ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Obligation versus Free Will in Khayyam's Poetry: A Linguistic and Verbal Art Theoretic Account
Author: Bordbar, Maryam
Date: 2016-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Poetry,Qualitative Research,Statistical Analysis,Incidence,Poets,Literary Styles,Literary Criticism,Literature Appreciation,Didacticism,Linguistic Theory

Although Khayyam is one of the Persian poets whose school of thought and poems are studied the most, there is hardly a research in which his intellectual system is explained and made clear via a linguistic framework. In this paper one of the most debatable matters which is &quot;Obligation&quot; versus &quot;Free Will&quot; is dealt with by using Hasan's (1989) linguistics and verbal art model. This model provides touchstones for clarifying the concepts which are foregrounded by the poet. In this study other than qualitative analysis of 33 Khayyam's quatrains which are selected based on their contents they convey, quantitative analysis method of frequency calculation is used as well. The results approve this hypothesis that the notion of &quot;obligation&quot; is foregrounded by linguistic tools against &quot;Free will&quot; as background.
Literary Aesthetics in the Narration of Dagara Folktales
Author: Kyiileyang, Martin
Date: 2016-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Literary Devices,Folk Culture,African Culture,Aesthetics,Discourse Analysis,Linguistic Theory,Foreign Countries

Dagara folktales, like other African folktales, are embedded with various literary aesthetic features related to structure, language and performance. This paper examines major literary aesthetics found in Dagara folktales. The methodology used is based on the collection, analysis and interpretation of selected Dagara folktales gathered through fieldwork. The focus of the paper is on the structure and the language of Dagara folktales. The argument of this paper is grounded on the Structuralist Theory as seen in Gerard Genette's &quot;Narrative Discourse&quot; which offers the basic constituents and techniques of narrative. Genette proposes various categories of narrative which cover Time, Mood and Voice. Genette's narrative structure suggests that the various categories and subcategories emphasise that the narrative is a complex structure in which the narratee is largely present in the various strata of the structure. Genette is concerned with the macro-text of the recit, that is, the ordering of events in the narrative. The study revealed that there are similarities and differences in the structure and the language of Dagara folktales in relation to other African folktales.
The Use of Frame Story in Kashmira Sheth's &quot;Boys without Names&quot;
Author: Alobeytha, Faisal Laee Etan
Date: 2016-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Literary Styles,Literary Devices,Literary Criticism,Didacticism,Literature Appreciation,Young Adults,Adolescent Literature,Child Labor,Story Telling,Narration

Authors for young adult literature often present their tales directly through the voice of the story narrators. However, Kashmira Sheth, in her &quot;Boys without Names,&quot; seeks to present her tale, specifically the issue of child labor, through the use of frame stories which are recounted by two or more narrators. Through frame stories, the authors are able to raise the readers' awareness of child labor. This paper, through narrative theory, sets out to examine the function of frame stories in young adult literature and explores how Kashmira Sheth employs this literature to impart wisdom and the importance of being mindful of other people. The study found that frame stories have a remarkable impact on how the young readers comprehend the themes prevalent in &quot;Boys without Names.&quot; Frame stories also allow the author to convey moral messages and good virtues to the young adult audience. The use of fables also entertains and amuses the readers. Finally, by incorporating multiple narrators in this novel, the author is able not only to depict the issue of child labor from various perspectives; she also expands insights on child labor and confirms the credibility and reliability of the literary text.
Content-Based Analysis of Bumper Stickers in Jordan
Author: Jaradat, Abdullah A.
Date: 2016-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Content Analysis,Popular Culture,Art Expression,Sociolinguistics,Incidence,Thematic Approach,Signs

