SEARCH ARTICLE

55 Pages : 425-431

http://dx.doi.org/10.31703/gssr.2019(IV-I).55      10.31703/gssr.2019(IV-I).55      Published : Mar 2019

Language, Women and Discourse in Toni Morrison’s Fiction

    The present study, grounded in the qualitative research paradigm, is an interpretive and explanatory analysis of Toni Morrison's fiction from the critical perspective of post structuralist feminist literary theory and fiction. In my reading of Toni Morrison's fiction as the manifestation/materialization of the knowledge in terms of discursive (re)configuration of women and to analyze their works from "feminine sentence" perspective, I have used Feminist poststructuralist theories in the discourse-theoretical/methodological background. As part of the methodology, this project draws extensively upon feminist theories, particularly those propounded by French Feminists Helene Cixous and Julia Kristeva, which I have used in the backdrop of discourse analysis methods proposed by Michel Foucault. This fusion of Feminist theories as a theoretical framework and discourse analysis as a methodology has illuminated systematically the process of the discursive formation, dissemination, and institutionalization of the knowledge about women. For my analysis of the discourse spectrum of the texts-to-be-analyzed, I have used extensively Foucault's notions about discourse and knowledge as discussed comprehensively in his books, articles, and interviews.

    Language, Women, Discourse Analysis, Toni Morrison, French Feminist.
    (1) Mumtaz Ahmad
    Assistant Professor of English, Government Guru Nanak Postgraduate College, Nankana Sahib, Punjab, Pakistan.
    (2) Umar Hayat
    Lecturer in English, Government Guru Nanak Postgraduate College, Nankana Sahib, Punjab, Pakistan.
    (3) Nasir Iqbal
    Lecturer in English, Government Guru Nanak Postgraduate College, Nankana Sahib, Punjab, Pakistan.

23 Pages : 410-430

http://dx.doi.org/10.31703/gssr.2018(III-III).23      10.31703/gssr.2018(III-III).23      Published : Sep 2018

Copy Writing Elements and Brand Relationship: An Analysis of Print Advertisements' Language

    Language and advertising are interconnected and play a significant role in communicating a message directly or indirectly. Direct roles concern buying decisions of the consumers while indirect roles establish a lasting relation of consumer with the brand. This research studies the language of copywriting of advertising focusing its role in developing consumer-brand relationship. The research uses mix of quantitative and qualitative methods based on the framework of Laswells model of communication. The study uses content analysis for examination of the language of print advertisements and the consumer brand relationship. Survey is used as method of data collection from magazines including Akhbar e Jahan and MAG published by Jang group of newspapers. The study finds that figurative language style is used more in Pakistani print advertisements in comparison to literal language. Moreover, the results prove that the copy writing of print advertisements does play a significant role in developing consumer-brand relationship.

    Linguistic Analysis, Advertising Language, Figurative Language, Copy Writing, Print Advertisements, Brand Relation, Pakistan, Quantitative and Qualitative Method
    (1) Anjum Zia
    Associate Professor, Department of Mass Communication, Lahore College for Women University, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.
    (2) Nayab Javed
    MS Scholar, School of Media and Communication, Beacon House National University, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.
    (3) Muhammad Bilal
    Research Scholar, Department of Media Sciences, Riphah International University, Islamabad,Pakistan.

33 Pages : 559-572

http://dx.doi.org/10.31703/gssr.2018(III-III).33      10.31703/gssr.2018(III-III).33      Published : Sep 2018

Development of Functional Writing Skills through Communicative Approach in Pakistani High School

    The major and foremost aim of the research had been to observe an effect of (CLT) communicative language teaching approach on functional writing skills among 9th graders in Pakistani high schools. Relevant literature revealed that functional writing skills can be increased through (CLT) communicative language teaching approach. Quasi Experimental design, that is, pretest posttest nonequivalent control group design was used. Threats to internal/external validity were undertaken properly. The pre-test was the same, and it had been used as the post-test as well. Creative compositions related to functional writing skills were examined carefully and were marked as per scoring rubrics. The (CLT) communicative language teaching approach is recommended for English teaching specifically writingrelated tasks in the subject of English.

