Reflections on translanguaging practices in English education in Japan

This study is a reflection on critical incidents (Tripp, 1993) addressing the use and promotion of a learner’s first language (L1) and cultural knowledge as linguistic and cognitive resources for learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in Japan. Translanguaging, which was first introduced by Cen Williams (1994) to refer to the practice of interchanging languages in the classroom for productive use, was investigated to provide a deeper understanding of what seems to be relatively common practice across Japan. This paper outlines to fit with the broader study area of a larger collaborative inquiry involving university-based researchers providing English for Academic Purposes (EAP) in Japan. This paper outlines the background of English education in Japan and considers its current state to study possible additions and changes in the broader curricula

Teaching – research nexus in higher education management: An overview

 This paper aims to critically review the nexus between teaching and research in higher education. This study investigates the issue such as why  universities and policy makers are calling for stronger integration of teaching and research in spite of a considerable tensions among researchers, scholars, and all the concerned with regard to teaching-research nexus. The researcher argues that symbiotic relationship between teaching and research should be perceived and treated accordingly by academics, students, and policy makers to fully promote quality education in terms of creating new knowledge and contributing to the local and global community. The research approach adopted in this study includes views, reviews, and critics put forward in different literature. The findings suggest that the nature of teaching-research relationship is not always a clear cut one. The paper concludes that despite varied relationship between teaching and research, a positive nexus between teaching and research is more common and therefore, teachers, academic staffs, and policy makers should pay a critical attention to a symbiotic relationship between teaching and research

The persuasive language of online advertisements featuring social media influencers on Instagram: A multimodal analysis

The popularity of online advertising is increasing alongside the rising number of internet users, and one of the online platforms to advertise one’s products or services is Instagram. On Instagram, many advertisers opt for one viable alternative way of advertising: social media influencers. They typically hire popular figures to endorse their products, and the influencers will then post an image and a caption, persuading their followers to buy the products. It is intriguing to investigate how they make use of images and texts in Instagram to strengthen their persuasive act. Therefore, this paper aims to present a multimodality analysis where both the linguistic features and the images of Instagram advertisements of influencers are explored in relation to their communicative intent. The sample was built up from 24 Instagram ads posted by 13 Indonesian influencers. Several salient lexicogrammatical features were pinpointed, and the images were analyzed following the social semiotic approach called visual grammar. The findings revealed that the Instagram ads demonstrated vast amount of colloquial and informal language use, which was intended to establish familiarity with the audience. The image analysis also showed that influencers had roles to display themselves in the image to build credibility and trust as credible reviewers. The study has contributed to explicating how diverse language use on the internet is vis-à-vis traditional media, particularly the discourse of influencer advertising

After class: Students’ social use of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF)

International students have become an integral part of universities worldwide. Despite a number of studies on the use of English as a lingua franca (ELF) in an academic context, there are still comparatively fewer investigations into students’ social use of ELF outside of the classroom. This study investigated language use and self-perceived identities of international students using ELF in social interaction. Qualitative data was gathered via semi-structured interviews with eight students attending English-medium programs at a private university in Taiwan. Consistent with previous findings, analysis shows that the students perceived themselves as English language users as well as learners. But within relationships of friendship, they used ELF in very individualized and pragmatic ways. They also took guidance from each other and those perceived as more proficient models of English. The study adds valuable insight into self-reports of student social ELF use. As such, pedagogical implications and suggestions are discussed

Conversational dominance and politeness strategy on a political discussion among peers

This paper aims to explore the differences of female and male linguistic features analyzed using the conversational dominance analysis and the common politeness strategies when discussing Kabinet Indonesia Maju (Onward Indonesia Cabinet). The participants were a group of Master Degree students consisting of two male and two female students. The data was gathered by conducting a focus group discussion, then the verbal utterance was orthographically transcribed. The writer used quantitative and qualitative methods to analyse the data. The finding showed that other-oriented interruption was the most-occurred dominance, in which both male and female participants interrupted the conversation to exhibit the agreement, support the speakers, and reinforce the flow of the conversation. The female participants did self-oriented interruption more than male participants to ask questions. This finding conversed Lakoff (1973), Coates (1991), and West and Zimmerman (1987)’s female language features in which the female participants stood for their own opinion, shared their critic, gave suggestions, and asked questions. This study found that the participants showed mostly positive politeness strategy which they agreed to each other's statement, supported one another's idea, and contributed new topics to the discussion to maintain the discussion. This paper concluded that gender is not the only factor determining linguistics features and politeness strategy in this discussion among peers. The other possible influencing factors were the participants’ relationship closeness, different cultural backgrounds, topic mastery, and their equal education level

