Metaphorical competence in EFL

AILA Review ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 23 ◽  
pp. 155-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fiona MacArthur
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Cognitive Linguistics ◽  
English Language ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Effective Feedback ◽  
Metaphorical Language ◽  
Linguistic Resources ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Communication Demands

Although there exists a number of studies that have shown the benefits of applying the cognitive linguistics notion of motivation to foster comprehension and retention of conventional English metaphors, relatively little attention has been paid to EFL learners’ productive use of metaphor in speech and writing. Using data gathered in a post-intermediate English language classroom, I describe and explore the metaphorical language used by undergraduate students in their writing. The data show that learners use metaphor to express their ideas on complex, abstract topics, but that the resulting metaphorical usage is not always conventional or felicitous. Since metaphor is deployed by EFL learners in response to particular communication demands, teachers need to find ways of providing appropriate feedback on learners’ efforts to make use of their limited linguistic resources to express their own meanings. However, how effective feedback is to be given is not always straightforward. I discuss some of the problems involved and suggest areas that are in need of further research.

scholarly journals Exploring Factors of Speech Anxiety in Second Language Classroom

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 97
Author(s):  
Abdul Malik Abbasi ◽  
Samreen Riaz Ahmed ◽  
Alia Farooqi ◽  
Stephon John
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Speech Anxiety ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
The World ◽  
Language Classrooms ◽  
Esl Learners

This study aims to investigate the factors affecting on English speech of undergraduate students at the SMIU, Karachi. The study prospects two aspects as outcomes of the study, one to discover what are the major issues and hindrances and another one to find their solutions for developing techniques and skills to gain confidence while speaking English as a second language in ESL classroom and in public. It will further investigate as how to help develop a wonderful speech free from speech anxiety. The study administered Likert Scale as a tool for data collection. Forty participating students were recruited from the department of Computer Science, Sindh Madressatul Islam University, Karachi. Speech anxiety is a common phenomenon amongst the students in the second language classrooms. Second language i.e., English, however, has become the lingua franca of the world. It is no longer the language of only native Britishers and Americans, rather, it is a widely spoken language by most people living in every nook & corner of the world. This study investigates as to how ESL learners turn out as nervous speakers while speaking English. Findings of the study suggest that speech anxiety seems to be an unavoidable phenomenon for ESL learners as the data reveal. In addition, this study is associated with the previous studies that there is a moderate level of Foreign Language Speech Anxiety (FLSA) amongst the Pakistani English speakers. Since English is taught from the primary level and every literate person almost understands and speaks English. Pakistani English language speakers should speak without speech anxiety, though it seems to be a part of human nature being nervous while speaking English as a second language. The students should learn how to manage speech anxiety by welcoming it and try to overcome it not by mindless imitation but by being natural in English speech.

scholarly journals Rhetorical styles of Introduction in English language teaching (ELT) research articles

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 304-314
Author(s):  
Anis Firdatul Rochma ◽  
Anita Triastuti ◽  
A. Ashadi
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
English Language ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Research Articles ◽  
Linguistic Resources ◽  
Major Factors

Research articles have been considered as the primary media of knowledge production. Nevertheless, for some undergraduate students, writing a research article can be a challenging task since they need to be aware of its rhetorical styles. Even though previous studies have been conducted to reveal the rhetorical styles of scientific papers, yet tend to focus more on research articles obtained from well-established journals. Hence, this study aims to reveal the rhetorical styles and draw the rhetoric pattern from the introduction section of 73 research articles written by the undergraduate students of English Language Education (ELE) at a state university in Yogyakarta. This is a qualitative investigation whose data were collected by random sampling technique and went through Safnil’s (2013) four analysis stages. As the primary framework for analysis, the modified CARS (Create a Research Space) model (Swales Feak, 2004) was adopted. The results show that Step 2: Making topic generalization in Move 1 and Step 1B: Indicating a gap in Move 2 are the obligatory steps in writing the introduction section. Nevertheless, the results reveal that mostly undergraduate research papers lack 1 step in Move 1, 2 steps in Move 2, and 3 steps in Move 3. The omission of steps in the CARS model by these student-authors seems to happen due to two major factors, namely the scarcity of control over the writing process and linguistic resources, hence suggesting pedagogical implications for academic writing courses.

scholarly journals “THANK YOU, IT REALLY MAKES MY DAY”: COMPLIMENT RESPONSES REVISITED

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 321-331
Author(s):  
Shofiyyahtuz' Zahro ◽  
Emy Sudarwati
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Literature ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Compliment Responses ◽  
Scale Down ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Literature Class ◽  
International English

