scholarly journals National identity in the textbooks of English as a foreign language

Author(s):  
Danijela Vasilijević ◽  
Marina Semiz ◽  
Branka Adžić

Starting from the argument that foreign language teaching represents a suitable context for introducing national symbols of different countries, but also the learners' own country, the role of textbooks of English as a foreign language in development and empowering the national identity of students in lower primary school was examined. With regards to different conceptualisations the national identity was operationalised in 11 categories: religion, customs and tradition, national feelings, language, symbols and features, solidarity and togetherness, cultural heritage, important people, geography terms, family and general information. The research was performed through the method of theoretic analysis and the method of content analysis. The units of analysis are: a) sentences of basic text in textbooks, b) sentences of additional information content, and c) image content. The research included English language textbooks for lower primary school licensed in the Republic of Serbia (N=12). Research results indicated that textbooks generally do not contribute to forming and empowering of national identity of students in lower primary school, especially with regards to categories: national feelings, historic subjects, language, family, solidarity, and togetherness.

2021 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 27-43
Author(s):  
Danijela Vasilijević ◽  
Marina Semiz ◽  
Žana Bojović

The paper presents the results of a research conducted with the aim of determining the contribution of Science and Social Studies textbooks in the formation and strengthening of the national identity of younger students in primary school. The theoretical part of the paper provides an overview of different conceptualizations of the concept of national identity, as well as an overview of the research on the role of program frameworks and educational content in the development of the national identity of children and young generation. In accordance with different conceptualizations, national identity has been operationalized in 11 categories: religion, customs and traditions, national feelings, language, symbols and insignia, solidarity and togetherness, cultural heritage, important personalities, geographical concepts, family, and general information. The method of theoretical analysis and the method of content analysis were applied in the research. The units of analysis are the sentences of the basic text of the textbook. The research included the Science and Social Studies textbooks in the lower grades of primary school (N = 12). The results of the research indicate that textbooks insufficiently contribute to the formation and strengthening of the national identity of the younger school-age students, in terms of all considered categories of national identity. The conducted analysis implies that it is possible and desirable to strengthen the contents of national significance and, to a greater or lesser extent, incorporate them in all thematic units, which would significantly increase the overall share of the contents on national identity.


1997 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Triandafyllidou ◽  
M. Calloni ◽  
A. Mikrakis

The creation of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia after the dismantling of the Yugoslav federation has led to a revival of Greek nationalism. Greece has refused to recognize the new state as the ‘Republic of Macedonia’, sustaining that its name and national symbols form part of Greek culture and identity and are, therefore, unacceptable. The aim of this study is to highlight the Greek claims of ‘property’ over certain cultural traditions and, more specifically, the relationship between these claims and the ethno-cultural character of Greek national identity. Moreover, the paper examines the strategic manipulation of nationalist feelings by Greek politicians. The role of political and cultural myths in (re)defining national identity and in drawing the boundaries, symbolic and territorial, between ‘us’ and the ‘others’ is investigated. The problems that may arise from such an ethnic conception of the nation-state are discussed and a ‘constitutional model of patriotism’ is proposed as an alternative solution.


2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 161-179
Author(s):  
Outi Paloposki

The article looks at book production and circulation from the point of view of translators, who, as purchasers and readers of foreign-language books, are an important mediating force in the selection of literature for translation. Taking the German publisher Tauchnitz's series ‘Collection of British Authors’ and its circulation in Finland in the nineteenth and early twentieth century as a case in point, the article argues that the increased availability of English-language books facilitated the acquiring and honing of translators' language skills and gradually diminished the need for indirect translating. Book history and translation studies meet here in an examination of the role of the Collection in Finnish translators' work.


