International Journal of Language and Linguistics

Volume 1, Issue 4, November 2013

  • Ecosystem-Wide Characteristics of an ESL Environment in Situ: An Affordance-Semiotics Perspective

    Alan Wai Lun Lai

    Issue: Volume 1, Issue 4, November 2013
    Pages: 75-89
    Received: 8 August 2013
    Published: 20 October 2013
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    Abstract: Investigating the phenomenon of how a learning environment affords opportunities for individual learners to learn has recently become an increasing interest among researchers of applied linguistics and psychology. Traditional perspective in this regard has tended to limit the phenomenon to the environment’s rigid conditions and novices’ controlled ... Show More
  • Investigating the Interpersonal and Textual Meaning of Steve Jobs’ Stanford Speech in Terms of Hyland’s Metadiscourse Theory

    NAN Yipei, LIU Lingling

    Issue: Volume 1, Issue 4, November 2013
    Pages: 90-96
    Received: 14 September 2013
    Published: 30 October 2013
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    Abstract: Despite his remarkable influence on IT industry and on our daily lives, Steve Jobs’ speeches have seldom been researched. This paper sets out to explore the interpersonal and textual meaning of Jobs’ famous Stanford speech in light of Hyland’s theory of metadiscourse (2005). Hyland (2005) categorizes metadiscourse resources into interactional metad... Show More
  • The Arabic Origins of "Love and Sexual Terms" in English and European Languages: A Lexical Root Theory Approach

    Zaidan Ali Jassem

    Issue: Volume 1, Issue 4, November 2013
    Pages: 97-110
    Received: 10 October 2013
    Published: 30 October 2013
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    Abstract: This paper investigates the Arabic cognates or origins of love and sexual words in English, German, French, Latin, and Greek from a lexical root theory perspective. The data consists of 239 terms like love, hope, abhor, hate, cupid, woo, whore, slut, fuck, erotic, intercourse, sex, copulate, impregnate, fornicate, marry, wed, seduce, beautiful, an... Show More
  • A Comparison between Motherese in the West and in Chinese Mandarin

    WANG Yurong, Lin Li

    Issue: Volume 1, Issue 4, November 2013
    Pages: 117-123
    Received: 26 November 2013
    Published: 30 December 2013
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    Abstract: Motherese, a name given to the restricted sort of language spoken by mothers to their children, could have an important role in affecting the rate of language acquisition. The way children acquire language in a miraculously short time is a topic of enormous current interest, stimulated by new technology which is currently enhancing our knowledge. ... Show More
  • The English Language and the Mass Media as Tools for Sustainable Development in Multilingual Nations

    Dare Owolab, Charles Ikechukwu Nnaji

    Issue: Volume 1, Issue 4, November 2013
    Pages: 124-130
    Received: 7 October 2013
    Published: 10 November 2013
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    Abstract: In many multilingual nations of the world, the multiplicity of indigenous languages and cultures makes the choice of a national language for the purpose of sustainable development difficult. This paper considers the media as major sources and vehicles for development through the choice and use of appropriate language. The English language, which ha... Show More
  • Trendy Blends: A New Addition to English Lexicon

    Massrura Mostafa

    Issue: Volume 1, Issue 4, November 2013
    Pages: 147-154
    Received: 29 October 2013
    Published: 20 November 2013
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    Abstract: New words are created in our society everyday due to several reasons. It is important to understand the processes by which new words are formed. The processes traditionally identified may not adequately account for the formation of some neologisms; they [may] need updating. Among the traditionally-identified word-formation processes, blending is th... Show More
  • Investigating the Effect of Drawing Inferences in EFL Learners Reading Comprehension Ability by Using Recall of Short Stories

    Fatemeh Azizmohammadi

    Issue: Volume 1, Issue 4, November 2013
    Pages: 155-159
    Received: 24 October 2013
    Published: 20 November 2013
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    Abstract: Drawing inference is one of seven strategies in reading comprehension. Proficient readers use their prior knowledge about a topic and the information they have gleaned in the text thus far to make predictions about what might happen next. When teachers demonstrate or model their reading processes for students through think aloud, they often stop an... Show More
  • Can Movies and Media Offer an Easily Accessible, Dynamic Resource to Enrich and Expand Our English Language Teaching

    Shadi Afzal

    Issue: Volume 1, Issue 4, November 2013
    Pages: 160-165
    Received: 8 November 2013
    Published: 10 December 2013
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    Abstract: This study investigates 10 teachers' view and attitude toward using media, such as TV, movies and music as a tool in language learning, so the aim of this study is to look at how film and media can be seen as resources in teaching and also find out how teachers use and regard film and media in education. Ten upper-intermediate teachers of one of th... Show More
  • The Rise and Fall of Iranian Female Students’ Motivation at Different Levels of Language Proficiency from High School to University

    Fahime Najafi, Fatemeh Behjat

    Issue: Volume 1, Issue 4, November 2013
    Pages: 166-177
    Received: 27 November 2013
    Published: 30 December 2013
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    Abstract: The present research is an attempt to find out the relationship between the rise and fall of Iranian female students’ motivation and their different levels of language proficiency from high school to university and to discover whether the motivation of Iranian female students at different proficiency levels change over an academic semester. Further... Show More
  • English Film Appreciation: Multi-Dimensional Cultural Learning

    Xueyan Hu

    Issue: Volume 1, Issue 4, November 2013
    Pages: 178-181
    Received: 20 November 2013
    Published: 30 December 2013
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    Abstract: According to Constructivism Learning Theory, people learn language by collaboration with others in certain situations. It attaches importance to the roles of four principal factors, namely “situation”, “collaboration”, “dialogue” and “meaning construction” in learning. By watching English films, students’ enthusiasm and initiative can be motivated.... Show More
  • The Study of Image Schemas in Hafez Poems: Cognitive Perspective

    Tayebeh Asgari

    Issue: Volume 1, Issue 4, November 2013
    Pages: 182-190
    Received: 17 August 2013
    Published: 30 December 2013
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    Abstract: This article analyzes image schemas in Hafez sonnets. After studying the sonnets, some verses chosen selectively then, analyzed descriptively and analytically, based on some image schemas mentioned by Johnson ( 1987). Image schemas are conceptual structures derived from physical experiences, cultural background and ideology of a nation. All human b... Show More
  • Persuasive Discourse Strategies Used by Mothers at Dinner Time to Persuade Children to Eat

    Leslei Kahari

    Issue: Volume 1, Issue 4, November 2013
    Pages: 191-198
    Received: 29 November 2013
    Published: 10 January 2014
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    Abstract: This study examines the persuasive strategies used by Mothers in persuading children to eat during dinner time in Zimbabwe. Family interaction during dinner time both reflects and recreates the interaction of the larger society and as such, examining family persuasive discourse can yield informative results of the language practices people use to a... Show More
  • Epistemic Modal Markers in L2 Learners’ Persuasive Letters

    Tahmineh Tayebi

    Issue: Volume 1, Issue 4, November 2013
    Pages: 199-205
    Received: 19 December 2013
    Published: 30 January 2014
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    Abstract: The present study sets out to focus on epistemic modal markers in EFL learners’ formal and informal writing samples. To this end, and by means of a proficiency test, one hundred participants were divided into two groups of higher and lower proficient, and were subsequently asked to write one formal and one informal letter on the topics provided by ... Show More