Historical Perspective on Suffixed Second Person Pronouns: a Corpus-Based Study

The present work provides a detailed picture of the forms, frequencies and functions of suffixed second person pronouns (e.g. yous) since their first occurrence in English until the 2000s. It is a corpus-based study which aims to expand and refine the already existing definitions of suffixed second person forms in the literature. For the first time in scholarly work, the paper traces the historical evolution of both the frequencies and functions of suffixed second person pronouns and identifies grammaticalisation and pragmaticalisation as the underlying processes of language change of these features.

The Possible Role of the English Word Power (EWP) Program in Motivating ICT Foundation Students to Learn English at a University of Technology in South Africa

This study reports on the possible role of the English Word Power (EWP) program in motivating ICT Foundation students to learn English at a University of Technology in South Africa. Current research indicates that computer-assisted language programs increase motivation and increase enjoyment of learning activities, but no study in South Africa has been conducted on whether this is the case with the EWP program. A qualitative approach was adopted. The sample comprised 44 purposefully selected student observations (n = 44); and five students completed journals. The findings from student observations indicate that they were enthusiastic about the program and that they enjoyed it. The findings from the journals show that students were unsure about certain instructions used in the program and they were too preoccupied with getting the correct answers. It is concluded that ICT Foundation students are positively motivated by the EWP program because, for most of them, learning by means of computers is a new experience in terms of their previous schooling backgrounds. This paves the way for further investigations in developing CALL programs that will have an impact on student learning. Future research should focus on whether similar computer-based programs like EWP do increase student learning.

The Periphrastic Topic Structures in Chinese-English Interlanguage

Periphrastic topic structures, as Chinese-style topic structures, belong to the category of prepositional topic fronting constructions in TSVO sequences. Findings from studies on periphrastic topic structures are inconsistent and present only a fragmented understanding. Therefore, the present study is conducted to make up for the gap and aims to reveal the developmental features of periphrastic topic structures (henceforth PTS) through investigating the production and the recognition of PTSs in Chinese college English learners’ Chinese-English interlanguage. The result suggests that with advances in learners’ English proficiency levels, periphrastic topic structures diminish from the preliminary stage to the intermediate stage gradually, but present a much higher degree of fossilization at the advanced level. Theoretically, this finding may further support Yang’s findings(2008) and validate the Selective Fossilization Hypothesis model (SFH model) proposed by Han (2009).

Development of English among Older Chinese Migrants in Australia: A Case of Tense and Aspect

Language barrier among older migrants affects various areas of their life such as physical and mental well-being and participation in the community. However, little is known about their actual language attainment. This study investigates the development of tense and aspect (TA) in English through focused instructions among older Chinese migrants in Australia. TA is expressed through morphological and syntactic means in English, while in Chinese, tense is expressed lexically, and aspect via contextual cues and aspect markers. These typological contrasts create learning difficulties among Chinese learners in acquiring English TA. The Aspect Hypothesis (Andersen & Shirai, 1994) claims that the acquisition of aspect is related to verb semantics and, for instance, acquisition of progressive starts with action verbs then extends to Accomplishment and Achievement (Sugya & Shirai, 2007). From a morphosyntactic viewpoint Processability Theory (PT, Pinemann 1998) hypothesises a universal sequence of second language development where V-ing and V-ed are acquired at the category-procedure stage, followed by verb phrase agreement between auxiliary and lexical verb and finally subject-verb agreement on the verb at sentence procedure stage. We broach whether the older migrant learners would be able to learn TA in English. Seven Chinese migrants aged 60-69 who arrived in Australia at the age of between 35 and 60 participated in this study. They received four-week focused instruction on TA following the stages described in PT, and their speech production data were collected before and after the instruction. Analyses indicated that the participants improved their markings of TA after the instruction, and their PT developmental stage was a crucial factor in acquiring TA. The study emphasises the importance of continuous language training for older migrants to encourage their language development, especially for those learning a typologically different language from their first language. Thus, this paper addresses a research gap in older migrants’ second language learning and highlights the importance of research with adult migrants to gain insight into their bilingualism.

Analysis of Identity Construction through Positioning Acts in Nigerian Vice-Presidential Debate Discourses

More often in political debates, participants do not readily expound their identities and attitudes; they employ language structure that requires the analysis of the placing of self/other in certain positions for comprehension. Hence, this study aims at exploring identity construction through positioning act strategies and the identities projected in the discourse practices by two vice presidential debate candidates in defining selves/others, parties’ stance and group categorization. The study used Langenhove and Harre (1999) positioning theory. The data for the study are delimited to five excerpts randomly selected from thirty-two online-transcribed discourses between two debate participants. Findings reveal that the candidates made use of first and second order performative and accountive positioning acts to implicate self/party’s moral order and positive stance and the other’s immoral attributes. The modes of positioning are moral, personal, intentional, deliberate self and other and forced self-positioning. The discursive practices involved are such that are strategically manipulated to divulge the individual’s attitudes to the socio-economic and political development of the nation, thereby portraying the following identities: Scrupulous, dogged, competent, loyalist and committed (self/group) identity and corrupt minded, incompetent, failure and uncommitted (others) identity. In conclusion, the knowledge of the concepts of positioning and its applicability to the understanding of political debates is essential for the understanding of the politicians’ ideologies and identities as well as their stance on the nation’s growth.

