICE IN PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS: THE CASE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MAROUA, CAMEROON

This study sets out to investigate language choice in a public setting. The study intends to scrutinize the factors accounting for the choice of some language users at the University of Maroua, i.e., to choose any other languages different from the two official languages. To do this, a random sampling of 250 participants was used. The instrument used is a questionnaire with a purely sociolinguistic undertone. Spolsky’s (2009) Language Management backed up the study as the frame. At the end of the analyses, it has been shown that students, the teaching staff (involving some university administrators), and the support staff have some positive and negative attitudes following the language choices made in relation to where the communication takes place as well as the language situations such as enabling mutual intelligibility, social inclusion/exclusion, intimacy and showing identity, solidarity, and work coordination.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0021/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

The Method of Application of Mini-corposes for the Analysis of Language Variation of Etiquetial Expressions in Bilingual Language Situations in the Sociolinguistic Aspect.

The author examines the process of creating and methodology of applying the mini-corps to solve the problems in the field of language choice learning in the sphere of speech etiquette. The different stages of compiling a mini-corps from the peculiarities of material collection to the construction of theoretical models of language use of speech etiquette are considered. The terminological apparatus of the study is introduced. The features of different methods are compared and the need for a comprehensive approach to compiling a mini-corpus is substantiated. The shortage of corpora for the study of language choice in a bilingual situation is stated. Advantages and disadvantages of the chosen methodology are described. In particular, the necessity of selecting authentic examples of spontaneous speech taken from videos based on the method of non-included observation is pointed out. The place of the mini-corpus technique in the set of methods used in this study is shown. The result is a corpus-based description of the algorithms of speakers' use of etiquette expressions in a particular language under the influence of various configurations of factors and parameters of the social context. It is concluded that this method allows, on the one hand, to obtain the necessary and sufficient material for the analysis, on the other hand, it does not involve the use and processing of a large array of data. The prospect of researching the method is to apply it in other situations of bilingualism in order to complement and correct the theoretical models obtained in the course of the study. Thus, the method of compiling bilingual mini-corps makes it possible to reach the level of generalization of linguistic facts, sufficient to build universal models for interpreting the patterns of language choice of etiquette expressions in bilingualism.

Language representations and language attitudes in the Mishar dialect continuum

To forecast the sociolinguistic dynamics of the language, to determine the level of its vitality and to provide adequate measures of language policy and planning, it seems important to analyze the structures of the symbolic components of the language situation, which include language representations and language attitudes, that is, social attitudes towards language. The article presents the results of the analysis of the main types of Tatar language representations and linguistic attitudes among speakers of the Mishar idiom of the Tatar language. The data were collected in the regions where the Mishary Tatars live, namely in the Middle Volga region and in Prisurie. The main research method was a semi-structured interview with subsequent analysis of the obtained data, its classification and interpretation. The paper proposes five clusters of language representations in the minority situation: representations related to the instrumental, symbolic and regulative functions of language, on the one hand, and representations related to the actualized identity structures and to the deontic attitudes of the individual, on the other. In connection with these classes of representations and taking into account language forms, language competences and language practices, a typology of language loyalty is proposed, which includes instrumental loyalty, symbolic loyalty, loyalty according to the forms of language used, loyalty according to language competences and prescriptive loyalty. The material analysis showed the prevalence of positive representations of the Mishar idiom among its speakers, the presence of active positive loyalty in oral spheres of communication at the local level, a high level of idiom preservation, and the integrative nature of sociolinguistic dynamics. At the same time, the situation should be regarded as diglossic both in relation to the Russian language and to the literary Tatar language, which is considered to be prestigious.

