ORCID Profile
0000-0002-8163-283X
Current Organisations
University of Sharjah
,
University of Jordan
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Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2021
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 29-03-2023
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 18-01-2023
DOI: 10.1057/S41599-023-01519-Y
Abstract: This study explores the use and functions of engagement strategies in English and Arabic newspaper editorials. To this end, the study analyses 80 editorials collected from two popular newspapers (40 from each): The Guardian which publishes in English and appears in the UK and Addustour which publishes in Arabic and appears in Jordan. Following Paltridge’s (2020) taxonomy, the study utilises a mixed-method approach to assess whether differences in the use of engagement strategies between the two corpora are statistically significant and to identify the functions of the strategies used in the two sets of data. The findings show that there are statistically significant differences between the two languages in the use of some engagement strategies. In particular, Arabic editorials included more reader pronouns and less personal asides than did English ones. In addition, although questioning as an engagement strategy was absent in the Arabic corpus, it was used in the English one to transmit information and circulate knowledge. The findings enrich our understanding of how the editorial genre is constructed, and how editorialists engage with their readers in the two languages.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2021
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH
Date: 07-10-2022
DOI: 10.1515/PR-2021-0012
Abstract: Little research has related DMs to (im)politeness, and none in Jordanian Arabic (JA). This study provides evidence that (im)politeness can categorize interactive DMs into polite DMs and impolite DMs in JA. It aims to explore the use of DMs in JA in relation to (im)politeness dichotomy. Twenty-two episodes of three different Jordanian radio shows which use vernacular JA were recorded and transcribed. With the help of prosodic cues and native speakers’ judgement and comprehension of the relevant utterances, this study finds that DMs can be categorized into polite DMs and impolite DMs. For instance, ʕafwan عفوا ‘excuse me’ and ja:si:di : يا سيدي ‘sir’ are exclusively used as mitigating polite DMs whilst wbaʕdi:n maʕak وبعدين معك ‘hey stop!’ and eṯlaʕ min ra:si: اطلع من راسي ‘get out of my head’ are impolite DMs which are primarily used in complaints and expressions of state of anger. This is all interpreted as evidence that interactive DMs can be strongly flavored by politeness which regulates their distribution and manifestation. The study contributes to research on DMs by presenting a categorization based on (im)politeness and thus strengthening the link between discourse and pragmatics.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 27-09-2022
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 10-05-2023
Publisher: Canadian Center of Science and Education
Date: 27-10-2015
DOI: 10.5539/IES.V8N11P63
Abstract: class="apa" This paper explores EFL learners’ beliefs about English pronunciation teaching and aims to provide insights into current teaching practices of English pronunciation at both college and university levels. To this end, the study sought to elicit the beliefs of a group of 71 third- and fourth-year EFL learners majoring in English at a university college in Saudi Arabia about crucial aspects of pronunciation teaching. The study utilized a survey containing five-point Likert scale items as well as multiple-choice questions. Open-ended questions were also included in order to gain fuller understanding of students’ views. Data were thematically analyzed and consequently categorized into five major areas: course design, language of instruction, learning and teaching style, types of feedback, and nativeness of teachers. It was found that students in this study context are cognizant of the value of learning English pronunciation, and of what they find useful and less useful. Students also proved willing to help improve pronunciation instruction by providing helpful perspectives on the proper way, at least in their views, to present this sub-skill.
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 07-2021
DOI: 10.1177/21582440211045059
Abstract: This study investigates the use of concessive discourse markers (DMs) in Jordanian Arabic (JA), particularly relying on a corpus analysis of naturally occurring data. It argues that there are mainly two types of concession in JA: extrinsic concession and intrinsic concession. The two types of concession are shown to differ from each other with respect to Kratzer’s compatibility of propositions. Intrinsic concession occurs when a speaker has a manifest intention/meaning that does not cause hearers to question its occurrence. This type is realized when one discourse segment is not compatible (i.e., does not normally happen at the same time) with another discourse segment (e.g., somebody is so rich, but he/she lives in a very poor house). Extrinsic concession, on the other hand, occurs when a speaker has a latent intention/meaning that normally causes hearers to question its occurrence. This type of concession emerges when discourse segments are compatible with each other (i.e., may normally happen at the same time), in which case the made-up concession is enforced by the speaker (e.g., somebody is poor, but he/she lives in a poor house). The study shows that certain discourse markers in JA are preferred over others in each type.
