Forward by the editor-in-chief Professor Hayat Al-Khatib
Owing to globalization, we are experiencing a unique phenomenon of cultural meshing where language traditions and communal practices are intersecting at a heightened pace.
As a result of this “meshing" new traits are detected in all disciplines: AI is curating multilingual data from across cultures, reflecting global trends while deriving new forms of cultural fusion for multicultural users. Developers, designers and content creators are customizing AI systems with different languages, symbols and cultural norms. Business disciplines are adapting products and messages, blending global and local cultural elements glucalisation to appeal to diverse global audience; as well as revisiting values, practices and expectations across societies and adapting global strategies to local cultures. Corporations are reforming hierarchical and egalitarian approaches and blending cultural practices in team building, structural organisations and communication. In education, curricula are being injected with diverse intellectual traditions, drawing on knowledge frames from multiple cultures.
At the academic level, what we are witnessing is an emerging multidisciplinary phenomenon which is studied and applied in fields of sociology, anthropology, education, communication, business and cultural studies. At the theoretical level, it can help us approach and analyse language and communication theories from a multidimensional frame integrating contextual factors, power, pragmatics, symbolic negotiations with emerging global narratives. At the practical level, educators are targeting content, teaching methods and communication styles in a transcultural integrative mode. At the level of research, and to frame our endeavour this volume is concerned with deliberations that can help us reconceptualize language as a fluid, interwoven space of meaning; expanding notions of genre, canon, cross-cultural voices and translations as cultural negotiations, and moving disciplines away from rigid perceptions towards more dynamic and culture-sensitive conceptualizations.
Long standing theories are undergoing scrutiny and being challenged, traditional frames are being tested and long held assumptions are being questioned. Universal Grammar theories are revisited with data from code switching and language blending, defying pre-specified neat syntactic categorisation. Hybrid dialects require deeper probing that challenge framing under simple cognitive models. As a result, Chomsky's semantic and syntactic universals are perceived as less rigid than what has been proposed. Sapir-Whorf's linguistic relativity, proposing that languages impose distinct cognitive frameworks prompting different speakers to perceive reality differently;( i.e. aboriginal languages use cardinal directions (N, S, E, W) instead of left and right; so it is normal to say your cup is south east of your plate instead of on your left. This orientation is argued to reflect a deep cultural and cognitive orientation toward the landscape and absolute directions. It was further argued as an example that demonstrated the impact of language on though, where memory and attention are shaped differently as they encode locations in absolute terms rather than relative terms). However, this view on language relativity is now challenged through data from people blending vocabularies and using hybrid expression. This can indicate that thought is more flexible and hybridised and not linguistically bounded.
Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development, which emphasizes that learning occurs through social interaction with more knowledgeable others, is revisited from a perspective that cognitive and cultural zones are now simultaneously negotiated as learners experience multiple cultures, languages and communication styles and receive multiple and dynamic scaffolding.
In response to these considerations, we invite you to enjoy our authors' contribution to this volume in both issues 1 and 2.
Hayat Al-Khatib, PhD University of London
Professor of Applied Linguistics
LIST OF ARTICLES
Transcultural Linguistics: Reconceptualizing Language across Global Spaces in the 21st Century
Author:
Hayat Al-Khatib
Arab Open University – Lebanon
Scopus Author ID: 57003212200
Orcid ID: 0000-0003-4962-5370
hkhatib@aou.edu.lb
The intensification of globalization has accelerated the convergence of linguistic, cultural, and communicative practices, producing a dynamic phenomenon of cultural meshing that challenges conventional understandings of language. This article explores how such hybridity not only reshapes communicative norms but also necessitates a fundamental rethinking of theoretical, pedagogical, and methodological frameworks across disciplines. We contend that traditional linguistic models, often grounded in static notions of language boundaries and homogeneous speech communities, are increasingly inadequate in accounting for the fluid, transnational, and contextually situated nature of contemporary language practices. By tracing the intersections of multilingualism, digital communication, organizational transformation, and identity formation, we demonstrate how cultural and linguistic mobility destabilizes fixed categories of meaning and usage, demanding a more flexible and relational approach. In response, we propose a framework of transcultural linguistics, which positions cultural dynamism, hybridity, and movement as central analytical lenses. This perspective enables researchers to investigate how speakers negotiate, co-construct, and transform meaning across social, technological, and institutional contexts, while foregrounding the interplay between local specificity and global circulation. Ultimately, this study seeks to advance an integrative research agenda that reconceptualizes language as a living, translingual practice embedded within broader processes of social and cultural transformation. By situating emerging linguistic phenomena within contemporary globalized realities, we lay the groundwork for a transcultural approach capable of capturing the complexity, adaptability, and fluidity of human communication in the 21st century.
