Abstract The rise of English as a global language has led scholars to call for a paradigm shift in the field of English language teaching (ELT) to match the new sociolinguistic landscape of the twenty-first century. In recent years a considerable amount of classroom-based research and language teacher education (LTE) research has emerged to investigate these proposals in practice. This paper outlines key proposals for change in language teaching from the related fields of World Englishes (WE), English as a lingua franca (ELF), English as an international language (EIL), and Global Englishes, and critically reviews the growing body of pedagogical research conducted within these domains. Adopting the methodology of a systematic review, 58 empirical articles published between 2010 and 2020 were shortlisted, of which 38 were given an in-depth critical review and contextualized within a wider body of literature. Synthesis of classroom research suggests a current lack of longitudinal designs, an underuse of direct measures to explore the effects of classroom interventions, and under-representation of contexts outside of university language classrooms. Synthesis of teacher education research suggests future studies need to adopt more robust methodological designs which measure the effects of Global Englishes content on teacher beliefs and pedagogical practices both before and throughout the programme, and after teachers return to the classroom.
China has been grappling with an air pollution crisis for several years, causing significant impacts on public health and the environment. As the official English-language publication in China, China Daily serves as an essential medium for disseminating the Chinese government's messaging to the international community regarding environmental governance and policy. This study aims to examine the discourse on air pollution in the official English-language newspaper, China Daily, between 2016 and 2022. The research seeks to answer questions about how China Daily constructs the discourse on pollution, how it shapes public perception of China's environmental governance, and what sociopolitical factors influence China's response to environmental challenges. The study suggests that China's commitment to addressing environmental issues through policy measures and sound governance offers a promising outlook for a cleaner and sustainable future.
Abstract
Persian independent pronouns can be considered as the head of noun phrases) Shaghaghi, 2015). However, the head of the noun phrase with a prepositional phrase (preposition + pronominal clitic) can be occupied by a pronominal clitic. To deal with this dual behavior, we adopt distributed morphology, developed by Halle & Marantz (1993), to analyze the internal structure of dependent pronouns or pronominal clitics. This research draws upon descriptive-analytical method, and the data come from Persian language. In this paper, theoretical arguments as well as linguistic evidence will be employed to examine the hypotheses. We suggest that the so-called “pronominal clitics” are actually different elements with different semantic features and structural relationships. Finally, we argue that the (M) index, as a secondary product of morphological merger (Merger) between the two heads, is supposed to be the distinctive element of the dependent pronouns, not of the independent pronouns.
Keywords: Clitics, Distributed Morphology, pronominal clitics, Object agreement, Morphological merger
Introduction
The present paper intends to examine the nature of Persian pronominal clitics or dependent personal pronouns within the framework of distributed morphology. Independent personal pronouns can appear at the head position of a noun phrase. However, it is not true for their clitic forms unless their host be a preposition phrase, wherein that the pronominal clitics can function as the head of the noun phrase. This points to the underlying distinctions between dependent personal pronouns. The present research is grounded upon the very behaviors of pronouns and intends to describe the content features and internal structure of the dependent pronouns.
Materials and methods
In the framework of generative grammar, the intuition of native speakers is an important criterion to judge the well-formedness of sentences. It is thus understood that research into different structures of a language can be based on the intuition of a competent native speaker of the language in question. The data for analysis were collected based on the intuition of one of the co-authors which were then reviewed and confirmed by other members of the research team. In the next step, data obtained were analyzed for descriptive goals related to clitics in Persian language and were then explained on the basis of Distributed morphology framework. Distributed morphology is a post syntactic framework developed by Halle and Marantz (1993). It assumes that there is no generative lexicon, and the formal features are solely restored in a basic storage. According to Marantz (1998), this non-generative storage (which Marantz calls “pure lexicon”) does not participate in the word formation process. In this theory, the other functions of the generative lexicon are now distributed along the syntactic, morphological and phonological components. In Marantz’s (1998) approach, the output of the computational system would be manipulated across the morphological component. In other words, the morphological operations that apply at the post-syntactic level can modify the structure mainly before the phonological component. Furthermore, Bobaljik (2008) argues that agreement features are assigned post-syntactically. In this descriptive analytic research, we mainly use this framework to investigate the nature of pronominal clitics in Persian
Discussion of results and conclusion
This paper is intended to analyze the internal structure and nature of morphemes known as pronominal clitics. These morphemes are attached to different hosts including nouns, prepositions and verbs. We are also aimed at finding out if they possess the same content feature. Considering this inquiry is significant from two perspectives: Firstly, the research in this area claims that one of the most important features that places the pronominal clitics in the category of Clitics is their ability to connect to different hosts. If the analysis shows that the content feature of these elements are different in structures with discrepant hosts, they can no longer be categorized as clitics. Secondly, the dual behavior and the morphological peculiarities that have been shown in combination of “base + pronominal clitic” indicate the underlying distinctions between dependent personal pronouns. Such questions lie at the bedrock of suggesting (M) index. It is assumed that this index, considered as a secondary product of morphological merger between two heads, is the distinguishing factor between dependent and independent forms of pronouns. To examine the explanatory efficiency of the (M) index, we investigated the performance of this index in the reflexive structures with local dislocation and some noun phrases. Finally, the current research investigated the structural position of the dependent pronouns attached to verbs and their structural relation to the agreement mechanism; In this part, we describe the content feature and internal structure of these pronouns. The important issue regarding these elements is that these pronominal systems really resemble affixation more than clitic systems.
