Accentuating illocutionary forces: emoticons as speech act realization strategies in a multicultural online communication environment

The global acceptance of emoticons has acknowledged the development of digital symbols in a communication setting when language alone can become a barrier in expressing certain intentions and feelings. This paper discusses how emoticons help indicate the illocutionary forces in texts and serve as part of various conversation strategies in the online communication environment. To achieve the research objective, a documentation of naturally occurring conversations on Facebook was made over a 12-month period to compile daily updates and conversations posted by youngsters in Malaysia. 120 online users were identified using a purposive sampling technique. A corpus of 324 362 words was established and processed. This whole set of naturally occurring conversation was then analysed based on Searle’s (1976) five categorisations of illocutionary acts using Content Analysis and Wordsmith Tools 5.0. The findings demonstrate some emoticons that accentuated illocutionary forces of speech acts in the online communication environment. Discussion of the findings also explores the purposes and functions of emoticons in Malaysian digital communication platform and the way users of a multicultural society employ emotion-symbols to achieve social cohesion and embrace cultural diversity

Investigating the impact of flipped classroom on dual language learners' perceptions and grammatical performance

Flipped classroom model has received massive attention from many researchers due to its innovative instructional strategy that offers a new perspective to the traditional classroom. However, not many studies have focused on dual language learners (DLL) who face challenges in grasping second language skills and knowledge, due to the multiple linguistic systems that they have to manage. By marrying communicative language teaching (CLT) approach with flipped technique, the present study, therefore, aims to explore dual language learners’ perception towards flipped classroom model in learning English tenses as well as their learning progress using the method. The lessons were conducted using set of culturalised interactive materials. A number of 133 intermediate learners (age 18 to 25) from a vocational college in Malaysia were selected as the research participants and data were collected using one-group pre-test–post-test design, questionnaire and interview. Pre-test and post-test grammar questions were given before and after a six-week intervention program to identify the effectiveness of the materials and instruction. The findings indicated significant differences between the mean scores of the pre-test and post-test. The results also revealed learners’ positive responses and improvement in English grammar through flipped classroom and culturalised interactive materials. This research has suggested some significant impacts of flipped classroom practices using familiar objects and culturalised learning materials. Apart from acknowledging the advantages of flipped classroom model in learning English grammar, the present study also proposes some additional strategies to achieve an effective flipped classroom lesson for dual language learners in Malaysia

Power, dominance and homosocial solidarity in young men’s cyber talk

Men and women speak differently as their linguistic behavior reflects their gender identity and signifies their position in the society. This article discusses the conversational style of men in the online communication environment, using the Kiesling’s framework of men’s language. A documentation of naturally occurring conversations on Facebook was made over a 12-month period whereby data is categorized and analysed using Content Analysis, WordSmith Tools 5.0 and MS Word Advanced Find Function. Purposive sampling was employed in selecting the participants. The sample consisted of 60 males and 60 females to allow for comparison. Language produced by the male participants, however, remained as the central issue of the analysis as well as discussion. If Kiesling’s framework discusses men’s language from the western sociocultural perspectives, findings of the present research indicated a list of variables of men’s discourse in the specific context of the Malaysian online communication environment. Apart from that, the findings have demonstrated some culturally-embedded elements of power, dominance, and homosocial solidarity as well as a strong use of masculine speech forms in this specific context of male’s interaction. Finally, the findings have also suggested some significant aspects of men’s discourse in the specific context of the Malaysian online communication environment

Buli siber : ketidaksantunan bahasa dan etika media sosial dalam kalangan remaja Malaysia