Confidence in English as a Second Language: Factors that foster student confidence
Author:
Dr Noboru Sakai
Associate Professor
Tokyo University of Information Sciences
Chiba, Japan
n3sakai25@rsch.tuis.ac.jp
This study utilized Stepwise Regression to examine factors influencing self-confidence in ESL learning, based on survey data from 793 Japanese university students. The dataset included measures of self-reported confidence in English, language proficiency (based on standardized test scores), assigned class levels, and preferences for 20 school subjects, including English. The analysis revealed that a positive attitude toward English was the strongest predictor of confidence, followed by the assigned English class level and language proficiency. Subjects related to Japanese (L1) showed no significant effects, while marginal effects were observed for world history, biology, and interactions involving geography and physics. These findings highlight the critical role of academic interest over ability in fostering self-confidence, suggesting the value of cultivating subject engagement and leveraging smaller, community-based evaluations to enhance confidence, a key driver in language acquisition and application.
Keywords: Self-confidence; Proficiency; Subject preferences; Regression analysis
Deconstructing & Reconstructing Digital Narrative
The Infinity of Gaming/Meaning
Author:
Dr Dalia Saad Mohamed Mansour
Associate Professor
Faculty of Language Studies
Arab Open University in Egypt
dalia.saad@aou.edu.eg
This study deconstructs the digital award-winning interactive poem Loss of Grasp by Serge Bouchardon and Vincent Volckart where the reader/player experiments loss of grasp with the character while he/she is losing definite meaning in the continuous process of de-constructing and re-constructing the text. The study of this highly interactive fiction also explores how narrative theory tries to cope with the forms and formats of this new medium. In this respect, the study aims at crossing the borders created by this sophisticated computer-based medium of narrative. While attempting the disambiguation of the digital narrative, existential and absurdist dimensions are unraveled in the examined text. Moreover, the study capitalizes on the re-contextualization of postmodern techniques in this unconventional medium of narrative with a special reference to the complexity of time, gaming and manipulation, hyperreality, irony, and metafiction. As a digital narrative, Loss of Grasp presents an interactive approach to narrative time that subverts traditional expectations of control and closure, introducing new conceptions of temporal dynamics and the human experience of time. In this respect, this research paper explores the extent to which print-oriented narratological approaches set by classical narratologists can be adapted to analyse digital narrative where contemporary narratologists show great and growing interest. The role of audience interaction is also highlighted to showcase how unconventional narratives blur the lines between production and reception, further complicating the notion of time.
