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The Tale of Two Newspapers: Perceptions and Representations of Iranian International Relations Discourse Nazari, Ahmad
The Indonesian Journal of Social Studies Vol 2, No 2 (2019): December
Publisher : Universitas Negeri Surabaya

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | DOI: 10.26740/ijss.v2n2.p66-76

Abstract

One of the research topics which intrigues researchers in the subject areas of applied linguistics, international relations and politics is political discourse and the way it is perceived and represented in the media. Researchers have analysed and interpreted the political and international relations discourse of various politicians and diplomats in different countries. By the same token, Iran, as a country with an influence on the political issues of the Middle East and a role in international dynamics and trends, has devoted a plethora of research to itself where researchers have examined and critiqued the international and foreign policies of Iran in various periods of time, in relation to various countries and in connection with various political and international events and situations. However, a search carried out by the present researcher showed that there are not many publications on how the British mass media, newspapers in particular, perceive and represent the Iranian government?s international relations discourse. To address this lacuna, a corpus of news stories and reports extracted from two renowned British newspapers, the Guardian and Daily Mail, was analysed by adopting a double hermeneutic content analysis approach. The results suggest that the two newspapers, in spite of being famous for having polar political views, seem to have similar perceptions and representations of the above discourse. The study also provides directions for further research in other contexts. 
EFL TEACHERS’ AND LEARNERS’ PERSPECTIVES ON THE PRINCIPLES OF INSTRUCTED LANGUAGE LEARNING: CONFLICT OR CONSENSUS? Connor, Owen; Nazari, Ahmad
LLT Journal: A Journal on Language and Language Teaching Vol 23, No 1 (2020)
Publisher : English Education Study Programme of Sanata Dharma University, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar

Abstract

The developmental nature of second language acquisition research has resulted in various and at times seemingly contradictory theories, methods and approaches. In 2005, Rod Ellis published his ?Principles of Instructed Language Learning,? which he considered to be a set of teaching ?generalisations? that could stimulate debate and reflection among teachers in the ?post-methods era? (Richards & Rodgers, 2014). The purpose of this study was to investigate Ellis?s principles in terms of their perceived relevance and applicability in an adult EFL learning environment. In order to achieve this aim, a mixed methods research approach was utilised. Separate questionnaires were administered to seventy-one students and eight teachers employed in the English Language Department of a Training Institute in Doha, Qatar. Additionally, thirteen students participated in two ? single sex ? focus group sessions. The results revealed consensus between students and teachers regarding the importance they placed on some principles, but not others, particularly the contentious issue of meaning vs. form. Furthermore, while both groups emphasised the importance of interaction, many students nonetheless felt uneasy interacting in English with other Arabic speakers. A further key finding was that neither party clearly understood the concept of the learner?s built-in syllabus. The principal conclusion is that the best way to deal with the aforementioned anomalies involves experimentation with task-based approaches as these allow for  a focus on meaning, opportunities for interaction, and a retrospective focus on form via corrective feedback, which takes into account the learner?s built-in syllabus.DOI: doi.org/10.24071/llt.2020.230105
EFFECTS OF AN ARABIC ACCENT ON EFL LEARNERS' PRODUCTIVE INTELLIGIBILITY Nazari, Ahmad; Younus, Majid
LLT Journal: A Journal on Language and Language Teaching Vol 23, No 2 (2020)
Publisher : English Education Study Programme of Sanata Dharma University, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | Full PDF (1569.107 KB)

Abstract

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. Gimson?s (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.2020.230201
The Tale of Two Newspapers: Perceptions and Representations of Iranian International Relations Discourse Nazari, Ahmad
The Indonesian Journal of Social Studies Vol 2, No 2 (2019): December
Publisher : Universitas Negeri Surabaya

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | DOI: 10.26740/ijss.v2n2.p66-76

