bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Spanish public Radio
Authors: Morales López Esperanza
Published: December 2016

The main hypothesis sustained in this paper maintains that language is not a mere reflection of external reality but that language also powerfully contributes to it constitution. In this sense, the analysis shows the different symbolic constructs the interviewer establishes in the presentation of the information in various headlines and interviews on the Spanish public radio; symbolic constructs that contribute to the fictionalization of the events. By employing these communicative practices the interviewer manages to activate a cognitive model that presents the Government as having been betrayed by some public people, and as the victim of a conspiracy by certain sectors of the private media and individual judges.

The interpretation of these symbolic practices shows that they contribute to the delegitimation of people involved in those matters. In addition, they constitute an indirect alliance with the thesis defended by the ruling political party on those issues. There is also evidence which indicates that the power exercised by this public media is aimed at manipulating the audience's cognitive representations.
Effects of Cultural Contextualization in Listening Materials on Motivation and Strategy Use
Authors: Kawai Yasushi
Published: December 2016

There are two fundamentally different views regarding which side of culture, i.e., target or base, foreign language learning materials should take. Approaches that emphasize the learner's assimilation into the target culture tend to advocate the use of learning materials which focus on the target side, while those that signify cross-cultural communication are inclined to emphasize the need for information-sending regarding the learner's own culture. From a constructivist perspective, content relevance of learning materials to the learner's existing knowledge is a key ingredient for intrinsic motivation. Acculturation theories, on the other hand, predict that those who are ready to be assimilated in the target culture will have more chance of success in foreign language learning, and therefore learning materials should focus on the target culture.

The author conducted a study investigating if the use of culture-bound proper nouns in materials for listening comprehension may influence the motivation towards foreign language learning, which could eventually make a difference in the use of general learning strategies. Japanese learners of English, subjects in this study, were divided into two groups : one which listened to listening materials using Japanese proper nouns such as Hanako, Sapporo, Judo, etc., and the other which listened to those using English counterparts such as Jane, Atlanta, basketball, etc. The other parts of the material were the same. Pre- and post-tests were conducted regarding motivation and strategy use before and after the ten-week-long listening practice.

The research results revealed that the expected tendency exists but that was not statistically significant. The researcher further investigated the effects of learning styles. The relationship among these variables is intricate, and foreign language learning appeared multidimensional. The results implies that learning materials do not have to reside on one-side of either base or target cultures. Further investigation is recommended to examine if other means of learning material personalization may affect motivation and strategy use.
Attitudes and Motivation of Turkish EFL Students towards Second Language Learning
Authors: Kiziltepe Z.
Published: December 2016

This paper presents the results of a study of the influence of attitudes and motivation on the acquisition of English by Turkish students. It investigates the following factors : attitudes. towards the British and Americans; motivational intensity; interest in English and foreign languages in general; instrumental and integrative orientation; anxiety in English classes; family encouragement; the English teacher and course.

Results indicate that students are highly motivated instrumentally as well as integratively although a moderate interest in the-British and the American community and culture is reported. Respondents' motivational intensity is high, their attitudes towards learning English and languages in general are positive. They do not show anxiety in class and their families are very supportive. Results about their attitudes towards their English teachers and courses vary according to the school they attend. Implications for EFL/ESL classrooms are also discussed at the end of the paper.
The Role of Input in Second Language Acquisition
Authors: Işik Ali
Published: December 2016

The present study investigates the combined effects of different amounts of comprehension-based and form-focused instruction on skill-based proficiency and knowledge of grammatical structures of beginner-level efl students. Specifically, the study addresses the following research questions : 1) Does a basically comprehension-based program of instruction supported by form-focused instruction help beginner-level efl learners improve/develop their listening, reading and writing abilities more than a basically form- focused program of instruction? 2) Does a basically form-focused program of instruction help beginner-level efl learners improve their knowledge of grammatical structures more than a basically comprehension-based program of instruction?

One experimental and one control group, each containing 20 lycee prep level Turkish efl students, participated in the study. The subjects in the experimental and control groups were randomly selected from among lycee prep classes in two different schools. The experimental group enrolled in a program of comprehension-based instruction supported by form- focused instruction; whereas, the control group enrolled in a basically form-focused program of instruction. Both the experimental and control groups had 29 hours of efl instruction per week for 36 weeks.

Different instruments were used to see the effects of these two different types of instruction on their reading, listening, writing skills and knowledge of grammatical structures. At the end of the fourth month, both groups were given the listening, reading and writing components of the Key English Test (ket) and the grammar component of the Oxford Placement Test. At the end of the eighth month, they were given the Preliminary English Test (pet) and another version of the grammar component of the Oxford Placement Test.