Complimenting is a typical speaking act and the method in which it is responded to can vary based on the culture of the speakers as well as the influence of other circumstances. The purpose of this study was to provide a more in-depth knowledge of compliment response research based on how it is used by university students learning EFL in everyday life. Furthermore, this study also aims at finding out if exposure to another culture affects university students learning English as a second language while responding to compliments. The data were garnered using data elicitation method by complimenting the participants’ look, possession, character, or aptitude. The finding found that the participants used ten types of responses; listed from the most frequently used type of compliment responses to the least used type of compliment responses: Comment Acceptance (8), Appreciation Token (2), Comment History (2), Question (2), Praise Upgrade (1), Reassignment (1), Return (1), Scale Down (1), Disagreement (1), and Qualification (1). According to the data, the majority of students in an international English literature class at Brawijaya University are likely to accept the compliments. Students tend to take compliments by thanking them and then making related comments. English-speaking countries consider a simple "thank you" to be an adequate response to a praise. This present study also confirms that short term encounterance with foreign culture exposure slightly affect EFL learners’ way of responding to compliments. This shows that the students learn the English language culture in terms of compliment.

scholarly journals The Effect of Project-Based Learning on First-Year Undergraduate Students in English for Specific Purposes (ESP) Courses

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 227
Author(s):  
Aziza Kavlu
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
English Language ◽  
Teaching Method ◽  
Learning By Doing ◽  
Project Based Learning ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
English For Specific Purposes ◽  
Project Work ◽  
Efl Learners

Project-Based Learning is an approach that is significantly different from the conventional English Language Teaching method. PBL has been advocated as an effective instruction that promotes the simultaneous acquisition of language, content, and 21st-century skills to EFL (English as a foreign language) and ESL context. In this study researcher’s attempt is to integrate PBL (Project-Based Learning) approach, which incorporates authentic, learning by doing, problem-solving, critical thinking and team working skills with ESP (English for specific purposes) courses. The study aimed to investigate whether the PBL projects assist EFL learners in acquiring department related literature and information in the English language and the effect of project work on learners’ ESP course academic achievement. The study was conducted at Tishk International University, formerly known as Ishik University, in Iraq-Kurdistan Region with 2 Engineering (Architectural and Civil engineering) and Business and Management departments’ students. A mixed-method approach was designed to make the authentic interpretation of gained results. Quantitative and Qualitative instruments were utilized to probe the effect of PBL in the ESP course of undergraduate Iraqi EFL learners. The findings of this study reveal that PBL had a significant positive effect on acquiring department-related vocabulary and information in English as well as learners’ ESP course academic achievement showed statistically significant increment.

scholarly journals The Structural Parts of Paragraph Writing by Indonesian EFL Learners

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 33
Author(s):  
Wuwuh Yunhadi
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
English Language ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Structural Part ◽  
Structural Parts

This research is aimed at describing the structural part types of paragraph writing made by the undergraduate students at University of Kutai Kartanegara. This study used content analysis as the design, focusing on the structural parts and the unity of paragraph writing in developing English academic essays written in English language. The study assigned 9 students as a subject of the study. Data of this study included English essays using different topics. This study revealed that not all students understand how to write a good and unified paragraph. The fact is that some students tend to having problem in writing structural parts of paragraph such as topic sentence, supporting sentences, and concluding sentence. In this case, appropriate structural parts of a paragraph leads to the unity of the paragraph. Furthermore, failures of the students in producing unified paragraph dominantly caused inappropriate supporting sentences. The mistake done by the students in developing supporting idea of a paragraph is caused by their lack knowledge of the function of topic sentence.

scholarly journals The Effect of Using Conjunction as Cohesive Device on the Undergraduates’ Quality of Writing in Argumentative Essays of Jordanian EFL Learners

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rawhi Yousef Salman Al Shamalat ◽  
Che An Binti Abdul Ghani
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
English Language ◽  
Mixed Method Research ◽  
Writing Quality ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Cohesive Devices ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Argumentative Essays ◽  
Mu'tah University

The goal of this research was to investigate the effect of use conjunctions on the overall quality of argumentative writing of Jordanian English as foreign language (EFL) learners. This mixed-method research included sixty (n=60) undergraduate students at the Department. of English Language and Literature at Mu’tah University in Jordan. The participants of the research were selected using purposive sampling method. The data of the research were collected using written essays and interviews. The data was analyzed using SPSS. The data was collected using analytical scale Jacob et al., (1981) to measure the quality of argumentative essays. The result of this research showed that there was a weak negative but irrelevant correlation between writing quality and the frequency of conjunctions as cohesive devices. This correlation indicates that the frequent and general use of devices in the writing of Jordanian students did not contribute to the quality of the writing under any conditions. Also the finding revealed that there is an extremely negative but irrelevant correlation between the use of conjunctions devices by Jordanian EFL students and their writing quality. Therefore, the correlation was negative and insignificant for Jordanian EFL students. More specifically, the result shows that the frequencies of conjunctions were not found as an indicator of good writing quality for Jordanian EFL students. This research is significant for providing a considerable number of pedagogical implications for further research that will offer great contribution to the field of teaching writing in EFL setting in Jordan in particular and English as second language (ESL) context in general. Moreover, the research has shown a better understanding of cohesive devices / conjunctions by Jordanian EFL students at Mu’tah University.

scholarly journals Causes of Language Anxiety in an ESL Classroom: Towards a Mentally Healthier Learning Environment