Keywords: Digital narrative – gaming –contemporary narratology – postmodernism – time - absurdism
Download link:
Article 3.pdf
Comparative Analysis of Folktales and Oral Traditions Across Cultures: Shared Motifs and Cultural Values
Author:
Lama Makki
Lebanese University
Beirut, Lebanon
lmakki@aou.edu.lb
This paper examines the comparative study of folktales and oral traditions across diverse cultural contexts and analyzes the dynamic interplay between universal narrative patterns and culturally specific manifestations. Folktales represent some of humanity's oldest narrative forms and serve simultaneously as repositories of shared human experiences and expressions of distinct cultural worldviews. This research investigates how similar narrative structures, such as Campbell's (1949) archetypal hero's journey, trickster tales, and transformation narratives, appear across geographically and historically distant cultures. It also explains how these narratives take on locally significant meanings that reflect particular social structures, environmental contexts, and value systems. This analysis employs multiple methodological approaches including the historic-geographic method that traces tale-type dissemination, Propp's (1968) structural analysis examining underlying cognitive patterns, performance theory focusing on contextual functions (Bauman, 1975), and postcolonial perspectives addressing power dynamics in narrative traditions (Briggs & Naithani, 2012). Through specific case studies, including cross-cultural comparisons of flood narratives, dragon/serpent symbolism, and underworld journey tales, this paper demonstrates how similar motifs acquire distinct cultural interpretations reflecting local cosmologies, ethical frameworks and environmental relationships. This research reveals also how conceptions of the supernatural vary dramatically across traditions including the location-bound spirits of Japanese yokai tales, the more rigid human-magical boundaries in European fairy tales and the fluid ontologies present in many Indigenous American narratives. Similarly, folktales encode culturally specific conceptions of family structures, gender roles, moral frameworks, and environmental relationships. At the same time, they address universal human concerns about justice, transformation, and the unknown. This comparative approach illuminates how narrative elements transform when moving between cultures, adapting to new contexts and maintaining core structures, as demonstrated in recent phylogenetic studies of tale transmission (Tehrani, 2013). This paper addresses also significant methodological challenges in comparative folklore studies, including translation limitations, the risk of imposing Western analytical frameworks on non-Western materials, the loss of performance context in textual analysis and the potential for cultural essentialization. Contemporary approaches increasingly emphasize collaborative methodologies that incorporate Indigenous theoretical frameworks and recognize the dynamic contested nature of traditions within their communities. This study concludes by examining practical applications of comparative folktale analysis in educational contexts, therapeutic approaches, contemporary literary creation and cultural preservation efforts. By highlighting both the remarkable similarities that connect human narrative traditions and the meaningful differences that reflect distinct cultural perspectives, comparative folklore studies offer valuable resources for intercultural understanding in an increasingly connected global society and fosters appreciation for both our shared humanity and our rich cultural diversity through the ancient yet ever-evolving medium of traditional storytelling.
2
Keywords: comparative folklore, oral traditions, cultural narratives, morphological analysis, performance theory, decolonial methodology
DOI: https://doi.org/10.60149/PESF9826
Formation of Subject Competences of Pupils Based on Interactive Methods in Teaching Foreign Languages
Author:
Suyumkan Abdramanova
Osh State University
s.abdramanova@outlook.com
Seidanakan Alimbaeva
Osh State University
s-alimbaeva@hotmail.com
Tamara Appolonova
Osh State University
t_appolonova@outlook.com
Ozgonbay Moldojanov
Osh State University
omoldojanov@hotmail.com
Venera Sabirova*
Osh State University
venerasabirova565@gmail.com
The study aimed to investigate the peculiarities of using interactive methods of foreign language teaching in the world practice and the educational system of Kyrgyzstan to identify their key similarities and differences. The research methodology was based on a comparative analysis of educational approaches, the study of available interactive methods and their adaptation in different educational contexts. The study included an analysis of teaching methods such as project-based learning, role-playing, language clubs, multimedia technologies, language camps, and methods of integrating language with other disciplines. The study determined that interactive methods are effective in international practice due to their focus on active student engagement and practical language use. In the USA, project-based learning and debate were actively used, in the UK – role-playing and Content and Language Integrated Learning, and in Canada – immersive programmes and cross-cultural projects. These approaches combined theoretical learning with practical tasks, creating conditions for the development of language skills, critical thinking and confidence in communication. In Kyrgyzstan, interactive methods have also shown their relevance, especially in the context of learning Russian and English. Multimedia technologies, language camps, workshops and role-playing games were actively used. The Russian language was taught with an emphasis on cultural context and its importance as a means of interethnic communication, while English was taught with a focus on international standards and global communication. The comparative analysis showed that interactive teaching methods in global practice and Kyrgyzstan have a common focus on developing communication skills and engaging students, but differ in terms of technical equipment, resource base and emphasis on local or international needs.
