A linguistic analysis of three genres associated with the ship RMS Queen Elizabeth

This thesis is designed to explore three selected genres which are associated with a Scottish-built ship, RMS Queen Elizabeth, and her launch event in 1938. The main focus of this research is an exploration of how writers construct their texts by creating an interpersonal relationship with their readership in order to fulfil their communicative purposes. Specifically, it examines the generic structures and the lexico-grammar of the texts representing these genres from various theoretical perspectives. The present study analyses a set of business letters, newspaper articles and a promotional brochure which revolve around the launch event of the historic liner. The texts representing these genres are examined in terms of their generic structures using Swales’ move analysis model (1990; 2004) and Hasan’s generic structure potential framework (1985). In addition, a lexico-grammatical analysis of these texts focuses on the use of modal verbs as modality markers, analysed using three distinctive frameworks i.e. Brown and Levinson’s (1987) Politeness Theory, Martin and White’s (1998) Appraisal Framework, and Halliday’s (1994) modality system as markers of authorial commitment and/or obligation in propositions. The differing foci on the use of the modal verbs in the study are motivated by the aim of showing how these lexical items function in different genres. As a final analysis, these modal verbs in the respective genres are examined for their lexical properties using Sinclair’s (1996) and Stubbs’ (2002) Models of Extended Lexical Units. The analysis of the lexical properties of the modal verbs suggests that these lexical items possess certain patterns particularly in terms of colligation, semantic preference, and discourse prosody. The generic structures of the texts in the study are also found to serve the communicative purposes of the texts. It is also found that modal verbs are deployed by the writers to serve various functions in the three genres. In conclusion, all these findings indicate that despite being bound by a single event, these genres were clearly produced to address the communicative purposes as agreed upon by members of the individual communities of practice during that period

Globalisation and liberalisation of Malaysian higher education / Fadli Fizari Abu Hassan Asari, Suriyani Muhamad and Puteri Zarina Megat Khalid

Tertiary enrolment of international students is to quadruple from 1.8 million in 2000 to 7.2 million in 2025. The key factors are liberalisation and globalisation of higher education. In Malaysia, these processes were initiated in the 1980’s. Starting as an Import-Substitution Industrialisation (ISI), higher education had transformed into an Export-Oriented Industrialisation (EOI) in the 1990’s, followed by another expansionary stage in the 2010’s. These initiatives reflect Malaysian commitment in enrolling more international students into the local institutions. In another current development, Malaysia has been ranked as one of the leading nations in supporting the internationalisation of higher education, together with Germany. Thus, realising the positive impact of higher education on Malaysian economy, this sector has been identified as one of the National Key Economic Areas (NKEAs) which is expected to generate an additional income of RM2.8 billion by the year 2020

The Needs Analysis of Luggage Handling System for Passenger Ferries at Jetty Kuala Perlis and Pulau Langkawi

This study analyses the needs of luggage handling system for passenger ferries at both Kuala Perlis and Pulau Langkawi jetty. Both Kuala Perlis and Pulau Langkawi jetties currently adopt a conventional luggage handling system where passengers have to carry their own luggage or rent trolley to convey their possession from jetty to ferry checkpoint. The current practice is less reliable, time consuming and seems to burden ferry passengers. This study aims to identify a need, from customers view, to implement a new luggage handling system at the respective jetties. The new system would consist of the conveyor layout (from jetty to ferry), conveyor types and system, techno-economic aspects which will benefit both the passengers and ferry operators. A set of questionnaires was developed based on American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) model which comprises Customer Expectation (CE), Perceived Quality (PQ) and Perceived Value (PV) as drivers of Customer Satisfaction (CS). The survey is distributed to a total number of 150 respondents who patronise the Kuah (Pulau Langkawi) and Kuala Perlis jetty. The data is analysed by using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The results indicate that there is a need for a new luggage handling system at the jetty

Optimum Welding Parameters for Friction Stir Welded AA6063 Pipe Butt Joint Using the Taguchi Method