Within the framework of distributed morphology, it was found that the dependent personal pronouns attached to nouns, verbs, and prepositions are separate elements with different content features and internal structures. The dependent personal pronouns can also be placed first before other morphemes making thus pronouns closer to the stem. In fact, the findings of this research indicate that these pronominal systems do not really resemble clitic systems.
Introduction. The relevance of the study is explained by the necessity to preserve Frenchspeaking culture and language on the territory of Canada in the conditions of globalization, the spread of American mass culture and the significant impact of English as a global language. The purpose of the work is to describe and analyze the sociolinguistic particularities of the existence of the French language in the English-speaking competitive environment in Canada.Methodology and sources. During the study, the following sociolinguistic methods were used: descriptive method, comparison method, continuous sampling method, sociolinguistic analysis method, quantitative data processing method, questionnaire survey. The research is based on the material of Сanadian media, legislative acts regulating the state's language policy, data obtained through surveys of Canadian citizens, and 5,234 inscriptions in five Canadian cities which were selected to examine the country's linguistic landscape.Results and discussion. Under Canadian laws, French and English have equal status in parliamentary readings, in public services and in everyday life, as well as in education, radio and television. However, English is the dominant language and has great prestige throughout Canada. All of the evidence collected shows the decisive superiority of English as the primary means of communication in media, advertising and politics. Existing legislation to protect and promote the use of both official languages is not fully enforced, as evidenced by numerous complaints from Canadians to the Commissioner of Official Languages.Conclusion. In Canada, a multi-component exoglossic linguistic situation has developed with two official languages – English and French, which is characterized by the existence of natural bilingualism. Linguistic minorities, such as Anglophones in Quebec and Francophones outside Quebec, may experience linguistic discrimination, creating tensions between residents of the same country. French is significantly influenced by the majority English and immigrant languages that dominate the linguistic landscape of Canadian cities.
This paper examines speakers’ systematic errors while speaking English as a foreign language (EFL) among students in Arab countries with the purpose of automatically recognizing and correcting mispronunciations using speech recognition, phonological features, and machine learning. Accordingly, three main steps are implemented towards this purpose: identifying the most frequently wrongly pronounced phonemes by Arab students, analyzing the systematic errors these students make in doing so, and developing a framework that can aid the detection and correction of these pronunciation errors. The proposed automatic detection and correction framework used the collected and labeled data to construct a customized acoustic model to identify and correct incorrect phonemes. Based on the trained data, the language model is then used to recognize the words. The final step includes construction samples of both correct and incorrect pronunciation in the phonemes model and then using machine learning to identify and correct the errors. The results showed that one of the main causes of such errors was the confusion that leads to wrongly utilizing a given sound in place of another. The automatic framework identified and corrected 98.2% of the errors committed by the students using a decision tree classifier. The decision tree classifier achieved the best recognition results compared to the five classifiers used for this purpose.
Social Sciences, Management. Industrial management
This research project bridges the gap between Saudi Vision 2030 and labor market needs by strengthening English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students' critical thinking skills. The increasing unemployment rates may not be due to insufficient vacancies in the labor market, but graduates' lack of the general abilities deemed vital to meet the labor market needs. With employability in mind, this study reiterates that graduates should ideally be advanced specialists, critical researchers, creative initiators, and active communicators to be more competitive and contribute to the prosperity of their nation. Therefore, this research employs a quasi-experimental design (time series design) to investigate how effectively students' critical thinking skills are enriched using a video-mediated self-study program through Telegram. Studies in this respect, regarding the Saudi EFL context, are limited. Therefore, this research employed a video-mediated self-study program through Telegram on learning critical thinking skills for EFL students majoring in English or Translation. The data collection included a pre-and post-test on critical thinking skills and a semi-structured interview. The findings showed that students improved their critical thinking skills due to the training program compared to their performance before the treatment at a low level. Besides, the participants evaluated learning critical thinking skills from thinking ways, feelings, benefits, motivation, challenges and problems, and suggestions. In light of the findings, recommendations were presented.