    English Language Teaching (ELT), Communicative Approach/Langu age Teaching (CLT), Functional Writing, Grammar Translation Method (GTM).
    (1) Muhammad Samiullah
    Assistant Professor, Department of Science Education Faculty of Education, Allama Iqbal Open University Islamabad, Pakistan.
    (2) Aftab Ahmad
    Lecturer, Faculty of Education, Allama Iqbal Open University Islamabad, Pakistan.
    (3) Muhammad Naseer Ud Din
    Associate Professor, Institute of Education & Research, Kohat University of Science & Technology, Kohat, Pakistan.

02 Pages : 21-40

http://dx.doi.org/10.31703/gssr.2018(III-II).02      10.31703/gssr.2018(III-II).02      Published : Jun 2018

Foreign Languages' Planning in the Post-Taliban Afghanistan

    This paper analyses the management of foreign languages in the language planning of Afghanistan after the fall of Taliban. The analyses assess the suitability of foreign languages performing developmental and peace-making roles in domains where distribution of power is contested by the Afghan ethnolinguistic groups. Primary data of the paper comes from a questionnaire based survey and followup interviews. Analysis reveals the presence of various modern languages such as French, German, Russian and English in Afghanistan. The acceptance of foreign languages especially English is overwhelming in Afghanistan. Among foreign languages, English happens to be the most vigorous and promising language. However, a significant portion of Afghans oppose the growing influence and power for the foreign languages in Afghanistan. The paper notes, an uneven spread of English as the dominant foreign language in Afghanistan. Therefore, foreign languages' role in development and peacemaking may not be achieved due to lack of equal access. The paper recommends a wide-range of interventions to help in making foreign languages a resource for development and peacemaking. The intervention includes social, economic and political equality and equal opportunities in learning of foreign languages. It is also emphasised that the promotion of local languages is not to be affected by the availability of foreign languages.

    Afghanistan, Foreign Languages, Language Planning, English, French, German, Russian.
    (1) Ayaz Ahmad
    Lecturer, Department of English,Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan, KP, Pakistan.
    (2) Sana Hussan
    MPhil Scholar (English), Department of English, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan, KP, Pakistan.
    (3) Muhammad Safiullah
    Research Assistant, Humanity Research Council, Islamabad, Pakistan.

23 Pages : 400-420

http://dx.doi.org/10.31703/gssr.2018(III-II).23      10.31703/gssr.2018(III-II).23      Published : Jun 2018

Wh-Movement Pattern in the Spoken Discourse of Teachers: A Syntactic Analysis

    This study investigates the syntactic structures of spoken discourse of teachers in academic discourse. The knowledge of syntactic structure of a language helps in understanding the spoken discourse. So, the study identifies the wh-Movement in the syntactic structures of teachers in English classroom sessions. The data was collected from two universities of Federal government, Pakistan. The one was Air University Islamabad and the second was National University of Modern Languages Islamabad. The data was collected through the recording tool where the English classroom sessions of the teachers were audio-recorded and transcribed. The analysis of data was quantitative and qualitative in nature. The frequency of wh-movement in the structures of recorded English spoken data was analysed quantitatively. In qualitative analyses, the transcribed data was analysed syntactically, keeping in view minimalist perspective, with the help of parsing rules and figures. The analyzed data shows that the teachers at undergraduate level use language where wh-movement is employed in syntactic structure of English used in classroom sessions. They move whexpression into other slots like internal merge and pied-pipe. However, the minimalist parametric unit, wh-movement, was found in the sentence structures of the teachers in the delivery of classroom sessions. So, the minimal pairs of sentence structure impacts different level of language.

