The Social Media and English Language

OMG! LOL! TTYL! ROFL! are the commonly used words in mainstream lately which only proves the astounding popularity of social media these days. There is no doubt in saying that social media has caused a huge effect on English language with words like “Tweet” and “Selfie” making its way down in to English dictionary, it is evident that social media has made quite an impact on English language. Social networks are impulsive and drive us to write faster and with the limit such that of Twitter the limited characters barricade force us to write short which in result lead many in using incorrect abbreviated words and poor grammar. The focus being more on transferring the content, than the container. But on the other hand, it urges a common user to express his/her thoughts in front of a wide and diverse audience. So, there remains a need to further investigate the effects of social media on English language whether it has more positive effects or negative. Keywords: social media, English language, technology, poor grammar, future of Englis

A longitudinal investigation of Pakistani university students' motivation for learning English

This study was designed to investigate what factors influence the motivation of engineering university students in province Sindh of Pakistan to learn English. In particular the study attempted to examine the shifting role of integrative motivation in Pakistan by looking at motivational change in these students over the period from the start to the end of the English language course at the university. To investigate these factors, I adopted a longitudinal quantitative and qualitative approach. The data were collected from the whole cohort of students who enrolled to take the English language course at university (N=541). They completed questionnaires at two points (1) at the start of the English language course and (2) at the end of the English language course. In order to have further illustrative insights some students (N=15) were interviewed at the beginning and at the end of the English language course. The questionnaires and interview tools used in this study attempted to measure students’ responses on 7 motivational factors (1) Instrumental Motivation (2) Integrative Motivation (3) Parental Encouragement (4) English course specific motivational components (5) English Teacher specific motivational components (6) English class and use anxiety and (7) Identity and English learning. The background questions explored students’ views on English learning experiences before coming to the university and students’ perceptions of their English learning at university after English language course. The results indicate that of the multiple factors that motivate students to learn English, the first among them is integrative motivation to become part of Pakistani community and the Engineering community whose members speak English. The instrumental motivation is for passing exams, raising status in society or to be successful engineer. The perceptions show that parents, grandparents and English teachers play a vital role in this process. The longitudinal nature of the study allowed a picture of motivation that changes with the passage of time to emerge. At the beginning of English language course the students were not confident about their English from their past experience, but were nonetheless motivated to learn English. The students’ attitude to the University English course is positive because they find the tasks in it relevant and interesting. At the end of the English language course the students felt that their confidence had increased and their anxiety had decreased. The background data show that the students come from a range of backgrounds including public and private English and vernacular medium schools and urban and rural areas of Sindh and because of this they have different learning experiences and levels of success with English. At the end of the course, all of them felt positive about learning English in order to become part of the professional community of Engineers, both in Pakistan and internationally. This suggests that the English language course at University has an equalizing effect and the students’ confidence in the English course and positive expectation to achieve their task of learning English raised their awareness of the progress they were making in learning English

Investigating Effects of Online Learning Management Tools on English Language Learning Among Undergraduate Students During COVID-19, at Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University, Shaheed Benazir Abad

The aim of this study is to investigate an ‘effects of Online Learning Management Tools on English Language learning among undergraduate students at Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University. This study investigates the experiences and perceptions of teachers and the effects of online LMS on English language learners about online learning management tools. A mix-method and explanatory design was selected to achieve the objective of this study. This study applied mix method approach to collect data. The data was gathered in a descriptive form with respect to the scope and nature of the issue. The quantitative data used Qualtrics, and then the data was analyzed with SPSS statistical software package. In a qualitative phase, the semi-structured interviews were conducted from the participants through google meet application and data was analyzed through thematic analysis. This study concludes that, an idea of LMS is important in these day which actually reduces the distance communication problem among the specific participants. Different contents can be added such as video, audio, text documents and special types of class announcement. There are certain technical as well as student’s personal reasons that create gap in online learning; such as network problems which most often disconnect the teachers and students to completely convey and understand the lecture. Keywords: Online learning, management system, google classroom, English language learning, Covid-19. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/11-31-11 Publication date: November 30th 202