The results indicated that the program of comprehension-based efl instruction supported by form-focused instruction was more effective than a basically form-focused program of instruction in helping beginner-level students develop their listening, reading, and writing skills as well as their knowledge of grammatical structures.
Discourse and Culture of Learning Communication Challenges
Authors: Li Mingsheng
Published: December 2016

It has been widely acknowledged in language acquisition research that cultural learning is an inseparable part of language learning. However, insufficient attention has been paid to the culture of classroom learning which involves both teachers' and learners' cultural values, beliefs, roles, expectations, and conceptions of teaching and learning. Communication challenges become obvious when teaching methodologies developed in one educational context are exported to another educational context.

This paper reports on the findings from a case study conducted in 1997 in the People's Republic of China where pedagogical communication conflicts between English native speaking teachers and Chinese university English language majors became acute. The paper focuses on the problematic area - the discourse of participation that was highly valued, promulgated and practised by native speakers teaching English in China. It will point out some of the discrepancies between this discourse and the Chinese culture of learning. In transplanting Western educational models to Chinese classrooms, participants did not sufficiently acknowledge the cultural distance between these models and the Chinese local socio-cultural and educational realities. The discourse of participation was strongly resisted by Chinese students and teaching by native speakers often failed to achieve the desired results. In spite of the "good" intentions on the part of both native teachers and Chinese students, there existed a vast gulf in their perceptions of what constituted "good" teaching and learning, of what appropriate roles they were fitted in, and what they expected of each other. The paper argues that the gulf, the hidden source of the pedagogical communication problems, can be bridged through creating a cultural synergy in which common interests are to be found and shared, sources of problems identified, cultural differences understood and respected, and learning maximally enhanced.
Subject Matter Teaching in Bilingual Education
Authors: Ozerk Kamil , Krashen Stephen
Published: December 2016

Urdu and Turkish speaking children acquiring Norwegian as a second language learned more subject matter in bilingual classes than comparison students in monolingual Norwegian-only classes. Monolingual native speakers of Norwegian learned the same amount of subject matter in bilingual and monolingual classes.
Japanese EFL Learners' Sensitivity to Configurational Distinction in English Relativization
Authors: Ito Akihiro
Published: December 2016

The present study investigated what determined the difficulty of English relative clauses. Grammatical relation, configuration and thematic role in relative clause structures were selected as variables determining the English relative clause difficulty. The results indicated that Japanese learners of English were more sensitive to configurational distinction than grammatical relation distinction and thematic distinction. Based on the research results, the recent treatment of Noun Phrase Accessibility Hierarchy in second language acquisition re-search was criticized.
Adapting Data Gathering Methods to Multilingual and Multicultural Settings
Authors: Ioratim-Uba G.A.
Published: December 2016

African Multilingual nations are in dire need of empirical investigations, which will expose the real language situations, attitudes, and how all of these can be harnessed for development. This study attempts to show that a rich variety of research methods can serve this purpose. An illustration is carried out by adapting the matched guise to study language attitudes in Nigeria. The findings show that apart from working in a simple and direct way in Nigeria, the matched guise reveals subconsciously held language attitudes which the questionnaire or interview methods may not have shown. Descriptive statistics, and paired t-test results show significant p-values in favour of RP (as against the PNEP). It is recommended that new language attitude studies in Nigeria, and Africa as a whole, should enrich their findings through the increased use of the matched guise and other fresh methods. The attitude shown towards RP implies that it will continue to serve as a model for English pronunciation in Nigeria. PNEP will remain relevant in non formal domains of communication.
Identification des congénères
Authors: Theophanous Olga
Published: December 2016

Cet article traite de ridentification des congénères interlinguaux (mots dont la forme et le sémantisme sont identiques ou similaires dans deux ou plusieurs langues) par les apprenants d’une langue seconde/étrangère. Nous nous proposons d’examiner les facteurs susceptibles d’intervenir dans cette identification, soit en la facilitant, soit en y faisant obstacle. Nous distinguerons deux catégories de facteurs : a) ceux qui sont spécifiques aux apprenants; b) ceux qui sont spécifiques aux mots.
Variation and Text Structure
Authors: Holmes Richard
Published: December 2016

This paper is an attempt to use genre analysis to explore the sources of variation in the structure of texts produced within academic communities. The “move” structure of the Discussion Sections of 43 recent articles in agricultural economics journals sponsored by national professional associations in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and India was analyzed. The frequency and distribution of moves and the degree of structural complexity of these texts was examined. It was noted that these texts showed distinct preferences for certain moves although there was some variation within the subdiscipline. One noticeable feature was that texts from the Indian journal were much less complex that the others. It is suggested that variation in academic text structure reflects economic, social and cultural pressures and constraints and that competitive publishing situations lead to the elaboration of texts.
The challenge of unstated meaning
Authors: Tickoo Asha
Published: December 2016

