International Journal of Language and Literary Studies

IMPROVING ENGLISH VOCABULARY FOR STUDENTS THROUGH LISTENING TO ENGLISH NEWS

Yen Tran — 2023-01-31

The major aim of the present research is to investigate the effects of listening to English News on improving the vocabulary of English majors at a university in Vietnam. The researcher called for 60 students to volunteer to take part in the study, 30 of whom were assigned to the experimental group and the other half assigned to the control group. The two groups had to respond to the pre-questionnaire and take the pre-test on vocabulary. The experimental group then entered the experimental process and was asked to listen to English News every day to learn vocabulary. Besides, they did some exercises designed by the researcher related to the English News they heard. Data were collected within ten weeks via the pre-questionnaire, the pre-test, the post-test and the post-questionnaire. The results of the study indicated that the experimental group advanced remarkably in terms of vocabulary compared to the control group. This demonstrated that listening to English News has a positive effect on English majors’ vocabulary. The results of the post-questionnaire also reveal that the students’ feedback on the practice of listening to English News is generally positive.

Phonological Awareness and Word Reading Fluency Among Young Saudi Learners of English

Asma Alzahrani — 2023-03-04

The current study explored the relationship between phonological awareness and word reading fluency among young Saudi English as a Foreign Language (EFL)learners. Two tests were completed by thirty young Saudi EFL learners. The first test comprised 25 questions related to phonological awareness. In the second test, the learners were asked to read a list of English words in one minute, and each student was given a score based on how many words they read per minute. The students scored relatively low on both tests, indicatinga deficiency in phonological awareness and difficulty in word reading. The scores in both tests were significantly correlated, however, a regression analysis showed that only phonological awareness at the phonemic level was a significant predictor of the students’ performance in the word reading fluency test. The results clearly indicate that Saudi EFL learners could benefit from phonemic awareness training, and future studies should empirically examine its potentialfor improving Saudi EFL learners’ reading fluency.

The Impact of Role Play on Enhancing Learners’ Interaction in Speaking

Khalid Lahbibi — 2023-01-31

This practical action research assesses the impact of using role play in developing Moroccan high school students’ English speaking skills. Role play is one way where students can use English in a real life context, and thus they end up improving their English speaking skills or at least transferring the knowledge they are taught to a real life situation. A lot of Moroccan high school English teachers have recently noticed that their students’ English speaking is not really good, and they have then started conducting action research based on different teaching strategies that can be used to help students improve their English speaking skills. We conduct an experiment where we divide students into two groups: a control group (n:20) which is taught without using role play, and the experimental group (n:20) which is taught using role play. The results report role play to have a positive effect on students’ speaking skills in the sense that there is a significant difference in the mean score between the control group and the experimental group.

The Image of Muslim/Arab Women on the Front Covers of Literary Works

Huda Al-Matrafi — 2023-03-04

In several literary works, the images of Muslim/Arab women have increased since the second half of the twentieth century, particularly in art. While exploring the front covers of literary books, one can observe that the ‘Saving Muslim Women’ motif is extremely common. An analysis is made of how popular fiction and non-fiction front covers show Muslim/Arab women's bodies hidden behind veils, most of which focus on a common theme – the social identity of these women. This paper introduces how the representation of these covered women in veils has become a common trend that is used as stigmatization tools to present what is assumed to be the true image of Muslim/Arab women. In fact, that image continues to be stagnated or stereotyped in both Arab and Western literature. A broad range of sources has been examined to critically explore the images of these women on the front covers of literary works and to understand how stereotyped images have been used to represent them.

Big Data Analysis on Features of Wang Jinhua's Chinese Translation of Emily Dickinson's Poetry

Jianxin Zhou — 2023-01-31

The American poetess, Emily Dickinson, whose poems have entered textbooks of Chinese university, primary and middle schools for many years, has become a well-known foreign poet for Chinese public. It is through Chinese translation that most Chinese readers come into contact with Dickinson's poems, yet study on Chinese translation of Dickinson's poetry which will help reveal characteristics of Chinese translation and thus contribute to the development of Dickinson studies and facilitate popularity of Emily Dickinson in China, is obviously insufficient at present. Based on text data of 243 translated poems in Wang Jinhua's collection of Chinese translation,Selected Dickinson’s Poems, and their original poems, programming approach is adopted to make statistics of vocabulary, part of speech, stanza and line, and punctuation of the original and the translated texts, and translation features of Wang's translation is revealed by contrastive analysis. It is found that vocabulary in Wang’s translation is less abundant than the original. Weights of nouns plus verbs in translation and the original text are close, accounting for about 45% respectively, but nouns performance in original text is more prominent, while verbs performance in translation is more significant. There are many additions of verbs in translation, while there are not much changes to original nouns, and sometimes new nouns are added as subjects of clauses, all of which making the translation smooth and easy to understand without lacking of gracefulness. There is little difference in the number of stanzas and verse lines between the original and Wang’s translation. Original dashes and commas have been changed a lot, either by omission or conversion, yet periods undergo little changes. Translation of exclamation marks and question marks is with high faithfulness to the original.

