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Research Article
Lexical Choice and Syntactic Structure of Solomon Islands Pijin
Shuhang Tang*
Issue:
Volume 13, Issue 6, December 2025
Pages:
212-218
Received:
7 October 2025
Accepted:
19 October 2025
Published:
7 November 2025
Abstract: Solomon Islands is not an English-speaking country but a Pijin-speaking one. The Pijin spoken in this country belongs to Melanesia Pijin circle within which there are the other Pijins spoken in Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu. By means of literature reading and qualitative study, Solomon Islands Pijin (SIP) turns out to be from the colonial historical culture, cross-linguistic contact environment, necessary demand for temporary communication and cognitive economy principle. Based on British English, SIP demonstrates a common effort of a smooth communicative demand and diverse dialects. Generally, lexical choice and syntactic structure conform to the basic rules of British English to be more concise, fragmented and straightforward, which is easy to memorize, understand and use. Specifically, the lexicon is primarily made certain transformation on the basis of the phonetics, morphology, and semantics of English lexicon, together with suffixation and special function words. The syntax is mostly based on the local dialects in the aspects of the word order, double subject, specific degree modifier, infinitive structure, “moa” and “nomoa”, and replacement of the original modal verbs. With the development of SIP, the different written forms are employed to convey the message more concisely and effectively. SIP is a lingua franca rooted in local social and historical culture that Solomon Islanders live by being a symbol of language identity for Solomon Islands.
Abstract: Solomon Islands is not an English-speaking country but a Pijin-speaking one. The Pijin spoken in this country belongs to Melanesia Pijin circle within which there are the other Pijins spoken in Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu. By means of literature reading and qualitative study, Solomon Islands Pijin (SIP) turns out to be from the colonial historical...
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Research Article
Associative -a as a Productive Affix in Names Formation in Runyambo
Lea Mpobela*
Issue:
Volume 13, Issue 6, December 2025
Pages:
219-227
Received:
3 October 2025
Accepted:
22 October 2025
Published:
28 November 2025
Abstract: This paper presents the names formed through associative -a in Runyambo. The formation of nouns in Bantu languages employ several strategies including the use of associative -a which differ in productivity in different languages. The paper looks at this process as a productive one especially in forming personal and place names in Runyambo. The paper is descriptive in nature with qualitative data presented through listing and morphological parsing. The names were collected from five native speakers; What’s app groups where lists of names (especially of people) are listed during different contributions; extraction from written materials and through elicitation techniques in the natural environment where the language is spoken. It was found that associative -a is very productive in the formation of names in Runyambo. It is used to associate an entity being named with the environment and its meaning. Being a dependent morpheme, it attaches to noun class agreement affixes to agree with the nouns it associates. In names, the associative -a ‘of’ occurs as a prefix as in class 9/10 nya- in a personal name Nyangoma ‘of drum’. The other forms include ka- class 12, cha- class 7, bhya- class 8, rwa- class 11, etc. Among which when used in personal names nya- is feminine, rwa, bhya and cha are masculine and ka is diminutive. Despite having morphological features, names in Runyanyo are meaningful and reflect the culture of the speakers.
Abstract: This paper presents the names formed through associative -a in Runyambo. The formation of nouns in Bantu languages employ several strategies including the use of associative -a which differ in productivity in different languages. The paper looks at this process as a productive one especially in forming personal and place names in Runyambo. The pape...
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Research Article
Assessing Anglais Paper Instructions Set by Francophone Primary School Teachers in Guidiguis, Far-north Cameroon
Ebenezert Welyang Le Grand*
Issue:
Volume 13, Issue 6, December 2025
Pages:
228-235
Received:
16 August 2025
Accepted:
27 August 2025
Published:
9 December 2025
Abstract: This study aims to assess the linguistic quality of Anglais paper instructions set by Francophone primary school teachers. Guided by the Error Analysis framework, 40 authentic CM2 question papers were examined. The analysis revealed recurrent word order and subject–verb agreement errors, alongside frequent orthographic mistakes. These issues were largely attributed to negative transfer from French and an incomplete mastery of English grammatical and orthographic conventions. Such errors compromise the clarity of instructions, risk confusing learners during assessments, and potentially undermine the objectives of Cameroon’s bilingual education policy. The study recommends targeted in-service teacher training focused on English grammar and assessment language, the development of clear instructional guidelines, and the institution of systematic quality control measures to ensure the production of accurate and comprehensible paper materials in English.