This paper uses a schemata-theoretic conception of reading in an assessment of ESL reader recall of unstated levels of meaning in narrative prose. Schemata theory suggests that the skilled reader selects one of a finite number of text schemata to use in the decoding, retention and recall of a particular text, and it has been demonstrated that better knowledge of the schematic structure makes possible better recall. Here, reader recall of two types of unstated meaning in narrative prose is assessed for a group of advanced learners of ESL, who use Chinese as L1. Evidence is presented of poor recall of unstated meaning, concomitant with a lack of knowledge of the requisite schematic structure. It is therefore suggested that formal instruction on the requisite structure will enhance learner recall of unstated meaning.
On the Relationship between English Proficiency, Writing Ability, and the Use of Conjunctions in Iranian EFL Learners' Compositions
Authors: Reza Kiany G. , Khezri Nejad M.
Published: December 2016

The purpose of this research was to explore the relationship between English proficiency, writing ability, and the use of conjunctions in Iranian EFL learners' compositions. To this end, four research questions were formulated : (1) Is there any relationship between English proficiency of Iranian EFL learners and the extent to which they use particular groups of conjunctions (additive, adversative, causal, temporal)? (2) Is there any relationship between English proficiency of Iranian EFL learners and their writing ability? (3) Is there any relationship between writing ability of Iranian EFL learners and the use of conjunctions? (4) What is the relative importance of the four groups of conjunctions and English proficiency in predicting the writing ability?

The study involved 120 male and female English learners of Kish Language Institute studying at different levels: Elementary, Intermediate, and Advanced. Two data gathering devices were employed: a NELSON test compatible with English knowledge of the subjects (version 300-A), and two compositions. The topics assigned for the compositions were “Describe your city, Tehran” and “Describe your English teacher". The students wrote the first composition in a session along with taking NELSON and the second one after a two-week interval. In each examination, the subjects wrote a text including about 150 to 200 words.

The analyses included Correlation, ANOVA, Chi-square, and Multiple Regression to display the relationship between the above-mentioned variables. The results indicated taht the High group of proficiency has a significant superiority over the Mid and the Mid group over the Low one on the writing scores. The use of Chi-square analysis displayed which level of proficiency or which level of writing use which type(s) of conjuction more. Multiple regression, then, identified which variable(s) are more important or contribute more to writing scores.
Thinking and Writing in EFL
Authors: Maamouri Ghrib Esma
Published: December 2016

This research examines university students' writing problems and strategies; it also tries to investigate the way learner difficulties and strategies are perceived by students and teachers. Two questionnaires were conducted to find out both students' and teachers' assessment of these difficulties and strategies, and a corpus of 25 exam copies was examined, errors were classified, their sources analysed and strategies defined.

This study aims to point out the major difficulties that our EFL learners encountered in writing and to find out some of the reasons that could explain them. It also tries to see whether there were any discrepancies between the students’ and teachers’ assessment of writing difficulties and strategies and the students’ ‘real’ problems and strategy use, at least, as they were displayed in their exam copies. One of the major goals is also to identify and define Tunisian learners’ writing strategies and see whether they match those of ESL and EFL learners in the literature.

The research is based on the following hypotheses:

a) Students have difficulties in expressing their thoughts and ideas in the FL because they generate them in the L1 and then try to translate them in the FL.

b) Students’ problems are mainly conceptual; i.e, they result from a lack of understanding of the new concepts introduced in the course and course materials.

The results showed that the learners’ difficulties were mainly grammatical and organizational and that, just like other learners, our students made use of metacognitive, cognitive, social and affective strategies when handling their linguistic tasks.
Japanese EFL Learners' Processing in English Relativization
Authors: Ito Akihiro
Published: December 2016

The purpose of the present study is to investigate the effects of branching type (Factor 1) and grammatical function of noun phrase (NP) (factor 2) of English relative clauses on interlanguage performance among Japanese learners of English as a foreign language (EFL). The sentence combining test was administered to Japanese learners of English. Results indicated that both of the two factors significantly determine the difficulty of English relative clauses. Left-branching (center-embedded) relative clauses have a tendency to be more difficult than right-branching ones. Moreover, it is implied that subject-relative clauses are answered more accurately than object-relative clauses. These findings suggested that branching type and grammatical function of the noun phrase are complimentary determine the difficulty level of English relative clauses. The results implied the validity of KAWAUCHl's (1988) hypothesis that the difficulty order of relative clauses is as follows : OS > 00 > SS > SO. The results are also discussed with the recent theoretical frameworks in psycholinguistic research. The limitation of the present investigation and the directions of the further research are also discussed.
Knowledge of expletive and pronominal subjects by learners of Spanish
Authors: Lozano Cristóbal
Published: December 2016