Publisher: Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia (UPI)
Date: 31-05-2019
Abstract: Many studies in different contexts have examined both English as a second language (ESL) and English as a foreign language (EFL) students’ convictions about the connection between nativeness in English and professional teacher identity however, very few studies solely focused on that connection in second language (L2) pronunciation teaching. This paper explores EFL university students’ experiences in learning English pronunciation from ‘native’- and ‘nonnative’- English-speaking teachers (NESTs and NNESTs). Based on an empirical study of undergraduates-prospective English language teachers-at the University of Jordan, the paper finds that most students still view ‘nativeness’ as the main descriptor of effective teaching, strongly believing NESTs to be the ‘authority’ and source of ‘correctness,’ both of which convictions are emblematic of native-speakerism, which in turns leads to both cultural panic and voicelessness on the part of NNESTs and learners. The study concludes with calling for the need to raise awareness among EFL students of the various manifestations of English as a global language-particularly the irrelevance of nativeness to effective teaching-and incorporating NNESTs into teaching L2 pronunciation and rejecting their marginalisation in teaching pronunciation in EFL contexts.
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH
Date: 10-08-2022
Abstract: This study explores the persuasive attack strategies used by participants in the ‘Opposite Direction’ program to attack actions and characters. In particular, the study examines the differences (if any) between the attack strategies directed at actions and those at characters. To this end, 299 utterances which were taken from 30 episodes were analyzed quantitatively using SPSS Base and qualitatively by adopting Benoit’s and Dorries’ (1996), Legge et al.’s (2012), and Benoit’s and Glantz’s (2017) frameworks. The analysis shows that the participants attacked actions more than characters and that these attacks were accomplished by means of two main strategies: 1) increasing the perceived responsibility for the act and 2) increasing negative perceptions of the act. The former was enhanced by using three sub-strategies and the latter by seven sub-strategies. Furthermore, the study found that the participants attacked characters by utilizing two main strategies: 1) enhancing perception that the target possesses a trait and 2) enhancing perception that the trait is offensive. The former was enhanced by means of four sub-strategies and the latter by two sub-strategies. The study provides implications for media and political discourse analysts and researchers of how persuasive attacks are conducted in interactive programs.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 26-07-2023
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing Company
Date: 07-04-2017
Publisher: Common Ground Research Networks
Date: 2021
Publisher: Macrothink Institute, Inc.
Date: 06-12-2018
Abstract: This study explores the use of conceptual metaphors in football news headlines in English and Arabic. It aims to find the similarities and/or differences between English and Arabic in respect of the identified metaphorical concepts. The corpus of the study consists of two s les: one in Arabic (n = 200) and another in English (n = 200). The metaphor identification procedure of Pragglejaz Group (2007) was used to identify the metaphors in the corpus. Two native speakers of Arabic and two native speakers of English assessed the researchers’ categorization and classification in the two s les. The findings revealed that the most predominant conceptual metaphor used in the English and Arabic headlines was FOOTBALL IS WAR and that there is a great similarity between the two languages in respect of the use of conceptual metaphors. The findings also indicate that the Arabic headlines tended to include a more metaphorical tune than the English ones. The study concludes with some implications for a better understanding of the connection between the two languages and their respective cultures.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 09-04-2023
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Date: 2021
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 13-06-2023
Publisher: The University of Jordan
Date: 30-07-2023
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH
Date: 10-2021
