Use of Discourse Markers by Chinese EFL Professors: A Corpus-Based Study of Academic Lectures by Natives and Non-natives

This paper reports a study that examines the use of discourse markers (DMs) by non-native professors of English in China and compares their use with their counter parts, native professors of English. In this study, six DMs: ‘so, and, but, ok, well and right’ are specifically analyzed as these DMs appear most frequently among the talk of native and non-native professors. Fifteen lectures of five native and non-native professors were recorded and transcribed to build a small corpus of linguistic lectures. The results show that there is good deal of discrepancy in the functional use of DMs by the Chinese professors. Although, non-natives have acquired the use of some DMs like ‘so’, and ‘and’, their use of these DMs is limited and lacks pragmatic functions. Mostly, other DMs like ‘ok, well and right’ are inappropriately used in the talks of Chinese professors. We have studied the professors with highly advanced language skills but the results confirm the previous research which demonstrates that non-native learners of English have limited proficiency in the use of DMs. Based upon the findings; we provide some implications for second language learning in general, and for foreign language teaching in particular. Keywords: Applied Linguistics, Discourse Markers, Teachers’ talk, Foreign Language Teaching, Pragmatic Functions

The impact of Industry 4.0 on organizational performance : the case of Pakistan’s retail industry

Purpose – The purpose of this paper was to assess and determine the impact of the five core technologies of Industry 4.0 (3D Printing, Big Data Analytics, Cloud Computing, Internet of Things (IoT) and Robotics) on the organizational performance of the retail industry in the context of Pakistan. Design/methodology/approach – Pakistan’s retail industry was chosen as the target sector, and the target population was composed of senior-level employees, including managers from first-level positions to top-level positions, as well as subordinate employees working under the supervision of first-level managers, possessing the technological know-how of Industry 4.0. The data were collected through a matrix-based survey questionnaire that was based on a five-point Likert scale, ranging from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree.” The process of data analysis was conducted using IBM SPSS Statistics. Findings – The findings obtained by this research work showed a significant relationship among the five core pillars of Industry 4.0 and the organizational performance of Pakistan’s retail industry. Besides, the obtained findings provided preliminary evidence that Industry 4.0’s disruptive technologies, particularly, 3D printing, big data analytics, cloud computing, IoT and robotics, could help Pakistan’s retail industry solve various problems and challenges, such as meager revenues, increased expenses and unorganized systems. Originality/value – The present study extended the theoretical body of knowledge through studying and examining Industry 4.0’s five crucial factors that significantly contribute to the service sector, particularly, the retail industry, of the big emerging markets (BEM) economies, including Pakistan.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The UK at the crossroads between a ‘dirty recovery’ and ‘build back better’

More important than whether the recovery will be V or W-shaped is whether it will have sustainability at its core, write Muhammad Ali Nasir and Muhammad Shahba

Climate change, Covid-19, and our existential challenge

Problems of this severity and scope can only be solved through global cooperation, write Muhammad Shahbaz and Muhammad Ali Nasi

Structural Design and Non-linear Modeling of a Highly Stable Multi-Rotor Hovercraft

This paper presents a new design for a Multi-rotor Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV). The design is based on the requirement of highly stable hover capability other than typical requirements of vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL), forward and sidewise motions etc. Initially a typical Tri-rotor hovercraft is selected for modeling and analysis. Then design modifications are done to improve the hover stability, with special emphasis on compensating air drag moments that exist at steady state hover. The modified structure is modeled and dynamic equations are derived for it. These equations are analyzed to verify that our structural modifications have the intended stability improvement effect during steady state hover. Keywords: Multi-rotor Crafts, T-Copter, Rotational Matrix, Pseudo Inertial Matrix, Coriolis Acceleration, Air drag moment, Swash Plat

Immunisation programmes in Sindh and Balochistan desperately need a shot in the arm

Pakistan has a high infant mortality rate, which is linked to low levels of immunisation. There is an urgent need for coordination among institutes for reducing demand and supply gaps in enhancing immunisation coverage nationally write Ghamz E Ali Siyal and Shahbaz Tufail