Abstract A number of studies investigating second language acquisition (SLA) from the perspective of Principles and Parameters Theory (P&P, CHOMSKY, 1981, 1995) have focused on the pro-drop parameter, and have argued that older second language learners are sensitive to the different, properties it purportedly covers (e.g., AL-KASEY & PÉREZ-LEROUX, 1998; LICERAS, 1989; PHINNEY, 1987; WHITE, 1986). In this paper we extend this work by investigating two of its syntactic corollaries, namely, referential pronominal subjects (ProS) and expletive pronominal subjects (ExpS). In so-called [+pro-drop] languages both may be realised as an empty element (pro). While on the surface these forms are identical, referential subject pro is different from expletive subject pro both syntactically and semantically; syntactically because referential pro co-exists with a set of overt subject pronouns (yo 'I' , tú 'you', etc), whereas there are no overt expletive pronouns; semantically because referential pro is distinguished for 3 persons, number and gender features, whereas expletive pro would appear to be a third person, singular, gender-neutral pronoun. We will examine whether older L2 learners are sensitive to these differences by using paired grammaticality judgement tests (PGJT). Results are consistent with the claim that learners have different mental representations for ProS and ExpS.
'Novel unaccusatives'
Authors: Han ZhaoHong
Published: December 2016

Interlanguage 'novel unaccusative' (term borrowed from BALCOM 1997) has been a subject of investigation since the late 1970s, though it has usually been discussed under the terms of an interlanguage syntactic structure called the 'pseudo-passive' (e.g., SCHACHTER & RUTHERFORD 1979; RUTHERFORD 1983; YIP 1995; HAN 2000). While most of the research to date is in favor of the view that the interlanguage structure is primarily induced by L1 discourse/syntactic influence, BALCOM (1997) provides an alternative explanatory account. Assuming a lexical perspective, she sees the interlanguage structure as the creation of a 'novel unaccusative' through a lexical process of detransitivization. In this paper, I shall discuss Balcom's view, in particular, her contention that interlanguage novel unaccusatives and native-like unaccusatives with transitive counterparts share the same underlying lexical process of detransitivization. Drawing on both natural longitudinal data and elicited data (HAN 1998), I will show that Balcom's view would be over-generalizing if applied across language acquisition contexts. What renders the application problematic is the fact that while some novel unaccusatives from L2 acquisition may derive from the lexical process of detransitivization as in L1 acquisition, some do not. It seems imperative to me that in the context of SLA, we discriminate, at least in loose terms, between developmental and L1-induced novel unaccusatives. Such a distinction is important not only because it helps to refine our understanding of what underlies novel unaccusatives in L2 acquisition, but also because it would lend more accurate guidance to L2 teachers in dealing with novel unaccusatives in the classroom.
Direction-giving Interactions in Korean High School English Textbooks
Authors: Kim Kyung Suk
Published: December 2016

This paper investigates the authenticity of conversational texts, particularly direction-giving interactions in Korean high school English textbooks. Previous studies (e.g., PEARSON & LEE 1992; SCOTTON & BERNSTEN 1986) of natural conversations of direction-giving have shown that the structure of native speakers' direction-giving turns is highly formulaic. They are composed of four main moves: 'insertion sequence' (SCHEGLOFF 1972), a set of directions, pre-closing, and closing. In addition, realizations of the moves were very much uniform across the studies.

The study demonstrates that 7 7 direction-giving interactions of the textbooks fall short of the features of authentic direction-giving. Specifically, the moves before or after a set of directions are usually not included, especially insertion sequence and pre-closing. Also, the forms of directives in a sequence of directions are more in favor of bald imperative than in naturalistic data. It is argued that in order to help language learners be better equipped to function outside the classroom, textbook conversations should reflect not the authors’ introspection but naturally occurring conversations.
Does Cognitive Linguistics have anything to offer English language learners in their efforts to master phrasal verbs?
Authors: Condon Nora , Kelly Peter
Published: December 2016

Phrasal verbs are widely acknowledged as being a notoriously difficult area of language for learners of English. The tendency in the past has been to regard them as arbitrary items of language that must simply be learned by heart. As an alternative to the rote memorisation of random lists of phrasal verbs, the Collins COBUILD dictionary of phrasal verbs has set out its own approach. Yet another alternative can be found within the framework of cognitive linguistics. In this paper the two approaches are described and compared. We then set out and discuss the results of tests carried out with two groups of learners, where one group had used the Collins approach and the other a cognitive approach in order to learn phrasal verbs. The results point to the need for further research.
Approximations in impromptu interlanguage
Authors: Nsakala Lengo M. , Matondo Lusala D.
Published: December 2016