Abstract

One of the research topics which intrigues researchers in the subject areas of applied linguistics, international relations and politics is political discourse and the way it is perceived and represented in the media. Researchers have analysed and interpreted the political and international relations discourse of various politicians and diplomats in different countries. By the same token, Iran, as a country with an influence on the political issues of the Middle East and a role in international dynamics and trends, has devoted a plethora of research to itself where researchers have examined and critiqued the international and foreign policies of Iran in various periods of time, in relation to various countries and in connection with various political and international events and situations. However, a search carried out by the present researcher showed that there are not many publications on how the British mass media, newspapers in particular, perceive and represent the Iranian government’s international relations discourse. To address this lacuna, a corpus of news stories and reports extracted from two renowned British newspapers, the Guardian and Daily Mail, was analysed by adopting a double hermeneutic content analysis approach. The results suggest that the two newspapers, in spite of being famous for having polar political views, seem to have similar perceptions and representations of the above discourse. The study also provides directions for further research in other contexts. 
EFFECTS OF AN ARABIC ACCENT ON EFL LEARNERS' PRODUCTIVE INTELLIGIBILITY Nazari, Ahmad; Younus, Majid
LLT Journal: A Journal on Language and Language Teaching Vol 23, No 2 (2020): October 2020
Publisher : English Education Study Programme of Sanata Dharma University, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | DOI: 10.24071/llt.v23i2.2467

Abstract

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.
THE EFFECTS OF ACCENT FAMILIARITY ON ARAB EFL LEARNERS’ PERCEPTIVE INTELLIGIBILITY Nazari, Ahmad; Younus, Majid Rasim
LLT Journal: A Journal on Language and Language Teaching Vol 24, No 1 (2021): April 2021
Publisher : English Education Study Programme of Sanata Dharma University, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | DOI: 10.24071/llt.v24i1.3081

Abstract

In accord with the current status of English as an International Language, the aim of this article is to develop a methodological framework to investigate the effects, if any, of accent familiarity on perceptive intelligibility in an Arab EFL context. To this end, a perception intelligibility test was developed to measure the intelligibility of Arab EFL learners and to determine the extent to which intelligibility varied in relation to accent familiarity. A listening text in English from the Speech Accent Archives produced by three speakers of different first language backgrounds constituted the material stimulus for the perceptive intelligibility test. In this respect, three accent familiarity levels were determined when measuring the perceptive intelligibility of Arab EFL learners. These accent familiarity levels included matched, mismatched and unfamiliar. The listeners were 60 randomly selected Arab EFL undergraduate students. An analytic five-point rating scale was also developed to measure the extent to which Arab EFL learners understood the English speech produced by speakers from the three different first language backgrounds. The results, in general, showed that Arab EFL learners understood with little effort most of the English utterances produced by the three English language speakers from different language backgrounds. However, the learners faced more effort and misunderstanding regarding the third speaker who represented an unfamiliar accent. The article concludes with a description of the research implications and applications that derive from the findings of the study.    
EFL TEACHERS AND LEARNERS PERSPECTIVES ON THE PRINCIPLES OF INSTRUCTED LANGUAGE LEARNING: CONFLICT OR CONSENSUS? Connor, Owen; Nazari, Ahmad
LLT Journal: A Journal on Language and Language Teaching Vol 23, No 1 (2020): April 2020
Publisher : English Education Study Programme of Sanata Dharma University, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | DOI: 10.24071/llt.v23i1.2359

Abstract

The developmental nature of second language acquisition research has resulted in various and at times seemingly contradictory theories, methods and approaches. In 2005, Rod Ellis published his Principles of Instructed Language Learning, which he considered to be a set of teaching generalisations that could stimulate debate and reflection among teachers in the post-methods era (Richards Rodgers, 2014). The purpose of this study was to investigate Elliss principles in terms of their perceived relevance and applicability in an adult EFL learning environment. In order to achieve this aim, a mixed methods research approach was utilised. Separate questionnaires were administered to seventy-one students and eight teachers employed in the English Language Department of a Training Institute in Doha, Qatar. Additionally, thirteen students participated in two single sex focus group sessions. The results revealed consensus between students and teachers regarding the importance they placed on some principles, but not others, particularly the contentious issue of meaning vs. form. Furthermore, while both groups emphasised the importance of interaction, many students nonetheless felt uneasy interacting in English with other Arabic speakers. A further key finding was that neither party clearly understood the concept of the learners built-in syllabus. The principal conclusion is that the best way to deal with the aforementioned anomalies involves experimentation with task-based approaches as these allow for a focus on meaning, opportunities for interaction, and a retrospective focus on form via corrective feedback, which takes into account the learners built-in syllabus.