Abstract: This study aims to explore the use of euphemistic strategies by Algerians and Americans when dealing with three unpleasant topics: death, lying, and disease. It also examines the effect of degree of formality on the use of euphemistic strategies. To achieve this objective, a discourse completion task (DCT) was distributed to 21 Algerians and 21 Americans. The data were analysed using SPSS. The data analysis revealed that there are some differences and similarities between the two groups. The euphemistic strategies used by the Americans when they deal with death topics are synonyms and part for the whole . The Algerians use part for the whole, overstatement, and synonyms when they deal with death. Regarding the topic of lying, the Americans employ strategies of understatement and deletion , whereas the Algerians use understatement and metaphor . As for the topic of disease, the Americans use vagueness , and the Algerians use vagueness , metaphor , and deletion . These findings reveal that both groups resort to euphemism when dealing with these three unpleasant topics. However, their use of euphemistic strategies is culture-bound.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2022
Publisher: Uniwersytet Lodzki (University of Lodz)
Date: 30-09-2015
Abstract: This paper aims to provide insights into the role of curriculum design and teaching materials in the development of English pronunciation skills in EFL contexts. One of the main contextual factors negatively affecting the development of pronunciation abilities of EFL learners relates to the ‘often-unchanging’ curriculum design and the ‘blind’ choice of teaching materials without regard to students’ needs and goals. This study utilises structured interviews and focus group discussions (N=2 sessions) to elicit the views of a group (N=71) of third- and fourth-year English-major students at a university college in Saudi Arabia on the appropriateness of the curriculum design and teaching materials to their learning expectations in the area of English pronunciation. The results show that the great majority of students spoke unfavourably about the overall curriculum and teaching materials and considered those to be among the obstacles that they encounter in their learning of English pronunciation. This finding raises the question of curriculum design of English language teaching programs and the extent to which these curricula meet the needs of learners. The study suggests that a reformation of the structure of the curriculum in the study context is urgently needed and that more involvement of students’ perspectives on the design of curricula is of major importance.
Publisher: The University of Jordan
Date: 30-07-2022
Abstract: This study argues that idiomatic expressions are essentially used as pragmatic messages which are heavily laden with implicatures and/or contextual effects. This implies that idiomatic expressions are not pure propositional elements that necessarily have (non-compositional) semantic content, whereas any pragmatic messages are affiliated with context. In this study, we defend an alternative view that idioms are composed of fixed semantic content, plus a variant speaker-related meaning. In order to show this, the current study draws on data from Jordanian Arabic (JA) and a judgement survey where 30 speakers are asked about the difference with respect to a certain meaning when delivered through the use of an idiomatic expression or through equivalently propositional content
Publisher: Yarmouk University
Date: 06-2022
Abstract: This study presents a pragmatic analysis of the speech act of criticism as used on Facebook and Twitter against government policies in Jordan. It examines the effect of gender on the participants’ choice of criticism strategies. The data obtained comprises 300 public posts, comments, and tweets. An adapted version of Nguyen’s (2005) framework of criticism strategies is used to analyse the data. The results reveal that the most frequently used strategies by the writers of the posts, comments, and tweets are sarcasm, identification of a problem, grievance/complaint to God, and negative evaluation, respectively. The results also showcase that men and women use some criticism strategies differently: Men tend to make more use of expression of uncertainty and asking resupposing while women tend to use grievance/complaint to Allah and emojis ictures. The study shows how language used on social media is a strong indicator of the distrust in the government-citizen relationship evident in the writers’ expression of uncertainty about the government’s decisions. Keywords: Speech Act of Criticism, Media Discourse, Socio-Pragmatics, Government.
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH
Date: 2020
Abstract: The present study seeks to explore the link between persuasion and advertising by examining the persuasive appeals used by telecommunication companies in Jordanian and Algerian television commercials. To this end, 12 television advertisements (six from Jordan and six from Algeria) were randomly selected from YouTube. The data were analysed based on previous categorisations of persuasive appeals. The findings revealed that both groups of advertisements adopted various appeals to persuade their target audience to purchase products and experience their services, and that the most widely used appeals were play on words , brand , celebrity and music appeals. These findings provide insights into the value of understanding how persuasion is used in media discourse and in different linguistic and cultural milieus.