A Pragmatic Analysis of Selected Newspapers' Coverage of the Covid-19 Pandemic in Nigeria

Oluwatomi ADEOTI — 2023-03-07

Language is a pivotal instrument in the hand of journalists; they manipulate language at their disposal for accomplishing numerous goals. Thus, this study explores a pragmatic investigation of how meanings are interpreted in the selected newspapers’ coverage of the Coronavirus Pandemic in Nigeria. Mey’s (2001) Pragmatic Acts Theory was used to analyze ten (10) data selected purposively from The Punch and The Vanguard Newspapers between February 2020 and June 2020. The study found out that the pragmatic relevance of the COVID-19 newspapers’ coverage is embedded in its media functions as it serves as an indicator to interpret the messages inherent in the coronavirus newspapers’ coverage and a pract of warning to the citizens of Nigeria to stay safe. The study also revealed that the practs used depend on context, situation and existing shared-knowledge of both the speaker and the reader. It was observed that journalists use the news headlines to perform several acts of warning, sensitising, informing, exposing, etc. to achieve different goals and pass numerous meanings to their listeners/readers during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Nigeria. Results indicated that the Nigerian media performed well in terms of covering the pandemic, which in turn created awareness. However, the coverage was not in-depth as most of the reported stories were short and were predominantly straight news. This paper concludes that journalists use contextual language to enhance social relations among the readers.

A Study on the Vocabulary of Filipino- English Bilingual Children Outside the School Setting

Jennifer Tan de Ramos — 2023-03-04

In the field of language learning, language acquisition is an issue that is interesting to investigate since there are a number of theories that explain how language is acquired at an early age. Among early bilinguals, it is important to study the factors that affect their vocabulary. This study explores the word list among Filipino- English bilingual children outside the school setting. The goal was to determine which language, whether Filipino or English, was used predominantly. A second goal was to identify the category the predominant word list belonged to. Two groups of participants were selected randomly and were asked to identify familiar words. The findings revealed that the early bilingual children belonging to the lower-income strata prefer nouns over other English word categories. The findings support the theories of noun bias, stereotyping, and Social Interaction. The results of the study may further improve procedures being done in support of data-driven language learning theory.

THE AFFECTIVE FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE ORAL ENGLISH COMMUNICATION IN NON-MAJOR EFL CLASSROOMS

Thi Thuy Lien Tran — 2023-03-14

Affective factors have been shown to play a crucial role in second language acquisition. However, they seem to be overlooked by most English as a foreign language teachers during classroom practices. Teachers’ oral English is an essential input for EFL students because they are rarely able to use and practice English outside classrooms. Compared with majors, non-English major students can have lower levels of motivation, which may lead to their lack of interest during lessons. Hence, the enhancement of English teaching efficiency in non-major EFL classes seems to be harder. This qualitative study investigates how affective factors are perceived to influence oral English communication in EFL classes where English is taught as a non-major subject at two public colleges in Vietnam. Data were collected via individual interviews with lecturers and focus group interviews with students. Findings reveal that symmetrical relationship, strong sense of belonging, and deep concern and understanding are the three affective factors that support EFL learning. Among these factors, concern and understanding about students influence both lecturers’ pedagogical decisions and students’ learning motivation. Therefore, EFL teachers are suggested to nurture a strongly emotional classroom culture to lower students’ English anxiety and enhance their learning.

Qualitative Systematic Review in Applied Linguistics: A Synthesis

Jinpei Zhang — 2023-03-13

Qualitative Systematic Review (QSR) is the second-generation literature review that aims to synthesize primary qualitative studies. Its use is growing rather rapidly in medicine, nursing, education and other fields, but it remains underutilized in applied linguistics. In order to invite more qualitative systematic reviews in applied linguistics, this paper first provides the definition of QSR, outlines the key steps for its conduct, elaborates on the core procedure, i.e., synthesis methods, then illustrates with published examples of qualitative systematic reviews in applied linguistics, and finally explores the future directions.

