The halal industry is a contemporary global trend of economic development because of the growing number of Muslim consumers. This is realized in Thailand, although it is a Muslim-minority country. Research studies have been conducted to support the readiness of Thailand as a regional hub of the Halal industry. However, a few works emphasize English studies on Thailand’s Halal industry. Thus, this study aims to analyze lexical, grammatical, and semantic features of English regarding the Halal industry in the Bangkok Post, a leading English-language daily newspaper in Thailand. It also discusses the extent of the structural linguistic features that indicate and contribute to World Englishes in the Islamic context of the Thai and global economy. Based on the frameworks of morphology, grammar, semantics, and World Englishes using textual analysis, results revealed that the journalists utilized and constructed a range of outstanding lexical formations as well as phrases and clauses in English that incorporate Arabic and Thai and convey specific semantic features in order to present the Halal industry in Thai society. These structural linguistic features can indicate their Islamic English, World Englishes of global commerce/economy, and Thai Muslim identity of English.

ABSTRACT Commonwealth immigration transformed British society after the Second World War. Settlers from Britain’s former colonies in the West Indies, Pakistan, India and East Africa made a new life in the country, satisfying the labour demands of post-war reconstruction and making Britain a multi-racial society. While the consequences of this change are well studies, this article opens up a new area of historical inquiry by asking how the ways immigrants spoke structured the ‘uneven’ citizenship experienced by post-colonial migrants to Britain. Immigrant communities brought with them different ways of speaking. For some, this was a question of new ‘accents’, or different, global English-es. For others, particularly those from South Asia, English was a second, or perhaps third language, learnt or still to be learnt alongside another tongue. These different ways of speaking have often been considered through the frame of integration. The ability to speak English was a necessary pre-requisite for integration into the British nation. However, by drawing on wide-ranging sources from the National Archives, the BBC archives, and media representations, this paper will move beyond this dichotomy between English speakers and non-English speakers, demonstrating how voices and ways of speaking become contested sites in discussions over citizenship.

Purpose This article examines how English is built into policy, digital, and academic governance systems in Jordan and selected Middle Eastern comparator contexts. It argues that English now functions less as a discretionary communicative resource than as an infrastructural condition of participation, recognition, and mobility. Design/methodology/approach The study combines Critical Language Policy and Critical Discourse Analysis to examine a purposively sampled corpus of 37 publicly accessible texts and artefacts. The corpus is organised across three domains: state and institutional policy texts, public and digital semiotic environments, and scholarly and accreditation-related infrastructures. Jordan provides the primary empirical anchor, while selected Saudi and Gulf materials are used analytically to test whether comparable governance logics travel across the region. Findings Across the corpus, policy texts link English to employability, benchmarking, and international standards; public and digital interfaces place English in the labels and pathways that enable navigation, transaction, and completion; and academic governance materials require English abstracts, keywords, or metadata for visibility and indexing. Arabic remains constitutionally and symbolically authoritative, but it is less consistently embedded in the infrastructures that confer auditability, comparability, and institutional visibility. Originality/value The article introduces Hyperlingua as an author-developed diagnostic construct for naming a configuration in which English derives governing force from its alignment with platforms, metrics, templates, and evaluative systems. In doing so, it shifts analysis from English as an object of linguistic description to the institutional design of multilingual participation and to the problem of multilingual justice under infrastructural governance.

Australian English (AusE) represents a distinctive variety of English with unique phonetic and lexical characteristics shaped by historical, social, and cultural factors. This study examines key phonetic features, including vowel shifts, non-rhoticity, intervocalic flapping, glottalization, and rising terminal intonation, as well as lexical characteristics such as diminutives, slang, and semantic shifts. Data were collected from the Australian National Corpus, ICE-AUS, audio recordings of spontaneous speech, and online surveys capturing regional and generational variation. Acoustic analysis and corpus-based frequency counts were employed to identify patterns, while sociolinguistic observation provided insight into usage contexts and social functions. Results demonstrate that Australian English exhibits dynamic phonetic variation and innovative lexical practices that reflect social identity, regional affiliation, and cultural adaptation. These findings highlight the interplay between linguistic structure and sociocultural factors, confirming Australian English as a socially meaningful and evolving variety of global English.