Publisher: Cognizance Research Associates
Date: 28-10-2021
DOI: 10.52462/JLLS.139
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 14-07-2023
DOI: 10.1057/S41599-023-01876-8
Abstract: Although euphemism has been studied in many Arabic dialects, it has not yet received due attention in Iraqi Arabic (IA). This study investigates the use of euphemistic strategies by IA speakers and the effect of gender and degree of formality on the use of these strategies. In order to achieve these objectives, a discourse completion test (DCT) was developed and distributed to 160 (80 males and 80 females) Iraqi university students. The data were analysed quantitively and qualitatively using strategies adopted from a number of previous frameworks. The findings show that the participants used a variety of euphemistic strategies, with the deletion strategy being the most frequently used when talking about the topic of death, the fuzzy words strategy for the topic of mental illness, and the implication strategy for the topic of obesity. The analysis also revealed that the degree of formality plays a key role in the use of euphemistic strategies in the topic of mental illness and that gender plays an effective role in the use of euphemistic strategies in all three topics.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2021
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing Company
Date: 12-2017
Publisher: Yarmouk University
Date: 09-2021
Abstract: This study examines the use and functions of hedging devices in political discourse by analysing two of the now former American President Donald Trump’s speeches. The study adopts Salager-Meyer’s (1997) framework to analyse the use of hedging devices and Rabab’ah and Abu Rumman’s (2015) framework to assign functions to hedges. The findings reveal that approximators and modal auxiliary verbs were the most frequently used hedging devices in the two speeches and that there is a noticeably frequent use of the modal auxiliary verbs will and must, an indication of power. In addition, the findings show that Trump used hedging devices almost equally between the two speeches although there is a one-year gap between the speeches selected . As for the functions, the analysis shows that, in addition to the five functions in Rabab’ah and Abu Rumman (2015), there emerged three additional functions namely, emphasis, power and multi-functional hedges. Most hedges were generally used to mitigate language while some were used to indicate necessity and authority. Keywords: Hedging, Political discourse, Functions, Trump.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2023
Publisher: The International Academic Forum (IAFOR)
Date: 11-06-2021
DOI: 10.22492/IJE.9.3.06
Abstract: This study aims to investigate English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers’ misbehaviours in class and their students’ reactions to these misbehaviours. Towards this end, 60 classroom observations of six English language teachers (N=10 each) were conducted at a public school in Jordan. Moreover, a survey was used to elicit 201 students’ reactions to their teachers’ misbehaviours by gauging their satisfaction with the teachers’ communication styles. Finally, the teacher participants were interviewed in order to more deeply understand why such misbehaviours occurred. Analysis of the data is grounded in the Expectancy Violation Theory. The results revealed that when the mean value of teachers’ communication style was more than 3 on a 5-point Likert Scale, the students often perceived their teachers as being positive, and the students compensated most of their teachers’ misbehaviours. However, when the mean value was below 3, the teachers were perceived as being negative, and the students reciprocated for most of the misbehaviours. The results also showed that the students are more tolerant towards their teachers’ misbehaviours as long as the teacher is perceived to be positive. The study provides insights into understanding the student-teacher relationship in EFL classes.
Publisher: Yarmouk University
Date: 03-2022
Abstract: This study explores the use and functions of discourse markers (DMs) in the narrative essays of 85 Jordanian high school students adopting Frasers’s (2006) framework. The results show that the most frequently used DMs were elaborative (55.1%), followed by temporal (31.4%), inferential (9.3%) and contrastive (4%) respectively. Regarding the functions of DMs, the results reveal that the participants employed elaborative markers to express addition of information, temporal markers to sequence the events, inferential markers to introduce reasons or results and contrastive markers to express contrast. The results also indicate that the most commonly used DMs were and (97.9%), but (90.9%), and because (76%). The high occurrence of some DMs may be considered to be a strategy adopted by learners to avoid using unknown DMs. In addition, the results showcase that a number of factors may have influenced the use of DMs such as literal translation, lack of knowledge of some DMs, and overgeneralization. The study recommends that textbooks used to teach English in schools should incorporate more attention to DMs, particularly from a functional perspective.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 23-11-2019
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2022
Publisher: Castledown Publishers
Date: 30-04-2022
No related grants have been discovered for Sharif Alghazo.