    Academic Discourse, Classroom, Minimalism, Spoken Language, Syntactic Structures, Wh-Movement
    (1) Muhammad Saleem
    MPhil. Scholar (English), Department of Humanities, Air University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
    (2) Fatima Alam Khan
    Independent Researcher (English), Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan, KP, Pakistan.
    (3) Aleena Zaman
    Graduate Scholar (English), Department of English, National University of Modern Languages, Islamabad, Pakistan.

14 Pages : 215-243

http://dx.doi.org/10.31703/gssr.2018(III-I).14      10.31703/gssr.2018(III-I).14      Published : Mar 2018

Geographic, Ethnic and Linguistic Composition of Afghanistan: Methodological rich points of Language Policy and Planning

    This paper evaluates the Language Policy and Planning's (LPP) Methodological Rich Points (MRP) in the geographic, ethnic and linguistic composition of Afghanistan. The theoretical construct is taken from the work of Nancy H. Hornberger on MRP in LPP. The paper explores a range of primary and secondary sources, and finds that the presence of inequality, marginalization and oppression in intra-ethnic and intralanguage group relations, sharing of resources and power account for neglect of the MRP in Afghan LPP. The geographic details in conjunction with explanation of historical process of migrations and conquests explains that most of the minority language speakers are concentrated in the difficult to reach areas of Afghanistan for their safety. Further, the limiting factors of Afghan geography explains the preservation of minority languages from the effects of majority languages. The study concludes with the proposal that it would be helpful to avoid the pitfalls of the current LPP in future by giving due attention to MRP.

    Afghanistan, Methodological Rich Points, Language Policy and Planning, Afghan Ethnic Composition, Afghan Linguistic Composition, Afghan Geography, LPP
    (1) Ayaz Ahmad
    Lecturer, Department of English, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan, KP, Pakistan.
    (2) Sana Hussan
    MPhil Scholar, Department of English, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan, KP, Pakistan.
    (3) Safiullah
    Research Assistant, Humanity Research Council, Islamabad, Pakistan.

01 Pages : 1-7

http://dx.doi.org/10.31703/gssr.2021(VI-I).01      10.31703/gssr.2021(VI-I).01      Published : Mar 2021

A Study of Genderlect features in "Fifty Shades of Grey" by E L James

    Gendered language not only focuses on what is said but also includes how to express that thought. This paper attempts to investigate the differences between the speech style of men and women. Data of ten passages have been collected from the novel "Fifty Shades of Grey" by E L James and analyzed qualitatively by using Deborah Tannen's Difference approach. The results of this study show that there are notable differences that distinguish men's communication pattern from women because of different established norms and culture of that society. Moreover, this study can be helpful to bridge the communication gulf between the two genders. Furthermore, this study can reveal to maintain a healthy atmosphere and raises awareness in society by understanding their different style of utterances. In addition, it also proves very helpful for the language teachers teaching to teach the learners according to their culture.

    Genderlect, Communication patterns, Rapport talk, Report talk, Established norms, Language and Gender, the communication gulf
    (1) Fasiha Ali Akbar
    Research Scholar Department of English, The Women University Multan, Punjab, Pakistan.
    (2) Mamona Yasmin Khan
    Assistant professor, Department of English, The Women University Multan, Punjab, Pakistan.
    (3) Fariha Chaudhary
    Assistant Professor, Department of English, BZU, Multan, Punjab, Pakistan.

35 Pages : 346-355

http://dx.doi.org/10.31703/gssr.2021(VI-I).35      10.31703/gssr.2021(VI-I).35      Published : Mar 2021

The Role of English Language Skills in Career Growth: A Study of Perceptions and Strategies Used to Improve English Language Skills by Graduate and Undergraduate Students of Karachi, Pakistan

    The English language has a major impact on our companies and workplaces. Regardless of geographical, social, political, or religious divisions, English has become the lingua franca of the international corporate world. The purpose of this research study was to explore the role of English language skills in the career growth of a person and understand the perceptions of graduate and undergraduate students about learning and improving this language. For this purpose, relevant literature was scouted, and based on scholars points of view; a questionnaire was developed to get the opinions of the students. The data was collected using Google Form, employing a stratified convenience sampling procedure. The analysis shows a positive relationship between English language skills and career growth.

