Claim Missing Document
Check
Articles

An Analysis of Verb Tense Errors in Palestinian Undergraduate Students' Essay Writing Nadya Najah Maulana; Hanafi Wibowo; Ellis Tamela
Tamaddun Life Vol 25 No 1 (2026): June
Publisher : Fakultas Sastra - Universitas Muslim Indonesia

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | DOI: 10.33096/tamaddun.v25i1.1139

Abstract

This study examines verb tense errors in essays written by Palestinian undergraduate students learning English as a foreign language. The study addresses three questions: what types of verb tense errors appear in students' essays, which error type is most dominant, and what linguistic and pedagogical challenges may explain the observed patterns. Using a qualitative descriptive design supported by error analysis, students' essays were examined and coded according to the surface strategy taxonomy of omission, addition, misformation, and misordering. The analysis identified 60 verb-tense-related errors. Misformation was the most frequent category, accounting for 28 errors (46.7%), followed by omission with 15 errors (25.0%), addition with 10 errors (16.7%), and misordering with 7 errors (11.7%). The findings indicate that the major difficulty was not merely knowing the names of English tenses, but selecting contextually appropriate verb forms, maintaining tense consistency across clauses, and controlling subject-verb agreement in extended writing. The discussion relates these findings to interlanguage theory, Arabic-English cross-linguistic influence, overgeneralization, limited automatization of inflectional morphology, and the instructional separation of grammar practice from authentic writing tasks. Pedagogically, the study argues for form-focused writing instruction, explicit attention to tense-aspect meaning, guided noticing activities, focused written corrective feedback, and repeated revision cycles. The study contributes to EFL writing research by offering a tense-focused account of Palestinian undergraduate writing and by translating error analysis results into practical implications for grammar-informed academic writing pedagogy.
Locutionary and Illocutionary Acts by Anies Baswedan in the First Presidential Candidate Debate in 2024 Vina Handayani; Hanafi Wibowo
STAIRS: English Language Education Journal Vol. 6 No. 1 (2025): STAIRS: English Language Education Journal
Publisher : Lembaga Penelitian dan Pengabdian kepada Masyarakat dan Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris Fakultas Bahasa dan Seni Universitas Negeri Jakarta

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | DOI: 10.21009/stairs.6.1.1

Abstract

Understanding meaning in political discourse is crucial, as a speaker’s intentions shape public perception and influence audience perspectives. While many studies have explored speech acts in political contexts, there is still limited analysis focusing specifically on the locutionary and illocutionary acts of Indonesian presidential candidates, particularly in the 2024 debates. This study aims to analyze the types and frequency of locutionary and illocutionary acts used by Anies Baswedan in the first presidential candidate debate of 2024, as well as to interpret the meanings embedded in these speech acts. Employing a qualitative descriptive design, the research collects data in the form of clauses containing types of locutionary and illocutionary acts as the primary source, which then were identified and categorized. The findings reveal 40 instances of locutionary acts, dominated by assertive acts (26), followed by phonetic acts (14) and retic acts (8). Additionally, 42 illocutionary acts were identified, with phatic actions (18) being the most frequent, followed by phonetic (14) and retic actions (8). The analysis uncovered that many of these acts carried persuasive meanings aimed at convincing listeners during the debate. This study offers insights into how Indonesian political figures strategically use language, providing a basis for future research on persuasive speech in political campaigns.
A critical discourse analysis of Tom Lembong’s pleidoi in the context of his corruption case Avvena Sanit; Hanafi Wibowo; M. Rizky Fadhil
Linguistics Initiative Vol. 6 No. 1 (2026)
Publisher : Pusat Studi Bahasa dan Publikasi Ilmiah

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | DOI: 10.53696/27753719.61415

Abstract

This study investigates how ideological legitimacy and claims of innocence are discursively constructed in Tom Lembong’s handwritten pledoi as reported by Tirto.id within the context of his corruption case. While previous Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) research on corruption has primarily examined media framing and political elites, limited attention has been given to technocratic actors and to defense statements as autonomous sites of ideological production. Addressing this gap, the study employs a qualitative research design with a descriptive–interpretive orientation, utilizing Teun A. van Dijk’s CDA framework to analyze the discourse at macrostructural, superstructural, and microstructural levels. The data consists of a single online news article reproducing the pledoi during the pre-trial phase. The findings indicate that the global meaning of the text is structured around themes of gratitude, cooperation with legal authorities, institutional trust, nationalism, and religious devotion, which collectively construct an ideology of moral–patriotic integrity. At the superstructural level, the discourse follows a coherent narrative sequence that moves from respectful address and gratitude to moral self-positioning, institutional alignment, national commitment, and religious closure, guiding readers toward an interpretation centered on humility and ethical credibility. At the microstructural level, positive lexicalization, inclusive pronouns, high-commitment modality, presuppositions of innocence, repetition, politeness markers, and the absence of legal jargon contribute to a non-adversarial and morally persuasive discourse. Overall, the pledoi functions as an ideological substitute for legal defense, foregrounding moral, national, and religious values to negotiate legitimacy under conditions of legal and institutional asymmetry. This study contributes to CDA by foregrounding defense discourse as a site of ideological construction and by extending corruption discourse analysis to technocratic actors within Indonesian digital journalism.