Linguistic Human Rights of Minorities and Language Policy: A Case Study of Balochi Language in Education in Lyari, Karachi, Pakistan

Most of the neo-colonial nation-states in South America, Africa and Asia have historically remained multilingual. Particularly, subcontinent, being the part of Indus Civilization, successfully maintained the legacy of religious and cultural diversity. Pre-colonial lingo-cultural diversity in subcontinent was discouraged and displaced by new linguistic hierarchy during colonial times. In the milieu of WW-II and national liberation movements throughout the world, classical colonial structure was largely weakened at global level and paved the way for internal colonialism. Political leadership of newly formed multiethnic states principally preferred to govern their people as colonial subjects rather than free citizens. European model of ‘one language, one culture and one state’ has hitherto resulted in many ethno-linguistic movements in different neo-colonial states. Neo-colonial forms of knowledge, categories and instruments of oppression; particularly language policy; is still prevailing in such (in)dependent states where Pakistan is not an exception. Since 1947, language policy in Pakistan has been mainly shaped by and still continues to be overshadowed by its colonial past. This article critically investigates promise(s) and practice(s) of national language policy and the status of linguistic human rights of minorities in education in Lyari, Karachi, Pakistan. The data was collected from various (inter)national public policy documents/declarations along with semi-structured interviews from four different groups of participants i.e. academics, cultural activists, teachers and parents. Findings reveal two diametrically opposed orientations in terms of the use of mother tongue in classroom. School teachers stridently advocated assimilationist language ideology and viewed multilingualism in classroom as a problem to be solved, whereas, cultural activists and academics consider the same as a cultural resource to be properly utilized and the right of the child to be respected. Parents’ views are also considered in order to explore the tension between the language of schooling and the language of early socialization of children at home. Moreover, Language Rights model is applied in order to explore (re)production of linguistic injustice through language policy in education. Keywords: language policy, language rights, internal linguistic colonialism, Linguistic justice, Multilingualism Indigenous/minoritised languages in early education DOI: 10.7176/JLLL/83-06 Publication date: November 30th 202

Semiotics Analysis of Food and Beverages Billboards in Hyderabad, Sindh

Advertisement is one of the vital part of our daily lives. Advertisements are of the various types but the billboards are common and omnipresent. The billboards are categorized under outdoor advertisement. This study is conducted in the context of Hyderabad, Sindh. The researcher has analyzed food and beverages billboards under the theory of Barthes’ semiology. The scholar has analyzed the data under the first and second order of Roland Barthes’ theory. The denotation and connotation meaning have been analysed. The researcher has used qualitative methodology. The results show that advertisers used various linguistic sign, colors and images in order to manipulate the audiences to sell their product. Keywords:billboards, semiotics, Hyderabad, Roland Bathes DOI: 10.7176/JLLL/81-01 Publication date:August 31st 202

Myths and Realities about Language of Instruction in Pakistan: Parental Perspective

Language of learning and language of state requires proper awareness in multilingual countries. It demands much clarity if the role of a language in learning is to be acknowledged on the academic achievement grounds. Language of instruction is a controversial issue in Pakistan. Language policies and practices play vital role in shaping the perceptions of individual for the choice of any language. These perceptions may be based on reality or merely myths. Parents are major beneficiary or sufferer of the outcome of the education of their children. This article aims to explore perceptions of parents for the choice of language for the education of their children. By drawing upon Woolard & Schieffelin’s Language Ideology Model (1994), this paper analyses how parents perceive the importance of language of instruction for the education of their children. The researchers conducted 20 semi structured interviews from parents of Hyderabad Town by using Maximum Variation Sampling. Constant Comparative Method (Lincoln & Guba, 1985) of analysis is used as an analytic technique to discover perceptions of parents regarding language of instruction for the education their children. This research implies that perceptions of parents are fraught with myths and misunderstandings of past practices and unclear language policies in Pakistan. This study recommends that parents’ voice must effectively be included in the making of language policy and they must be made aware of the researches in learning mother tongue or second language as the language of instruction for the education of their children

An Analysis of Oral English Communication Problems Faced by Engineers at Workplace, Pakistan