Buli siber merupakan satu amalan komunikasi melalui teknologi yang bertujuan untuk mengecam, mengganggu, memalukan atau mengugut mangsa melalui perkataan yang negatif, penyebaran maklumat palsu mahupun perkongsian gambar atau video yang boleh menjatuhkan imej si mangsa. Buli siber merupakan satu masalah global yang memberi kesan negatif, terutamanya dalam kalangan remaja yang merupakan pengguna media sosial utama. Kajian ini bertujuan untuk membincangkan bagaimana unsur-unsur ketidaksantunan dalam berbahasa serta ketidakpatuhan etika media sosial boleh membawa kepada jenayah buli siber di kalangan remaja. Dengan menggunakan kaedah penceritaan dalam mengupas kes-kes terdahulu, kertas ini akan membincangkan tentang beberapa kejadian buli siber antarabangsa yang mendapat liputan meluas di seluruh dunia. Selain dari itu, kertas ini juga membincangkan satu kajian terdahulu yang melihat corak ketidaksantunan bahasa dalam kalangan remaja Malaysia. Untuk mencapai objektif kajian, satu siri temubual serta pemerhatian telah dilakukan selama 12 bulan ke atas 120 orang remaja di Malaysia di mana 324, 362 perkataan telah berjaya dikumpulkan. Berdasarkan data yang diperolehi, penyelidik kemudiannya menjalankan satu analisis bahasa berasaskan teori ketidaksantunan (Culpeper 1996). Hasil kajian menunjukkan fenomena ketidaksantunan bahasa yang jelas dalam kalangan remaja di Malaysia. Kupasan kes beserta perbincangan hasil kajian yang dilakukan bersama teori-teori berkaitan diharap mampu memberi gambaran yang lebih jelas tentang jenayah buli siber dari sudut etika dan sosiobudaya serta amalan berbahasa dalam kalangan remaja

Contrasts Between Moral and Islamic Religious Education: Dilemmas and Prospects

This study has compared Islamic Religious Education (IRE) and Moral Education (ME) to identify these two subjects' innate differences. This qualitative research interviewed nine schoolteachers who were selected purposefully. Eleven themes were generated from the analysis of the interviews that manifested the findings of this research. The research findings reveal that IRE and ME have differences in their core philosophical standpoints and instruction methods. Based on the research findings, we have suggested necessary modification of Lickona’s Model of Teaching Moral if it is to be implemented to the curriculum of IRE. This study is significant to the curriculum developer of IRE to ensure the readiness of IRE teachers in addressing issues and concern related to moral questions and judgments. Moreover, in the Malaysian multicultural context, where IRE and ME mostly taught by Muslim instructors without actually equipping them with necessary formal teachers’ training on teaching Moral Education, the research findings also recommend the development of necessary teachers’ training program and inform the future training programs, developers, about the exiting differences between these two subjects so that the instructors can be equipped with the necessary training to optimize the teaching and learning of both IRE and ME

Identifying the use of code switching In Malaysian Educational Comedy Series titled Oh My English!

Code-switching normally takes place amongst bilingual or multilingual speakers. This is because both bilingual and multilingual speakers have a high tendency to alternate between two or more languages, or language varieties, in any context of a single conversation or situation. Other than that, code-switching is also one of the important aspects of sociolinguistic studies. The use of code-switching in the Malaysian Educational Comedy Series entitled Oh My English! has therefore been investigated for this research. This research aims to identify the types of codeswitching that the actors and actresses used in the Oh My English! series and the functions or reasons for each code-switching activity. To achieve this aim, a qualitative method was used to obtain data. Several videos from Oh My English! YouTube channels were identified and selected. Based on the findings, there are different types of code-switching activities used by the actors and actresses in the comedy series. They are, (1) Tag switching, (2) Inter-sentential, and (3) Intra-sentential code switching. Apart from that, 6 different functions of code-switching were found in the analysis. In conclusion, the findings of this study indicated that code switching in Malaysian English comedy is not just an unplanned linguistic strategy, but carries certain purposes that emphasize on the establishment of people’s solidarity and cultural identity

Sexist language among university students in Malaysia

Traditionally, stereotype of sexism can be referred to as the beliefs people hold about members of the categories man or woman. Sexist language, on the other hand, is defined as any language that is supposed to include all people, but excludes gender. The present study, therefore, looks into some linguistic features that indicate sexism among men and women. The study aims to identify 1) the common features of sexist language recognised by university students in Malaysia, and 2)the level of awareness towards sexist language among university students in Malaysia. 70 university students were selected as sample, and data were collected using two methods: survey and semi structured interview. Both descriptive and thematic analyses were used to analysed the data. The findings indicate that majority of the participants perceive words that narrowly define women and men as normal words, without thinking much about sexist language. The participants however, were aware of the existence of sexist language but chose to accept it as part of the cultural values and norms of the society