This paper deals with approximations in the impromptu speech of Congolese students of English. The paucity of vocabulary knowledge prompts foreign language learners to fall back on readily accessible resources in spontaneous speech, such as approximations. The latter are characteristic of an elementary stage in target language development, their frequency relatively decreasing with advanced students. Approximations can be accounted for in terms of communication strategies and in the light of semantic findings. In respect of semantics, three categories of approximations are distinguished : superordinate terms, hyponyms, and cohyponyms. Approximations in a foreign language setting may stem from teachers' negative attitude to vocabulary instruction and from learners' inadequate input. Another source is passive vocabulary, which causes retrieval problems. To minimize this situation, teachers must pay particular attention to vocabulary instruction by teaching vocabulary systematically, rather than leaving it to develop independently.
A Student Perspective on Academic Literacy
Authors: Rycke Ine De
Published: December 2016

Becoming academically literate involves two main parties: teaching staff and students. Previous research (Belcher, 1994; Cotton, 2004; Van de Poel & Brunfaut, 2004) has indicated that a discrepancy exists between the interpretations of and expectations about academic literacy of teaching staff on the one hand and students on the other. The different interpretations of academic literacy and the lived experiences of both parties need to be identified before the existing discrepancy between the concept as used by teaching staff and students can be narrowed or even bridged. This article is based on the results of a study conducted at the University of Antwerp in 2009. It aims to shed light on the students’ interpretation of academic literacy and integrate the student perspective in a definition of academic literacy.
L2 English Receptive and Productive Vocabulary in Senior Learners
Authors: Adrián María Martínez , Puerto Francisco Gallardo del
Published: December 2016

This study aims to analyse the effect of previous foreign language (FL) contact on the acquisition of receptive and productive vocabulary by senior learners in the early stages of English acquisition. Additionally, we also explore the relationship between receptive vocabulary and productive vocabulary as well as the link between lexical competence and reading comprehension. Results confirm that false beginners consistently outperform true beginners, supporting previous research findings (Fukai, 2000; Watt, 1997). Receptive and productive vocabulary were found to be positively correlated, which indicates a direct relationship between the passive and the active knowledge of FL vocabulary. In agreement with previous research (Agustín Llach and Terrazas Gallego, 2009; Laufer, 1992; Quian, 2002), we found a positive correlation between senior learners’ lexical competence and their reading comprehension.
Review of Szawerna (2007): A Corpus-Based Study of Nominalizations Predicated by English Deverbal Nouns In -tion
Authors: Heyvaert Liesbet
Published: December 2016

In A Corpus-Based Study of Nominalizations Predicated by English Deverbal Nouns in -tion, Michal Szawerna presents the results of his PhD research on -tion nominalizations. Szawerna’s approach is couched in the Cognitive Grammar framework as developed primarily by Langacker (1987 and 1991) and fits in with the traditional approach to nominalization in that it is essentially word-based (i.e. it focuses on the word level rather than on the nominalized NP as a whole or the discourse context in which it functions). As in most traditional analyses of nominalization, Szawerna takes the lexical-descriptive and aspectual properties of the base verb as starting point (described in cognitive terms) and then attempts to capture the distinct ‘profiles’ of the derivations in -tion in a schematic network of interrelated meanings. Since there are relatively few publications that have nominalizations as their sole focus (other monographs on nominalization are Marchand 1969; Heyvaert 2003; Nordrum 2007) and even fewer that consider derived nouns in -ion, Szawerna’s book is a welcome addition to the literature. Unfortunately, the carefulness with which the author tackles the issue is obscured by the book’s heavy-going style, long-winded explanations, repetitions and extensive use of abbreviations and cognitive terminology. The overall structure of the book, with only three chapters, two of which take up more than 100 pages, moreover makes for hard reading. Those willing to work their way through it, however, will find a rich overview of subtypes of -ion nominalizations and a serious attempt to map out the semantic intricacies of the -ion nominalization system.
Review of Randall (2007): Memory, Psychology and Second Language Learning. Language Learning and Language Teaching, Volume 19.
Authors: Pauwels Paul
Published: December 2016

Mick Randall reviews work from psychology and linguistics on language processing with the aim of drawing conclusions for second language learning. Based on his experiences as a language teacher with students at elementary and intermediate level and in less resourced contexts, he tries to find evidence for the effectiveness of more traditional learning and teaching strategies next to the communicative approach (o.c. vii-viii).
Effective Language Learning in LSP Contexts
Authors: Buysse Kris
Published: December 2016

As today’s students need to be motivated by “triggers and rewards” to acquire new contents, and 80% of the structures learnt are lost in less than 24 hours, learners need to encounter newly taught structures several times in a relatively short time span, in various ways and al ways in significant and different contexts (Gijselaers, 2007; Cervero & Pichardo Castro, 2000; Schmitt, 2000). In other words, learning materials should “trigger” language learning by repeating the new structures several times in different contexts in a short time span.

