Use Of English For Communication Research Articles

The usage of Recast Feedback to improve Speaking skills

Feedback is a vital process within English language learning, it performs an important role during error correction to develop language skills, especially one feature of speech which is pronunciation. For this reason, pronunciation is significant for communication and must be understandable, accurate, and clear for effectiveness. Therefore, the objective of the present research is to analyze the use of Feedback Recast in the 10th "A" of General Basic of the Educational Unit "Pensionado Olivo" to improve English pronunciation. This research is non-experimental with a mixed approach, a descriptive modality, and an exploratory level. As a result, it was evidenced that the strategies used in the teaching-learning process of English pronunciation are not well applied. In addition, the methodological process system used in the application of Recast has inconsistencies Therefore, the students do not acquire the necessary competence in pronunciation to achieve an appropriate use of English in communication. Finally, it specifies the correct methodological process that converts the recast into an effective tool to identify and improve pronunciation in the English language.

Study on English Public Speaking Teaching from the Perspective of Memetics

This paper, based on Memetics, discusses language imitation, communication and variation integrated in English public speaking teaching. Guided by Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, students complete easier cognitive learning such as memorizing and understanding the language memes which would be further applied, analyzed, evaluated, and created in class for new speech cases with the help of teachers. This teaching strategy gives full play to a more communicative use of English in making public speeches and provides evidence for innovative teaching reforms.

Administrative staff learning and using English to communicate with international students

ABSTRACT Purpose The lack of attention given to administrative staff calls for a study to consider their concerns regarding the learning and use of English to communicate in internationalized universities. This case study aimed to investigate how adequately administrative staff have learned and used English to communicate with international students in an internationalized university in Taiwan. Design/methodology/approach This case study drew on questionnaire and interview data to examine 15 administrative staff's learning and use of English for communication in an internationalized university. Findings The data analysis revealed the linguistic diversity and varying nature of communicative circumstances across university workplaces. The administrative staff were found to have applied multiple strategies to maximize the effectiveness of their English language learning and use for communication. They prioritized the learning opportunities for practicing English to address workplace communication needs. Originality/value These findings suggested that the disciplinary knowledge about English language learning and use for communication obtained from English for Specific Purposes (ESP) research and other fields should be used to broaden the English as an International Language (EIL) paradigmatic scope for research and pedagogy. We argue for a paradigmatic partnership to address the disciplinary limitations of EIL while simultaneously extending the established knowledge of EIL about English language learning and use for ESP and EIL communication.

Effect of Indigenous Language Interference on the Yoruba People Proficiency in English: A Syntactic Approach

A common phenomenon in a multilingual nation, especially a nation where a second language exists among different native languages, is the ‘linguistic interference’ which impedes effective communication among the people that use such a second language. This issue could be attributed to the fact that the second language users do not have all-encompassing knowledge of the rules which guide the use of the language. This research takes a run at finding out the effect of interference of indigenous language on proficiency in English (in both oral and written communications) among Yoruba People in Nigeria. This study focuses on the linguistic interference which usually occurs at the syntactic level of the indigenous language (Yoruba) and the Nigerian ‘lingua franca’ (English). The research adopts a descriptive survey method and error analysis approach for data analysis. The findings of this study show that the second language users of English bring the knowledge of the rules and features of their native languages into existence in the use of English in communication. This results in ungrammatical expressions in their everyday communication.

Motivational Strategies in the English Classroom: The Case of Arab Learners in Israel

<p style="text-align:justify">Decline in students’ motivation to learn languages remains a vexing issue for teachers and educators. Among a myriad of factors that affect student motivation, teachers’ practices appear to play a very dominant role. This has been reflected in the rising number of studies that examine teachers’ motivational strategies. This study aims to determine the specific teacher strategies which are most likely to positively affect the motivation of Arab learners of English from the perspective of learners. Some 400 teenage learners of English responded to an open-ended question in which they were asked to freely describe the strategies their teachers used that motivated them to learn. The results of the study suggest that the majority of students prefer strategies that promote communicative uses of the language to ones that focus on grammar or emphasize learning through texts. Many students also reported that they had more interest in studying English when their teachers integrated technology. It is therefore recommended that teachers give more weight to these motivating strategies by incorporating more communicative use of English and more technology into their lessons.</p>

English as a medium of worship: The experiences of the congregants of a Pentecostal charismatic church in Soweto

This study examines the experiences of the congregants of a Pentecostal charismatic church (PCC) in Soweto regarding the use of English for communication. This particular church is peculiar in that English is its predominant language of religion. This is in stark contrast to many mainline churches (such as the Anglican, Lutheran and Roman Catholic churches) that use indigenous African languages (IALs) in most, if not entire, presentation of church services for black congregants. The curiosity then arises concerning the reasons for the predominant use of English during services in PCCs. The objectives of this study were to find out the general views of black congregants about the English language, how this view may impact on the congregants’ view of the use of English within the context of the service and what their preferences about language use in the sermon are, and why. The findings suggest that the congregants view English positively and are receptive to its use in the service, particularly for conducting sermons. In addition, English is seen as an all-inclusive language but notably, not as a language of identity. Based on these findings, strategies for accommodating the diverse language concerns of the congregation were espoused.

