EFFECTS OF AN ARABIC ACCENT ON EFL LEARNERS' PRODUCTIVE INTELLIGIBILITY

This study aimed at investigating the effects of a foreign accent, namely the Iraqi Arabic accent, at the segmental level on the productive intelligibility of Iraqi EFL learners. Drawing on an intelligibility pronunciation principle, i.e. Gimsons (2001) Minimum General Intelligibility (MGI), the study applied a mixed-methods research approach to measure the extent to which features of this accent impede the productive intelligibility of these learners and to identify the communication strategies they use to overcome intelligibility failures. To achieve these aims, two data collection tools were used: a production intelligibility test and a speaking task. Although the overall quantitative findings revealed that Iraqi EFL learners foreign-accented English was intelligible at the segmental level, most intelligibility failures were ascribed to the mispronunciation of non-existent English phonemes. The qualitative aspect of the study aimed at identifying the communication strategies Iraqi EFL learners use to overcome these intelligibility failures. In this respect, several strategies were identified, namely the let-it-pass strategy, the replacement strategy, the repetition strategy and the time gaining strategy. The article concludes with the implications and applications of the findings.Corresponding author: Ahmad NazariDOI:: doi.org/10.24071/llt.2020.23020

Innate and discretionary accruals quality and corporate governance: A case study of Tehran Stock Exchange

In this paper, we present an empirical study to find the relationship between discretionary accruals quality as well as innate accruals quality and portion of non-executive board of directors, concentration of ownership ratio and board size in Tehran Stock Exchange. The survey selects 118 qualified stocks from this exchange and using a random technique chooses 42 firms. The study implements two linear regression techniques to estimate the first part of the information and then using structural equation modeling examines six hypotheses. Based on the results of this survey we can conclude that an increase on non-executive members positively influences on discretionary accruals quality and negatively influences innate accruals quality. Concentration of ownership ratio positively influences on discretionary accruals quality and negatively impacts on innate accruals quality. Finally, size of board of directors negatively impacts discretionary accruals quality and positively influences on innate accruals quality

The effect of a set of submaximal aerobic exercise and ginger on pain duration in the college girls with primary dysmenorrhea

Background and aims: Due to the anti-inflammatory properties of the ginger plant, it has attracted researchers’ attentions for treating menstrual problems. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a program which contains submaximal aerobic exercises and ginger on pain duration in the college girls with primary dysmenorrhea. Methods: This quasi-experimental research was performed on 40 female students with primary dysmenorrhea (moderate, severe) who lived in the dormitory of Shahid Rajaei University with average height, weight, age and body mass index of 164.47 ± 4.66 cm, 56.95 ± 6.81 kg, 21.40 ± 1.42 years and 21.07±2.41 kg/m², respectively. The samples were randomly divided into 4 groups (n=10) including exercise, ginger, combined of both exercise and ginger, and control groups. The exercise group performed an eight-week submaximal aerobic exercise. The ginger group used capsules which contain 250 mg ginger, 4 times a day from the third day of bleeding, and both variables were applied for the combined group. The influence of ginger and exercise were evaluated on the duration of dysmenorrheal pain and the data analysis was performed by using one-way ANOVA and Tukey tests. Results: After 8 weeks of ginger usage and sub maximal aerobic exercise, the duration of pain declined in the combined (P=0.001) and practice groups (P=0.04) compared to the control group. Conclusion: Submaximal aerobic exercise along with ginger use is effective in reducing the pain of primary dysmenorrhea

An exploratory study to identify critical factors of innovation culture in organizations

During the past two decades, there has been a growing trend on knowledge-based organizations. Innovation, on the other hand, plays essential role on building competitive business units. In this paper, we present an exploratory study to identify critical factors of innovation culture in organizations. We detect important factors influencing innovation culture in construction industry based on the implementation of factor analysis. The proposed study designs a questionnaire and distributes it among 400 experts who are involved in construction industry. Cronbach alpha has been calculated as 0.779, which validates the overall questionnaire. The results of factor analysis have indicated that six factors of building cultural infrastructures, education, organizational vision, established culture, strategic culture and flexible culture are the most important items influencing innovation culture