Journal of Applied Sciences (18125654)(1)
The study investigated the effects of correction of learners' grammatical. errors on acquisition. Specifically, it compared the effects of manner of correction (explicit versus implicit correction). It also investigated the relative effects of explicit and implicit correction of morphological versus syntactic features and correction of developmental early versus developmental late features. Data were collected from 56 intermediate level Iranian students of English Each participant was required to read and then retell a written text in their own words during an oral interview. During or following the interview the researcher corrected the participants on their grammatical errors implicitly (using recasts) or explicitly. Individualised tests focusing on the corrected errors were constructed and administered. Statistical analyses were conducted on the scores the participants received on their individualised tests. Results showed that the participants who received explicit correction gained significantly higher scores than those who received implicit correction. Analyses of the interactions between independent variables showed that explicit correction was more effective for the acquisition of developmental early features and implicit correction was more effective for the acquisition of developmental late features. © 2008 Asian Network for Scientific Information.
Explicator (144940)66(2)pp. 68-71
Parvaresh, V.,
Kassaian, Z.,
Ketabi, S.,
Saeedi, M. World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology (20103778)39pp. 1060-1068
This case study investigates the effects of reactive focus on form through negotiation on the linguistic development of an adult EFL learner in an exclusive private EFL classroom. The findings revealed that in this classroom negotiated feedback occurred significantly more often than non-negotiated feedback. However, it was also found that in the long run the learner was significantly more successful in correcting his own errors when he had received nonnegotiated feedback than negotiated feedback. This study, therefore, argues that although negotiated feedback seems to be effective for some learners in the short run, it is non-negotiated feedback which seems to be more effective in the long run. This long lasting effect might be attributed to the impact of schooling system which is itself indicative of the dominant culture, or to the absence of other interlocutors in the course of interaction.
Explicator (1939926X)67(3)pp. 183-186
Research in Contemporary World Literature/ Pazhuhesh-e Zabanha-ye Khareji (25884131)(56)pp. 181-196
Paradise Lost incorporates many references to the East. The Orient figures prominently in the vast scope - the "imaginative geography" - of the poem. This paper attempts a survey of what, following Edward Said, has been termed orientalist discourse in Milton's epic poem. It is argued that this discourse has to be considered in the context of Milton's essentially religious and anti-monarchical stance. Associating the Orient with evil and the Satanic regime Paradise Lost cannot be wrested from latent orientalism but it is shown that issues such as aesthetic considerations, a cosmic setting, drawing on the authority of history, classicism, an encyclopedic scope, an essential antimonarchism and above all a profound process of displacement whereby comments on contemporary issues are displaced onto the Orient all help compound the representations of the East in this text. The result is an ambiguous and multi-faceted orientalist discourse.
This paper describes the development process of FarsNet; a lexical ontology for the Persian language. FarsNet is designed to contain a Persian WordNet with about 10000 synsets in its first phase and grow to cover verbs' argument structures and their selectional restrictions in its second phase. In this paper we discuss the semi-automatic approach to create the first phase: the Persian WordNet. © Global Wordnet Conference, GWC 2010. All rights reserved.
Research in Contemporary World Literature/ Pazhuhesh-e Zabanha-ye Khareji (25887092)(61)
This paper is an attempt to shed light on how Michael Ondaatje has tried to rewrite Western history in his Booker Prize-winning novel The English Patient (1992). In the light of Colonial and Postcolonial theories and Hayden White's theory of narrativity of history, which regards historical accounts as metaphorical statements, the researchers try to show how Ondaatje challenges the authenticity of history written by Westerners about the Orientals. Ondaatje, as a migrant postcolonial writer, breaks the long-imposed silence of the marginal people by giving them access to speech whereby to express their own perceptions of reality. He also gives them access to the medium of writing to break the monolithic status of Western historiography (also reflected in Western literary works). Moreover, Ondaatje blurs the borderline between history and fiction in The English Patient to challenge the pseudo-scientific status of history, and presents fiction as a medium through which history is rewritten from the perspective of the 'Other'.
Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences (18770428)15pp. 215-220
ELT materials (textbooks) are believed to play a pivotal role in English classes. In recent years, however, there has been a lot of debate throughout ELT profession on their actual roles (e.g. Harwood, 2003; Hyland 2000, 2002). This paper is an attempt to first summarize some of the arguments put forward by the pro and anti-textbook camps and then discuss the results of a complex evaluation process of the EAP textbooks used at the four leading universities of Iran (IUT, UI, PNU and IAU) to assess whether these anti-textbook ideas have any validity in the field of EAP specially in an Iranian setting. The evaluation was done via three questionnaires (namely Students Needs Analysis Questionnaire, Students Textbook Evaluation Questionnaire and Teacher Textbook Evaluation Questionnaire) answered by more than 300 EAP students and teachers. In combining the results of the three questionnaires used, it was found that although a lack of fit between the needs of the students and the textbook contents and organizations was rather apparent, EAP textbooks deemed necessary and useful for EAP classes. Teachers should, therefore, be given more autonomy to accommodate students' needs and interests when essential. © 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Theory and Practice in Language Studies (20530692)1(12)pp. 1861-1864
Translating for children requires special considerations particularly in terms of style. This study addresses use of idioms as a stylistic device and the way they are translated in a children's fiction. Choosing Hooshang Moradi-Kermani's Khomre and its English translation by Teimoor Ruhi, the following research questions were formulated: 1. What procedures are used to translate idioms in children's literature? 2. What is the most frequent procedure used in translating idioms in Khomre as a children's book? 3. What is the translator's preferred strategy in translating Khomre as a piece of children's literature? In order to answer the first and second questions and find out the procedures opted for in translating children's literature, Baker's (1992) proposed procedures were taken as the framework of the study. And to answer the third question venuti's (2004) model of domestication and foreignization strategies was adopted as the framework. To collect and analyze the data, first, the Persian idioms occurring in the book Khomreh as a piece of children's literature and their English translations given by Teimoor Ruhi were identified and paired. Next, the procedures used by the translator were identified and their frequency and percentage were calculated, the results were presented in a table and a chart for subsequent analysis and discussion. Then the general translation strategy related to each example and procedure was identified. The analysis revealed that in the English rendering all the procedures proposed by Baker (1992) as well as a combination of some of the procedures were used. The most frequent procedure was paraphrasing and the general translation strategy applied was that of domestication. © 2011 ACADEMY PUBLISHER Manufactured in Finland.
Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences (18770428)15pp. 376-381
The present study aimed at investigating the extent to which using two types of instructional materials - websites vs. textbooks - may affect learners' knowledge and ability to use certain grammatical rules. Ninety homogenous adult Iranian intermediate EFL learners were randomly assigned to three groups - Textbook Group (TG), Website Group (WG) and Control Group (CG). A pretest was given to the three groups to measure their command of the grammar rules in focus prior to any treatment. In the treatment phase, the instructor used two grammar teaching textbooks to teach the learners in the TG whereas for those in the WG the same grammatical rules were taught on line in a language lab using a number of English language teaching websites. The CG learners received a placebo task. After the treatment phase, a post-test was administered to measure the gains. The results indicated that websites were as effective as textbooks in teaching grammar. Accordingly, it can be concluded that integration of web-based materials in the EFL classrooms (at least as supplement to print-based materials) can help motivate and enhance learners' mastery of English grammar. The study has implications for EFL practitioners and materials developers. © 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Asian Social Science (19112025)(10)
In the scope of Literary Translation, the present article focuses on the benefits of translation which is technically referred to as translation gain. Defined as "translator's technique used to compensate for translation loss" (Note 1), translation gain has scarcely been a subject of heated debates among the authorities in the field of Literary Translation. The data for the present study was collected from the Armenian translation of 5 short stories written by a famous Armenian-American writer W. Saroyan (1908-1981). One of the main objectives of the study is that it covers translations into a language of limited diffusion-Armenian. The results of the study will come to show that in the course of recreating the original, the translator may add values to it either because s/he grasped the author's thought rather better or by taking advantage of the target language's neater and/or richer linguistic resources.
Theory and Practice in Language Studies (20530692)1(10)pp. 1328-1337
This study aimed at investigating the relationship between self-esteem, age and gender on the one hand and speaking skills on the other hand. For this purpose, based on an OPT test twenty intermediate Persian learners of English were selected from among undergraduate EFL students studying towards a B.A. in teaching English as a foreign language at Islamic Azad University, Khorasgan Branch. Using a modified version of Farhady, et. al.'s scale (1995), measuring the five subskills of vocabulary, structure, pronunciation, fluency and comprehensibility, two raters evaluated the speaking ability of the participants at the end of the required course (Oral Production of Short Stories). The Sorensen's (2005) questionnaire for measuring self-esteem containing 50 items was also administered to the participants. The result showed a significant relationship between self-esteem and speaking skill with fluency exerting the most influence. There was also a reverse relationship between age and speaking skills. Concerning the relationship between gender and speaking skills, no statistically significant association was found. The study could have implications for English language teachers, learners and text book writers. © 2011 ACADEMY PUBLISHER Manufactured in Finland.