However, many course books do not apply these principles (Maciel, 1997; Veraghtert, 2004), and neither do the course materials we analysed in the context of the present study (Buyse, 2008).

In this paper, we will clarify these principles and their possible effect on vocabulary and grammar acquisition by presenting their implementation in a number of LSP courses and their correlation with student performances.
The Language of Trade Between The Far East and The Old Continent.
Authors: Fromont Audrey
Published: December 2016

This paper reports on a field study of language needs in a rather extreme area of contemporary business communication, i.e. between the Dutch-speaking Low Countries and mainland China. Interviews within the Dutch-speaking business community dealing with China, as well as case-study research in Flemish and Dutch small-and-medium-sized enterprises have yielded a model of the business sequence within this particular trade setting. The paper highlights language-specific requirements in each phase of that sequence, drawing attention to the role of written and spoken language, culture, Chinese, English and the translation from one into the other. However, an additional form of discourse has come to the forefront. I will zoom in on this key language, which in simplistic terms is all too frequently labelled as being English, and surmise that it has turned into an asset for business communication rather than a source of misunderstanding. Although this paper is not intended to be normative, it equally commands attention with respect to language situations in the area of business, which supposedly condition didactic issues, by considering varying language and cultural features, discussed in the light of tuition policies.
A Comparison of Mexican and US American Students’ Perceptions of High-Low Context Business Communication Style
Authors: Hooft Andreu van
Published: December 2016

Cross-cultural studies (Hofstede, 1984, 1991, 2001; Hall, 1959, 1976) posit that Mexico is a more collectivistic and high context culture than the United States of America and therefore it could be claimed that Mexicans will communicate and perceive professional communication in a different way than US Americans. In contrast, professional communication and social (psychology) studies argue that in order to communicate in a truly intercultural way it is necessary to go beyond the frame of cultural dimensions, since shared professional and educational frameworks could override the impact of cultural differences in professional settings. While empirical evidence so far has shown mixed results, the results of this article provide additional evidence to support the view that the two cited cultural dimensions have been overridden, since the Mexican (N=280) and US American (N=300) student samples showed a rather similar perception of professional dialogues in a monocultural as well as in an intercultural communication setting. A shared framework of knowledge and skills, the impact of the new media and technologies, the virtual and real intercultural encounters between Mexicans and US Americans, their shared educational level, and the fact that nearly all of the Mexican participants reported to speak English as a foreign language and that a majority of the US American participants reported to speak Spanish as a foreign language, could explain, at least for the studied samples, the observed convergence.
The Language of Graphic Advertising in The UK
Authors: García-Yeste Miguel Ángel
Published: December 2016

The aim of this article is to explore the influence of cultural values on the design and communicative style of British graphic advertisements for food and beverages, particularly in relation to Hall’s context dependence and Hofstede’s individualism index. The motivation for this study comes from the increasing importance of international trade and cross-cultural and intercultural communication strategies. Additionally, previous research projects (ELISE, ELUCIDATE, ELAN) have emphasized the dramatic effect the lack of these skills has on business effectiveness. Therefore, Guillén-Nieto’s correlations model between culture-specific and language-specific behaviour (2009) was adopted, and 100 British advertisements were collected and analyzed. First, a qualitative examination of the sample using ATLAS.ti and SPSS software tried to identify any patterns present in the sample. Second, the realization of the aforementioned patterns was considered. The results of these analyses highlight the fact that the language-specific behaviour associated with context dependence is clearly visible in the sample, whereas the individualism index does not seem to be as influential in the design of press advertisements for food in the UK. Finally, some guidelines are provided in order to aid international companies in advertising their products more effectively in the UK.
The Linguist as Expert Witness in The Community Trademark Courts
Authors: Guillén-Nieto Victoria
Published: December 2016

This paper explores the way the linguist as expert witness may smooth the progress of legal decision-making in cases involving a Community trademark (CTM) dispute. The study hypothesizes that the seesaw of court decisions found in CTM disputes could be avoided, if linguists were called upon as experts by the courts. Therefore, the discussion attempts to provide an answer to the following research questions: (a) Can forensic linguists provide relevant evidence in CTM litigation? (b) If so, what is the nature of this evidence? And (c) is it possible to determine and measure the strength of mark and the likelihood of confusion between two marks in dispute? In order to answer these research questions, an authentic case was thoroughly examined. This involved revisiting the CTM litigation between the earlier German nation-al trademark Respicort (Mundipharma AG) and the international trademark Respicur (Altana Pharma AG). The record showed no indication that a linguist had participated in this case during the eight years the legal dispute lasted. For purposes of analysis, the parameters most commonly accepted by Community trademark courts were employed in the forensic linguistic review of the Respicort v. Respicur case, namely strength of mark and likelihood of confusion.
Communication for Maritime Purposes
Authors: Noble Alison , Vangehuchten Lieve , Van Parys Willy
Published: December 2016

