Cross-nationally, urbanization is associated with the decline of minority languages and a shift towards national and official languages. But the processes that link urbanization with language shift have not been adequately documented. In this paper we consider the relationship between cities and language shift from a sociolinguistic perspective,…

Purpose: English as a foreign langauge (EFL) students find it difficult to apply the theoretical knowledge they acquire on translation in the practical world. Therefore, this study explored if training in pretranslation techniques (PTTs) (syntactic parsing) as suggested by Almanna (2018) could improve the translation proficiency of Yemeni EFL…

The increasing use of English in higher education around the world has prompted a large amount of research into the causes, effects and perceptions of this phenomenon, particularly relating to the introduction of English-medium instruction. While most previous research has focussed on institutions that have effectively 'added' English to existing…

This study investigated EFL classroom talk using Halliday and Matthiessen's (2013) meta-functions framework. Four female participants, including two experienced and two inexperienced teachers, taught similar grammar subjects to their intact classes. Classes were video-recorded and transcribed by the researchers. The meta-functions included topical…

Achieving higher levels of proficiency in a foreign language depends on more than an extensive knowledge of grammar and vocabulary. Evidence is mounting that true proficiency depends on cultural awareness about how and when language is used. This suggests that teachers in foreign language classrooms must incorporate explicit cultural lessons into…

Scheduling of practice to create a spacing effect has been observed to lead to superior retention of L2 vocabulary and grammar. Two of the various methods of scheduling L2 task practice discussed widely in recent times are interleaving and blocking. In a desirable difficulty framework, both of these methods have been recommended for task…

This paper explores the understanding and application of epicene pronouns in English among Chinese EFL learners. Thirty-three Chinese college students took part in a questionnaire to gauge their perceptions and usage of English epicene pronouns. A content analysis of 10 English grammar textbooks was also undertaken to discover current vernacular…

The aim of this study is to investigate multilingual students' identity constructions in their participation in different digital literacy practices. Theoretically, we depart from a translanguaging perspective and a social understanding of literacy from the field of New Literacy Studies. The data was constructed through qualitative interviews with…

Generative AI offers significant opportunities for language learning. Tools like ChatGPT provide second language practice through chats in written or voice formats, with the learner specifying through prompts conversational parameters. AI can be instructed to give corrective feedback and create practice exercises. Using AI, instructors can build…

The study aimed to identify the primary obstacles encountered by junior high school students when learning English. Conducted as a cross-sectional survey, data were gathered from 102 9th-grade students in three public schools in Parongpong using a Likert questionnaire and analyzed through mean scores. Findings revealed that the key barriers…

We examined how a group of Chinese undergraduate students understood paraphrasing and source use conventions for research paper writing in English. Prior scholarship has generated valuable insights about novice second language (L2) writers' unconventional source use practices, but little is known about how these writers interpret and understand…

Although studying the actual use of L2 materials has gained momentum over the past few years, little is known about its synergy with teachers' beliefs. This study addressed this gap by exploring teachers' stated and enacted beliefs about (effective) materials use in L2 classroom discourse. To this effect, naturally-occurring interactions within 10…

Scholarly conversations in writing pedagogy increasingly centre our roles in reproducing epistemic and structural biases, and consequently the need to decolonize our curriculum. These conversations can be especially informative for L2 writing instruction, given its focus on the academic socialization of ESL for non-Western students. This article…

Usage-based approaches to additional-language acquisition have identified numerous determinants of language learning, two of which were the focus of our study: frequency and cue contingency. Specifically, we examined how an immersion experience may impact sensitivity to these two determinants as reflected in the production of 4,808 pairs of nouns…

This study examined teachers' perceptions on language acquisition and education practice for English Language Learners (ELLs) to further address the disproportionality concern in education and identify the areas of training needs for classroom teachers as education renovation. A total of 222 participants voluntarily participated in this study. A…