International Journal of English Language and Translation Studies

01-13

Authors: Mohammad Qasim Al-Tarawneh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

This study, as the name suggests, aims at sketching the scenario of English being described today as a trendy and multi-dialectal language and as a means of international and intercultural communication. This is due to the fact that the language has turned out to be the natural choice for all of its users, regardless their linguistic or cultural backgrounds. It also reviews the literature to show how globally and locally the language has been treated to undergo processes of nativization and internationalization, reflecting how important it has become in the context of globalization and how slippery concepts like native-speakerism and standardization have been waxed. More importantly, the study gives some descriptions of the current status of the language in terms of the changes that have taken place in its internal linguistic make-up (i.e. linguistic elements including phonology, morphology, syntax, lexico-grammar, pragmatics, etc). Implications for the ELT profession have been taken into account in the study, especially those related to awareness-raising of different varieties of English in the global cottages as well as to the importance of considering multiple context-specific competencies. To account for a theoretical and conceptual framework for all of the aforementioned, the study subsidizes itself with five sections each of which is dealt with separately before the conclusion is stated. These sections are: worldly English, the slippery status of native speakerism, glocality of English, descriptive changes in the language, and finally implications for the ELT profession.

23-34

Authors: Shirin Abadikhah & Behdad Harsini , Iran

The use of pair and small group work has been supported within the interactionist and sociocultural theories of learning. It is assumed that collaboration would lead to second language acquisition. Inspired by these theoretical claims, the present study investigates the effects of two output tasks on the acquisition of English articles. Thirty-one EFL learners, divided into two groups of pairs and individuals, participated in this study. All participants were administered a pretest and a post-test and completed two output tasks (cloze and text-editing) during four sessions. The results were indicative of no significant difference in the acquisition of English articles between the two groups of the study. However, a significant difference was found for the effect of task types.

54-62

Authors: Juliet Tenshak, UK

Nigerian literature has evolved over the past fifty years and no longer looks like it used to when first generation writers Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka and their contemporaries first started to write in the late 1950’s. Nigeria itself has changed greatly since the time of colonialism and nationalism. But, present generation Nigerian literary artist even though swamped by globalization and neo-colonialism, continue to tread the path of the writers before them by the reiterating in their works, the need to engage with and confront the distorted and sometimes, untold histories of their societies. Helon Habila in Measuring Time (2007), presents the simple statement that a society’s present is better understood if its history is better known in all its glory and shame. He goes on to show a concern with the need for the people to be the ones to voice or relate that history. Writing on issues, that are not only relevant but also timely, he shows how that the more fully we understand our past, the better we are likely to understand ourselves. With this background, the present paper aims to explore Helon Habila’s concern with history, culture and tradition in Measuring Time with the intention of highlighting his presentation and reassessment of these within the threshold of governance in Keti in particular and in Nigeria in general.

77-84

Authors: Gülşah Geyimci , Turkey

This study investigated pre-writing techniques in the learning process to improve written communication skills of learners using qualitative research methods. This study was performed in a public school, Suphi Öner Primary School in Turkey, in Mersin. Students were seventh grade class that their level was pre-intermediate. This class was made up of twenty students. It took three weeks, the students' samples, drawings and blogs were documented by the students. In order to examine the results, 6+1 Trait Analytical Model for assessing and teaching writing was used. The study found that the pre-writing techniques improved students study skills of free writing in terms of organization, but the same strategy had no effect on the students' conventions/mechanics. Additionally, their writing seems to be honest, appealing, and written from heart that showed us motivation and enthusiastic of them. The students improved topics in an enlightening way that makes a point and tells a story. The pre- and post-study writing samples showed an increase in my students’ motivation for writing. In the pre-study survey, 75% of the students were motivated about it, while the post-study survey showed 96% of the students motivated. It was apparent that they were thoroughly enjoying and developing their writing while they created their own blogs.

96-105

Authors: Mustafa Mubarak Pathan, Zamzam Emhemad Mari Aldersi, Ergaya Ali Gerair Alsout Libya

Of the four major language skills, speaking is regarded as the most crucial and central one as it enables the learner to establish successful communication in that language, which is often the main aim of learning any foreign language. That is why it forms the focus of attention in any foreign language teaching and learning as failure to master this crucial language skill leads to the failure to establish successful communication. However, mastering this language skill does not go so easily with the EFL learners and particularly for the Arab EFL learners as many factors, including the mother tongue interference, hinder and influence the process of learning and mastering this crucial foreign language skill. The consequent result is that the EFL learners, especially Arab learners, encounter various difficulties while communicating in English and speak the language in their own way with the flavour of their mother tongue, Arabic. This problem of the Libyan EFL learners, encountered while speaking in English, is the subject of investigation in this paper. Various other problems, nature of these problems, sources of these problems and some pedagogical suggestion to overcome these problems are also some of the central topics of discussion in the paper.

113-127

Authors: Zeleke Arficho Ayele, Ethiopia

This research was intended to examine the effects of training in the metacognitive, affective and social learning strategies of writing in improving students’ use of each of these learning strategies of writing. To this end, the selected freshman program students of Hawassa University were taught lessons of the Basic Writing Skills course with training in each of the three groups of the learning strategies of writing. Data were collected mainly through a pre and post-training five-point Likert Scale questionnaire. Paired-Samples T Test computed to compare the pre and post-training mean scores of the students with regard to using each of the three groups of the learning strategies of writing demonstrated that the training significantly improved the students’ use of each of the three groups of the learning strategies of writing (t-values > -10.72, p-values =.000). Moreover, the results of the interview revealed that the students thought that the training made them learn the importance of the strategies to improve their writing skills and thus they continued to employ the strategies appropriately in and outside class to help them successfully accomplish their writing tasks. Based on the findings, recommendations have been made.