The Russian Language in Kyrgyzstan through the Lens of Students

Introduction. The Kyrgyz and Russian languages reflect the language situation in the Kyrgyz Republic. Recently, the public discourse on the relationship between the two languages has attracted scientific attention. National surveys on the prospects of Russian as a functional language in education, public life, and government agencies are being conducted. While there are several studies on this issue, research on the opinions of the younger generation, constituting the majority of the countryʼs population, is almost non-existent. This article analyzes the current status of the Russian language in the Kyrgyz Republic and identifies its role in the personal and motivational preferences of students. Мaterials and Methods. The sociocultural approach forms the methodological foundation of the study. We conducted the survey research which involved 130 students majoring in teacher education from the Osh region in the Republic of Kyrgyzstan. The frequency analysis was carried out for empirical data processing. In addition, the contingency tables were created. Pearson’s chi-square test and the Fisher’s exact test were employed to test the hypothesis that there was a relationship between the variables. The analysis was carried out with the help of the IBM SPSS Statistics. Results. The analysis of the survey results revealed that the majority of students have a positive attitude towards Russia and cooperation between the two countries in various spheres of activity. At the same time, students from rural areas had a higher rate of agreement with these statements. It was revealed that the distribution of answers had a statistical dependence on the place of residence. The highest values were recorded in studentsʼ answers related to statements about the Russian language. The participants ‒ future teachers ‒ expressed great interest in studying Russian language for the purpose of professional and personal growth. Discussion and Conclusion. The present study confirmed that the language policy of a state should take into consideration the practical needs of young people, who consciously treat Russian as a reliable way to unlock their inner potential and improve their professional competitiveness. Therefore, there is an objective need to improve the quality of Russian teaching and to introduce joint effective practices of language education. The materials of the article can be useful for scientific and methodological research of the identified problems.

Ergonomic learning of the language of the urban environment

The proposed article contains the materials of the currently ongoing ergonomic research focused on the development of the problem of ergodesign design related to the study of the phenomenon of human visual comfort when perceiving fragments of the urban environment. The terminological meaning of the word "ergonym" was found from the very beginning of the 20th century when there was no fixed concept yet. For this reason, the semantic meaning was inaccurate due to the greater flow of linguists and their opinion. But through the practical part, the authors managed to exclude similar onyms, thereby expanding the onomastic field. The practical part of the article consisted in the study of local ergonyms of the urban center of Western Kazakhstan, denoting objects serving motor vehicles.
 To collect onomastic research material, the following methods and techniques were used: sociolinguistic and psycholinguistic methods, level analysis when studying the linguistic characteristics of onyms; as well as general scientific methods, primarily modeling and experiment. The results of the study confirm the hypothesis that the language situation has a huge impact on the processes of formation of ergonymic space and, as a sociolinguistic phenomenon, reflects the level of the ethnic and cultural component of society

The Influence of Anglo-American Borrowings on the Current State of the French Language in French-Speaking Countries

The purpose of this study is to describe the language situation of the French-speaking countries in connection with the massive spread of Anglo-Americanisms and their influence on the current state of the modern French language. The research material covers 186 Anglo-American borrowings extracted from articles published and videos posted in French and Canadian periodicals, websites and forums. To achieve the purpose of the study, the following methods were used: the method of continuous sampling of the material, descriptive and comparative methods of the selected material analysis, comparative analysis of dictionary definitions, the method of contextual analysis, as well as the method of statistical data analysis. The results of the study showed that, penetrating into the French language, Anglo-Americanisms undergo lexical, morphological, graphic, syntactic and semantic assimilation in the recipient language. Lexical assimilation, in which Anglicisms are used by native French speakers without adaptation to its language system, is the most frequent phenomenon. The results of an online survey of native French speakers confirmed the following fact: a number of lexically assimilated Anglo-Americanisms most commonly used in everyday life were identified. The survey also revealed a high percentage of respondents inclined to using this layer of vocabulary in their native French language. The study also provides examples of regulatory documents and the names of some public organizations that counteract the penetration of foreign language vocabulary into the French language. An attempt is made to identify extra- and intra-linguistic factors of the integration of Anglicisms into different spheres of human activity. The authors give examples of parallel use of English borrowings and their French equivalents. In the study, the authors pay attention to the etymology of the term Franglais, give a classification of Anglo-American borrowings, as well as represent the ambiguous views of leading linguists and politicians of the French-speaking space regarding the reasons for the appearance of Franglais and their influence on the purity of the French language.