Key words: immersive programmes, innovative technologies, role-playing games, language clubs, language camps.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.60149/KDJY4823
The Imbaba Terrorist Cell Trial
An Examination of Question Types and Conversational Flouting
Author:
Sami Khawaldeh
Arab Open University - Jordan
s_khawaldeh@aou.edu.jo
Forensic linguistics, as a branch of applied linguistics, has become a prominent field of research to explore and examine legal language used by lawyers, judges, defendants, and witnesses in courtroom proceedings. It applies linguistic theories to analyze judicial discourse and solve legal issues such as authorship identification, crime and witness’s testimony (MacLeod and Grant, 2017). The present study utilizes forensic linguistics as a theoretical framework to examine language employed by the Counselor Mohammad Al-Saeed Al-Sherbiny and the witness Mohammad Husein Yaqub in the Imbaba terrorist cell trial in 2021. The Imbaba terrorist cell Trial is an Egyptian court case involving a group of terrorists who were charged with planning and engaging in terrorist activities including targeting civilians, bombing churches, and threatening national unity. The study delves into identifying the types of questions used by Counselor (prosecutor) Mohammad Al-Saeed Al-Sherbiny during the legal testimony of the Egyptian Islamic preacher Mohammad Husein Yaqub, as a witness, on the Imbaba terrorist cell. It endeavors to uncover the political and pragmatic functions behind the use of particular types of questions. Moreover, it aims to examine the witness’s responses and explore the pragmatic and political implications of the deliberate flouting of Grice’s maxims. To achieve the objectives of the research, this study adopts Griffith and Milne’s (2006) Question Map and Grice’s (1975) Cooperative Principle. The findings reveal that the Counselor utilizes probing and open questions to elicit comprehensive responses and to uncover the Salafi and Jihadist religious and political ideological affiliations of the witness. However, unproductive questions such as leading questions and opinions or statements are also employed to constrain the witness’s ability to provide elaborated answers and frame him as suspicious and aligned with terrorist activities which potentially affect public perception and the outcome of the legal proceedings. The analysis indicates that the witness flouts Grice’s maxims, especially maxims of manner and relation to purposefully create ambiguity, evasion, and misdirection. This study contributes empirically to forensic linguistic literature by offering a rare linguistic analysis of a terrorist trial. It demonstrates how employing Griffith and Milne’s question map and Grice’s cooperative Principle uncovers the ideological and pragmatic implications of courtroom discourse.
Keywords: Courtroom questioning, Forensic linguistics,Imbaba Terrorist Cell Trial, Grice’s maxims, Griffith and Milne’s Question Map
Minimizing Cognitive Load in EFL Writing Students: A Multi-Faceted Approach
Author:
Dr Shifan Thaha
Prince Sattam bin Abdel Aziz University
KSA
shifanthaha@gmail.com
EFL writers face many challenges in expressing their ideas. The cognitive load aggravates the difficulties. This study adopts a multi-faceted approach integrating cognitive load theory (CLT) and instructional design. The study adopts a quantitative approach. Seventy-eight learners belonging to different sections, pursuing a Writing skills course at level one, Department of English, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, were divided into control and experimental groups. Thirty-eight participants from the experimental group received four interventions for 8 weeks. Pre-tests and Post-tests were conducted for both groups. A paired t-test was conducted for the experimental group. Results show that linguistic complexity, lack of prior knowledge, and inadequate writing strategies lead to cognitive load. The findings suggest that a range of techniques: multimedia, automated feedback, scaffolding, technological tools, etc. can be beneficial in reducing cognitive load.