Abstract: This study aims to assess the linguistic quality of Anglais paper instructions set by Francophone primary school teachers. Guided by the Error Analysis framework, 40 authentic CM2 question papers were examined. The analysis revealed recurrent word order and subject–verb agreement errors, alongside frequent orthographic mistakes. These issues were l...
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Research Article
A Meta-Representational Analysis of Echo Utterances in Chinese Complaint Hotline Interactions
Yukun Li*,
Heyu Wang
Issue:
Volume 13, Issue 6, December 2025
Pages:
236-245
Received:
15 October 2025
Accepted:
2 November 2025
Published:
19 December 2025
DOI:
10.11648/j.ijll.20251306.14
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Abstract: Based on the notion of meta-representation proposed by Sperber & Wilson, this study analyzes echo utterances in Chinese complaint hotline interactions, categorizing them into quotative and reconstructive echoes. Quotative echoes, relying on metalinguistic resemblance, involve the literal reproduction of prior speech and are used predominantly by customers to voice moderate, within-framework resistance. In contrast, reconstructive echoes, based on interpretive resemblance, fundamentally reset the cognitive framework of the talk and serve as a deep intervention strategy. The choice and function of these echo strategies are fundamentally shaped by the power dynamics inherent in the institutional setting. Customers, typically in low-power positions, employ quotative echoes to tentatively resist proposed solutions and highlight procedural-personal disconnects, while strategically using reconstructive echoes to overturn the epistemic framework of the talk into a deontic one, thereby moralizing their complaint. Conversely, agents, positioned within the institutional authority, overwhelmingly use reconstructive echoes to systematically convert customers' personalized, emotional narratives into neutral, technical, and solution-oriented terms. This discursive process institutionalizes the complainable and functions to naturalize existing power relations. Ultimately, this meta-representation perspective elucidates how the very nature of the complainable is not pre-formed but negotiated through a continuous struggle between personal experience and institutional procedure. The study concludes that effective complaint resolution hinges on this dynamic interplay, achieving a balance between procedural justice and the acknowledgment of humane needs.
Abstract: Based on the notion of meta-representation proposed by Sperber & Wilson, this study analyzes echo utterances in Chinese complaint hotline interactions, categorizing them into quotative and reconstructive echoes. Quotative echoes, relying on metalinguistic resemblance, involve the literal reproduction of prior speech and are used predominantly by cu...
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Research Article
On the Central and Marginal Debate of Embedded Implicatures: Evidence from Chinese
Lirong Bai*
Issue:
Volume 13, Issue 6, December 2025
Pages:
246-257
Received:
1 December 2025
Accepted:
11 December 2025
Published:
24 December 2025
DOI:
10.11648/j.ijll.20251306.15
Downloads:
Views:
Abstract: Over the past two decades, embedded implicatures-a core construct in the interface of semantics and pragmatics-have attracted extensive attention among pragmaticists, semanticists and philosophers of language, spawning a wealth of theoretical debates and empirical investigations. An embedded implicature denotes a pragmatic inference that arises not at the propositional level of an utterance, but within a subordinate linguistic structure (e.g., a clause, phrase, or quantifier phrase). A highly controversial issue at the heart of these discussions pertains to whether embedded implicatures are central or marginal. In this paper, we addressed this pivotal question through a rigorous questionnaire-based approach conducted within a Chinese linguistic context, with the aim of providing empirical evidence rooted in non-English discourse data. The results consistently demonstrate that the phenomenon of embedded implicature is central rather than marginal. In the pilot test, the average proportion of embedded Q1 [uantiy]-implicature, embedded I[nformativeness]-implicature and embedded M[anner]-implicature is 67%, 67% and 80% respectively, which is apparently predominant; the average proportion of embedded Q2 [uality]-implicature is 49%, which is close to a predominant level. In the formal test, the average proportion of embedded Q1-implicature, embedded I-implicature, embedded M-implicature and embedded Q2-implicature is 77%, 72%, 68% and 78%. Collectively, these cross-test data provide compelling confirmation of Neo-Gricean theoretical postulates, with Levinson’s model receiving particularly robust empirical reinforcement, thereby shedding new light on the cross-linguistic validity of implicature theories.
Abstract: Over the past two decades, embedded implicatures-a core construct in the interface of semantics and pragmatics-have attracted extensive attention among pragmaticists, semanticists and philosophers of language, spawning a wealth of theoretical debates and empirical investigations. An embedded implicature denotes a pragmatic inference that arises not...
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