Investigating the apology strategies of Saudi learners of English

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 598-625 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dina Abdel Salam El-Dakhs
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Pragmatic Competence ◽  
Learning Context ◽  
Completion Test ◽  
Native Speakers Of English ◽  
Saudi Arabic

Abstract The present study examines the apologetic behavior of Saudi learners of English in a foreign language learning context. The study also investigates the influence of language exposure, gender, distance and dominance on the learners’ apologies. To this end, a Discourse Completion Test was completed by (1) 411 Saudi learners of English, (2) 42 native speakers of Saudi Arabic and (3) 47 native speakers of English. The groups of native speakers provided the norms of apologetic behavior in the learners’ first (L1) and second (L2) languages. The results showed the Saudi participants’ preference for face-saving strategies to both the speaker and hearer, and a positive influence for increased L2 exposure on the learners’ pragmatic competence. The variables of gender, distance and dominance also proved influential but to varying degrees. The results are interpreted in light of the existing literature and theoretical models. Pedagogical implications and research directions are proposed.

AGE OF ONSET, TYPE OF EXPOSURE, AND ULTIMATE ATTAINMENT OF L2 MORPHO-SYNTACTIC SENSITIVITY

2019 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 801-823
Author(s):  
Eun-Kyoung Rosa Lee
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Age Of Onset ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Judgment Task ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Learning Context ◽  
Grammaticality Judgment ◽  
Third Person

AbstractThe present study examined whether early immersive L2 exposure in a foreign language learning context can yield long-term advantages in L2 morpho-syntactic sensitivity. Participants were 40 Korean university students with high English proficiency, who had either attended an English kindergarten or begun learning English in a classroom, and a control group of native English speakers. All participants performed a speeded aural grammaticality judgment task that included the following features: articles, subcategorization, plural -s, third-person -s. Results showed that the English-kindergarten group outperformed the late-classroom group in terms of accuracy for ungrammatical sentences, while the two groups did not differ significantly on grammatical sentences and in reaction time measures. The learners altogether scored higher in plural -s and third-person -s compared to articles. While the native speakers showed near-perfect accuracy and fast reaction times, the highly proficient learners were at near-chance level in detecting morpho-syntactic errors during online L2 aural processing.

Realization of Speech Act of Permission by Kurdish EFL University Students

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-30
Author(s):  
Yaseen Alzeebaree
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Speech Acts ◽  
Speech Act ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Private University ◽  
Pragmatic Competence ◽  
State Universities ◽  
Completion Test ◽  
Native Speakers Of English ◽  
Convenience Sampling

This study aims to examine Kurdish EFL university students’ development of L2 pragmatic competence by investigating their performance of the speech acts of permission. The methodology of this study was a combined research method, which comprises a quantitative and a qualitative method (mixed method). Total of 97 participants were involved in this research study. 83 (33 males and 50 females) were from four state universities and one private university in the Iraqi Kurdistan region and 14 were native speakers of English. A discourse completion test (DCT) was used to elicit the required data from participants. The study used convenience sampling for the participants because both native and non-native participants were selected on the basis of their availability. The data were coded and analysed quantitatively in terms of overall strategy use and strategy patterns. The findings revealed that there were differences in the frequency and percentages of strategies and semantic formulae in performing the speech act. KEFLUS tended to use more direct and explicit. There were more politeness and implicitness in NSE' behaviours in performing the speech act, which might have resulted from the lack of pragmatic competence of KEFLUS.

A contrastive pragmatic study of politeness strategies in disagreement between native speakers of English and Chinese EFL learners

2016 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chu Yan
Keyword(s):  
Social Distance ◽  
Social Power ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Pragmatic Competence ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Cross Cultural Study ◽  
Politeness Strategies ◽  
Completion Test ◽  
Native Speakers Of English ◽  
Chinese Undergraduates

AbstractThis paper attempts to make a contrastive cross-cultural study of a special speech act— “disagreement.” Participants are 35 American undergraduates and 42 Chinese undergraduates respectively with the data eliciting technique—DCT (discourse completion test). Findings show that Chinese undergraduates tend to use different politeness strategies according to different social distance and social power while American undergraduates prefer to use positive politeness strategy most followed by negative politeness strategy, regardless of social distance and social power. The results of the study reveal cultural differences between the U.S. and China that lead to the distribution of diverse politeness strategies and also offer insights into what Chinese EFL learners are struggling with during their development of interlanguage pragmatic competence.

scholarly journals You, Too, Will Speak English Soon: The Pros and Cons of English as a Business Lingua Franca

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. p80
Author(s):  
Heiko Wiggers
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Lingua Franca ◽  
Native Languages ◽  
Course Of Action ◽  
Efficient Communication ◽  
Pros And Cons ◽  
Native Speakers Of English

