Lluís Català-Oltra; Rodolfo Martínez-Gras; Clemente Penalva-Verdú
Abstract
Within a context of an intense internationalization process, the creation of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), as well as the proliferation of rhetoric aligned with multilingualism, has, in practice, favored mainly the growth of English in tertiary education to the detriment of other European ...
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Within a context of an intense internationalization process, the creation of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), as well as the proliferation of rhetoric aligned with multilingualism, has, in practice, favored mainly the growth of English in tertiary education to the detriment of other European languages. This research focuses on electronic means at European universities in multilingual settings, quantifying the use of languages in a population of 88 universities by means of content analysis. The results show the poor presence of minority languages (ML), except for Spanish universities, and the limited implementation of English. Among the potential explanatory variables, the geographic area is the variable that is most strongly associated with the use of languages, although others, such as the Regional Authority Index (RAI), the vital status of minority languages, or the legal recognition of the minority language, are also significantly related to the use of a minority language.
Negmeldin Alsheikh; Maha Al Habbash; Najah Al Mohammedi; Xu Liu; Safa Al Othali; Ghada AI Kilani
Abstract
This case study elucidates culture-based narrative texts based on the interpretation of Arabic, Chinese, and English native speakers. A maximum variation technique of purposeful sampling was used to capture the experience of the participants. The study employed a collective case study and adopted schema ...
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This case study elucidates culture-based narrative texts based on the interpretation of Arabic, Chinese, and English native speakers. A maximum variation technique of purposeful sampling was used to capture the experience of the participants. The study employed a collective case study and adopted schema analysis, analyzing metaphors and interviewing participants. The study explored metaphors, including probing time, elaboration, content recall, and distortion generated by the participants while reading English text-based in a foreign context. The results revealed that culturally familiar texts stimulated readers’ cultural schemata and enhanced their reading interpretation. The distortion and confusion that occurred while reading the unfamiliar texts could hamper readers’ curiosity to instigate and build new cultural schemata. Furthermore, there was a reciprocal interweaving between cultural schema and linguistic competence, regardless of the nature of the cultural text and its familiarity or unfamiliarity. The study recommends further investigation about using English for cultural purposes.
Maman Lesmana
Volume 9, Issue 1 , March 2021, , Pages 58-68
Abstract
In everyday life, there are often errors in foreign language translation, either in spelling or vocabulary or in pragmatic terms. Frequently, these errors are unintentionally amusing. This research discusses humor caused by language errors. The corpus of this study is an informative discourse in Arabic ...
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In everyday life, there are often errors in foreign language translation, either in spelling or vocabulary or in pragmatic terms. Frequently, these errors are unintentionally amusing. This research discusses humor caused by language errors. The corpus of this study is an informative discourse in Arabic and English found in notices in various Arab countries. The data obtained come from several sites. The samples analyzed in this article are memes that contain information about the name of a food at a buffet, the name of the country where a washing machine was manufactured, signs that prohibit parking, signposts, street names, shop names, chicken sales promotions, and salon names. The data are analyzed using theories of linguistics, translation, and humor. From the results of the study it is found that many bilingual informative discourses contain errors in spelling and vocabulary which, in a pragmatic sense, not only cause confusion for readers but also create humor that makes people laugh. The errors listed above are caused not only by the trusted translation tool but also by the informative discourse maker not reviewing the results of the translation.
Mohd Nazri Latiff Azmi; Isyaku Hassan; Engku Muhammad Tajuddin bin Engku Ali; Ahmad Taufik Hidayah; Mohd Hazli bin Yah@Alias; Muzammir bin Anas; Nur Izzati Suhaimi
Volume 8, Issue 1 , March 2020, , Pages 82-91
Abstract
The relationship between Islamic values and foreign languages in the school environment offers a relatively good example of the challenging aspects of Islamic identity formation amongst the students. Via focused group interviews, this study aimed to explore the teachers’ perceptions with regard ...
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The relationship between Islamic values and foreign languages in the school environment offers a relatively good example of the challenging aspects of Islamic identity formation amongst the students. Via focused group interviews, this study aimed to explore the teachers’ perceptions with regard to the influence of English language learning and the environment in the process of Islamic self-identity formation among religious secondary school students in Terengganu, Malaysia. The study employed a qualitative approach in which 15 religious secondary school teachers in the Terengganu State of Malaysia were selected using purposive sampling technique. The study found that the school environment is influential in the process of Islamic self-identity formation among the students, and English language learning does not have a negative influence on the process. Instead, certain virtues, such as respect, self-confidence, diligence, and decency are inculcated in the students’ self-identity during the English language teaching and learning process. Teachers and educational administrators should put more effort toward the best educational provisions for the students’ religious identity through exposure to the values of self-identity beyond the scope of textbooks.