The COVID-19 pandemic period has brought into light different forms of learning and training particularly leading to the use of digital tools and technology. Given the fact that people used to spend their time working and studying mainly at home and predominantly in isolation, they had more time for solitary activities such as reading, which also has proven to have a soothing and therapeutic effect on the reader. In this respect, there has been an upsurge in the popularity of audiobooks since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. This fact can serve as a favorable opportunity audiobooks to enter the classroom and become an alternative to traditional forms of listening tasks when teaching a foreign language. This current trend in education corresponds fully to the aims and working outputs of the project entitled “Study of Attitudes to the Therapeutic Potential of Reading in Atypical Situations for the Individual” financed by the National Science Fund of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Bulgaria with Contract № КП-06-Н45/2 from 30.11.2020, which has been implemented at the University of Library Studies and Information Technologies, Sofia, Bulgaria. The purpose of this report is to examine the potential of how audiobooks can be used as a form of teaching general English to university students as their first foreign language in university context. The web page https://esl-bits.net/ index.htm has been used to select the appropriate materials for listening. In addition, a practical example of doing exercises where audiobooks are used is given following the three stages of devising a listening task: pre-listening, whilelistening, and post-listening. To support this, methodology guidance has been followed by the “Shaping the Way We Teach English” webinar series by the American English team (https://americanenglish.state.gov/). As a result of this practical example, the author of the report aims to find out whether there is any effect on their reading and listening skills, which are the most prevailing skills that can be affected after doing the exercises using audiobooks in the short term during the spring/summer semester, academic year 2021/2022.
Bibliography. Library science. Information resources
Some studies concerned about engagement markers (EMs) have been conducted among international authors. However, it does not literally trigger Indonesian scholars to study this discipline. Based on this fact, this research aimed to compare EMs in the discussion section of research articles (RAs) written by English Education students of Bengkulu University and RAs published in a reputable English journal. The corpora were analyzed by using the documentation checklist with a quantitative approach. The results showed that the more frequent types of EMs employed by students were knowledge appeals and directives. Similarly, experienced authors of RAs published in the reputable English journal employed the same dominant EMs. However, the order of minor prevalent markers in both corpora differed slightly. The Chi-square test result indicated that the differences in EMs between both corpora were significant in quantity (with Asymp sig. 0.000). More specifically, the experienced authors used a more considerable amount of EMs. In conclusion, the higher frequency of EMs in experienced writers’ RAs signifies the authors’ awareness of using EMs to construct relationships with readers. Therefore, it is essential to emphasize the use of EMs in academic writing. Further study is suggested to analyze the accuracy of EMs in the corpora and focus on a particular type of EMs for achieving more comprehensive findings.
Theory and practice of education, English language
Massimiliano Berretta, Vincenzo Quagliariello, Alessia Bignucolo
et al.
Background: Vitamin D exerts multiple beneficial effects in humans, including neuronal, immune, and bone homeostasis and the regulation of cardiovascular functions. Recent studies correlate vitamin D with cancer cell growth and survival, but meta-analyses on this topic are often not consistent. Methods: A systematic search of the PubMed database and the Clinical Trial Register was performed to identify all potentially relevant English-language scientific papers containing original research articles on the effects of vitamin D on human health. Results: In this review, we analyzed the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of vitamin D against acute and chronic diseases, focusing particularly on cancer, immune-related diseases, cardiomyophaties (including heart failure, cardiac arrhythmias, and atherosclerosis) and infectious diseases. Conclusions: Vitamin D significantly reduces the pro-oxidant systemic and tissue biomarkers involved in the development, progression, and recurrence of chronic cardiometabolic disease and cancer. The overall picture of this review provides the basis for new randomized controlled trials of oral vitamin D supplementation in patients with cancer and infectious, neurodegenerative, and cardiovascular diseases aimed at reducing risk factors for disease recurrence and improving quality of life.