Mentoring Role in Enhancing Yemeni Novice Teachers' Professional Development

Nabil Amin Mohammed Ahmed kassim — 2023-04-10

This study aimed at investigating Yemeni novice teachers' perceptions towards the role of mentoring in their professional development. To achieve the objectives of the study and have a deep insight regarding the study investigation, a mixture of quantitative and qualitative research methods was used by means of an observation checklist and a questionnaire consisting 24 items and administered to 10 novice teachers who were mentored at their schools for six months in the academic year 2020. The findings of the study showed the participants had positive perceptions towards the mentoring role. The participants confirmed that the mentoring process was useful in enhancing their teaching knowledge, updating their instructional methods and use of media, providing them with sufficient instructional and administrative skills regarding classrooms and students' management and performance assessments. Some recommendations were made to schools administrators, policy makers and programs designers to pay more attention novice teachers' needs and demands using formal or informal mentoring practices to improve the quality of English language teaching and learning in Yemeni situation.

Towards a New Strategy for Qur’anic Terms Translation

Adil LACHGAR — 2023-04-10

The translation of Qur’anic terminology is a complex process. Translation of the Holy Qur’an into English is meant for communication of the Qur’anic Message to the whole world. Therefore, the role of the translator of Qur’anic terms is to convey the true meanings of these terms. Any misinterpretation of the Qur’anic terms will result in a huge loss of their meanings. Therefore, this study aims at investigating the useful of conveyance strategy in translating some terms that are related to “al?ibaadaat” (Islamic observances), “al?aqiida” (belief) and “almu?aamalaat” (interpersonal relations). For the sake of this study, this is a qualitative, comparative and analytical study. The results showed that the task of the translator as a mediator between languages, cultures, and between people is not that an easy task. The use of conveyance can help the translator to overcome the challenges that arise during the translation process. What is more, the ultimate goal of translating the meanings of the Holy Qur’an is to make sure that Allah’s Message is transmitted and understood by people. Hence, conveyance strategy can help the translator delivers the message to the target reader. The strategy of conveyance is of great importance in translating Qur’anic terms since it aims at communication.

The Correlation between Critical Thinking Skills and Argumentative Writing Skills in Moroccan Higher Education

Mounir Beniche — 2023-04-15

The aim of this study is to examine the correlation between two major variables which are critical thinking skills and argumentative writing skills in Moroccan higher education. The participants were Semester 4 and Semester 6 students (English department, Faculty of Languages, Letters and Arts Ibn Tofail Universty, Kenitra). 100 students participated in the study. 50 students from semester 4 and 50 students from semester 6. The study resorted to the correlation design for measuring the degree of association between two variables adopting the statistical method of correlation analysis. Hence , a critical thinking test (AssessmentDay Practice Test Experts, 2018) was displayed to test students’ critical thinking skills. Then, the students were asked to write an argumentative essay about social media and everday communication . For the analysis of the collected data, the study used SPSS software (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, version 23). Pearson’s correlation coefficient was applied to examine the significant relationship between critical thinking skills and argumentative writing. The study result showed that correlation coefficient of critical thinking test and argumentative essay of S4 students is 0. 683 and of of S6 is 0. 781 which implies that the two tests are positively correlated and the correlation between critical thinking and argumentative writing is positive and very significant.

Loss and Gain in Translating Culture: Year of the Elephant’s Novella as a Case Study

Ilham Oudad — 2023-04-18

Loss and gain in translating culture have long been debated and continue to be debated. Transforming one culture to another is challenging and creates an obstacle to a successful translation. Considering the differences and distinctions present in each culture, it is notoriously difficult to overcome the cultural barriers in translation. However, many translation theorists propose innumerable translation strategies for rendering this issue. The general tendency of these theorists is either to domesticate or foreignize with reference to Venuti’s work (1995), which uses these two opposing concepts. Visibility and invisibility are other synonyms of domestication and foreignization. When the translator uses domesticating strategies, he/she is invisible. When the translator uses foreignizing strategies, he/she is visible. The research methodology is the qualitative approach where samples of culture specific items are analyzed. Further, the research attempts to enlighten the reader on the transfer of culture from Arabic into English. Its ultimate goal is to identify the most efficient translation strategies applied to reduce loss and enhance gain.

Ideology and Translation

Hanan BENNOUDI — 2023-04-22

Ideally, a translation should be faithful to the original message making the translator invisible; however, myriad factors come into play to reconstruct the text suiting the patronage agenda and thus put the translator into the visible mode as he/she rewrites the text. This article explores, in-depth, the concept of Ideology in translation. In other words, to what extent may Ideology impact the translator’s choices regarding what to add and/or omit and other strategies that, consequently, shape the receivers’ worldviews? Having in mind the importance of ideology and translational changes, myriad examples are provided within the theoretical and practical parts to scrutinize the existence of the manipulation within.