Engineering organizations are now gradually moving towards the incorporation of innovative and persuasive strategies to augment their businesses worldwide. The significant development of the world, as a consequence of globalization has transformed the conventional strategies and requirements that were previously needed for a business to thrive. Organizations are now putting a great emphasis on the communication skills of engineers because technical skills alone are not sufficient for the engineers to perform efficiently in their respective workplaces. The reason why the facet of communication is being specifically focused on is the fact that the engineering universities and their curriculum is designed in such a way that it concentrates more on the technical skills of the students thereby neglecting their communication skills adversely. This study aims to scrutinize the various problems that the engineering graduates encounter when they are hired in their workplaces. It aims to bring forth the different communication barriers faced by the engineers in Pakistan; where the curriculum and the universities follow a conventional approach of teaching that predominantly focuses on the technical skills of these students. Keywords:Oral communication barriers, engineering students, engineering universities, workplaces, globalization. DOI: 10.7176/JLLL/74-06 Publication date: December 31st 202

Exploring the Causes of Foreign Language Anxiety in an EFL Classroom: A Study of Public Sector University, Sindh Pakistan

As the English language has got high prestige and has become the means of better employment. Therefore it has become dire need of career oriented youth to learn English. This study aimed to investigate the perceptions of language learners on the causes of language learning anxiety in EFL classroom. Quantitative method was applied in this study. FLCAS scale with some modification was applied and data was collected from undergraduate engineering students. Data was run through SPSS software. The results reveal that test anxiety is the main cause followed by nervousness and fear of negative evaluation as other sources of anxiety. Results also show that motivational intensity of learners is high. Some suggestions and pedagogical implications have been given on the basis of results. Keywords: Anxiety, EFL learners, perception

Identifying the Grammatical Errors Committed by EFL Learners: A study of Public Sector Universities Sindh, Pakistan

Grammar is considered very important for learning a foreign language as it is an important pedagogical skill and a significant part of target language proficiency. Teachers are, thus, supposed to identify L2 learners’ common grammar mistakes for addressing them in their teaching.   This study is intended to investigate the most common errors made by Pakistani students at university level. Data was collected through Google Survey by dispatching questionnaire to the participants (n=80) also distributed manually. The data was analyzed using SPSS software version 21. The results show that Pakistani university EFL students make a large number of both intra-lingual and inter-lingual errors.  The results also revealed that there was consensus found about the effectiveness of error correction. Teachers supported the use of different methods and stated that it has a positive impact on EFL learners' correct use of grammar. It is recommended that grammatical errors need more attention and the teachers need to provide essential feedback to minimize the error occurrence. Keywords: Error Analysis, GTM, Perceived Common Errors, Interlanguage, L1 Interferenc

Attitudes and Perceptions of Teachers Towards Code-switching in the EFL College Classrooms of Sindh, Pakistan

This quantitative descriptive study investigates the attitudes in general and perceptions of college teachers towards the functional category of code-switching. Research data was collected through a survey questionnaire, which was comprised of 24 items. Attitude items were scaled as negative and positive; however, the functional category has three components: Curriculum Access, Classroom Management, and interpersonal relationship. Collected data were analyzed through SPSS software using percentage and mode. Code-switching is a natural phenomenon that occurs in bilingual and multilingual classrooms in Pakistan. However, the medium of instruction in Pakistan’s classrooms is English. Participants for this study were 50 EFL college teachers from 20 different colleges of Sindh Pakistan; in them, 31 (62%) were male, and 19 (38%) were female. It was found that; code-switching is being used extensively in the EFL college classrooms of Sindh for different reasons. Almost all the teachers who participated in the study have positive attitudes towards code-switching. According to the results of survey results, teachers’ do not deny code-switching in teaching in learning. Results conclude that Teachers use code-switching as a teaching technique to compensate the students' limited expertise in the target language. Educational officials and policymakers must recognize and make appropriate adjustments to overcome the constraints in the current curriculum. Keywords: Code-switching, EFL classrooms, Attitudes, Perceptions, Code-switching functions. DOI: 10.7176/JLLL/78-05 Publication date: April 30th 202