Keywords: cognitive load, writing skills, EFL learners, working memory, long-term memory
Author:
Majdi Alkhalayleh, Mutah University, Jordan, E-mail: majde1987alkhalayleh@gmail.com
Mohammed Nofal, Arab Open University, Kuwait, E-mail: mhmdnofal82@gmail.com
Wajed Al Ahamd, Al-Balqa Applied University, Salt, Jordan, E-mail: wajdrasmiahmad@bau.edu.jo
Forensic linguistics plays a critical role in legal systems worldwide by analysing linguistic evidence. However, its potential remains untapped in Jordan and the Arab world, raising questions about its integration into local legal processes. Despite the increasing complexity of cases involving textual and spoken evidence, the extent to which forensic linguistic techniques are formally integrated into the Jordanian legal system remains unclear. Instead, the system often relies on non-specialist analyses that risk miscarriages of justice. To this end, this exploratory study addresses this gap by analysing qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with thirty Jordanian legal professionals, including judges, lawyers, forensic experts, and police officers. The collected data were thematically analysed following Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six-stage thematic analysis. The findings indicate that awareness of forensic linguistics is minimal. The applications of forensic linguistics techniques are limited to basic handwriting and speaker identification analyses, and linguistic evidence is often dismissed as circumstantial. The study also highlights several barriers to applying forensic linguistic techniques in the Jordanian courts, including institutional, resource-related, and cultural obstacles. However, the legal professional participants endorsed the value of forensic linguistics, demonstrating readiness for training and systematic adoption of its techniques. The study calls for actions, such as interdisciplinary collaboration, standardised Arabic forensic linguistics methodologies, and policy reforms, to align Jordan with global forensic best practices. Keywords: Awareness, Court, Forensic linguistics, Jordan, Language evidence, Law.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.60149/XLJY5122
Exploring Language Learning Strategies Employed by Saudi Undergraduate EFL Learners
Author:
Yehia Al-Sohbani
Faculty of Language Studies, Arab Open University, Saudi Arabia
Email: y.alsohbani@arabou.edu.sa
ORCID ID: 1560-0542-0003-https://orcid.org/0000
Hassan Saleh Mahdi
Faculty of Language Studies, Arab Open University, Saudi Arabia
Email: h.mahdi@arabou.edu.sa
ORCID ID: 8219-2340-0003-https://orcid.org/0000
Yousef Houssni Zrekat
Faculty of Language Studies, Arab Open University, Saudi Arabia
Email: y.zrekat@arabou.edu.sa
ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/6318 -9479-0001-0000
Language learning strategies (LLSs) remain a significant focus of applied linguistics research, yet they continue to be an area under active investigation. Despite decades of study, scholars still debate how strategies are defined, classified, and measured, as well as the extent to which they contribute to successful language acquisition. The present study aims at exploring the utilization of language learning strategies among 110 students specializing in English language and literature studies across several universities in Saudi Arabia. The assessment of strategy employment relied on the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) devised by Oxford in 1990, administered through a questionnaire. The principal findings indicated a generally high frequency of strategy adoption among students, particularly in the realm of meta-cognitive strategies, while affective and memory strategies were less frequently employed. Notably, the learners' utilization of cognitive strategies exhibited a strong correlation with their performance in reading skills. Additionally, there was a significant correlation observed between learners' Accumulative Grade Point Average (AGPA), as well as their scores in oral and writing skills, and the application of cognitive strategies. Similarly, the employment of compensation strategies by learners exhibited a significant correlation with their reading skill scores.
Keywords: Arab learners of English, EFL Learners, Language Learning Strategies, meta-cognitive strategies, social strategies
DOI: https://doi.org/10.60149/QLFS9639
Developing Instructional Speaking Materials Based on Discussion Method for Indonesian EFL Learners
Author:
1Saiful, 2Sumirna, 3Hamid Ismail, 4Rina Asrini Bakri
1. Universitas Muhammadiyah Makassar, Jln Sultan Alauddin No 259 Makassar Indonesia 90221 Email: saiful@unismuh.ac.id
2. Universitas Muslim Indonesia, Jln Urip Sumoharjo Km 5 Makassar, Indonesia 90231, sumirna.sumirna@umi.ac.id
3. Institut Kependidikan Kie Raha Ternate, Jambula Kota Ternate Maluku Utara, Indonesia 97747 email: hamidismail@isdik.ac.id
4. Universitas Negeri Makassar, Jalan Bonto Langkasa Kampus Pascasarjana, Makassar, Indonesia 90222 Email: rina.asrini@unm.ac.id
This study aimed to develop English speaking instructional materials based on the discussion method to improve communicative competence among EFL university students. Acknowledging that many existing commercial textbooks do not fully align with the curriculum or address students’ contextual needs, the research adopted a Research and Development approach using the ADDIE model in combination with the PPP procedure. Data collection covered the stages of needs analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation, with all instruments validated by experts to ensure content reliability. The findings indicated a significant increase in students’ speaking scores, with mean post-test scores substantially higher than pre-test scores. Both students and lecturers expressed positive perceptions of the newly developed materials, highlighting increased motivation, engagement, and relevance to real-life speaking situations. Charts and tables further demonstrated the effectiveness of the instructional design, showing that authentic tasks, a clear layout, and contextualized content play crucial roles in enhancing speaking proficiency. This research contributes to the existing body of knowledge by offering an empirically tested model that aligns material development with learners’ cultural backgrounds and practical communication needs. The findings emphasize the value of discussion-based approaches in EFL classrooms and recommend further research to investigate broader implementation and long-term impacts. Overall, the study shows that carefully developed instructional materials can help bridge the gap between curriculum goals and students’ real-world language use.