The speedy growth of English-Medium instruction (EMI) in higher education has brought more concern on language equity and inclusion. Following the situutation, some challenges concerning on persistent language standard ideology, native-speaker centering, internalization pressure, and and teachers’ lack preparation for multi language classroom existed. This study examined how WE is integrated within EMI and identified an insistent void between theory and classroom practice. While current studies progessively concentrate on inclusive and pluralistic approaches, a study on sustained pedagogical integration and its implication of integrating WE into EMI is lacking. Adopting Systemic Literature Review (SLR), 22 articles issued in the year between 2014-2025 were examined. The results indicate that incorporating World Englishes into English Medium Instruction faces challenges related to idelogogical, institutional, stemming mostly from native-speakerism impact and lack of training support for lecturer. Nonetheless, positive trend is emerging in the acceptance of english variation among teacher and students, especially within intercultural communication setting. The findings bring wider implications for educators and policy makers aiming to connect internationalization objectives with inclusive pedagogies within higher education level like the need for adopting translanguaging strategies, developing context-sensitive curricula, and improving teachers’ intercultural competence. This study underlines that incorporating World English into English Medium Instruction goes beyond language proficiency, fostering more comprehensive, fair, and adaptable learning context in higher education globally.

Abstract As an emerging form of cultural exchange, Chinese female-lead internet literature (CFIL, female-oriented label) is in the process of rapid global dissemination, yet its reception in the English-speaking world has received less scholarly attention than male-lead works (male-oriented label). This study examines the reception of CFIL on WebNovel, the first official platform for the English translation and licensed distribution of Chinese internet literature. Drawing on metadata from the platform’s most influential titles and a stratified corpus of reader reviews, it employs sentiment, keyword, and collocation analyses to identify evaluative dimensions. The findings show strong engagement in urban romance and fantasy genres, with positive responses highlighting coherent plots, independent heroines, and readable translations supported by frequent updates. Negative responses stress repetitive storylines, stereotyped female portrayals, and frustration with the pay-to-unlock model. The analysis suggests that WebNovel displays certain heterotopian features, offering a digital space where narratives of female empowerment circulate across languages and cultures, while remaining entangled with commercial formulas and occasional traces of gender ideology. Although CFIL resonates internationally through resilient heroines and accessible translations, its wider recognition is limited by thematic homogeneity and platform commercialization. To achieve sustainable growth and greater literary recognition, CFIL needs more diversified themes, refined narrative strategies, and professionalized translation practices. Methodologically, the study shows that corpus-based analysis of user reviews provides reproducible insights while supporting interpretive close reading. By situating translated CFIL within the context of digital literature, the article highlights its significance as both a medium of cross-cultural exchange and a site of gendered cultural production.

In conversation with andy kirkpatrick: Teaching and assessing pragmatic competence in a global Englishes context

This study examines the role of translation in representing a Chinese Premier’s discourse in international English-language news media, focusing on how official interpretations of political speeches are treated by news outlets. Drawing on Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) framework, particularly the concept of “discourse representation”, and insights from Bednarek’s work on news discourse, the research analyzes three datasets: the original Chinese transcripts of Premier Li Keqiang’s remarks at the 2019 annual press conference, the official English interpretation, and reports from major English news outlets. Through combined quantitative and qualitative analyses, three types of intertextual relationships between the news quotations, official interpretation, and original Chinese text are uncovered. While many news outlets fully adopt the official interpretation, others accept it with minor semantic and/or structural adjustments. Notably, a significant number of journalists do not rely on the official interpretation but produce independent translations directly from the original Chinese. The findings suggest that journalists may have become more aware of interpreting’s mediating role, and that the voices of the interpreter and journalists frequently coexist with the Premier’s in translated direct quotations. This highlights the dual mediating roles of interpreters and journalist-translators in cross-border political communication and the importance of not treating translated political quotations as exact replicas of original statements. This paper contributes to the field by demonstrating the complex and dynamic nature of political discourse communication across genres, modes, and languages, while also providing new insights into how interpreting and journalistic practices shape political narratives across borders.