Theory and Practice in Language Studies (20530692)1(7)pp. 851-860
One of the elements present in almost all literary texts causing intercultural gaps is allusion. This study addresses allusion, as a form of intertextuality, in translation. An attempt has been made to look into the strategies the translators have used in translating into Persian four types of allusive PNs(proper names) and KPs (key-phrases) (religious, political, historical and mythological) in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. This comparative study is done on the basis of the strategies of translating allusions suggested by Leppihalme (1997) to find whether the Persian translations follow these strategies or not and to find the frequency and efficiency of each strategy. The three Persian translations are by Manouchehr Badi'ei (1380), Parviz Dariush (1370) and Asghar Jooya (1382). The strategy of 'retention of the given name' was of the highest and 'omission' of the lowest frequency in the translations studied. Badi'ei's translation proved to be the most attentive to allusions and the most successful in rendering them. © 2011 ACADEMY PUBLISHER Manufactured in Finland.
English Language Teaching (19164750)5(7)pp. 81-89
This research is an attempt to find out if grouping learners, through using a placement test will significantly help students become more successful in learning English. 320 non-English major undergraduates studying at the University of Isfahan participated in this research. The final scores of 121 freshmen who attended their general English courses in homogenised classes were compared with those of 199 freshmen who did not undergo any placement procedure. The analysis of data suggested that grouping the learners and dividing them into different ability groups had a significant impact on the participants' academic success, in their course of general English. In addition, the results suggested that ability grouping provides sufficient ground for methodological decisions and hence sequencing of teaching materials and procedures.
Research in Contemporary World Literature/ Pazhuhesh-e Zabanha-ye Khareji (25887092)(62)pp. 7-7
In the present paper, syntactic omission convections in English are investigated on the basis of Dixon (2005) in translations from Persian for their being rendered explicit through translation. The data of the study entails Persian literary texts from different literary genres, namely fiction, poetry, and drama. The study is in line with that carried out by Olahan (2001) which explored syntactic omission conventions in the translated English corpora of BNC and TEC. The present research is an attempt to investigate the findings presented by Olahan yet across three literary genres and to inspect the behavior of optional syntactic explicitation pertaining to fiction, poetry, and drama translations. The results of the study revealed that explicitation of syntactic optional structures is a prevalent norm in modern Persian-English translations of literary texts and that among the proposed conventions, explicitation of the complementiser THAT followed by that of relative pronouns proves the most frequent in all literary genres; yet, in other sub-categories, our findings do not confirm Olahan's. The findings reveal that explicitation is applied as a literary device in literary translation.
English Language Teaching (19164750)5(1)pp. 76-85
The present study aimed to explore how tolerant of ambiguity Iranian EFL learners at university level are and if gender plays a role in this regard. To this end, upon filling in the revised SLTAS scale of ambiguity tolerance 194 male and female Iranian teacher trainees were assigned to three ambiguity tolerance groups; namely, high, moderate and low. Cluster analysis of the SLTAS scores indicated that Iranian EFL learners were mostly moderate as far as tolerance of ambiguity was concerned. Examining the gender differences through an independent sample t-test manifested that female participants were less tolerant of ambiguity than their male peers. Also, the differences between the expected and observed number of participants categorized in the three AT groups were non-significant undermining the role of gender as a moderator variable in assigning participants to AT groups and further approving of SLTAS validity. Implications for classroom practice are presented in the light of findings. The results are helpful in syllabus design and teaching methodology.
Sadeghi, S.,
Ketabi, S.,
Tavakoli, M.,
Sadeghi, M. Social Sciences (discontinued) (18185800)7(1)pp. 24-29
Classroom interaction analysis requires a variety of systematic approaches to interpret the classroom discourse in its unique socio-educational context. Investigating classroom interaction based on sole reliance on quantitative techniques could be problematic, since they conceal more than they reveal of the intricacies of classroom interaction. This qualitative study aimed at analyzing classroom discourse from two perspectives. First Grice's Cooperative Principles in 1975 was used to examine maxim observance in different genders by 22 EFL learners. Learners were required to listen to some audio materials and to discuss the topics through presenting their own perspectives. They were asked to make their arguments clear, brief, relevant and sincere. Transcriptions of classroom interactions were put into a qualitatively, critical interpretation of males and females' adherence to or flouting of four maxims. Results indicated limitations in applying these descriptions in revealing the hidden motivations in interactions between genders. Thus, researchers utilized Critical Classroom Discourse Analysis framework (CCDA) proposed by Kumaravadivelu in 1999 which draws on Posts tructuralism and postcolonialism concepts of discourse to examine classroom interaction in terms of power/knowledge and dominance/resistance. © Medwell Journals, 2012.
