Category: Language and Culture
Sociocultural Differences in Email-Mediated Communication: An Analysis of Metadiscourse in Chinese and English Request Emails
This study examines how metadiscourse is manipulated to build rhetorical structures and emphasize interpersonal connections in emails written by native speakers of Chinese and English. Participants were asked to compose request emails addressed to recipients of either higher or equal social status. Results reveal that emails in both languages employ a greater number and broader …
Change in Attitudes Toward English by Japanese Learners of English: Through ELF Interactions in a Distance Learning Course With a Taiwanese University
The purpose of this study is to examine how effectively Japanese learners of English (JLEs), as ELF users, engaged in a joint online course via Zoom with Taiwanese learners of English (TLEs) by using interview data from the former. This joint EMI course lasting for 15 weeks in the latter half of the academic year …
Semantic Variations of Arabic Loanwords in Maguindanaon
The study is synchronic, i.e. examined the integration of Arabic loanwords in Maguindanaon at present. Data collection started with the list of loanwords which were repeatedly updated and sifted. It used qualitative, descriptive, and structural methods in identifying loanwords through semantic integration within the domain of contrastive analysis. This study shows that the meaning of …
The Hidden Language Classroom: A Case Study of a Chinese Immigrant Mother’s Using Everyday Objects for Heritage Language Maintenance
Language input and language environment are key factors for immigrant children, who strive to acquire two languages both as their first languages. My previous research confirmed that many immigrant Chinese families see it a priority to maintain their heritage language in their Family Language Policy and home education, based on their perception that the social …
A Corpus-based Approach to the Imagery and Symbolism in Chinese-English Translation of Children’s Literature
The past two decades have witnessed a surge of children’s literature translation studies worldwide (Alla, 2015). In contrast, such studies in Chinese context are underrepresented although there are excellent publications of Chinese children’s literature already rising to fame from China to the world. Among these, Bronze and Sunflower by Cao Wenxuan, has been translated into …
Stereotyping Language and Generalizing Language Toward Foreigners Living in Shanghai, An Analysis of the Language Used
Multicultural communities are becoming more and more common in China, creating a new environment for cultural exchange and sociolinguistic phenomena. The present study aims to analyze how in the cultural environment of Shanghai foreigners are subjected to unconscious generalization and stereotyping by locals. A sample of 20 foreigners living in Shanghai, either students, or expats, …
Designing Online Language Courses: Lessons Learned from Teaching Vietnamese Language and Culture for Japanese Learners
This presentation shows the lessons learned after several courses on “Basic Vietnamese language and culture” targeting Japanese university students and adult learners, which have been conducted in 2020. Influenced by the Covid-19 pandemic, the materials and methods prepared for conventional classroom have been adapted and modified in order to suit the online platform. Although intended …
Discourses and Counter-discourses in the Times of the Coronavirus Crisis
The situation of the global coronavirus crisis affects different areas of human life and also influences the use of language. A new kind of discourse is emerging, in which politics, health care, the media and many other actors participate. In our article, we deal with the “coronavirus discourse” from the point of view of right-wing …
Translation and Interpreting Activities in ESL to Recharge Sociocultural Awareness in Students
Teaching translation and interpreting techniques obviously contribute to the effective and efficient development of linguistic and communicative skills in students. At the same time, translation and interpreting exercises promote sociocultural critical thinking skills, since the language as a system of communication transfers and reflects cultural concepts and social realias. The ability to perceive and understand …
Global Education in Non-native English-speaking Countries, Challenges and Opportunities: A Focus on Indonesian Students at a Selected Japanese University
Research has shown that generation Z is much more eager to include global education in their lives. The experience of studying in another culture, especially in an international context, is seen as a necessity. The most popular study destination for international students has been countries where English is spoken as a native language. In more …
Visual Media: Supporting Content Learning and Critical Thinking in the CLIL Classroom
As English-medium content courses become more widespread in Japanese higher education, there is growing interest in multi-modal approaches which can assist student comprehension and discussion of complex issues. This presentation will consider the benefits of using visual media in the CLIL history and social sciences classroom, considering visuals both as a source of content input …
Cultural-Communicative Styles: The Case of Indonesia and India
The present study examines, defines and evaluates the cultural-communicative styles of Indonesia and India. The analysis presented in the report is based on Hall’s theory (1959, 1966, 1976, 1983) of high-context (HC) and low-context (LC) cultures and Geert Hofstede’s (1997) cultural dimension of collectivism versus individualism. The report also suggests how potential gaps between members …
Cross-cultural Language in Clint Eastwood’s Movie Scripts
This is a study of cross-cultural language use in Clint Eastwood’s movie scripts. Eastwood, the renowned film director, starred and produced numerous movies in a variety of genres. The study focuses on the language of the movie scripts used in Eastwood’s War films and Western. Scripts were downloaded from a website “The Web’s Largest Resource …
Conceptual Metaphors in Political Discourse: State is Woman – Woman is Construction
This project aims to analyze the conceptual metaphors through political discourse during the period of 2018 presidential elections in Montenegrin society, as a means of understanding how human action and (un)consciousness both shape and are being shaped by surrounding cultural and social structures. The study focuses on revealing cultural constructs through the examination of the …
The Picture That Is Worth Ten Thousand Words
Japanese Zen Buddhism and the Impossible Painting, a book by Harvard professor Yukio Lippit, studies one national treasure of Japan: The Gourd and the Catfish, a painting by Taikō Josetsu, a Zen monk who was active during the Muromachi period (1336-1573). Lippit’s book examines the painting’s subject matter, innovative technique, manner of display, and literary …
Perceptions and Experiences of Female Emirati Learners’ Engagement in English Language Learning: An Ethnographic Case Study
Over the last forty-eight years, the United Arab Emirates, has striven to include a western discourse curriculum with English as a core subject within its education system. Through the use of an ethnographic case study design, this research is motivated by the ideals of culturally responsive pedagogy which includes the need to give voice to …