This study has set out to investigate bumper stickers in Jordan focusing mainly on the themes of the stickers. The study hypothesized that bumper stickers in Jordan reflect a wide range of topics including social, economic, and political. Due to being the first study of this phenomenon, the study has adopted content-based analysis to determine the basic topics. The study has found that the purpose of most bumper sticker is fun and humor; most of them are not serious and do not carry any biting messages. They do not present any criticism to the most dominant problems at the level of society including racism, nepotism, anti-feminism, inflation, high taxes, and refugees. Another finding is that politics is still a taboo; no political bumper stickers were found in Jordan. Finally, the themes the stickers targeted are: lessons of life 28.85%; challenging or warning other drivers 16%; funny notes about social issues 12%; religious sayings 8%; treating the car as a female 7%; the low economic status of the driver 6%; love and treachery 5.5%; the prestigious status of the car 5%; envy 4%; nicknames for the car or the driver 4%; irony 3%; and English sayings 1.5%.
Investigating Identity, Ambivalence, Hybridity: A Bhabhaian Reading of J. M. Coetzee's &quot;Foe&quot; and &quot;Disgrace&quot;
Author: Mostafaee, Jalal
Date: 2016-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Racial Segregation,Reading,Stereotypes,Foreign Policy

The present paper seeks to investigate J.M. Coetzee's &quot;Foe&quot; and &quot;Disgrace&quot; in terms of Homi K. Bhabha's concept of Identities/Subjectivities. Homi K. Bhabha is one of the most important contemporary figure in postcolonial studies; he argues that ambivalence is existed at the site of colonial dominance. He argues that ambivalence is existed at the site of colonial dominance. The colonizer forcefully asserts his superiority to the colonized, but the feeling of fear is created concerning identity, which is imposed on them. The paper also seeks on the notion of hybridity which indicates that the practices of colonial authority is intermingling other texts and discourses which results in a hybridization that facilitates colonial domination. Bhabha's reading of Lacan accords well with the ambivalence he traces in various writers. It is what Lacan calls the mirror stage that is central to Bhabha's reading. Bhabha believes that ''the mirror stage encapsulates what happens in colonial discourse's stereotyping productions: the mirror stage is at least a good model for the colonial situation''. Bhabha suggests that like'' the mirror phase the fullness of the stereotype--its image as identity--is always threatened by lack.'' A telling and recurring idea in Coetzee's fiction is that the force of the colonizer is formative of the identity of the colonized, something to be embraced and this paper aims to investigate this closely by using Bhabha's concepts.
Are Emojis Creating a New or Old Visual Language for New Generations? A Socio-Semiotic Study
Author: Alshenqeeti, Hamza
Date: 2016-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Computer Graphics,Visual Aids,Language Usage,Sociolinguistics,Semiotics,Gender Differences,Generational Differences,Technological Literacy,Emotional Response,Nonverbal Communication,Cues,Computer Mediated Communication,Intention,Asynchronous Communication,Language Universals,Intercultural Communication,Expressive Language

The increasing use of emojis, digital images that can represent a word or feeling in a text or email, and the fact that they can be strung together to create a sentence with real and full meaning raises the question of whether they are creating a new language amongst technologically savvy youth, or devaluing existing language. There is however a further depth to emoji usage as language, suggesting that they are in fact returning language to an earlier stage of human communication. Parallels between emojis and hieroglyphs and cuneiform can be seen which indicates the universality of visual communication forms, rather than written alphabetised language. There are also indications that emojis may be cultural or gender-specific with indications that women use more emojis than men to express their feelings and that age is less of an indicator of usage than technological awareness and capability. It appears that emojis are filling the need for adding non-verbal cues in in digital communication about the intent and emotion behind a message. Examinations of the way that emojis have developed and evolved and their current and forecast usage leads to the conclusion that they are not a &quot;new&quot; language developed by the technological adept younger generations, but instead are an evolution of older visual language systems that make use of digital technology to create greater layers and nuance in asynchronous communications. Furthermore, emojis are devices for demonstrating tone, intent and feelings that would normally be conveyed by non-verbal cues in personal communications but which cannot be achieved in digital messages. It is also evident from prior works and analyses of usage that there are universal meanings to Emojis. This suggests that as a language form, emojis may be able to contribute to increased cross-cultural communication clarity. Further research is however recognised as being necessary to fully understand the role that emojis can play as a visual language for all generations, not just those termed millennials or technologically savvy youths.
Investigating the Female Subaltern, Colonial Discourse and False Consciousness: A Spivakian Marxist-Postcolonialist Reading of Chinua Achebe's &quot;Things Fall Apart&quot; and &quot;No Longer at Ease&quot;
Author: Mostafaee, Jalal
Date: 2016-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Females,Postmodernism,Foreign Policy,Cultural Influences,Social Class,Ideology,Marxian Analysis,Political Attitudes

