Shahid Chamran University of AhvazJournal of Research in Applied Linguistics2345-33034120131201Lexicalization vs. Vocalization: A Cross-Linguistic Study of Emphasis in English and Persian21810444ENAhmad RezaEslamiYazd UniversityMohammad JavadRezaiYazd UniversityJournal Article20130728Language is a system of verbal elements that makes communication of meanings<br />possible in the manners the users intend by employing certain linguistic devices<br />which are partly language-specific. Once communicating cross-linguistically, there<br />is always a risk of negative transfer of techniques or processes from the first<br />language (L1) to the foreign language (L2). The current study investigates the<br />“emphasis” issue and how it is encoded and performed as a speech act in Persian<br />and English. The investigation, based on a descriptive method, begins by verifying<br />overstated and understated utterances in English and Persian individually and then<br />proceeds to evaluate the 2 bodies of data against each other. As observed in the case<br />of Iranian learners of English, the process of emphasizing through phonological<br />devices is heavily transferred. English mainly applies lexicalization, whereas<br />vocalization is the preferred process in Persian. The tenets of this study may be of<br />insight for theories of SLA. They also promise to ease English learning tasks by<br />reducing students' negative transfer from their mother tongue.Shahid Chamran University of AhvazJournal of Research in Applied Linguistics2345-33034120130401An Investigation Into the Impact of Shortened Texting on Muslim Learners’ Correspondence Ability194110468ENZohreGooniband ShooshtariShahid Chamran University of AhvazSaeedKhazaieShahid Chamran University of AhvazKhodayarMehrabiShahid Chamran University of AhvazJournal Article20140220High penetrability of wireless, mobile, portable, and handheld devices has resulted<br />in education for all as the mobile’s challenge coincides with an unprecedented<br />growth in access to pedagogical materials technology, particularly in developing<br />countries (UNESCO Mobile Learning Week Report, 2011). The present study set<br />out to discover how Muslim learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) are<br />encouraged to think about and learn the Islamic instructions—as an integral part of<br />their native culture—in TL by incorporating communicative skills through the<br />pedagogically mediated application of cell-phone. The user groups of interest were<br />218 Iranian second-year male and female students of translation studies at Payame<br />Noor University, from age range of 21-24, homogenized as upper-intermediate<br />through conducting Nelson English language proficiency test, level 400 A. They<br />were spread randomly across 109 dyads to learn technology-enhanced materials in<br />36 nonformal sessions. To equip the Muslim learners with lifelong linguistic and<br />social knowledge for constructing conversational bridges for full participation in<br />civic life at international level, abbreviated letter writing notes were already adapted<br />to the cell-phone screen to be accessed by the learners via the SMS application. The<br />final application was given to the participants for actual use and evaluation for a<br />period of 1 academic semester. After the students had finished learning didactic<br />messages, interactive SMS quizzes were sent to evaluate their performance. The<br />analysis suggested that significant gains occurred as a result of mobile-based<br />representation of shortened Islamic contents in English which was congruent with<br />the learners’ favorable attitude towards embracing brevity for lifelong learning of<br />TL contents via SMS.Shahid Chamran University of AhvazJournal of Research in Applied Linguistics2345-33034120130401Willingness to Communicate in L2 English: Impact of Learner Variables426110469ENMinooAlemiSharif University of TechnologyZiaTajeddinAllameh Tabataba’i University0000-0002-0430-6408ZahraMesbahSharif University of TechnologyJournal Article20140220Due to the growing emphasis of modern language pedagogy on meaningful<br />communication, L2 willingness to communicate (WTC) has recently become an<br />important concept in second language learning and communication. The present<br />study investigated the effects of individual differences on Iranian EFL<br />learners' willingness to communicate. As many as 431 students who were learning<br />English as a foreign language in language centers served as the participants of the<br />study. McCroskey's (1992) questionnaire was utilized to measure students'<br />willingness to communicate. A series of independent-samples t-tests and one-way<br />ANOVAs were run to provide answers to the research questions. The results<br />indicated no significant difference among the participants in terms of gender, major,<br />age, and personality types; however, significant difference was found with respect to<br />other variables such as proficiency level, length of studying, being abroad, and<br />communicating with foreigners. Therefore, the effects of Iranian EFL individual<br />differences on their L2 WTC were partially confirmed. The importance of the<br />present study lies in its theoretical contributions to the WTC research and the<br />pedagogical implications for both second language teaching and learning.Shahid Chamran University of AhvazJournal of Research in Applied Linguistics2345-33034120130401A Generative Analysis of the Acquisition of Negation by Iranian EFL Learners: A Typological Study628710470ENRezaKhanyIlam UniversityAbdonourBazyarIlam University,Journal Article20140220The present study was an attempt to investigate the acquisition of negation<br />properties by Persian monolingual and Kurdish-Persian bilingual learners of English<br />across different levels of language proficiency and within a generative framework.