Sadeghi, S.,
Ketabi, S.,
Tavakoli, M.,
Sadeghi, M. English Language Teaching (discontinued) (19164742)5(1)pp. 166-173
As an area of classroom research, Interaction Analysis developed from the need and desire to investigate the process of classroom teaching and learning in terms of action-reaction between individuals and their socio-cultural context (Biddle, 1967). However, sole reliance on quantitative techniques could be problematic, since they conceal more than they reveal of the intricacies of classroom interaction. Moving away from this quantitative norm, this study examines the classroom process from the discourse analysis perspective called Critical Classroom Discourse Analysis (CCDA), proposed by Kumaravadivelu (1999); which draws on Poststructuralism and postcolonialism concepts of discourse; to analyze and understand classroom input and interaction in terms of power and dominance. This ethnographic study aimed at using CCDA as a tool for critical reflection to analyze the differences in the discourse of males and females in an EFL situation. The discussion, based on a case study conducted at a university classroom in Iran, aims at understanding the unseen social processes, i.e. male dominance in discourse. Transcriptions of classroom interactions were put into a qualitatively interpretation of males and females' adherence to, or flouting of four maxims. The research findings suggest that male dominance could be concealed in discourse control, types of questions, and turn-taking. Male participants tended to exert more power and used less indirect language, more negative face, and fewer politeness phenomena.
Theory and Practice in Language Studies (20530692)2(4)pp. 705-712
Materials development and evaluation is a relatively young phenomenon in the field of language teaching. In the practical sense, it includes the production, evaluation and adaptation of materials. Undoubtedly, culture is much more valuable than teaching and practicing the literary masterpiece. The need to integrate culture into teaching the second language particularly teaching English in a foreign context is not a new debate and has long been highlighted in countless studies. Societal values, attitudes and cultural elements are integrated with the communicative approach to enhance the effectiveness of L2 acquisition. Conversely, textbooks are an integral part of language learning in the classrooms. Yet, it seems to be common practice that foreign language textbooks and classrooms frequently overlook the conclusions drawn in such studies and neglect the essential information about the target language culture that would help students reach a cultural understanding to accompany their linguistic knowledge. Hence, it is the intent of this paper to examine the cultural elements in four English language textbooks: Interchange, Headway, Top Notch, On Your Mark currently used in Iran in order to determine the most prominent cultural dimension portrayed. © 2012 ACADEMY PUBLISHER Manufactured in Finland.
Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences (discontinued) (20392117)3(3)pp. 525-530
Postmodern literature is founded upon the assumption that the symbolic order of the pre-capitalist era has been transformed by mass media and information technologies into a society inundated with decontextualized signs. Fragmentation of authentic meanings, eclipse of real objects by 'hyperreality' and dissolution of subjectivity, identity and religion are grounded, according to Jean Baudrillard, in the contemporary 'semiurgic' culture. The present paper aims at examining the applicability of Baudrillard's ideas concerning the dominant cultural atmosphere in the postmodern era to Brian Moore's Fergus (1970). In Moore's novel a consumerist society is delineated in which the infinitely reproduced objects and commodities threaten the individuality and identity of modern man. Besides, the novel depicts a world in which the 'auratic' value of art, human relations and religion are replaced by their simulated counterparts.
International Journal of Applied Linguistics (08026106)22(1)pp. 88-104
This study focused on one aspect of vocabulary knowledge, namely, change of the state representation of words in the lexicon, by providing a type of multi-sensory input in the form of instantaneous speech text of subtitled DVD. The purpose was to see whether this type of input could fulfill the needs of advanced learners for the immediate cognitive regulation of their knowledge. To this end, two types of subtitles were used in a counterbalanced design, when after each exposure, the state rating task was used to show the patterns of change in the learners' cognitive states. Results showed that subtitle viewing contributes to a change in learners' state representation of the words, but this contribution varies with the types of subtitling. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Theory and Practice in Language Studies (20530692)2(4)pp. 843-849
This study tries to investigate the relationship between learners' listening strategy use, cognitive, metacognitive, social/affective, while they listen to the texts and some of their individual differences. In order to study this relationship, 40 Iranian university EFL (English as a Foreign Language) students were surveyed with four structured questionnaires and an ILTES listening test. The questionnaires were Listening strategy use (Vandergrift, 1997), learning style (Soloman and Felder, 2001), motivation (adapted from Laine, 1988), and the Revised NEO- FFI. In order to comprehend whether there is a relationship between variables, and to see which group of individual differences use which listening strategy more, statistical analysis of Multiple Regression analysis, Chi Square test, one way ANOVA, at the p< 0.05 level, were used. The results suggested that there was a significant relationship between the level of motivation and the listening strategies. After motivation, learning style, also, had some effect on the listening strategies use. The other variables had no significant effect on the use of the three listening comprehension strategies. In addition it should be mentioned that social/ affective strategy was omitted in the analysis because the mean of this strategy use was so low. It means that no individual groups used this kind of listening strategy. Finally, the aim of this article was to clarify on little-investigated area, namely, listening comprehension strategies and some individual differences, and the findings discussed in the area of English language teaching. © 2012 ACADEMY PUBLISHER Manufactured in Finland.