The present research study attempts to investigate Chinua Achebe's &quot;Things Fall Apart&quot; and &quot;No Longer at Ease&quot; in terms of Gayatri Spivak Marxist-Post colonialist conceptions of subaltern, colonial discourse and false consciousness. In Postmodernist fiction, there is anxiety that historical concerns such as the scale of violence in the Second World War, the Nazi genocide, the paranoiac politics of the Cold War and European colonialism have made fiction a medium for history. Chinua Achebe's novels, indeed, are manifestation of colonialism and its subsequent impact on the literary text and dominant discourse. In exploring these terms, this dissertation endeavors to closely examine Gayatri Spivak's concept of subaltern in the Chinua Achebe's &quot;Things Fall Apart&quot; and &quot;No Longer at Ease&quot;. Furthermore, the present paper demonstrates Spivak's voice to differences: that is, class categorization and marginalized subaltern subjects. By the emergence of colonialism, the significance of social class and social discourse became predominant; therefore, colonial discourses instilled into the social, cultural construction and literary text, particularly novel. In this regard, the investigation of the dominate discourses is pursued, and this helps to show how colonialism resulted in discourse inculcation. The resistant perspective against ruling ideology, as the Italian Marxist political activist, Antonio Gramsci calls it cultural hegemony is presented through language, tradition, and customs. Finally, the study focuses on Marxist concept of false consciousness from the viewpoint of Antonio Gramsci to Louis Althusser.
Apology Strategies Employed by Saudi EFL Teachers
Author: Alsulayyi, Marzouq Nasser
Date: 2016-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Speech Acts,Pragmatics,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Language Teachers,Social Distance,Power Structure,Task Analysis,Social Status,Language Tests,Foreign Countries,Gender Differences,Native Language,Transfer of Training,Comparative Analysis,Interlanguage,Secondary School Teachers,College Faculty,Teacher Attitudes,Questionnaires

This study examines the apology strategies used by 30 Saudi EFL teachers in Najran, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), paying special attention to variables such as social distance and power and offence severity. The study also delineates gender differences in the respondents' speech as opposed to studies that only examined speech act output by native and non-native speakers of English. To this end, the study employs a Discourse Completion Task (DCT) that consists of 10 situations designed to test how the respondents would react if they imagine that they belong to different types of social status whether higher, lower or equal. In addition, social distance and power have been taken into consideration in designing the ten situations included in the test used in this study. The results reveal that Illocutionary Force Indicating Device (IFID) is the most used apology strategy by the Saudi respondents followed by downgrading responsibility (DR), upgrader, offer of repair, taking on responsibility and then verbal redress. The results also reveal that gender has a great impact on the use of apology strategies in various ways. For instance, the IFID strategy and the upgrader strategy are used by males more than their female counterparts, whereas females use the DR strategy more than their male counterparts. It has been argued that some of the respondents' answers to the test were influenced by their mother tongue, as reported in previous studies conducted on apology strategies. The study discusses the results elicited via the DCT and compares them with those of previous studies on apology strategies and other speech acts. Finally, the study concludes with recommendations for further research.
Friendship through Interaction and Interaction through Friendship: Manifestations of Positive Politeness and Footing Changes in the Interaction of Two Friends Playing Chess
Author: Shigenaga, Yasumasa
Date: 2016-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Interaction,Friendship,Games,Video Technology,Play,Prosocial Behavior,Data Analysis,Data