The acquisition of technical terms using the online learning approach among aircraft maintenance learners

Building a good understanding of the technical terms is an essential achievement for aircraft maintenance learners for their future careers in the field of aircraft maintenance. With the recent evolution in educational technologies, teaching and learning technical terms need to be shaped differently. Most studies on technical terms acquisition have been conducted at college levels via the traditional mode. Hence, this qualitative study explored the implementation of the online learning approach as a medium to learn technical terms. Data were collected from in-depth interviews as well as online observations with fourteen first-year aircraft maintenance learners on how the online platform assists in acquiring technical terms. Additional data was obtained from the instructor teaching them. The results of the interview indicated that the learners improved on their technical terms acquisition in four significant aspects such as blended learning, group learning, the role of the lecturer and the utilisation of an online dictionary. Learners also reported that the implementation of the online learning approach enabled collaboration between the lecturer and the learner to improve their online learning experiences. The results presented a much-needed and currently lacking, view into the actual use and the online learning approach for technical terms acquisition among aircraft maintenance learners in this private university

Intra and inter sentential code switching in Malay songs

Code switching and code mixing have been across a variety of languages, but little is known about why they are used as communicative strategies for entertainment. This study is an attempt to fill in this gap by exploring and describing the recent phenomenon of English code-switching in Malay songs. Based on Poplack’ Theory (1980), this study discovered two types of code switching used in Malay songs; intrasentential and intersentential code switching. The classification of the code-switching functions was based on Appel and Musyken (2006) six functions of code switching and supplemented by Nur Syazwani Halim and Marlyna Maros (2014), Oreoluwa (2013), and Bullock and Toribio (2009). Based on Appel and Musyken (2006), expressive function was found to be the most famous function whereas metalinguistic function was the least function used. Also, the findings indicated that phatic function was more suitable for intrasentential code switching and metalinguistic function was more appropriate for intersentential code switching

Penggunaan media sosial dalam kalangan remaja B40 di sekitar Lembah Klang

Isu remaja dan penggunaan media sosial kini menjadi suatu aspek penting yang perlu dikaji kerana ia merupakan medium komunikasi yang digunakan oleh golongan muda masakini untuk mengakses maklumat dengan mudah dan pantas. Walau bagaimanapun, penggunaan media sosial yang belebihan dan tidak terkawal boleh menyebabkan berlakunya masalah sosial dan implikasi negatif terhadap remaja khasnya mereka yang berada dalam kumpulan B40. Maka, tujuan artikel ini adalah untuk (1) mengukur tahap penggunaan media sosial dan (2) mengenalpasti faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi penggunaan media sosial khususnya remaja B40 yang menetap di perumahan rakyat (PPR). Pendekatan kuantitatif digunakan dalam kajian ini dengan melibatkan survei ke atas 244 orang remaja yang tinggal di perumahan Rakyat Desa Rejang, Pantai Ria dan Seri Pantai. Hasil analisis regresi mendapati bahawa faktor-faktor seperti tingkah laku prososial, keselamatan persekitaran perumahan, kesihatan seksual dan semangat perpaduan perlu dipertingkatkan dengan mengadakan program yang dapat mengalakkan penggunaan media sosial dalam kalangan remaja di PPR. Selain itu, kajian ini menunjukkan golongan remaja B40 yang tinggal dikawasan PPR ini masih berada di tahap sederhana. Melalui hasil kajian ini juga, empat aspek utama iaitu peningkatan kesihatan diri, meningkatkan hubungan kejiranan, mengukuhkan tingkah laku prososial dan memperkasakan semangat perpaduan berupaya melonjakkan semangat perpaduan dalam kalangan remaja. Hasil kajian ini boleh memberikan implikasi positif khususnya kepada pihak berkepentingan seperti Kementerian Komunikasi dan Multimedia dalam usaha untuk meningkatkan tahap penggunaan media sosial secara positif khusus untuk remaja B40 yang tinggal di PPR