This paper discusses the increasing use of English as a Business Lingua Franca (BELF). In particular, this paper examines case studies from several companies located in diverse countries (Japan, Germany, and Finland), where English has been implemented as an internal lingua franca. The case studies show that most employees at these companies adjusted to BELF in a very pragmatic manner, while others considered the employment of BELF to be an intrusive course of action. This paper also investigates how BELF is viewed by native speakers of English and argues that attitudes towards foreign language learning by native speakers of English may constitute an impediment to efficient communication between speakers of different native languages and backgrounds. Finally, this papers shows that the acceptance of BELF, at least to a certain degree, is dependent on attitudes towards the global spread of English.

scholarly journals You sound attractive! Perceptions of accented English in a multilingual environment

2011 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 216-236 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susana A. Eisenchlas ◽  
Chiharu Tsurutani
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Cultural Difference ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Standard English ◽  
Foreign Born ◽  
Foreign Accents ◽  
Native Speakers Of English ◽  
Accented English

Sociolinguistic research on attitudes towards language has revealed that native speakers of English are drawn towards those who share their native accent and respond cautiously, perhaps negatively, towards those speaking in ‘accented’ English (Lambert, Hodgson, Gardner & Fillenbaum, 1960; Rubin, 1992). These perceptions greatly disadvantage migrants in competitive job and educational markets. This study investigated perceptions held by Australian university students learning foreign languages towards lecturers with non-standard English accents. The investigators used a modified matched-guised technique to test students’ responses to speech samples from six speakers, one Australian born and raised and five foreign born and raised. Results contrasted clearly with those of previous studies; students rated those who they heard as ‘accented’ speakers highly in many personality dimensions, suggesting the students’ greater readiness to accept foreign accents. The results highlight the importance of foreign language learning in fostering acceptance of linguistic and cultural difference and in facilitating mutual understanding among groups, particularly in multicultural societies.

scholarly journals Metacognitive Awareness and Critical Thinking Abilities of Pre-service EFL Teachers

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 116
Author(s):  
Dilek Cakici
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Metacognitive Awareness ◽  
Learning Context ◽  
Efl Teachers

The primary aim of current study was to investigate the possible relationship between Metacognitive Awareness (MA) and Critical Thinking Skills (CTS) in a foreign language learning context. In addition, this research aimed to probe the effect of gender and years of pre-service English language teachers on the relation between metacognitive awareness and critical thinking abilities. 218 pre-service EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teachers participated in the study. Metacognitive Awareness Inventory and Critical Thinking Questionnaire were employed to gather necessary data. Obtained results confirmed that there existed a highly significant positive correlation between MA and CTS. Besides, the results indicated that there was a strong relation between the years of pre-service EFL teachers and their MA and CTS. Seniors were found to be more metacognitively aware and critical thinkers than their counterparts. Conversely, it was revealed that there was no gender effect on both MA and CTS. Finally, certain suggestions were set for tertiary institutions to develop metacognition and critical thinking skills in foreign language classroom settings.

The specifics of foreign language distance learning

2020 ◽  
pp. 72-78
Author(s):  
N. A. Drutsko ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Online Communication ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Stressful Environment ◽  
Online Mode ◽  
Physical Isolation ◽  
University Classrooms ◽  
Absolute Advantage

The internationality of the communicative community and the incessant process of modernization require from railway specialists the skill of freely interacting with native speakers of another language. Knowledge of a foreign language at a time when many types of activities have switched to remote functioning is an absolute advantage. This is both the opportunity to obtain relevant knowledge from foreign language sources, and the freedom to communicate and exchange experience with colleagues, regardless of which language they are native speakers. Learning online increases the responsibility of the future railway specialist for the result of mastering a foreign language, conscientiousness in organizing his own educational activities, and independence in completing assignments. The importance of learning a foreign language for railway students during a pandemic remains extremely high. With an eye on quarantine measures, we note that the inability of live communication with people is compensated by online communication channels. The greater number of tools future specialists possess, the more successful they are in coping with the current problems. A foreign language (especially English as a working language of business communication) is one of these tools. The quarantine did not prevent railway specialists from contacting their foreign colleagues, actively sharing their experience, thus being able to cope with a stressful environment in a much better way. Those specialists who switched to online mode and had to communicate with clients using communication tools also noted tangible advantages in knowing a foreign language. In case of forced physical isolation, USURT teachers use productive forms and methods, making foreign language learning no less interesting than in university classrooms. In this article, the author provides a comparative analysis of the capabilities of various online platforms and makes arguments in favor of choosing the Blackboard digital platform. Particular attention is paid to the organization of remote control over training and the forms of influence on the motivational sphere of students.

Rozvoj řečové dovednosti mluvení s využitím asynchronních ICT nástrojů: přehledová studie

2019 ◽  
pp. 33-50
Author(s):  
Terezie Nerušilová
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
International Studies ◽  
Online Environment ◽  
Speaking Skill ◽  
Ict Tools

This review aims to map the research connected with the use of ICT tools for the development of speaking skill in foreign language learning. It is based on nine international studies showing in which ways the asynchronous online environment can be used for the development of the speaking skill, emphasising the positive influence of ICT on students’ motivation, and some of them pointing out the importance of feedback.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document