This paper reports on the problems faced by students in the second language classroom. It focuses on their integration of social and cultural aspects in language learning, because every language is an amalgamation of both. The author adds that the learner of a second language finds difficulty in learning the culture of the first language and it…

In this article the authors present a discussion on the genre of editorial as distinct from that of news-reports in that its language is more loaded with attitudes and more indeterminate and hedged than that in the genre of news-report. Another distinctiveness the authors point out is that the genre of editorial is not only concerned with the…

This paper analyzes "wh"-questions in the English Language based mainly on Chomsky's Minimalist Programme of transformational grammar as the theoretical model. The four main objectives of this paper are as follows: first, it undertakes a cross linguistic typological analysis of "wh"-questions and it then discusses the derivation of…

In this paper the author attempts to describe the actual linguistic problems of the retardates, compare their language with that of normal children and thereby tries to illustrate that although the language of retardates delay, they acquire language in the same sequence, as compared with the normal children. Three moderately retarded children with…

Much has been written about Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) both from the point of view of its history and its definition. While it is not the aim of this paper to revisit such issues in detail, it opens with an overview of some of the major issues around definitions of CALL and the related terms that have emerged over the years to…

Computer corpora have many potential applications in teaching and learning languages, the most direct of which--when the learners explore a corpus themselves--has become known as data-driven learning (DDL). Despite considerable enthusiasm in the research community and interest in higher education, the approach has not made major inroads to…

Constructing and exploiting different types of corpora are among computer applications exposed to the researchers in different branches of science including lexicography. In lexicography, different types of corpora may be of great help in finding the most appropriate uses of words and expressions by referring to numerous examples and citations.…

This contribution assesses in quantitative terms frequent collocates and major senses of "between" and "through" in the corpus of Cameroonian English (CCE), the corpus of East-African (Kenya and Tanzania) English which is part of the International Corpus of English (ICE) project (ICE-EA), and the London Oslo/Bergen (LOB) corpus of British English.…

This paper attempts to discuss the attitudes of a number of Jordanian university students towards English as a foreign language and the place it occupies in Jordan. Although research of a similar nature has been done, this study complements others by following 420 students in their university studies, and it provides another avenue for examining…

This paper undertakes a detailed analysis of sentential negation in the English language with Chomsky's Government-Binding theory of Transformational Grammar as theoretical model. It distinguishes between constituent and sentential negation in English. The essay identifies the exact position of Negation phrase in an English clause structure. It…

This article deals with current notions of idiomaticity. It argues that lack of adequate empirical study and scholarship has prompted some authors to apply research findings from first language (L1) to second language (L2) contexts without scrutinizing more closely the factors affecting L2 idiom understanding. As a result, certain propositions…

Many researchers have investigated several aspects of using Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) applications and presented many advantages for using CALL in TESL setting (i.e. where English is taught as a second language). In this paper, the author aims to illustrate how CALL applications would improve substantially the process of teaching…

Conscious of the importance of enhancing semantics at higher levels, this paper proposes the use of componential analysis to increase students' awareness of different shades of meaning (Gairns & Redman 1986). First, it briefly reviews componential analysis theory, as well as its criticisms and possible applications. Then, with the help of the…

This paper investigates the application of some of the most frequently used writing error correction techniques to see the extent to which this application takes learners' cognitive and affective characteristics into account. After showing how unlearned application of these styles could be discouraging and/or damaging to students, the paper…

As it is known, ESP materials are developed in order to respond to the specific needs of English learners. ESP is a branch of applied linguistics in which investigators attempt to put their fingers on the specific needs of individuals or groups of individuals in English in order to design materials related to their specific interests or…