Ecolinguistic Approach to Overcoming the Linguistic Inequality in Spain (by the Example of the Language Situation in Russia)

The problem of preserving and protecting the native language today is relevant in a multinational and polyconfessional state in today’s era of globalisation and European economic integration. The purpose of the article is to examine the internal destruction of the linking function of a single official language, to analyze the discriminatory status of the Spanish language in modern Spain, to predict the consequences of such a language policy and to carry out a comparative analysis of the language situation in Spain and Russia. The object of the study is the Spanish language as the official language of the Kingdom of Spain and its role, significance and functions in the regions of the country, reflecting the political processes of recent decades. Comparative, historical and typological approaches are used, as well as the methods of observation, analysis and modeling. The author investigates the causes of the linguistic inequality in Spain and states the negative consequences of the language policy pursued by the government. Practical recommendations have been developed to overcome the current problems in the country’s language policy, based on the example of Russia.

Balinese Diglossia Shown by Public Signs as Language Vitality Symbol from Linguistic Landscape Perspective

This study is aimed to identify and analyze Balinese diglossia from the perspective of linguistic landscape. Several public signs in Bali use Balinese language. The Balinese language used is varied. There are signs that use Balinese alus variation, while others use Balinese andap. The use of the two variations resembles the culture of Balinese people. Therefore, this study is also intended to provide a new way to view Balinese culture from seeing the Balinese language through non-interactive public signs because there are patterns on each variation used. Furthermore, the use of Balinese variations on signs can be a measurement to acknowledge its vitality; thus, this study is also aimed to measure Balinese language vitality in general and the vitality of its variations. The data of this study were 12 signs collected from banners, billboards, and information signs found in Bali through observation and documentation method. The data were analyzed by using referential identity method with a descriptive-qualitative approach. This study combined the theories of diglossia, context of situation, function of linguistic landscape, Balinese speech levels, and UNESCO vitality level. The result shows that Balinese language signs in public space are able to characterize the diglossia situation of the Balinese people by indicating four features, namely sign makers, participants receiving messages, caste and social status, and domains. The diglossic situation of the Balinese language is indicated by the variation of the Balinese alus, which is the high variety, and the Balinese andap, which is the low variety. The level of language vitality of Balinese high and low is 4, whereas in general is 5.

Network text and problems of its linguo-expert research (results of the round table "Linguistic expert research on conflict in Internet communication")

This material provides an overview of the reports and speeches made at the round table meeting organized on June 29, 2023 as part of the VII International Scientific Conference "Language in the coordinates of the mass media" (St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg). Meetings of expert linguists, included in the program of the annual international conference, have been held since 2015 and involve not only philologists-linguists, but also practitioners interested in the problems of safe use of language in various situations of verbal communication to discuss topical issues of modern linguo-expert Russian practice. This year, the subject of discussion of the round table participants was speech conflicts in different genres of Internet communication and the problems of their study in modern linguoexpert practice. During the discussion, in the reports and speeches of the participants, possible methods and techniques for studying new conflict Internet texts of various genres were discussed in line with the linguistic pragmatic, stylistics, media communicative, linguo-expert and legal aspects.

Speech behavior of a bilingual in everyday discourse

The article deals with certain aspects of the Tatar-Russian bilingual individual’s speech behavior in everyday discourse. The object of our analysis is the language of everyday communication of the Tatar-Russian bilinguals belonging to the young, middle and older generations inside and outside the family, as well as the specifics of language use in these spheres. We conducted a comparative analysis of the linguistic behavior of the two categories of respondents on the basis of the factual material, collected through questionnaires and the recordings of spontaneous conversational speech fragments. The research was conducted using descriptive, statistical methods and a correlation analysis, which made it possible to establish the correlation between the language situation, competence and social parameters of the respondents. The first group of respondents was humanities students of Tatar nationality, among whom 67.6 % of the respondents came from rural families and 32.4% were from urban families. The second group of respondents were representatives of different age groups of mono-ethnic and mixed families, as well as two representatives of other ethnic groups who have an above-average level of Tatar language proficiency. The analysis showed that in today’s active bilingual society the language of everyday communication is complex and multidimensional in its nature. Its functionality and range depend on the language personality’s place of residence and a communicative situation. In the course of our research, we identified the specifics and reasons for language mixing in Tatar colloquial speech. As the respondents leave their family society, there is a noticeable increase in the number of Russian words and expressions in their speech, which is especially characteristic of the younger generation of bilinguals. As the research has shown, in modern conditions, Tatar-Russian bilingualism is actively developing, penetrating into such a stable sphere as a family society. This phenomenon is also observed in modern families, which implement Tatar-Russian bilingualism and whose members’ first language is their native Tatar language.