Multilingual and multicultural crews have become the rule rather than the exception in the globalised maritime world. Professionals as well as researchers indicate that this increases the risk of miscommunication both on board and in external communication with major consequences for efficiency and safety (Deboo 2004, de la Campa Portela 2005 & 2006, Horck 2005, Squire 2006, Trenkner 2010). The mission statements of international shipping companies1 reveal objectives that aim not only to provide professional services, ensure safety, increase security and protect the marine environment but also to deal with cultural and linguistic diversity and how to harness its strengths and eliminate its weaknesses. Effective communication at sea plays a key role in achieving these objectives as well as in creating a harmonious and efficient working atmosphere on board.

This paper offers an analysis of a survey-based research project (University of Antwerp and Antwerp Maritime Academy2 which aims to determine the linguistic and intercultural features of maritime communication that hinder or aid the quality of work onboard a merchant ship.

Having established the profile of the respondent group, the paper explores the influence of (inter)cultural and linguistic features such as verbal and non-verbal communication, intercultural factors (ethical and social norms, thinking patterns, turn-taking in conversation, cross-cultural prejudices), gender issues and organisational factors on the quality of communication in the maritime sector.
Supporting Word Retrieval From Memory
Authors: Liu I-Hsin
Published: December 2016

This study investigated the effect of two meaning-oriented communicative tasks on L2 learners’ consolidation of new vocabulary met in a reading text on a familiar topic, building on the premises underlying the Dreyfus and Tsamir (2004) ‘Recognising, Building-with, and Constructing’ (RBC) model. Students in four lower intermediate EFL classes participated in the pre-test (of vocabulary size) post-test experimental study. Some of them only read the new text before taking an immediate and a delayed word retention test (control group); others read the text and afterwards completed comprehension questions (meaning-oriented receptive task). Still others, in addition, wrote a text similar in structure and contents to the input text while using the target words (meaning-oriented productive task). The fourth student group completed all three tasks consecutively. Our results show the superiority of the guided writing task over the ‘reading + comprehension questions’ and the ‘reading only’ conditions. On a theoretical level, content familiarity is shown to be an important mediator variable in early stages of vocabulary processing and consolidation.
The Impact Of Input On Early Second Language Vocabulary Acquisition
Authors: Verhelst Machteld , Jaspaert Koen , Branden Kris Van den
Published: December 2016

This study investigated the effect of two meaning-oriented communicative tasks on L2 learners’ consolidation of new vocabulary met in a reading text on a familiar topic, building on the premises underlying the Dreyfus and Tsamir (2004) ‘Recognising, Building-with, and Constructing’ (RBC) model. Students in four lower intermediate EFL classes participated in the pre-test (of vocabulary size) post-test experimental study. Some of them only read the new text before taking an immediate and a delayed word retention test (control group); others read the text and afterwards completed comprehension questions (meaning-oriented receptive task). Still others, in addition, wrote a text similar in structure and contents to the input text while using the target words (meaning-oriented productive task). The fourth student group completed all three tasks consecutively. Our results show the superiority of the guided writing task over the ‘reading + comprehension questions’ and the ‘reading only’ conditions. On a theoretical level, content familiarity is shown to be an important mediator variable in early stages of vocabulary processing and consolidation.
The effects of synonym generation and oral output on incidental and intentional vocabulary learning
Authors: Rassaei Ehsan
Published: December 2016

Recent research has shown that semantically oriented tasks may have unfavorable effects on the acquisition of L2 vocabulary. It is argued that paying attention to semantic properties of target words exhaust memory capacity to process both form and meaning. Hoping to throw further light on this issue, the current study, investigated and compared the effects of semantic elaboration via synonym generation and meaningful output production via elicited oral imitation task on the learning of L2 words in both incidental and intentional contexts by Persian EFL learners. One hundred and twenty two L2 learners of English who were homogenous in terms of the target words were randomly assigned to four experimental groups: (a) semantically elaborated intentional learning, (b) semantically elaborated incidental learning, (c) output intentional learning, and (d) output incidental learning. The results of analyses of variance revealed that 1.Subject benfited more fromoral output than from semantic elaboration in the acqusition of target words, 2. Semantically oriented tasks have some negative effects on the acquisition of target words, and 3. Intentional settings are more effective than incidental settings for L2 word learning.
Donde fueres haz lo que vieres. aportaciones de la neurociencia al desarrollo de la competencia pragmÁtica. un nuevo horizonte en la enseñanza del ele
Authors: Fernández Paula Lorente , Arrese Ana Bengoetxea , Kris Buyse , Carmona Mercedes Pizarro
Published: December 2016