Relay Journal ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 228-235
Author(s):  
Paul J. Moore ◽  
Phil Murphy ◽  
Luann Pascucci ◽  
Scott Sustenance

This paper reports on an ongoing study into the affordances of free online machine translation for students learning English as a foreign language (EFL) at the tertiary level in Japan. The researchers are currently collecting data from a questionnaire, task performance, and interviews with 10-15 EFL learners in an English Language Institute in a university in Japan. The paper provides some background on the changing role of translation in language learning theory and pedagogy, before focusing literature related to technical developments in machine translation technology, and its application to foreign language learning. An overview of the research methodology is provided, along with some insights into potential findings. Findings will be presented in subsequent publications.


Neofilolog ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 11-26
Author(s):  
Jolanta Sujecka-Zając

The trend for eco-linguistics, which has been dynamically developing in the English-language literature since the 1970s, proposes a change in the perception of the relationship between language, nature, and culture, in a sense making language a link which brings together nature and culture, rather than separating them as is traditional. This approach poses important questions: How do languages ​​work in the ecosystem created by the language environment of all users of a given language context? What relationships can they enter into? How should one perceive the development of multilingualism in such an ecological approach, in which not only does "strong" affect the "weak" but “weak” reciprocates? "Weak" has an important place in the language ecosystem, which risks serious changes due to excessive weakening of one of its components. This paper aims to examine the possible inspirations that eco-linguistics offers Foreign Language Teaching (FLT), highlighting the role of each language and sensitizing the reader to the relationships that arise between languages ​​and their users in a given environment. From this perspective Claire Kramsch (2008) postulates a change in the perception of the main function of the teacher from the "teacher of a code" to the "teacher of meaning", which has specific didactic consequences in how language activities are approached. Is the school classroom a place for activities which have their origin in the trend for eco-FLT?


Author(s):  
Светлана Александровна Калинина

Введение. Раскрывается понятие топонима как маркера географического пространства и роль топонимики в системе наук. Определяется роль топонима, входящего в структуру фразеологической единицы (ФЕ), и культурологическая ценность самого устойчивого оборота с компонентом-топонимом. Обосновывается актуальность исследования, его цель и новизна. Материал и методы. Материалом послужили топонимические фразеологизмы современного английского языка (213 единиц), исследованные посредством методов статистического и лингвокультурологического анализа. Результаты и обсуждение. В топонимических фразеологизмах вербализации подвергаются различные сегменты объективной реальности, репрезентирующие материальный и духовный мир человека. Топонимические фразеологизмы раскрывают отношение человека к окружающей его действительности, отношение к окружающим его людям и к самому себе. Они также анализируют внешние и внутренние стороны человеческой личности, акцентируя внимание на внешнем виде человека, особенностях его голоса, походки, умственного склада ума, на морально-нравственных качествах и характере человека, создавая при этом определенный позитивный или негативный образ. Заключение. Топоним является маркером национальной культуры, поскольку отражает природно-географические особенности страны, историко-культурную специфику этноса, ее населяющего; связан с менталитетом и особенностями характера нации, ее психологией и социально-бытовыми факторами. В английских ФЕ с компонентом-топонимом также находит отражение национально-культурное своеобразие жизни народа. Топонимические фразеологизмы современного английского языка распределяются по двум большим группам: ФЕ, отражающие материальный мир человека, и ФЕ, отражающие духовный мир человека. Фразеологизмы, характеризующие материальный мир человека, можно распределить по десяти подгруппам, большинство из которых соотносятся с бытом человека. Топонимические фразеологизмы, характеризующие духовный мир человека, включают шесть подгрупп, представляющие отношение человека к действительности и людям. Introduction. The concept of a toponym as a marker of the geographical space and the role of toponymy in the scientific system are revealed. The role of the toponym included as a component of the phraseological unit and the cultural value of these idioms are determined. The relevance of the research, its purpose and novelty are substantiated. Material and methods. The research material is the phraseological units of the modern English language with a toponym as a component (213 units). The methods of the study are the statistical method and the method of the linguacultural analysis. Results and discussion. Toponymic phraseological units reflect and verbalize the various segments of the objective reality including the material and spiritual world of a personality. Toponymic phraseological units reveal a person’s attitude to the reality surrounding him/her, a person’s attitude to the people near him/her and the attitude to self. They also analyze the external and internal aspects of the personality, focusing the view on the appearance of a man or woman, on his/her voice, on gait, on mental state of mind, on the moral qualities and the character of a personality. The image of a personality creating by phraseological units can be positive or negative one. Conclusion. Any toponym (especially if it belongs to the “native” culture) has a national identity. It reflects (except the historical, territorial and geographical peculiarities of the nation), the national mentality, character, and specific features of the people’s life. The English phraseological units with a toponym as a component reflect the national identity as well. These idioms are divided into two large groups: 1) those which show the material comforts of the everyday life and 2) those which tell us about the inward habits of the people. Toponymic phraseological units of the second group include six subgroups. Subgroups including the idioms reflecting the people’s attitude to the social reality and to the other people prevail.