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 452-460
Author(s):  
Salina Sabri ◽  
Zulaikha Khairuddin ◽  
Syafiqah Johan Amir Johan ◽  
Khairunnisa Mohd Daud ◽  
Fatin Fatinah Shamshul Bahrn
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environment ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
English Language ◽  
Negative Evaluation ◽  
Learning Anxiety ◽  
Perceived Success ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Esl Classroom

In a typical English language classroom, learners are expected to produce written sentences that are grammatically correct, and they are expected to sound native-like in their pronunciation. However, such expectations may cause anxiety and could potentially hinder the success of creating functional and successful language learners. This study aimed to understand undergraduate students’ language learning anxiety and their perceived success in an ESL classroom in the hopes of creating a mentally healthier language learning environment. Through a quantitative approach, the results of the questionnaire showed that reasons that led to undergraduate students’ anxiety in an ESL classroom were fear of tests, fear of comprehension, and fear of negative evaluation by peers. The results also showed that undergraduate students felt less anxious when lecturers provided non-threatening or mentally healthier environment for students to learn in their classroom. It can be concluded that a lecturer’s teaching styles and strategies affected students’ level of anxiety and can help ensure a mentally healthier language learning environment. From the findings, it is recommended that lecturers create a less formal and friendlier classroom atmosphere by providing psychological support and making students aware of the possible channels to seek help when needed.

scholarly journals The English Article Errors Encountered by Arabic EFL Undergraduate Students in the Writing Skill

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 10
Author(s):  
Kesavan Vadakalur Elumalai
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
English Language ◽  
The Other ◽  
Definite Article ◽  
King Saud University ◽  
Indefinite Article ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Writing Skill ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
English Articles

The research aims at English articles errors encountered by Arabic students in the English language classroom in writing. The study was analyzed in use of English articles (definite & indefinite) in the participant’s writing skill. It also describes the types and sources of definite and indefinite article errors while writing. The Data were collected from 40 EFL students from College of Arts, King Saud University, and Riyadh. Who learn English language at least a minimum of 8 years .They were assigned to write different title of a short composition passage of approximately 100 words in one-and-a-half hours per week. Errors were identified during analysis of ‘Omission of Articles’, ‘Omission of indefinite Articles’ , ‘Wrong insertion of Articles’, and ‘Confusion of Articles’ .And the observation revealed frequency of removing both the indefinite articles and the definite article was higher than the occurrence of inserting and substituting one article with the other. This study also proofs that errors of using ‘a’ much common than errors of using ‘an’ and ‘the’ in writing the story.

scholarly journals Using Hybrid Problem-based Learning (HPBL) Approach to Enhance Libyan EFL Students’ Engagement with English Language

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 9
Author(s):  
Eman Fathi Baresh ◽  
Suraini Mohd Ali ◽  
Ramiaida Darmi
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
English Language ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Problem Based Learning ◽  
First Year ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Efl Context ◽  
Efl Students

This article explores how the Hybrid Problem-Based Learning (HPBL) approach can improve the Libyan EFL learners’ performance in English language speaking. The paper employed the case study research design in which qualitative data through observation and interview were collected and analysed thematically. The participants involved in the study were 30 first-year undergraduate students in one of the Libyan public universities. The study was conducted in the period of 9 weeks. The course was conducted alternatingly between traditional and PBL lessons. The PBL lessons were based on 7 steps of Schmidt, Dauphinee and Patel (1989). At the end of each PBL lesson, students presented their possible solutions for the problem presented in a form of oral presentation (OP). It was found that after undergoing the HPBL process, the speaking ability of the learners improved in fluency, grammar, comprehension, vocabulary, confidence level, intonation skills and pronunciation. It is, thus, concluded the HPBL approach is a worthwhile alternative for English lecturers for the transformation of the stagnant approach to the teaching of English language in the Libyan EFL context.

scholarly journals English Learners’ Identity Formation as Low and High Investors in their Learning Process

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 165-178
Author(s):  
Maritza Collazos Moná ◽  
Luis Fernando Gómez Rodríguez
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Identity Formation ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
English Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
Power Relationships ◽  
Descriptive Case Study ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Language Classroom

This article reports the fndings of a descriptive case study that analyzed how unfair social relationships established in an EFL (English as a Foreign Language) classroom influenced a group of adolescent English language learners’ academic investment and identity construction at a school in Bogotá, Colombia. Data associated with students’ social behaviors and identities were collected through feld notes, a questionnaire, and an interview. Norton’s theory of identity and investment served as the basis to analyze the data from a social perspective. Three main fndings emerged from the data: First, EFL learners identifed themselves as high investors and low investors in their learning, depending on their own opinions about the usefulness of English in their lives. Second, power relationships based on domination and oppression reduced productive investment in the classroom. Third, some high investors resisted unfair relationships of power by investing through collaborative learning. Consequently, participants created diverse English learners’ identities (dominant, submissive, resistant, and productive), which influenced their academic investment negatively or positively.

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