The current trend in teaching foreign languages is to conceive the development of pragmatic competence as an essential and inseparable part of communicative competence. Today, progress of Cognitive Neuroscience enables one to consider social behavior in neuroanatomical terms: knowing how the brain integrates complex concepts of pragmatic competence proves highly effective in developing methodologies used in the language classroom to address these issues. The use of games and learning by doing in virtual worlds may be regarded as a very interesting option in order to acquire this competence. In this contribution, we have aimed at combining theoretical principles of Neuroscience and didactics to offer, in the specific case of Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language (TSFL), a relatively new type of teaching material: the Serious Game, as well as to present the results of a first qualitative study of the use of this type of material in the field of language acquisition.
A study of laser cladding NiCrBSi/Mo composite coatings
Authors: Kaiming W. , Yulong L. , Hanguang F. , Yongping L. , Zhenqing S. , Pengfei M.
Published: December 2016

Laser cladding Ni-based composite coating was fabricated on the surface of 42CrMo steel using 6 kW fibre laser. By the addition of Mo powder, a well-formed and crack-free laser cladding composite coating was obtained. The morphology, composition, microhardness and wear resistance of composite coatings were studied using a scanning electron microscopy, an energy-dispersive spectroscopy, an X-ray diffraction spectrum, a microhardness tester and a wear tester. The results show that the cladding layer has metallurgical bonding with the substrate. The main phases of Ni45 + 10%Mo laser cladding layer are (Fe, Ni), Cr23C6, Cr3C2, Mo2FeB2 and Cr2B3. After the addition of Mo powder, the size of the microstructure of composite coatings is finer than that of Ni45 cladding layer. Stubby-rod carbides are displayed in the interdendritic interface. The molybdenum and chromium are rich in the grain boundaries. The distribution of hardness is uniform in Ni-based cladding layer, and its microhardness is significantly higher than that of the substrate. Ni45 + 10%Mo composite coating has the best wear resistance. Its wear resistance reaches 1.734 times of Ni45 coating and 2.367 times of 42CrMo steel.
Elementary 𝑝-adic Lie groups have finite construction rank
Authors: Glöckner Helge
Published: January 2017

The class of elementary totally disconnected groups is the smallest class of totally disconnected, locally compact, second countable groups which contains all discrete countable groups, all metrizable pro-finite groups, and is closed under extensions and countable ascending unions. To each elementary group 

G
G

, a (possibly infinite) ordinal number

rk
⁡
(
G
)

\operatorname {rk}(G)

can be associated, its construction rank. By a structure theorem of Phillip Wesolek, elementary

p
p

-adic Lie groups are among the basic building blocks for general

σ
\sigma

-compact

p
p

-adic Lie groups. We characterize elementary

p
p

-adic Lie groups in terms of the subquotients needed to describe them. The characterization implies that every elementary

p
p

-adic Lie group has finite construction rank. Structure theorems concerning general

p
p

-adic Lie groups are also obtained.
Measured glomerular filtration rate does not improve prediction of mortality
by cystatin C and creatinine
Authors: Sundin Per-Ola , Sjöström Per , Jones Ian , Olsson Lovisa A. , Udumyan Ruzan , Grubb Anders , Lindström Veronica , Montgomery Scott
Published: January 2017

Background: Cystatin C may add explanatory power for associations with mortality in combination with other filtration markers, possibly indicating pathways other than glomerular filtration rate (GFR). However, this has not been firmly established since interpretation of associations independent of measured GFR (mGFR) is limited by potential multicollinearity between markers of GFR. The primary aim of this study was to assess associations between cystatin C and mortality, independent of mGFR. A secondary aim was to evaluate the utility of combining cystatin C and creatinine to predict mortality risk.

Methods: Cox regression was used to assess the associations of cystatin C and creatinine with mortality in 1157 individuals referred for assessment of plasma clearance of iohexol.

Results: Since cystatin C and creatinine are inversely related to mGFR, cystatin C−1 and creatinine−1 were used. After adjustment for mGFR, lower cystatin C−1 (higher cystatin C concentration) and higher creatinine−1 (lower creatinine concentration) were independently associated with increased mortality. When nested models were compared, avoiding the potential influence of multicollinearity, the independence of the associations was supported. Among models combining the markers of GFR, adjusted for demographic factors and comorbidity, cystatin C−1 and creatinine−1 combined explained the largest proportion of variance in associations with mortality risk (R2 = 0.61). Addition of mGFR did not improve the model.

Conclusions: Our results suggest that both creatinine and cystatin C have independent associations with mortality not explained entirely by mGFR and that mGFR does not offer a more precise mortality risk assessment than these endogenous filtration markers combined.