The present study uses a video recording of two friends playing chess to observe, through the concept of &quot;positive politeness, what strategies the participants employ to construct and maintain their relationship as close friends during an activity that includes moments of heightened tension. The study also examines the dynamics of the particular interaction through the frameworks of &quot;footing&quot; and &quot;recipient design&quot;.
Trends in Second/Foreign Language Teaching and Learning: The Position Assigned to the Learning of Lexis over the Years
Author: Tan, Debbita
Date: 2016-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Trend Analysis,Second Language Instruction,Second Language Learning,Educational Development,Intellectual History,Relevance (Education),Educational Practices,Lexicology,Vocabulary Development,Teaching Methods

There is no doubt that second/foreign language teaching and learning has evolved over the years, distinguishing varied trends in the course of its history. Interestingly, vocabulary has been the dominant focus in the last decades despite it being an undervalued and often overlooked component in the earlier stages. This reorientation is reflected not only in terms of classroom practices and education policies, but also in second/foreign language acquisition (SLA) research. The following seeks to provide an understanding of the position assigned to lexis within the scope of different methods implemented throughout the years, thus allowing us to: 1) trace the evolvement of the significance of vocabulary in SLA, and 2) appreciate the importance of lexical development in SLA. In congruity with these elements, current trends and practices related to second/foreign language vocabulary knowledge development are also discussed. This paper is of significance to scholars, researchers, language educators and curriculum designers.
Lexical Testing and the Reliability of the Modified Vocabulary Knowledge Scale
Author: Tan, Debbita
Date: 2016-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Vocabulary,Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Reliability,Vocabulary Development,English Language Learners,Second Language Learning

This paper highlights some of the vocabulary tests available, and reports the reliability of the modified Vocabulary Knowledge Scale (VKS) (Rosszell, 2007). Although there is no consensus as to what actually constitutes vocabulary knowledge, the notion that it is made up of receptive knowledge (words recognised or known when seen or heard) and productive knowledge (words appropriately used when we write or speak) is widely accepted. Lexical testing is important for various reasons, chiefly to determine reading ability which requires the use of a size test, and to monitor overall vocabulary development which necessitates the use of a test measuring both receptive and productive knowledge (for instance, the modified VKS). The modified VKS was pilot-tested on 28 university-level Malaysian remedial English language learners and analysed for &quot;reliability as stability over similar samples&quot;. Data analyses returned values indicating the test to be reliable, thus presenting it as a feasible option for use among similar cohorts. This is of significance to scholars, researchers, language instructors and curriculum designers intending to employ the test in their own research, classrooms and literacy programmes.
A New Phenomenon in Saudi Females' Code-Switching: A Morphemic Analysis
Author: Turjoman, Mona O.
Date: 2016-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Females,Code Switching (Language),Morphemes,Sociolinguistics,Semitic Languages,English (Second Language),Form Classes (Languages),Language Universals,Interviews,Language Attitudes

This sociolinguistics study investigates a new phenomenon that has recently surfaced in the field of code-switching among Saudi females residing in the Western region of Saudi Arabia. This phenomenon basically combines bound Arabic pronouns, tense markers or definite article to English free morphemes or the combination of bound English affixes to Arabic morphemes. Moreover, the study examines the factors that affect this type of code-switching. The results of the study indicate that this phenomenon provides data that invalidates Poplack's (1980) universality of the &quot;Free Morpheme Constraint&quot;. It is also concluded that the main factors that influence this type of code-switching is solidarity and group identity among other factors.
Investigating Trauma in Narrating World War I: A Psychoanalytical Reading of Pat Barker's &quot;Regeneration&quot;
Author: Sadjadi, Bakhtiar
Date: 2016-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Trauma,Psychiatry,War,Mental Disorders,Victims,Posttraumatic Stress Disorder,Novels,History,Social Influences,Memory