Amir Hossein Firoozkohi, Musa Nushi (0000-0003-1917-5372)
The present study examines Iranian EFL instructors’ conceptualizations of task-based language teaching (TBLT) to identify whether teaching experience plays a significant role in their familiarity with the theoretical underpinnings of TBLT. One hundred sixty-two EFL instructors, reportedly practicing CLT, took part in the study; they were grouped into two categories of novice (N=74) and experienced (N=88). They were asked to fill out a five-point Likert-scale questionnaire designed by the researchers. The responses from the participants were then measured against Ellis’s (2012) criteria of task. The analyses indicated that both novice and experienced language instructors lacked a clear understanding of the ins and outs of TBLT. The findings suggest that without having been fully introduced to this approach, one cannot expect teachers to perform well in a task-based classroom. Hence, not only should stakeholders, administrators, and teacher educators consider offering teaching practicum opportunities, but they also should include introductory courses and workshops at theoretical levels for all teachers, irrespective of their teaching experience.
The two figures who stood at the vanguard of the Japanese theatre world and maintained an international status during the 31 years of the Heisei era (1989-2018) are Ninagawa Yukio and Noda Hideki. Ninagawa Yukio was the most internationally successful of all the theatre directors who emerged during the post-war years. Ninagawa‘s productions were acclaimed not on account of their “Japonistic” and Orientalist tendencies, but precisely because of their lack of any clear national identity. The blend of heterogeneous cultures transcending differences between East and West introduced a universal dimension into the Shakespearean narrative. This was a deliberate strategy on Ninagawa’s part aimed at creating a global production. Noda Hideki showed much interest in performing overseas from early on in his career. He determined to surmount cultural barriers by not incorporating the Japanese language into the drama at any stage from the writing of the script to the stage presentation, with everything being conducted through the medium of English language. The European understanding of contemporary Japanese culture is becoming dominated by the concept of “Cool Japan”. This has brought the essence of Japanese culture as it was conceived prior to the introduction into Europe of animation and Japanese cuisine such as sushi back to the surface. By basing his work on the Nō theatre, with its origins in medieval times, Noda was striving to convey how the traditional Japanese aesthetic as typified by the concepts of yūgen, wabi and sabi has been handed down to present-day Japan.
Contents: J. Flood, D. Lapp, J.R. Squire, J.M. Jensen, Preface. Part I:Historical and Theoretical Perspectives for English Language Arts Teaching and Learning. J.R. Squire, The History of the Profession. J. Dixon, Historical Considerations: An International Perspective. P. Menyuk, Linguistics and Teaching the Language Arts. D.L. Schallert, D.B. Martin, A Psychological Analysis of What Teachers and Students Do in the Language Arts Classroom. M.M. Clay, Child Development. D. Bloome, Anthropology and Research on Teaching the English Language Arts. L.M. Rosenblatt, Literary Theory. L. Baines, E.J. Farrell, The Tao of Instructional Models. L.P. Ruth, Who Has the Power? Policymaking and Politics in the English Language Arts. K. Smith, P.L. Stock, Trends and Issues in Research in the Teaching of the English Language Arts. Part II:Methods of Research on English Language Arts Teaching. S. Stotsky, C. Mall, Understanding Research on Teaching the English Language Arts: An Introduction for Teachers. A. DiPardo, Teacher Professionalism and the Rise of "Multiple Literacies": How to Describe Our Specialized Knowledge? R.C. Calfee, M. Chambliss, The Design of Empirical Research. R.J. Tierney, M. Sheehy, What Longitudinal Studies Say About Literacy Development/What Literacy Development Says About Longitudinal Studies. J. Birnbaum, J. Emig, D. Fisher, Case Studies: Placing Literacy Phenomena Within Their Actual Context. J.L. Green, C.N. Dixon, A. Zaharlick, Ethnography as a Logic of Inquiry. F.R. Burton, B.L. Seidl, Teacher Researcher Projects: From the Elementary School Teacher's Perspective. B. Fecho, J. Allen, Teacher Inquiry Into Literacy, Social Justice, and Power. C.B. Smith, S.S. Klein, Synthesis Research in Language Arts