Asian Journal of English Language Studies

23-56

Authors: Paul Lochland

The perception of foreign speech is a complicated process from acoustic and visual cues as well as the attitudes we have towards linguistic variation. We also make judgments about the speech of others, such as accentedness. While most research to date has investigated the accentedness of English as an additional language (EAL) from a native speaker’s (NS) perspective, relatively few studies have considered what EAL users think. Therefore, this study asked 100 EAL users to judge the accentedness of Japanese English, French English, Mandarin English, and German English. Using an online survey, this paper investigated the accentedness rating EAL users give their own accent as well as speakers with the same first language typology, such as Tone, Syllable, Mora, and Stress. The findings show that nonnative speakers (NNS) do not find their own accent to be weaker than other varieties of EAL accents. Likewise, sharing a language typology with one’s interlocutor does not lead to weaker ratings of accentedness. If there is any advantage of sharing a first language typology with one’s interlocutor, the benefits appear to be more speaker-dependent than listener-dependent. Finally, listeners from the same group did not agree on the accent strength of each speaker.

83-109

Authors: Japhet E. Manzano & Zachi Einna R. Orquijo

This study analyzes the transitivity processes in the inaugural speeches of Filipino presidents from 1899 to 2016. Using Halliday’s (1985) transitivity system model, this study aims to examine what process types are present in the inaugural speeches of these Filipino presidents, how these inaugural speeches differ in a diachronic scale, and how these processes are employed in the corpus. Findings revealed that all processes were evident in the inaugural speeches of the Filipino presidents, while the semantic aspect of the diachronic inquiry presented a significant variation of themes. It was further revealed that among these process types, the material process was the most frequently used by the Filipino presidents in presenting solutions to current problems, depicting a new government under their administration, and pertaining to God as divine providence in running the government. It was followed by the relational process, which was employed in explaining concepts, accentuating the prime responsibility of the government and the people, and describing the challenges the government faces; while the mental process was mainly used by the Filipino presidents in expressing their dispositions and political beliefs, manifesting their desire for the welfare of people, and inspiring the public to be part of nation-building. This study mainly puts forward the notion that transitivity processes play a distinct role in the inaugural speeches of Filipino presidents in persuading and informing the public as regards their ideologies and commitments.

127-158

Authors: Raquel R. Jimenez & Rachelle Ballesteros-Lintao

Language and law are considered to be inseparable since language is needed to frame and understand the law. In the Philippines, English is widely used in the legal domain; hence, it is the language employed in court trials. To accommodate court participants who speak languages other than English to actively take part in court proceedings, the court recognizes the value of court interpreting. Court interpreting is perceived to promote successful communication among court participants who speak languages other than the court’s official language. It helps the judges and jury in courts of law to ensure that a message is accurately conveyed and that fair decisions are derived. However, there are cases in which misinterpretation occurs. For instance, an interpreter may have problems translating words in a witness’ testimony from English to Filipino and vice versa, leading to communication breakdown. To avoid this problem, court interpreting should ensure that qualities such as accuracy and completeness are observed. Taking into account the canons set by the National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators, Inc. (NAJIT), the Australian Institute of Interpreters and Translators (AUSIT), and the European Legal Interpreters and Translators Association (EULITA), this study investigated interpreting norms used in selected Philippine courtrooms. Using a qualitative approach, 11 audio-recordings of court proceedings were transcribed and analyzed to determine norm adherence by court interpreters. Findings revealed that court interpreters in the selected court trials adhere to the norms of accuracy, impartiality, competence, professional conduct, and professional relationships. The results of the analysis suggest that the selected court interpreters can successfully perform their interpreting duties in spite of seeming differences in court practices. To promote standard court interpreting practices in the country, this study recommends the creation of court-interpreting policies and guidelines that will serve as bases for court interpreters’ actions and decisions in relation to their jobs. Specifically, these proposed policies and guidelines will highlight the need for code of ethical conduct, qualification standards, enhancement trainings, certification, and language-proficiency test.

189-219

Authors: Anthony Lemuell S. Cabañas & Marilu Rañosa-Madrunio

In the absence of a medical professional, patient information leaflets (PILs) serve as consumers’ source of legitimate information about what a medical drug contains, what risks are involved in taking it, and how it should be safely administered and handled. More than just being a reference material, PILs guide consumers to make informed healthcare decisions for themselves. Hence, PILs become problematic when they defeat their purpose of delivering comprehensive information and become a source of confusion to consumers. Guided by the user-based tripartite model of communicative effectiveness (Garner et al., 2012), this paper evaluated the readability and comprehensibility of existing PILs culled from three common nonprescription medications in Philippine households – fever reducers, cough and cold remedy, and anti-inflammatory drugs. Forty-two PILs were collected and subjected to a readability test using the measures of text readability and easability of Coh-Metrix. Of the 42 leaflets, three were randomly selected – one for each medication category – to undergo user-testing via cloze procedure taken by 41 adult participants. Results revealed that based on the readability test, the existing PILs were found to be more academic-oriented rather than spoken-like, thus requiring high-skilled reading. Moreover, a user-testing of the leaflets revealed that only less than half of the participants demonstrated an independent level of understanding of the materials. This was further supported by an analysis of the difficulty index of the leaflets’ information content, which found that most of the existing PILs contain texts with high difficulty, raising concerns over the materials’ suitability for nonspecialist readers.

241-279

Authors: Aries John G. Enardecido

This study critically analyzes different linguistic expressions that are ideologically and indexically used by self-identified bisexual members of PlanetRomeo, a gay-dating website. Using lexico-grammatical analysis and selective self-presentation as lens, the study examines the textual areas of 167 online dating profiles of Filipino bisexual men. Findings indicated an emerging subcultural lingo, which is characterized by word connotations, echoic binomials, and negations. Moreover, the study offers insights into the identity-construction efforts of bisexual men through their language use, which allow them to occupy attractive and marketable identities in the contemporary period. More importantly, it sheds light on how these men’s linguistic constructions of desired and desirable identities also work toward the marginalization and disenfranchisement of other identities. Overall, this study hopes to contribute to the area of sexual identity construction in and through discourse and to contemporary understandings of the ways in which identities are read as either desirable or undesirable by a particular community, and the hierarchies and judgments that such readings entail for members of the community.