The present paper seeks to critically read Pat Barker's &quot;Regeneration&quot; in terms of Cathy Caruth's psychoanalytic study of trauma. This analysis attempts to trace the concepts of latency, post-traumatic stress disorders, traumatic memory, and trauma in Barker's novel in order to explore how trauma and history are interrelated in the narrative of past history and, particularly, in the history of World War I. The present paper also demonstrates how Barker's novel &quot;Regeneration&quot; acts as the narrative of trauma that vocalizes the silenced history of shell-shocked soldiers of World War I to represent British society, the history that has been concealed due to social and individual factors. The study thus investigates the dissociative disorders which are experienced by traumatized survivors of World War I as the aftermath of traumatic experiences of wartime. In addition, it argues how time moves for the traumatized victim and how the notion of latency in terms of Caruth's theory is traceable in Barker's novel. In &quot;Regeneration,&quot; the traumatized survivors are haunted with traumatic memory of past history; furthermore, past history constantly disrupts their present and the victims are in continuous shift from present time to past time. Time thus loses its linearity in the narrative of traumatized survivors.
A Comparative Study of McDonald's Wedding Narratives with the Model of Anchoring
Author: Huang, Mimi
Date: 2016-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Comparative Analysis,Marriage,Dining Facilities,Discourse Analysis,Story Telling,Marketing,Foreign Countries

Fast-food giant McDonald's announced in 2010 that they would start hosting wedding ceremonies and receptions for couples who would like to get married in their restaurants in Hong Kong. This paper conducts a study comparing the differing representations of McDonald's wedding services through a narrative analytical approach. Specifically, this paper examines relevant discourses surrounding the launch of the corporation's wedding services from the British media (e.g. &quot;Daily Mail&quot;, the &quot;Independent&quot;) as well as public discourses in Hong Kong (e.g. McDonald's Hong Kong website, and CNN's Hong Kong news). It is found that these narratives have a significant degree of discrepancy in depicting McDonald's wedding stories. These differences further raise the question of how differing narrative strategies are employed to conceptualise the brand's emergent wedding narratives in a unique social-cultural environment. In the discussion of McDonald's wedding stories, the focus is placed on the cognitive and linguistic aspects of the discourse. An analytical model of &quot;anchoring&quot; will be proposed and applied to investigate the cooperation's marketing strategies as well as the media's reaction towards such promotions. It is argued that a narrative can promote or demote a brand's identity and position through the process of anchoring. It is further argued that anchoring is an important cognitive-psychological strategy in conceptualization and meaning construction.
Influence of Sociocultural Differences in Translating Euphemistic Expressions from English into Arabic in &quot;A Grain of Wheat&quot;
Author: Anber, Sameerah Jabbar
Date: 2016-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Sociocultural Patterns,Translation,English,Semitic Languages,Novels,Cultural Differences,Discourse Analysis,Qualitative Research,Language Usage,Human Body,Death,Sex,Semantics,Literary Devices,Foreign Countries,Language Variation,Contrastive Linguistics

The study investigated the sociocultural differences in translating Euphemistic expressions from English into Arabic. Particularly, the study took the novel &quot;A Grain of Wheat&quot; to show the differences of these expressions usage by two translators from different cultures. The study adapts a qualitative approach applied in Leppihalme's (1997) and Unseth's (2006) translation strategies to focus on the sociocultural differences in translating expressions as; Death, Sex, Human body, Bodily function, since they are the most popular Euphemistic expressions in each culture. The results show that both translators employed omission and literal strategy frequently which may not express euphemistic words functionally. Additionally, both translators attempted to translate the euphemistic expressions semantically at the expense of rendering them adequately into the target culture. However, in spite of the similarities and differences in the employment of translation strategies in translating the euphemistic expressions by both translators, Syrian translation is apparently better delivered than the Iraqi translation. Hence, the findings suggested that knowledge and competence of the translators in handling sociocultural differences as well as the employment of effective strategies such as those proposed by Leppihalme and Unseth are indispensable tools for solving the problems of translating euphemistic expressions.