Keywords
EFL speaking materials; discussion method; instructional design; ADDIE model; communicative competence; contextualized learning; material development
DOI: https://doi.org/10.60149/MVXR8636
From Language Shift to Linguistic Hybridity: The Status and Perceptions of Tamazight in the Algerian Higher Education System
Author:
Imene Medfouni
Assistant Professor of Applied Linguistics, Middle East University, Amman, Jordan
Email: imedfouni@meu.edu.jo
Yousef Barahmeh
Assistant Professor of Linguistics, Isra University, Amman, Jordan
Email address: yousef.barahmeh@iu.edu.jo
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8759-1314
The research examines how Tamazight (the indigenous language of Algeria and the wider North African region) is perceived, used, and hybridised within the Algerian higher education system. It explores how Tamazight intersects with the concepts of indigeneity and hybridity, particularly among the Imazighen in the Chaoui region of eastern Algeria. Drawing on both quantitative and qualitative data, this research adopts a mixed-methods approach, including survey questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and focus group discussions with university students and faculty members in three public universities in the Chaoui region, an Amazigh-populated area in eastern Algeria. The findings of this research indicate that the Imazighen in the Chaoui region of eastern Algeria do not perceive their indigenous language, Tamazight, very favourably. This is largely due to dominant ideological preferences for Arabic and French, as well as Tamazight’s marginalised status and the Imazighen’s linguistic adaptability. We argue that such shift has become increasingly hybridised, as younger generations adopt Algerian Arabic (Darja) alongside Arabic, French, and, more recently, English. In contrast, Tamazight continues to be stigmatised and devalued, highlighting the persistent challenges facing the revitalisation of Tamazight in postcolonial Algeria.
Keywords: Tamazight, Indigeneity/Hybridity, Imazighen, Higher Education, Chaoui Region
DOI: https://doi.org/10.60149/NFPW2459
Challenges in ESL investment: Identity, capital and ideology of multilingual learners at a Malaysian university
Author:
Khursiah Mohammad Sauffi1
University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
khursiah.ms@fbk.upsi.edu.my
Nur Riza Alias2
University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
nurrizaalisa@gmail.com
Fatiha Senom*
(Corresponding author)
University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
fatihasenom@um.edu.my
The significance of English has been established as the second language (ESL) in the Malaysian education system from pre-school until tertiary education context. The ESL learners are expected to continuously pursue their language investment for their academic achievement and future career. Theoretically, language investment happens at the intersection of identity, capital and ideology (Darvin & Norton, 2015). However, language learners often faced diverse challenges in pursuing investment as they may have the desire to learn a language but not fully engage in the learning process due to certain reasons. These would lead to diverse long-term issues that limiting ESL learners’ academic growth when their English is not meeting the requirements assigned by their institution. Thus, this study aimed to explore the challenges encountered by multilingual learners when pursuing investment in ESL learning at a Malaysian public university. This study was conducted as an interpretive qualitative research at a Malaysian public university. Data was collected through five focus group discussions to gather insights and experiences. The emergent themes were further explored in semi-structured individual interviews with eight participants and classroom observations which allowed deeper exploration of personal narratives and contextualised meanings. This current study found that in navigating their investment, the ESL learners faced three main challenges. The first challenge was English speaking and writing skills which caused by their speaking anxiety, self-image, pronunciation, native accent, and writer’s block issues. Secondly, they faced challenges in the teaching and learning process due to destructive feedback, examination pressure, unengaging teaching approach, and unclear first language policies. The third challenge was social challenges which comprised of their English teachers, peers and families who speak limited English. This study contributes a novel perspective to the field of language investment by positioning it within the multilingual realities. It uncovers how learners experienced different challenges in navigating investment based on their identities they construct, capitals that they own and ideologies that they hold. Overall, this study concludes that the multifaceted roles of English in multilingual English language learners’ lives have shaped their investment in English language learning.