Welding parameters for pipe joint friction stir welding (FSW) have been identified based on L-9 orthogonal arrays used in the Taguchi Method. Different welding parameters, such as rotation speed, travel speed and axial force, have been used to produce several quality friction stir welded AA6063 pipe butt joints. The reliability of products obtained in the FSW process can be improved through the identification of the optimum combination of welding parameters. Weld quality was evaluated based on its tensile strength and residual stress profiles. The S/N analysis and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) have been used to determine significant welding parameters that affect weld quality. Maximum tensile strength with acceptable residual stress was obtained at the optimum welding parameters of 1300 rpm, 5 mm/s and axial force between 5 and 6 kN. The goal of this study was to optimize welding parameters for high tensile strength and low residual stress

A Review of Explicit Vocabulary Instructions for ESL Learners during COVID-19 Pandemic

During COVID-19 pandemic, alternative learning arrangements have been applied and used, so that it is possible to perform distance learning. Teachers have typically changed their teaching practises from conventional classroom meetings to distance learning by using electronic equipment, either online or offline. Internet networks have been the cornerstone during this time, with the use of social media apps such as Whatsapp and Telegram, social networking sites such as Facebook Live and Instagram Live, and platforms for video conferencing such as Google Meet and Zoom. In order to deal with the COVID-19 period for the better, English language teaching has also improved. The learning of English vocabulary also tailored to accommodate for distance learning as the use of vocabulary for good communication in one's life is crucial, regardless of whether or not one is in the midst of COVID-19 pandemic. This paper systematically reviews previous research undertaken on explicit instructions for vocabulary and suggests a structure for discussing English vocabulary teaching strategies. In learning, teaching, and undertaking vocabulary studies, this analysis may have some theoretical consequences for learners, educators, and researchers

Fostering critical thinking using Graphic Organizers in English language reading class

Fostering students’ critical thinking (CT) is an increasing concern in EFL classrooms in China as many students struggle to utilize the skill, particularly in EFL reading comprehension classes. This study investigated the effects of graphic organizers (GOs) on 60 Chinese senior high school students’ CT skills (analyzing and generalizing) in EFL reading classes. This study adopted a quasi-experimental mixed-method research design involving an experiment and an interview. The findings of this study showed the positive impacts of GOs on students’ CT skills. After the intervention, the results of the experimental group improved significantly. The findings showed that GOs could effectively improve the analytical and generalization skills of Chinese high school English reading class students. The students in the experimental group reported that the instructions received were motivating, increased their comprehension, made them more focused on reading and aware of CT skills and how to apply them in real reading contexts. This study implies that teachers may consider GOs an alternative teaching tool to improve CT skills in English Language reading classes, particularly in EFL contexts. Guidelines for teachers to use the different types of GOs to promote critical thinking should also be prepared to ensure the effective use of GOs in promoting reading comprehension and critical thinking skills

Practical Consideration in using Pre-trained Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) for Finger Vein Biometric

Using a pre-trained Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) model for a practical biometric authentication system requires specific procedures for training and performance evaluation. There are two criteria for a practical biometric system studied in this paper. First, the system’s ability to handle identity theft or impersonation attacks. Second, the ability of the system to generate high authentication performance with minimal enrollment period. We propose the use of the Multiple Clip Contrast Limited Adaptive Histogram Equalization (MC-CLAHE) technique to process finger images before being trained by CNN. A pre-trained CNN model called AlexNet is used to extract features as well as classify the MC-CLAHE images. The authentication performance of the pre-trained AlexNet model has increased by a maximum of 30% when using this technique. To ensure that the pre-trained AlexNet model is evaluated based on its ability to prevent impersonation attacks, a procedure to generate the Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curve is proposed. An offline procedure for training the pre-trained AlexNet model is also proposed in this paper. The purpose is to minimize the user enrollment period without compromising the authentication performance. In this paper, this procedure successfully reduces the enrollment time by up to 95% compared to using on-line training