ABSTRACT English language teaching (ELT) in postcolonial societies is never merely a pedagogical enterprise; it is embedded in colonial histories, nationalist language planning, cultural production, and global power relations. In Indonesia, English occupies an ambivalent position. Although it was not the language of formal colonial administration, it has become the most dominant foreign language shaping educational policy, institutional prestige, academic mobility, and access to global literary circulation. This article examines how English has been historically positioned and institutionally negotiated within Muhammadiyah universities, a network of Islamic modernist higher education institutions that play a significant role in Indonesia’s educational landscape. Adopting a decolonial perspective, the study draws on qualitative document analysis of national education laws, ministerial regulations, curricular frameworks, and internal Muhammadiyah higher education documents to trace the shifting ideological functions of English from the late colonial period to the post-authoritarian era. Rather than treating English as a neutral global skill or a purely neo-colonial imposition, the article conceptualizes ELT – including the teaching of literature and fiction – as a contested site of negotiation in which religious institutions mediate colonial legacies, national aspirations, moral education, and global linguistic hierarchies. The findings show that Muhammadiyah universities neither reject nor uncritically embrace English. Instead, English is strategically reframed as a resource for institutional modernization, international engagement, literary education, and dakwah [Islamic proselytization and missionary outreach], while being discursively aligned with Islamic values and nationalist educational goals. Literary texts function as pedagogical spaces through which global English is ethically re-signified. By foregrounding Muhammadiyah as an institutional actor in language planning, this article contributes to decolonial debates by showing how faith-based institutions reshape the meanings and limits of global English in postcolonial contexts.

The rapid shift toward digital pedagogy has exposed a significant gap in Indonesian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) assessment practices, where traditional testing often fails to capture complex digital literacy. This study aimed to identify teacher needs in digital assessment and construct a validated digital literacy assessment framework that integrates critical thinking, collaboration, and technological proficiency. Employing a Research and Development (RD) design, the study progressed through three phases: needs analysis, prototype design, and expert validation. Data were collected from 45 secondary EFL teachers in South Sulawesi using questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, while three assessment experts evaluated the prototype using validation rubrics. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Aiken’s V formula, while qualitative data underwent thematic analysis. The needs analysis revealed that current assessments heavily rely on isolated paper-based tests, neglecting students' multimodal skills. In response, a multidimensional framework was developed, encompassing technical competence, digital cognition, and socio-emotional awareness. Expert validation yielded an Aiken’s V coefficient range of 0.82 to 0.94 (mean = 0.88), indicating high content validity, with a practicality rating of 85% from teacher trials. This research concludes that the proposed framework provides a structured pedagogical guideline for educators to transition toward more holistic literacy assessments in the EFL classroom.

Score concordance tables are widely used by higher education institutions to compare scores from different English language proficiency tests, yet their validity depends on the extent to which the tests measure comparable constructs. This study examines the content comparability of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic and TOEFL iBT® tests in the context of a recent co-sponsored score concordance study. Moving beyond score correlations, the analysis compares test content across the four language skills—reading, listening, writing, and speaking—using published research, official test documentation, and publicly available sample materials. The comparison is framed by the validity frameworks adopted by each test provider and focuses on task characteristics, linguistic demands, response formats, and scoring criteria. Results indicate substantial overlap in the constructs assessed by both tests, particularly in reading and writing, where tasks target similar academic language skills and are evaluated using comparable criteria. More pronounced differences emerge in listening and speaking, with TOEFL iBT placing greater emphasis on academic content, integrated skills, and pragmatic inference, while IELTS includes more general listening contexts and examiner-mediated interaction in speaking. Despite these differences, both tests provide multiple opportunities for test takers to engage with extended discourse and demonstrate receptive and productive language abilities. Overall, the findings support the use of score concordance tables between IELTS Academic and TOEFL iBT, while emphasizing the need for cautious interpretation and recognition that scores should not be treated as fully interchangeable. Suggested citation: Cushing, S. T. (2026). Beyond score correlations: A content comparison of IELTS Academic and TOEFL iBT® tests in the context of a score concordance study (TOEFL Research Report No. RR-107). ETS. https://doi.org/10.64634/qercg225

This review systematically examines the benefits and challenges of integrating Virtual Reality (VR) into English language instruction in higher education. Analysing 27 studies published between 2014 and 2024, the findings reveal that VR has been predominantly utilised as an instructional tool across diverse domains, including General English, English as a Foreign Language (EFL), English as a Second Language (ESL), English for Specific Purposes (ESP), English for Occupational Purposes (EOP), and English for Academic Purposes (EAP). The technology has been shown to enhance core language competencies such as speaking, writing, and vocabulary acquisition, with applications spanning vocational training, university programs, and specialised courses. Fully immersive VR, low-cost immersive VR and low-immersive VR were designed by the prior study in exploring learners' English language skills. However, challenges such as dizziness, fatigue, motion sickness, neck pain, and cognitive overload were identified as potential barriers to effective learning. The review further highlights underexplored opportunities for future research, including the integration of cognitive and metacognitive assessments, gamified learning environments, and evaluations of VR's impact on learner motivation. These insights aim to guide educators and researchers in refining VR-based language education strategies while addressing current limitations.