The Relationship between Yemeni EFL Postgraduate Students’ Perceptual Learning Styles and Language Learning Strategies

Belal Abdullah Mohammed Al-Hubaishi — 2023-04-20

Learning styles and strategies are among the most influential factors that account for some differences in how students learn. Because traditional teaching methods are still employed at universities, Yemeni instructors need to be aware of students’ learning styles and strategies for improving classroom teaching and learning. This study intended to investigate the relationship between Yemeni EFL postgraduate students’ Perceptual Learning Style Preferences (PLSP) and their Language Learning Strategies (LLSs). A total of 45 Yemeni postgraduate students (males = 14 and females = 31) enrolling in master’s degree studies at Sana’a University completed two kinds of questionnaires adapted from Reid’s (1987) Perceptual Learning Style Preference Questionnaire (PLSPQ) and Oxford’s (1990b) Strategy Inventory of Language Learning (SILL). The findings showed that kinesthetic, auditory, and tactile were the major learning style preferences (LSPs), whereas group and individual were the least preferred minor LSPs among the participants. Metacognitive, compensation, and cognitive strategies were the most frequently used, while memory and affective strategies were the least frequently used. A statistically significant relationship was found between the participants’ PLSP and their LLSs. These findings may help curriculum developers and language instructors incorporate learning styles and strategies into the syllabus to accommodate individual differences and facilitate learning.

Alternative Assessment Forms for Foreign Language Classrooms

LAYLA AKNOUCH — 2023-04-27

Research in the field of foreign language teaching and learning has proved that testing as an assessment instrument is not an adequate means of assessing the multiple dimensions of language learning. As a result, various alternative assessment forms have been suggested in the literature to compensate for the weaknesses and limitations of conventional testing and ensure more effective learning. Accordingly, this paper seeks to review the literature on the different forms of alternative assessment that language teachers could use in addition to traditional assessment. More specifically, the present paper aims to explore the types of alternative assessments, stresses their importance by listing the many benefits that these assessment methods proved to have, and also discusses some of their perceived limitations.

Developing Writing Skills through English Short Stories: A Case Study in the Classroom

Nagendra Kottacheruvu — 2023-04-03

This study seeks to determine the efficacy and utility of teaching writing skills through short stories to third-semester postgraduate students whose native language and language of instruction is Urdu at Maulana Azad National Urdu University in Hyderabad, India. This article investigates primarily the extent to which selected English short stories are useful and effective for teaching English writing skills. Due to their Urdu-influenced origins, it is a fact that the majority of our students struggle to speak and write in English. Due to their socio-cultural, fiscal, and pedagogical circumstances, as well as the way they are taught, they rarely interact with the target language. They are always hesitant to speak and write in the target language due to fear, hesitancy, and lack of experience, despite their passion for learning English. Mastering writing is regarded as one of the most transferable skills because it requires an extensive vocabulary and correct grammar. In addition, it requires constant effort, practise, reading, and exposure to language use. Students from both Madarasa and Urdu backgrounds with little exposure and practise find mastering writing to be the most challenging endeavour. The findings of this study indicate that reading English short stories improves writing skills.

The Status of Alternative Assessment in Morocco: Teachers’ Attitudes and Obstacles

hicham kasmi — 2023-04-28

Assessment is a fundamental part in language teaching/learning process. It is a guiding factor that provides insight to teachers and learners about the best way to proceed. The literature about language assessment is rich. It includes different forms and techniques of language assessment. In this paper, however, the focus is mainly on alternative assessment. The latter is different both in form and nature from traditional assessment. Researchers confirm that if applied properly, alternative assessment can reflect students’ progress and motivate them to keep up the hard work. This paper, hence, aims to study the attitude of language teachers toward alternative assessment and the main obstacles that may hinder its application in the Moroccan classroom. This research is quantitative. It uses a questionnaire as the main data collection tool. The findings indicate that teachers hold a positive attitude toward alternative assessment, but they fail to apply it in their classroom due to different obstacles.

Effect of debate strategy on EFL learners, speaking proficiency at Ibb University and their attitudes towards it.