Observing EFL teachers' use of formulaic language in class

Mastering formulaic language is said to be crucially important in second language (L2) learning as it showcases the L2 user’s different levels of competency: linguistic, psycholinguistic, and communicative. Frequent use of these formulaic sequences also makes an L2 speaker sound more native–like. In a language teaching and learning context where English is a foreign language (EFL), the language teacher is the one major resource of spoken language exposure. Therefore, the quality of teacher’s instructions in an EFL classroom clearly has effects on the learner’s language learning process. Mercer (2001) puts it, “[a]ll […] aspects of teacher’s responsibility are reflected in their use of language as the principal tool of their responsibilities” (p. 243). A great deal of research has been devoted to L2 learners and the acquisition of formulaic language, and classroom interaction, but very little attention has been paid to teachers’ use of formulaic sequences in their classrooms. This paper presents a descriptive study with analytical discussion of extracts from four video–recorded lessons conducted by school teachers in different South–east Asian countries. This small-scale study attempts to explore to what extent non–native EFL teachers are familiar with and use formulaic language during class time

English language in Brunei: Use, policy, and status in education – A review

This paper explores the literature on the status of the English language in Negara Brunei Darussalam, particularly in education. The review encompasses a total of 103 sources, including 44 journal articles, 27 book chapters, 15 books, and 17 other items (institution/organisation websites and reports, government documents, newspaper articles, and conference presentations), published between 1985 and 2020, with at least 70 sources published in the last decade. The author summarises findings from research in key areas in the Bruneian context including bilingual education, linguistic diversity, the status of English, educational policies, educational divides, and challenges to the student experience, particularly in higher education in the bilingual setting. The author found that: i) while there are concerns over the impact of English on the Malay language and on indigenous languages in the Sultanate, and apprehension around an educational divide, the majority of attitudes appear to be very positive about the use of English in Brunei, including in education; ii) the bilingual education policy has evolved over time, and now places an emphasis on English as a key competency for the 21st century; iii) the student experience in the bilingual context is a particularly under-researched area. Staff working in tertiary education can always benefit from further insights into different aspects of learning, teaching, and content delivery, which may be applicable in many settings. The paper concludes with recommendations for further research in Brunei

Language use and novice teacher identity in an online Community of Practice

This paper investigates how novice Singaporean teachers indicate their professional and personal identities through language in an online Community of Practice (CoP). The six research participants were asked to post daily about their professional experiences of teaching using a social networking site and these were analyzed by Alsagoff’s (2010) Cultural Orientation Model which posits that standard and vernacular English use should not be considered as exclusive categories. The findings reveal that novice teachers shift their deployment of linguistic resources alongside a global and local orientation, expressing a multitude of identities. They index themselves as ‘friends’, a semi-professional identity that assumes supporting and encouraging their peers; as ‘beginning teachers’, recognizing the need for development, while at the same time expressing their confidence. Other identities expressed through language are ‘expert’ offering advice to their peers, and ‘insiders’, who converse in a jargon specific to their field. The data also highlights how growing professional confidence, personal emotions, and negotiations of status within a community contribute to the formation of teacher identities

Language of sexuality of gay men in pursuing hookups through online dating applications

This paper looks at the language of sexuality among gay men discussing sensitive and intimate topic of hooking up. The study adopts a qualitative research framework that particularly explores gender and sexuality expressions. Three self-identified gay men participated in a focus group interview session. A focus group interview was performed with a prepared set of questions and some follow-up discussion questions. The interview was recorded and transcribed and analyzed thematically. The results showed that even though there were general differences between how they pursued hookups, there were more determinants other than gender expression, such as role, tribe, and nature. More masculine presenting gays are likely to be more direct, while more feminine presenting ones are more likely to be less direct. Additionally, certain phrases are used to specify the directness of their intentions in pursuing hookups. The results indicated that issues in the community are often a complex mix of factors beyond masculinity and femininity and are still closely tied to heteronormative and patriarchal values

Indian parents’ perspective of maintaining heritage language in the metropolitan Jakarta

The present study examines the role of Indian parents residing in Indonesia in maintaining heritage languages at home. The report presents parents' attitudes towards languages and the strategies used by these parents to promote heritage-language maintenance (HLM) while residing in Indonesia. Two research instruments were used: a questionnaire and a semi-structured interview. 23 Indian respondents (22 mothers and 1 father) residing in Jakarta participated in an online survey. Four participants volunteered for a follow-up interview to explore their language beliefs and attitudes. The majority of these parents regard Hindi or other Indian regional languages to be their heritage language, yet they use English to communicate with their children because of the ease—and lack of time to teach their children their heritage language. They also valorize English and the learning of other languages because of the benefits they entail, such as a better future and economic stability. Most of these parents agree that preserving and maintaining their heritage language is vital; however, they have only been somewhat successful in maintaining it