Growing interest in online education has led to considerable research on factors influencing students’ learning outcomes, yet research on the relationship between teaching presence and student satisfaction and academic achievements in synchronous online English classes in developing countries is scanty. The current study aimed to address this gap by employing a quantitative design and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) for data analysis. A total of 182 surveyed respondents from a private Vietnamese university, enrolling in various general English levels in synchronous online modes for at least one semester, completed a closed-ended five-point Likert scale questionnaire survey over a two-month period. The findings indicate that teaching presence was significantly associated with both extrinsic and intrinsic motivation, as well as student satisfaction in synchronous online English classes, although it does not directly influence academic performance. Extrinsic motivation showed a significant positive relationship with academic achievement, whereas intrinsic motivation shows no significant effect. Student satisfaction functions as a mediator between teaching presence and academic performance, with higher satisfaction correlating with improved academic outcomes. The research underscores the importance of teaching strategies that promote satisfaction and extrinsic motivation to bolster student success in online learning environments, specifically in the Vietnamese context, where online learning mode is burgeoning. Moreover, this study contributes to current research by providing additional empirical evidence on theoretical insights and applied applications for online English learning environments by focusing on the unique challenges and opportunities that synchronous online classes present in the Vietnamese educational system, thereby addressing a gap in research from developing countries.

<p>Critical thinking (CT) is considered one of the key transferable skills that undergraduate students are expected to develop in order to cope with the complexities of today’s society as future professionals. This study examined the insights of fourteen Chilean university instructors from different universities regarding the integration of CT into their general English classes, along with the problems they face in this process. Data were collected through an open-ended questionnaire, and responses were analyzed and organized thematically. Results indicate that instructors perceive CT as both a pedagogical goal and a cognitive process associated with higher-order thinking under Bloom’s taxonomy. Also, findings evidence that participants emphasized the significance of CT in promoting learner autonomy and transferable abilities that transcend the classroom, thereby equipping students for their professional careers. Described strategies include task-based learning, role-play, and informal evaluation, all seen as successful in improving student participation and reflection. Within the challenges instructors face, findings arose at both the student and institutional tiers, including low English proficiency and lack of confidence, and restrictive curricula, large class sizes, lack of assessment instruments, and insufficient professional development opportunities, respectively. This study is a contribution to the higher education (HE) field in that it explores how English as foreign language (EFL) instructors perceive and integrate CT in general English courses, linking teacher cognition with classroom strategies and institutional constraints. It provides insights into teaching practices, assessment methods, and challenges, while highlighting the role of CT in fostering transferable skills and learner autonomy.</p>

This study analyzes the English language needs of Hotel Management students at SMKN 1 Sumbawa Besar to design more relevant English for Specific Purposes (ESP) materials. Using questionnaires distributed to 29 students, interviews with two teachers, and documentation, the research found that students face challenges in speaking, vocabulary, pronunciation, and listening, while English is highly needed for tasks such as greetings, reservations, check-in/out, telephone communication, and handling complaints. Current learning still emphasizes General English, creating a gap with industry demands. The study recommends that an ESP-based syllabus focus on Front Office English through role-plays, simulations, and authentic materials to enhance students’ communicative competence and workplace readiness.

ABSTRACT This study traces the viral trajectory of the Chinglish meme ‘You swan, he frog’ from Chinese social media to institutional discourse, highlighting its cultural, linguistic, and pedagogical significance. Drawing on the World Englishes framework, it argues that Chinglish is no longer seen simply as flawed English but as an emergent variety characterized by creativity, hybridity, and youth identity. Using discourse-centered online ethnography and summative content analysis, the study examines the meme’s circulation across Xiaohongshu, China Daily, and national English examinations. The findings reveal three forms of institutional reframing: Chinglish as an expression of cultural confidence and soft power, a marker of linguistic hybridity, and a pedagogical resource. Public responses further point to shifting language ideologies, with Chinglish increasingly viewed as humorous, empowering, and meaningful in local contexts. Overall, the study demonstrates how digital creativity is reshaping English in contemporary China, positioning Chinglish as a legitimate, culturally resonant mode of expression.