Mukhtar Ghalib — 2023-04-02

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of debate strategy on developing learners' speaking proficiency at Ibb University and their attitudes towards it. Due to the nature of the study, the researcher used a quasi-experimental research. Through a mixture of qualitative and quantitative methods used in the study, an oral speaking test, a checklist observation and questionnaire were conducted on 32 learners at level one, English Department, Ibb University in the second semester of the year 2022. To analyze the data, the researcher used means, standard deviations and a t test. The participants went through ten debate sessions lasted for two months and fifteen days and sat for a test before and after using the debate strategy. Using checklist observation, the participants' performance in the tests were evaluated. To reveal their attitudes towards the effect of debate strategy on their speaking proficiency, the participants were asked to respond to the questionnaires that were analyzed later. The findings revealed that participants' level of speaking proficiency greatly developed and that there was a significant difference in the participants' scores before and after using the debate strategy, which suggested that the effect of debate strategy on the learners' speaking proficiency was very high. The participants' attitudes they held towards the debate strategy were highly positive. That means the debate strategy, was very successful in developing learners' speaking proficiency at Ibb University, and, therefore, it was recommended for teachers, specialists, etc. to teach English, mainly the speaking skill, through debate strategy.

THE USE OF MAGICAL REALISM IN GABRIEL GARCIA'S "ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE " AND HOW REFLECTS THE POLITICAL CLIMATE OF LATIN AMERICA.

Jihad Jaafar — 2023-03-14

This article explores the use of magical realism in Gabriel Garcia Marquez's seminal novel, "One Hundred Years of Solitude," and its reflection on the political climate of Latin America during the time of its publication. Through an analysis of the novel's magical elements and their relation to historical events, the article argues that Marquez's use of magical realism is not merely a stylistic device, but rather a political statement on the social and political realities of Latin America. The article further examines the impact of "One Hundred Years of Solitude" on the literary and political landscape of Latin America, cementing Marquez's status as a leading figure of magical realism and a prominent voice for the region's cultural and political identity. Gabriel Garcia Marquez's novel "One Hundred Years of Solitude" is a masterpiece of magical realism, a literary style that blends the fantastical with the everyday. In this article, we explore how Garcia Marquez's use of magical realism reflects the political climate of Latin America during the time of its publication. The novel was first published in 1967, a time when many Latin American countries were experiencing political turmoil and upheaval. Through magical realism, Garcia Marquez is able to weave together a rich tapestry of history, mythology, and social commentary that speaks to the complex realities of life in Latin America. By examining the ways in which magical realism is used in "One Hundred Years of Solitude," we can gain a deeper understanding of the political, social, and cultural context in which it was written, and the enduring impact it has had on literature and culture around the world. This research explores the use of magical realism in Gabriel Garcia's "One Hundred Years of Solitude" and its reflection on the political climate of Latin America. Through a literary analysis of the novel, the study examines the author's employment of magical realism as a literary technique to highlight the political turmoil and social upheaval prevalent in Latin America during the 20th century. The research also delves into the methodology employed by Garcia to weave together the mystical and the mundane in the narrative. The main results suggest that the author's use of magical realism in the novel enables him to provide a critique of the political systems in Latin America and to depict the region's unique cultural identity. The research concludes that Garcia's innovative use of magical realism in "One Hundred Years of Solitude" is a powerful tool for social commentary and reflects the complexities of Latin America's political and cultural landscape.

Overcoming the Myth of the Silent Woman and Double-Colonization in Ernest Hemingway’s Indian Camp

abdelhafid tahboun — 2023-05-05

This paper explores the theme of overcoming the myth of the silent woman and double colonization in Ernest Hemingway’s Indian Camp (1924). It scrutinizes the subversive demolishment of double-minority status lifting the curtain on the thunderous screams of a female character as an emblem of expressive agency. To thematize this research topic and critically diagnose its feasible dimensions, this research paper casts the spotlight of analytical interpretation on the political dynamics, the implicit underpinnings and the insinuated textual unsaid underlying the female character of the Indian woman as a case study placed under scrutiny. To excavate in depth the ideological ramifications and the political implications tacitly embedded in the overall textual fabric of this literary artifact, this current study brings into play the postcolonial feminist perspective as a deconstructive paradigm through decomposing and dismantling a miscellany of excerpted extracts quoted from the decomposed text. This research paper selects relevant thematic insights that embody the counter-patriarchal upheaval and the defiant insurgency unravelling the notion of the Voice as a third space of self-revival, restorative replenishment of the Indian female subaltern and decision-making power. This research paper culminates in a wide array of clear-cut conclusions: A. The strategic reversal of the gender-exclusive model of grand narrative shifts it from misogynistic patriarchy and the top-bottom androcentric monopoly of power to a gender-inclusive vision of democratic parity, political enfranchisement and performative agency. B. The transformational metamorphosis in the tectonic plates of male-female asymmetrical power structures and the replacement of the hierarchically structured pyramid of man-woman relation by a harmonious continuum of gender complementarity. C. The counter-active shift drifts from the reductionistic mindscape of phallocentric discrimination to the anti-patriarchal philosophy of gynocentric perspective.