English Language Teaching (discontinued) (19164742)5(11)pp. 104-110
Due to the lack of span test for the use in language-specific and cross-language studies, this study provides L1 and L2 researchers with a reliable language-independent span test (math span test) for the measurement of working memory capacity. It also describes the development, validation, and scoring method of this test. This test included 70 simple math problems, and was developed based on Salthouse and Babcock's (1991) and Robert and Gibson's (2002) math span tests. The shortcomings of the test were identified and removed over five pilot studies on 48 participants. The final test was used in an experimental study with a group of L1 Persian EFL learners. Results of an item analysis, as indicated by Cronbach's Alpha, indicated an internal reliability of.850 and.863 for the math span test processing and recall respectively. This suggests that the newly developed test is reliable enough and could be used to measure working memory capacity in L1 and L2 studies. This study also provides a clear procedure for the development and scoring of a math span test for the use in L1 and L2 studies.
Explicator (1939926X)70(3)pp. 226-230
World Applied Sciences Journal (discontinued) (18184952)19(7)pp. 1042-1050
This paper reports on the effects of three types of focus on form (FoF) instruction, namely explicit, implicit and combinatorial, on acquisition of idioms by EFL intermediate learners. 80 learners who were homogenous in terms of language proficiency and idiomatic knowledge were assigned to four groups: three experimental and one control. One of the experimental groups was exposed to explicit teaching of idioms. The second experimental group was taught the same idiomatic expressions through implicit FoF and the third experimental group (referred to as the combinatorial FoF group in this study) was taught the idioms through a combination of explicit and implicit techniques. The ability to use the target idiomatic expressions was measured through a multiple choice test (MCT) and a free spoken response task (FSRT). On both measures, the combinatorial FoF group outperformed the other groups followed by the group taught through explicit FoF which was in turn followed by the one taught through implicit FoF. In addition, the differences between all the groups were found to be statistically significant on both measures. The interpretation of the results along with the implications is discussed. © IDOSI Publications, 2012.
English Language Teaching (discontinued) (19164742)5(7)pp. 164-174
The present research was conducted with the aim of examining the foreign language learning needs of graduate and postgraduate students of Genetics in Iran in order to help students to meet the growing present and emerging future language demands. The study was designed on a qualitative-quantitative survey basis using interviews and questionnaires which was administered to 35 undergraduate students, 18 postgraduate students, and 4 subject-specific instructors. To see whether the graduate and postgraduate students differed significantly in terms of their language needs, an independent sample t-test was used. Chi-square analysis was also conducted to examine the possible discrepancies across the perceived needs of the students and their parallel counterparts in the instructors' corpus. The findings of the study revealed some minor discrepancies with regard to the language needs and perceptions across different levels. The chi-square results also revealed very few differences between the students' and instructors' perceived needs.
International Journal of Applied Linguistics and English Literature (22003592)(7)
Studies regarding gender differences in EFL context have been done for many years. However, it seems that writing, which is a vital skill in academic issues, has gained much less attention in this area. In addition, not having enough knowledge of gender differences for teachers is one of the main barriers of language learning. The current study examines gender differences in Iranian EFL students’ letter writing in terms of 13 linguistic features mentioned in Mulac, Bradac, & Gibbons (2001). The results of this study showed significant differences toward the use of some linguistic features. Female participants tended to use more “I” references, references to quantity, references to emotions, uncertainty verbs, sentence initial adverbials and judgmental adjectives. In addition, the results showed than women tended to be wordier than men in terms of total number of words. Men, on the other hand, exceeded women on a number of linguistic dimensions including locatives, mean length sentence and dependent clauses. Moreover, elliptical sentences were not used by female participants at all and few male participants used them in their letters. Therefore, this study demonstrated gender differences in Iranian EFL students’ letter writing. These dissimilarities between genders in EFL can be contributed to many aspects such as educational instructions, teachers, and cultural differences. It also illustrated teachers’ perspectives of gender regarding students’ writing. © 2012, Australian International Academic Centre PTY LTD. All rights reserved.