In an era in which English serves as a global lingua franca, language education needs to evolve to reflect its dynamic, diverse, and pluricentric nature. Grounded in Global Englishes paradigm, this qualitative study explored how Chinese and Thai university students responded to Global Englishes-informed pedagogy in order to raise awareness of English linguistic diversity. A total of 14 undergraduate students (seven from each country) participated in two rounds of semi-structured interviews, submitted post-course reflective journals, and joined a cross-national online focus group. Qualitative content analysis was conducted using a hybrid of deductive and inductive coding. The findings revealed three core developments. First, students shifted from viewing English as a fixed, native-bound code to embracing it as a pluricentric and user-driven resource. Second, through experiential activities including multilingual debates, tourist interviews, video analysis, and peer-led seminars, students critically reflected on native-speakerism, developed ownership of their English use, and recognized the legitimacy of local varieties. Third, despite these ideological shifts, students reported a persistent tension between progressive classroom practices and traditional assessment systems that continue to privilege native norms. These insights reinforce the transformative potential of Global Englishes-informed pedagogy embedded in reflective, dialogic, and culturally responsive learning. The study calls for systemic change in teacher education, curriculum design, and assessment policy to support a more inclusive and contextually relevant model of English language teaching.

In this article analyzes the relationship between the British and American regional variants of English, and in particular, the linguistic nature of the concept of Americanism. The article provides a comparative analysis of approaches to interpreting "American dialect" as an independent language since the 19th century, as well as points of view that explain it as a regional variant of literary English. Based on the materials of the “Century Dictionary”, the recording of Americanisms in the dictionary, their place in the general English lexical system, and their percentage indicators were determined.

For many decades, English has functioned as a lingua franca that enables people with different mother tongues to communicate to maintain their daily or professional lives. As the linguistic and acoustic features of their native languages differ, the way they use English differs, as well. These World Englishes have the possibility of going extreme, creating varieties which are incomprehensible to one another. These intelligibility issues can be prevented in some ways, one of which is to make sure the education system aims to familiarize learners with different varieties. In order to test this and help educational authorities take action if necessary, this study examines the comprehension levels of intermediate students who currently study at university. The comprehension test employing VGT to avoid bias is completed with the help of audio tracks recorded by real speakers in six different varieties. This test has been applied to 200 preparatory school students at two different high-scale state universities, and its results have been analyzed by using Jamovi. British English took the lead in comprehension, while Indian and American Englishes were realized to be the least comprehended varieties in this study. The results may not verify the dominance of native varieties over non-native ones, yet they ensure that the more students are exposed to different varieties, the more they become able to comprehend and possibly communicate in them.

Abstract Language Learning Mindsets (LLMs) encompass learners’ beliefs concerning language learning and how these beliefs can influence their motivation to embrace challenges to learn better. This study investigates the relationship between LLMs and academic success in a fourth-year medical programme at a public university utilising English Medium Instruction (EMI). Using the Language Mindsets Inventory (LMI), the study evaluates the growth and fixed mindsets of 133 students towards language learning. Academic success is measured through grades obtained in courses delivered in English, as well as preparatory English courses, specifically English for General Purposes (EGP) and English for Specific Purposes (ESP). Utilising simple linear regression analysis, the study examined the relationship between the dependent variables, namely growth and fixed LLMs, and the predictor variable, academic success in EMI courses. The findings indicate that both growth and fixed LLMs emerged as statistically significant predictors of EMI academic success. This suggests that students with a growth mindset exhibited enhanced academic achievement in EMI contexts. Conversely, a fixed mindset was inversely related to academic success, and notable gender differences emerged in fixed LLMs. The results underscore the importance of educators receiving training on how to address different LLMs among students. This training can help educators encourage the development of growth mindsets in all learners and support students with fixed mindsets. Policymakers should consider the implications of LLMs when developing educational policies. This may include allocating resources for research on effective mindset interventions and incorporating mindset-oriented approaches into educational policies.