2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 929
Author(s):  
Rini Yarti ◽  
A.M Tri Anggraini

An imported product to be traded into the territory of Indonesia must include an Indonesian language label in accordance with established regulations, the regulation is regulated in Article 2 paragraph (1) of the Minister of Trade Regulation of the Republic of Indonesia Number 73 / M-DAG / PER / 9/2015 concerning Label Inclusion In Indonesian in Goods. Every product introduced to consumers must be accompanied by correct information. This information is needed so that consumers do not have a wrong picture of the product. This information can be submitted in various ways, one of which is by including an Indonesian translation label on the foreign language label listed on the product packaging. Information on product packaging labels is very necessary for the community so that each individual can correctly determine the choice before buying and consuming the product. In fact there are still many producers who are not responsible for selling cosmetic products that do not meet the requirements. Cosmetic products that do not meet these requirements can be found easily in malls, in traditional markets, or through the internet. The role of the state in this case the government is needed to protect consumers from the circulation of products that do not meet the requirements. So legal protection for consumers is needed to increase awareness of the rights as consumers.


Author(s):  
Veronika Dmytruk ◽  
Halyna Shevchyk

The article is devoted to the psychological and pedagogical substantiation of the expediency of learning foreign languages while studying in the institution of higher education. The authors analyse the current educational process in Ukrainian and identify the most important factors influencing the formation of qualified professionals and establish the role of foreign language in each of these factors. It was found that studying can be extremely intensified due to learning a foreign language. It is established that learning foreign languages increases a person’s ability to develop intellectually. Keywords: pedagogical psychology; institution of higher education; foreign language; English language; training intensification; motivation; information management; information gathering; information processing.


Author(s):  
Christopher Mudaliar

This chapter focuses on the role that constitutions play in national identity, particularly in states that are recently independent and constrained by a colonial legacy. It uses Fiji as a case study, exploring how British colonialism influenced conceptions of Fijian national identity in the constitutional texts of 1970, 1990 and 1997. The chapter explores the indigenous ethno-nationalist ideals that underpinned these constitutions, which led to the privileging of indigenous Fijian identity within the wider national identity. However, in 2013, Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama introduced a new constitution which shifted away from previous ethno-nationalist underpinnings towards a more inclusive national identity through the promotion of a civic nationalist agenda. In doing so, Bainimarama’s goal of reducing ethnic conflict has seen a constitutional re-imagining of Fijian identity, which includes the introduction of new national symbols, and a new electoral system, alongside equal citizenry clauses within the Constitution. This study offers a unique insight into power and identity within post-colonial island states.


2015 ◽  
Vol 725-726 ◽  
pp. 1646-1652 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Kukushkina

The article is dedicated to the changes happening in the sphere of higher education and concerning the foreign language education of the future civil engineers. The research held studies the main motivational factors for English language learning among the students of the Institute of Civil Engineering. The conclusions made are meant to improve the system of technical students’ foreign language education .


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