Hungarian as a minority and majority language in different language policy contexts

ABSTRACT This study primarily focuses on the situation of Hungarians in minority situations in relation to language varieties, i.e. it interprets the various language policy issues primarily in the context of the Hungarian-speaking community, rather than in the context of Hungary, where the place, role and relationship between standard and non-standard language dialects play a prominent role. In most cases, the preservation of Hungarian identity is equivalent to the preservation of non-standard language varieties, in relation to which several language policy and language planning issues arise. The aim of the study is twofold. On the one hand, it aims to provide an up-to-date overview of the language policy situation of the Hungarian language and the Hungarian language community, especially with regard to the Hungarian autochthonous minority of about 3 million people who live in the countries neighbouring Hungary. On the other hand, the study describes the language policy role of dialects and the related attitudes from the perspective of the entire Hungarian language community, addressing the macro-, meso- and micro-level language planning possibilities.

The Students’ Skill to Create a Pedagogical Situation in Bulgarian Language in the Kindergarten in the Context of the Competence Approach

The article examines students’ key skills necessary for an independent development of a pedagogical situation in Bulgarian in the kindergarten. It is indicated that the successful execution of this task largely depends on the ability of the students to get familiar with the content of the educational documentation, to properly prepare informational materials related to the educational work and to communicate with the parents. The combination of knowledge, skills and attitudes that fall within the framework of the competence approach, engaging the students with an active role in the educational process, is analysed. An exemplary framework is set regarding the essential methodical elements, necessary for the successful development of a pedagogical situation in Bulgarian and literature, which assists future teachers in their practical work and boosts their confidence when participating in current and state practice.

Социокультурная ситуация в селах Провиденского городского округа Чукотки глазами их жителей по полевым материалам 2021 г. Часть 1

Introduction. Due to remoteness, limited accessibility and ethnocultural uniqueness, Chukotka used to be — and still is — a particular region of Russia. In Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, the nationwide and specifically ‘northern’ political, economic, social and cultural processes are paralleled by vivid local specifics manifested in all life spheres. The work introduces accounts of the current sociocultural situation articulated by rural residents of Providensky Urban Okrug. Goals. The paper aims to deliver native inhabitants’ opinions on village life, including which realms of social agenda they tend to view as promising, their actual challenges, controversies, and threats. Materials and methods. The study focuses on field materials collected in the town of Provideniya, villages of Enmelen, Nunligran, Sireniki, Novoye Chaplino, and Yanrakynnot in 2021. Special attention is paid to publications characterizing the socioeconomic situation of Chukotka’s indigenous peoples. Part One of the article reviews publications summarizing results of expeditions to Providensky District, briefly describes traditional occupations of rural dwellers, characterizes the sociocultural situation in the villages of Enmelen, Sireniki and Nunligran. Part Two shall deal with the sociocultural situation in the villages of Novoye Chaplino and Yanrakynnot. Conclusions. According to the Russian Census of 2020, the population of Providensky Urban Okrug is 3,707 people, of which 2,140 live in urban areas and 1,567 — in rural ones. About half of the residents are ethnic Chukchis (36.7%) and Eskimos (Siberian Yupiks; 19,1 %). The last ten years have witnessed a minor population growth only in two settlements — town of Provideniya and village of Novoye Chaplino. The main reasons of rural depopulation are low living standards, deterioration of housing facilities, underdevelopment of rural infrastructure, poor educational and medical services, under- and unemployment, low wages, isolation and limited leisure time opportunities. All the interviewed residents stress the importance of sea-hunting industry as a basis of present-day life in the villages. Elders still hope for further development of reindeer breeding and related sectors. The language situation is characterized by a virtually complete displacement of native languages in family and everyday communicative practices.