    English Language Skills, Perceptions, and Undergraduate Students
    (1) Stephn John
    Associate Professor/Chairperson, Department of Education, Sindh Madressatul Islam University, Karachi, Singh, Pakistan.
    (2) Subhash Gurario
    Associate Professor/Chairperson, Department of Social Development, Sindh Madressatul Islam University, Karachi, Singh, Pakistan.
    (3) Jamshed Adil Halepota
    Professor, Department of Business Administration, Sindh Madressatul Islam University, Karachi, Singh, Pakistan.

03 Pages : 17-29

http://dx.doi.org/10.31703/gssr.2021(VI-II).03      10.31703/gssr.2021(VI-II).03      Published : Jun 2021

Discovering the Impact of National Language use in L2 learning on the Proficiency of Learners

    Discovering the impact of national language use in L2 learning on the proficiency of learners at degree level was the focus of this research; in order to find out a clear comprehension of the current subject matter, the research aimed at 577 learners who were learning English at graduation level in different public sector colleges and universities of the Southern Punjab, Pakistan. For this study, the researcher used a questionnaire as a data collection tool. The data analysis was done using SPSS (statistical package for social sciences) version 23. The researcher analyzed the data using descriptive analysis, analysis of variance (ANOVA), T-Test and Cronbach's alpha. The findings of the present research depicted that the students exhibited extremely positive and constructive perceptions regarding the use of national language in the second language classroom. The majority of the respondents gave preference using Urdu in specific situations for enhancing their proficiency in specific reasons such as while discussing course policies, learning about grammar and its usage in L2 classroom, attendance, and other administrative information.

    National Language, L2, Learners, University, College
    (1) Muhammad Ahsan
    Lecturer, Department of English, Ghazi University, Dera Ghazi Khan, Punjab, Pakistan.
    (2) Muhammad Saeed Nasir
    Lecturer, Department of English, Emerson University, Multan, Punjab, Pakistan.
    (3) Noshaba Younus
    Assistant Professor, Department of English, Riphah International University, Faisalabad Campus, Punjab, Pakistan.

15 Pages : 137-149

http://dx.doi.org/10.31703/gssr.2021(VI-III).15      10.31703/gssr.2021(VI-III).15      Published : Sep 2021

The Impact of Literacy and Numeracy Drive (LND) on English Language Learning in Rural and Urban Public Schools of Gujranwala, Punjab

    The study examines the impact of Literacy and Numeracy Drive (LND) on the English language learning outcomes and environment at primary sections of rural and urban public schools of district Gujranwala, Punjab, Pakistan. The data were gathered from two public schools: one from a rural area and another from an urban center. The partakers, N=60, served in the controlled and experiment groups. The control group was imparted the prescribed syllabus with the traditional method. In contrast, the experimental group was trained through LND's systematic learning objectives (SLOs), Tablet PCs, specific booklets, and tests. Three pre-tests were conducted before the treatment, and three post-tests were administered after two months of instruction. The study used quasi-experimental methods, and the gathered data were analyzed using SPSS 25. The results show a significant improvement in the outcomes of the experimental group, while no significant change was observed in the case of the control group. The results demonstrate that systematic SOL-based language teaching, technological assistance, and hand training help improve the English language pedagogy. The study suggests that such intervention scan enhance the overall English language teaching environment. As a result,the reach of LND should be extended to other sections of public schools

    Literacy and Numeracy Drive, Systematic Learning Objectives, English Language Teaching
    (1) Muhammad Asad Habib
    Lecturer, Department of English, University of Central Punjab, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.
    (2) Muhammad Asif
    PhD Candidate, Department of English, International Islamic University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
    (3) Rana Imran Ali
    Lecturer, Department of English, Virtual University of Pakistan, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.