Copyright © Australian International Academic Centre, Australia Investigating Reported Social and Affective Strategy Use by EFL Learners in Virtual and Real Learning Environments

Recently, research on computer-assisted language learning has been growing. However, little research is conducted to explore the strategic social interactions of students who learn English as a foreign language (EFL) in a virtual world. The purpose of the study was to investigate how 52 EFL college students engaged and interacted socially in virtual and real spaces. This paper endeavors to address the issue from the theory of language learning strategies. The results reveal that the learners engaged more in a virtual learning environment compared to those in a real English communication class. Moreover, the avatar-embodied virtual world elicited more strategic social interactions for the female EFL students than the ones in a real space, which gave rise to active use of English for communication.

Preparing for English at Work: Intercultural Communicative Competence in Language Education

The advancement of globalization, the upcoming Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) economic integration, the ongoing negotiations for major free trade agreements involving all countries within the Asian region, and the institutions, companies, and individuals involved rely on successful communication across borders. Although English cannot always be and should not be presumed to be the lingua franca for any given multilingual context (Kubota, 2013; Kubota & McKay, 2009; Matsuda & Friedrich, 2011) in Asia, it is often the language chosen. The choice of English as a lingua franca (ELF) is exemplified by ASEAN’s decision to use English as the working language of the association (Association of Southeast Asian Nations, 2007) and by companies’ increasing use of the language for international and internal business communication. While English has long been often used for international meetings, some Asia-based companies, such as Nissan, Rakuten, Fast Retailing, Bridgestone, and Samsung (Mukai, 2013; Neeley, 2012), have adopted English throughout their organizations. The use of English for communication is not limited to employees of multinational or major domestic companies. With tourism reaching more remote areas and the rising mobility of students and workers in the region, service employees may at times need to communicate with customers using the shared knowledge they have of a language, which may often be English (Yoneoka, 2011). Additionally, English may be necessary to access information for workers in many jobs (Frazier, 2012; Louhiala-Salminen & Kankaanranta, 2012). Furthermore, even when spoken communication is in another language, written communication may be required to be in English (Evans, 2013).

Learning English in Kenya: Problems and causes

Abstract The paper reports a survey of secondary school teachers of English in Kenya. Eighty‐six teachers answered a questionnaire during seminars in which the role of English in Kenya was one of the topics discussed. They were asked to rate the seriousness of various problems experienced by their students, and to give their most likely causes. Sociocultural and motivational problems relating to the communicative use of English were not considered to be as serious, as obstacles to the use of English, as bad grammar, lack of vocabulary and mistakes in the written language. The paper considers the findings in the light of the current status of English in Kenya, including the strong association of English with the classroom, the methods used to teach it and its role in the life of the students. It concludes that English as a national second language, for internal use in Kenya, may have to be given greater priority in the school programme while English as an international language, which will be relevant only...

Test review : Royal Society of Arts Examinations Board. The Communicative Use of English: Pilot Scheme for the Hearing Impaired, 1985-86. (The Assistant Secretary, Royal Society of Arts Examina tions Board, 8 John Adams Street, London WC2N 6EZ.)

Test review : Royal Society of Arts Examinations Board. The Communicative Use of English: Pilot Scheme for the Hearing Impaired, 1985-86. (The Assistant Secretary, Royal Society of Arts Examina tions Board, 8 John Adams Street, London WC2N 6EZ.)

Chinese EFL Students' Learning Strategies for Oral Communication

I An investigation of the learning strategies employed by Chinese EFL students for oral communication was conducted. The study attempted to identify the general strategies and specific techniques used by Chinese learners of English to improve their oral proficiency and to assess the effects of some of these. In addition, the study explored learner characteristics which are believed to affect learning strategies and techniques. A three-part questionnaire was administered to 60 graduating English majors at Guangzhou Foreign Language Institute. Subjects were asked to specify and describe personal foreign language learning strategies (adapted from Reiss 1981); to respond to 22 items (derived from Rubin 1975 and Stern 1975) relating to their use of learning strategies and techniques; and to respond to three language learning situations. Each of the subjects also had an oral interview; this interview, modeled on the Test of Oral Interaction (a part of the Communicative Use of English as a -Foreign Language examination series developed by the Royal Society of Arts Examination Board), was designed to evaluate ability in open-ended communicative tasks. To obtain more detailed information about the learners-in particular, their personal insights about their learning processes and strategies-the questionnaire was supplemented by interviews with the ten highest and nine lowest achievers on the oral interview. The investigation identified a large number of learning strategies and techniques of a functional or formal nature, such as talking to oneself and memorizing lists of words. Statistical analyses (including t-tests, simple and multiple regression, and intercorrelations) demonstrated that certain strategies and techniques are critical for improvement in oral proficiency. Particularly prominent were functional strategies such as thinking in English; speaking English with other students, with teachers, and with native speakers, when available; participating actively in group oral