International Business Company CEOs’ Public Apologies and their Users’ Responses

An important aspect of the emerging user care discourse is the apologies offered by companies. Previous research has focused on public apologies; however, there has been little focus on the users’ comments in response to apologies. This case study aimed to investigate (i) the structure of the public apologies in terms of their frequency and sequence, and (ii) the users’ responses to these apologies as indicated in their comments. Four public apologies were purposively selected: They were all presented in English by the executives and posted on Facebook between 2011 and 2015. The responses to these apologies were also collected. The results of content analysis indicate that apology strategies, including taking full responsibility, asking for forgiveness, being sincere, and being published in a timely manner are the most effective strategies to elicit positive responses. The results have useful implications for research and practice in the area.

Unmasking the enduring legacies of apartheid in South Africa through Phaswane Mpe’s Welcome to Our Hillbrow

Prior to the dispensation of democracy in South Africa, the country was presided by a system of apartheid that perpetuated colonial policies that discriminated against non-white (South) Africans. Nevertheless, the democratic jurisdiction dethroned and succeeded the apartheid regime in 1994. This galvanised South Africa to undergo a political transition from segregation (autocracy) to peace, equality and unity (democracy). The political emancipation engineered a shift of identity and also made a clarion call for South Africans to subscribe to a democratic identity branded by oneness and harmony. However, as South Africa sought to redress herself, it unearthed appalling remnants of the apartheid past. Twenty-seven years since democracy took reigns in South Africa, the country is still haunted by the horrors of the past. It is the apartheid government that has bred hegemonic delinquencies that encumber the South African society from extricating herself from discriminatory identities such as racial tension, division, inequality and socio-economic crises. This qualitative study sought to scrutinise the vestiges of apartheid in South Africa. It has hinged on the literary appreciation of Phaswane Mpe’s Welcome to Our Hillbrow, which reflects on the menace that the enduring legacies of apartheid pose to livelihoods in the democratic period. Mpe’s post-apartheid novel is chosen for this study by virtue of its exposure and protest against apartheid influence in the newly reconstructed democratic South African society. Scholarly attention has been satisfactorily paid to the implementation of socio-economic transformation in the country, however, there seems to be an inadequate scholarship to explore the pretexts or the genesis of socio-economic transformation setbacks, which this study aims to unmask.

Discourse Phases, Schemas, Speech Acts & Implicature of Bribery in English and Arabic

Verbal offences are language crimes that are committed by uttering utterances of certain words or expressions. One of those offences is bribery. Bribery has extensively been studied and compared in different legal systems and legislations, yet, the linguistic aspects of this crime has not been given due interest. The present study attempts to bridge this gap by studying this offence from a pragmatic perspective in terms of discourse phases, schemas, speech acts and implicature in English and Arabic. This study tries to achieve the following aims: Shedding light on the similarities and differences in bribery between English and Arabic in terms of discourse phases, schemas, speech acts and implicature and showing in which community bribery is more common than the other: English or Iraqi-Arabic. The data of this study consisting of 10 complaints in English and Arabic were collected from Courts of Appeal in Iraq, Britain and the United States. They are analyzed in terms of an eclectic model constructed from Shuy (2013), Searle (1975) and Grice (1967). The results indicate that the bribery cases have the same phases and schemas in both languages. The locutionary acts, in both English and Arabic bribery, are expressed by verbs. But in terms of illocutionary acts, bribery is different between English and Arabic. As far as implicature is concerned, bribery is expressed by different linguistic structures in English and Arabic.

The Complex Effects of Picturebooks on English as a Foreign Language Reading

While effects of picturebooks on reading were examined in higher grades (e.g., high school students) (Ajayi, 2009), little is known about the emerging English as Foreign Language (EFL) Kindergartens to 4th graders (i.e., K-4) students in China. Language institutes are critical phenomena for EFL K-4 education in China (Shi, 2019). Aiming to test the hypothesis that picturebooks have positive effects for reading, this study adopted within-subjects and between-subjects design to examine the effects of picturebooks on EFL reading comprehension of K-4 students in a language institute in China. Thirty-two participants were assigned into two groups to complete multiple choice and ordering tasks. The results showed that students reading with picturebooks outperformed in the two tasks than those who did not, especially on answering literal questions. With pedagogical implication as a goal, we suggest that EFL teachers need to (1) provide scaffoldings in class such as activating students’ prior knowledge, (2) make connections to students’ experience in the reading process. (3) select picturebooks considering the complex relationship between pictures and texts.

A Sociolinguistic Analysis of Personal Naming in Jordan

This study aims to better understand the sociolingustic factors that affect personal naming in Jordan by looking at five specific factors that affect it: religious, cultural, political, naming after someone, and musicality. It examines how these five factors affect the personal naming in respect to gender, generation, and geographical distribution in Jordan. The study also seeks to determine which of the five factors are the most and which are the least influential for naming practices in Jordan. To this end, 300 names were collected and analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively, with the results showing that these factors affect gender, generation, and geographical distribution in different ways. It also showed that the religious factor is the most frequent, whereas, the political factor is the least.