(340 words)
Keywords: Identity, capital, ideology, investment, multilingualism, ELT
DOI: https://doi.org/10.60149/JLQG8736
English-Arabic Translation of Speech Acts: A Comparative Pragmatic Analysis of King Lear
Author:
Abdullah Al-Eryani ✉
Department of English, Thamar University, Yemen
Email: abderian2002@gmail.com
Khulood Khalid Al-Ademi
Department of English, Sana’a University, Yemen
Email: k.k.aladimi14@gmail.com
This study investigates the translation of English speech acts into Arabic, focusing on pragmatic shifts, illocutionary force, and cross-cultural adaptation in literary texts. Grounded in speech act theory (Austin, 1962; Searle, 1975) and contrastive pragmatics, the research examines how different speech act types—representatives, directives, declarations, commissives, and expressives—are rendered in Arabic. The corpus consists of 25 purposefully selected speech acts from Act I of Shakespeare’s King Lear and their Arabic translation by Jabrā (2000). Data analysis follows a descriptive and comparative-analytic design, employing Searle’s (1975) framework for English and Arabic pragmatic classifications (Matloob, 1986; Abu Saree, 1989) to identify patterns of illocutionary force, directness, and perlocutionary effect. The findings reveal systematic shifts in translation, including the preference for constatives and requestive performatives, mitigation of directives through politeness strategies, and adaptation of declarations, commissives, and expressives to conform with Arabic cultural and rhetorical norms. High-commitment acts such as orders, threats, or oaths are carefully modulated, while expressive acts often employ interrogative or constative forms to convey emotion. These results underscore that effective translation is not merely a linguistic exercise but a culturally and pragmatically informed process, where maintaining the speaker’s intention and illocutionary force is central. The study contributes to translation theory by providing empirical evidence of cross-linguistic pragmatic adjustment and offers pedagogical implications for translation education. It emphasizes the importance of context-aware, pragmatics-focused training to enhance translators’ ability to convey both meaning and communicative effect, thereby ensuring translations that are faithful to both the source text and the target culture.
Keywords: Speech acts; Illocutionary force; Literary discourse; English-Arabic translation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.60149/WLLA4466
Repositioning Productive English Skills through AI-Assisted Storytelling: Sociolinguistic Insights from Indonesian EFL Learners
Author:
Muziatun Mukadgi
Senior Lecturer and Head of English Education Graduate Program
Universitas Negeri Gorontalo, Gorontalo, Indonesia
Email: muziatun@ung.ac.id
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3013-642X
Given the increasing normalization of AI in global classrooms, this study holds pedagogical and policy implications for how institutions conceptualize authorship, assessment, and technological ethics in language education. It invites educators and policymakers to reconsider how digital tools are integrated in ways that affirm learners’ cultural resources and rights to voice. Productive English skills—writing and speaking—remain central to success in academic and global communication, yet they are unevenly developed among EFL learners in Indonesia. This disparity may be attributed to several intertwined factors: disparities in access to digital technologies, inconsistent teacher training in digital pedagogies, and sociocultural attitudes that discourage verbal risk-taking, such as norms of humility or fear of public embarrassment. Compounding these issues is the limited availability of real-world communicative opportunities—often constrained by rigid curricula, lack of local contextualization, and limited teacher autonomy—that could otherwise resonate more with learners’ lived experiences and multilingual repertoires. This study investigates how AI-assisted storytelling and digital media practices reshape pedagogical approaches to productive English skills in Indonesian EFL classrooms. Drawing on a corpus of student-generated data—including digital comics, narrative essays, speaking videos, and AI-assisted composition —the research explores how learners negotiate multilingual identity, authorship, and digital expression through classroom-based storytelling practices. Using a critical sociolinguistic lens, the study finds that digital storytelling fosters learner investment by recontextualizing English as a medium for personal voice, cultural self-articulation, and social commentary. Simultaneously, AI tools scaffold linguistic experimentation, offering both