Instruction. D.E. Alvermann, G.G. Hruby, Fictive Representation: An Alternative Method for Reporting Research. M.C. Wittrock, Contemporary Methodological Issues and Future Directions in Research on the Teaching of English. Part III:Research on Language Learners. R.S. Brause, J.S. Mayher, Who Really Goes to School? Teaching and Learning for the Students We Really Have. E. Sulzby, W.H. Teale, The Development of the Young Child and the Emergence of Literacy. K.L. Dahl, P.L. Scharer, L.L. Lawson, P.R. Grogan, Student Achievement and Classroom Case Studies of Phonics in Whole Language First Grades. D.S. Strickland, J.T. Feeley, Development in the Elementary School Years. J. Simmons, P.S. Carroll, Today's Middle Grades: Different Structures, Students, and Classrooms. T. Newkirk, The Learner Develops: The High School Years. R.L. Venezky, Literacy Learning After High School. J.S. Chall, M.E. Curtis, Children With Reading Difficulties. S. Hudelson, L. Poyner, P. Wolfe, Teaching Bilingual and ESL Children and Adolescents. A.F. Ball, M. Farr, Language Varieties, Culture and Teaching the English Language Arts. C.H. Brock, F.B. Boyd, J.A. Moore, Variation in Language and the Use of Language Across Contexts: Implications for Literacy Learning. M. Myers, Issues in Teacher Preparation and Staff Development in English Language Arts. S. Fitzgerald, Teacher Evaluation. J.C. Hartse, R.F. Carey, Pursuing Diversity. Part IV:Environments for English Language Arts Teaching. G.E. Tompkins, E. Tway, The Elementary School Classroom. A.A. Glatthorn, D.L. Shouse, Secondary English Classroom Environments. D.B. Yaden, Jr., J.R. Paratore, Family Literacy at the Turn of the Millennium: The Costly Future of Maintaining the Status Quo. C.K. Kinzer, K. Leander, Technology and the Language Arts: Implications of an Expanded Definition of Literacy. J.R. Paratore, R. Indrisano, Grouping for Instruction in Literacy. C.W. Peters, K.K. Wixson, Unifying the Domain of K-12 English Language Arts Curriculum. R. Farr, M.D. Beck, Evaluating Language Development. Y.M. Goodman, Informal Methods of Evaluation. N. Frey, E.H. Hiebert, Teacher-Based Assessment of Literacy Learning. J.V. Hoffman, S.G. Paris, E. Patterson, R. Salas, L. Assaf, High-Stakes Assessment in the Language Arts: The Piper Plays, the Players Dance, but Who Pays the Price? J.A. Dole, J. Osborn, Elementary Language Arts Textbooks: A Decade of Change. L. Galda, B.E. Cullinan, Literature for Literacy: What Research Says About the Benefits of Using Trade Books in the Classroom. B. Bruce, J. Levin, Roles for New Technologies in Language Arts: Inquiry, Communication, Construction, and Expression. C. Cox, The Media Arts. A.E. Cunningham, K.E. Stanovich, Reading Matters: How Reading Engagement Influences Cognition. A.N. Applebee, Balancing the Curriculum in the English Language Arts: Exploring the Components of Effective Teaching and Learning. Part V:Research on Teaching Specific Aspects of the English Language Arts Curriculum. R.J. Marzano, Language, the Language Arts, and Thinking. J.W. Ney, Teaching the Roots of Modern English: The History of the Language in the Language Arts Class. G. Hillocks, Jr., M.W. Smith, Grammars and Literacy Learning. S. Templeton, Spelling. J.F. Baumann, E.J. Kame'enui, G.E. Ash, Research on Vocabulary Instruction: Voltaire Redux. N. Nelson, J.L. Kinneavey, Rhetoric. M. Martinez, N.L. Roser, Children's Responses to Literature. R.E. Probst, Response to Literature. V.J. Harris, A.I. Willis, Multiculturism, Literature, and Curriculum Issues. S.L. Sebesta, D.L. Monson, Reading Preferences. A.C. Purves, G.M. Pradl, The School Subject Literature. L.M. Morrow, Motivating Lifelong Voluntary Readers. B. Edmiston, P.E. Enciso, Reflections and Refractions of Meaning: Dialogic Approaches to Classroom Drama and Reading. G.S. Pinnell, A.M. Jaggar, Oral Language: Speaking and Listening in Elementary Classrooms. J.M. Mason, S.A. Stahl, K.H. Au, P.A. Herman, Reading: Children's Developing Knowledge of Words. J. Flood, D. Lapp, D. Fisher, Reading Comprehension Instruction. T.G. Devine, J.S. Kania, Studying: Skills, Strategies, and Systems. K.H. Au, Balanced Literacy Instruction: Implications for Students of Diverse Backgrounds. A.H. Dyson, S.W. Freedman, Writing. N. Farnan, K. Dahl, Children's Writing: Research and Practice. B.J. Wagner, Imaginative Expression. J. Hansen, The Language Arts Interact. D.M. Ogle, S.I. McMahon, Curriculum Integration to Promote Literate Thinking: Dilemmas and Possibilities. R.E. Hodges, The Conventions of Writing.