<br />Generative models are generally concerned with issues such as universal grammar<br />(UG), language transfer, and morphological variability in nonprimary language<br />development. Hence, an attempt was made to test the claims and predictions made<br />by a number of generative theories specifically FTFA, RDH, DA, MSIH, SSH, and<br />MSBH. To do so, 180 Persian monolingual and Kurdish-Persian bilingual learners<br />of English participated in the study. Based on the Oxford Placement Test, they were<br />assigned to 3 levels of language proficiency. They, then, received a grammaticality<br />judgment test and a translation task. The results revealed that there was, first, no<br />significant difference between the performance of the monolingual and bilingual<br />learners at each level of language proficiency, whereas the difference was<br />statistically significant across the levels of proficiency, and second, no single<br />generative theory can offer a comprehensive explanation about the whole process of<br />L2-L3 negation acquisition. Indeed, language development occurs in an incremental<br />manner as predicted by MSBH, and the resetting of TL properties is possible with<br />increasing level of proficiency. The findings also confirmed that knowledge of an<br />L2 does not play a significant role in the development of the interlanguage<br />grammars of Kurdish-Persian bilinguals, and increased L2/L3 exposure and use lead<br />to less language transfer and consequently approximation to native-like<br />performance. Each of these findings has been discussed in the framework of the<br />related theories tested in the study.Shahid Chamran University of AhvazJournal of Research in Applied Linguistics2345-33034120130401Pragmatic Awareness of the Request Speech Act in English as an Additional Language: Monolinguals or
Bilinguals?8811010471ENMasoudRahimi DomakaniShahrekord UniversityMahmoodHashemianShahrekord University0000-0003-3631-8662SedigheMansooriShahrekord UniversityJournal Article20140220This study attempted to investigate the effect of bilingualism on pragmatic<br />awareness and development among Iranian Turkish/Persian EFL learners. Data were<br />collected through a personal profile questionnaire with questions about the<br />participants’ language background and a WDCT with 10 situations to determine the<br />extent to which the bilinguals demonstrated their pragmatic awareness of requests.<br />They were to read the situations and assess whether they realized the<br />(in)appropriateness of the speech acts. For inappropriateness, they were also asked<br />to explicate their selections and provide appropriate alternatives. Responses were<br />analyzed according to 3 social factors of power, distance, and degree of imposition<br />with the assumption that the more references to these factors, the more<br />pragmatically aware the participants. Alternatives were coded according to the<br />coding scheme of CCSARP. Results showed that none of the groups outperformed<br />the others in their perception of the (in)appropriate acts and in the realization<br />patterns of request acts in trilingual education. This failure may be due to their lack<br />of cultural awareness, literary skills, and insufficient L2/L3 pragmatic input.Shahid Chamran University of AhvazJournal of Research in Applied Linguistics2345-33034120130401Assessing Assessment Literacy: Insights From a High-Stakes Test11113110472ENKioumarsRazavipourShahid Chamran University of AhvazJournal Article20140220This study constitutes an attempt to see what Language assessment literacy (LAL) is<br />for three groups of stakeholders, namely LAL test developers, LAL instructors, and<br />LAL test-takers. The perceptions of the former group were derived from the content<br />analysis of the latest version of the LAL test, and those of the latter 2 groups were<br />assessed through a survey designed by the researcher. Participants were 54 M.A.<br />TEFL students sampled conveniently. Descriptive statistical analysis of the data<br />revealed that for test designers LAL is mainly a matter of knowledge and theory<br />with little importance accorded to skills and even less so to principles. For<br />instructors and test-takers, LAL was perceived to be mainly a matter of skills.<br />Moreover, test-takers perceived of LAL as the most challenging module of the test<br />because of its dealing with statistics, its theoretical nature, and test-takers' lack of<br />hands-on experience with language tests.Shahid Chamran University of AhvazJournal of Research in Applied Linguistics2345-33034120130401Editing (Virayesh) as a Movement of Resistance During the Iran-Iraq War13214110473ENFarzanehFarahzadAllameh Tabataba’i UniversityJournal Article20140220The present study concerns editing of translations in Iran during the Iran-Iraq War,<br />which in the official discourse of the country is known as the Sacred Defense. It<br />argues that editing, in its local sense, advocated a linguistic purism inspired by a<br />redefined nationalism, which went hand in hand with identity politics and<br />snowballed into a movement of resistance.