pedagogical affordances and ethical tensions around voice, authorship, and machine-human interaction. By bridging multilingual practices with AI-enhanced composition, the study highlights the role of storytelling in cultivating meaningful, culturally embedded English use. Learners do not merely consume language structures—they creatively transform them, using narrative to situate their voices in broader social and cultural discourses. Such engagement fosters deeper investment, challenges rigid norms of standard English, and validates learners’ lived experiences within the classroom. Ultimately, this paper argues for a culturally sustaining and critically aware pedagogy that positions learner identity at the center of digital English instruction. The findings offer implications for inclusive curricular design that integrates narrative and digital modalities, enhances teacher capacity to facilitate multilingual storytelling, and establishes context-sensitive frameworks for incorporating AI into diverse EFL environments.
Keywords: productive English skills, digital storytelling, AI-assisted composition, critical sociolinguistics, multilingual identity, translanguaging, EFL in Indonesia.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.60149/SOZG3217
How Can We Address Rater Subjectivity in English Speaking and Writing Assessment through Analytic Indices?
Author:
Hengzhi Hu
Faculty of Education, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Malaysia
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5232-913X
Harwati Hashim
Faculty of Education, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Malaysia
University Research Group on Eduxcellence: Development of Innovative Curriculum & Pedagogy, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Malaysia
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8817-427X
Correspondence: harwati@ukm.edu.my
Rokhatoy Abidova
English Language and Literature department, Urgench State University, Urganch, Uzbekistan
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2035-0177
Language assessment often relies on human judgments, particularly for productive skills such as speaking and writing. However, these judgments are prone to variability due to biases, inconsistent application of criteria, and differing perceptions of language quality, raising concerns about fairness and reliability. To enhance objectivity in our institutional English proficiency tests for international students, we implemented analytic complexity, accuracy, and fluency (CAF) indices alongside traditional human ratings as a trial practice. A preliminary implementation, with available data analyzed correlationally, revealed significant variations in the alignment between human ratings and CAF indices, underscoring the need for targeted rater training or reassessment in certain areas. Challenges, such as recruiting skilled coders and establishing interpretive frameworks for CAF scores, were identified from our reflections, underscoring the need for further refinement.
Keywords: language assessment, speaking, writing, English, CAF
DOI: https://doi.org/10.60149/WPKL4506
Bridging Divides: Science Education and Global Citizenship Across Northern and Southern Perspectives
Author:
Dr Amina Harbali
Arab Open University - Lebanon
aharbali@aou.edu.lb
In the 21st century, Global Citizenship Education stands as a vital educational objective aimed at equipping learners with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required for productive participation in a progressively interdependent world. Science education, traditionally centered on scientific knowledge and methods, is uniquely positioned to contribute to this mission because it provides the tools to interpret evidence, evaluate claims, and propose solutions to global issues.
This paper compares perspectives from the Global North and the Global South with the aim of exploring the role of science education in advancing global citizenship. The Northern and Southern perspectives differ in such a way that the former often emphasizes technological advancement, sustainability, and global competencies, while the latter highlights equity, local knowledge, and the relevance of science education to community needs. By analyzing these divergences and points of convergence, this paper argues that science education can serve as a bridge for cultivating shared values of sustainability, critical thinking, and intercultural dialogue. The paper concludes with a comprehensive set of recommendations for integrating global citizenship principles into science education, fostering rational, sustainable, and culturally responsive learning environments worldwide.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.60149/QFOS5862
