Acknowledging the critical role of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) in shaping professional and academic success across various fields, the research delves into the nuanced interplay between gender and academic discipline in shaping the ESP needs of higher education students. The investigation investigates the impact of gender and academic…

The aim of this personal reflection is to revisit the major concepts that have informed my academic research in the area of applied linguistics and second language development, and show how my overall pedagogical approach has evolved, thanks to the contribution of Vygotsky's sociocultural theory (SCT). The main focus of this paper is on the…

To write a linguistic autobiography is to explore and reflect on our lived experiences with language. The purpose of this research was to gain insight into students' language experiences through their linguistic autobiographies and to gain a greater understanding of their relationship with and thoughts on language within their social contexts. In…

This paper focuses on the attitudes towards reading in the home, handed down through the generations and experienced by the young children in four families of Pakistani and Indian origin. The children's families originally arrived in the UK in the 1960s, and this paper unpicks the stories and attitudinal changes in relation to both English and the…

The Swedish educational policy for upper secondary English, which took effect in 2011 and adopts a globalised perspective on language, is explored with respect to how skills and awareness related to local, national, and international roles of English are represented in policy documents. A discourse analytic approach to language policy is used to…

The adoption of the English language paradigm and the subsequent implementation of bilingual policies worldwide are generating new linguistic hierarchies. These have an effect on the linguistic diversity at the sub-national level and on individuals' linguistic human rights. This article reports the results of a case study on an individual's…

The aim of this paper is to investigate the role and place of Hebrew within the Australian Jewish day schools' curriculum and to analyse the cultural factors, which contribute to the challenges Hebrew teachers face. Our findings show that there is a need to locate Modern Hebrew more centrally within the schools' organizational structure. A…

Critiques the concept of ethnolinguistic vitality developed by Giles, Bourhis, and Taylor. Argues that the dimensions of vitality outlined are ambiguous, and gross and inexact tools of analysis in their application. (EKN)

A sociocultural framework for examining the use of English as a Second Language (ESL) in Hong Kong is outlined and discussed. It incorporates or draws on concepts of the socio-historical nature of language, critical analysis of communication, and systemic-functional analysis of language use. Using this framework to analyze the current situation of…

An intricate analysis of the historical, military, and economic interdependence of language, religion, and state is presented, and the role of the vernacular tongue within the context of social structure is examined. (LH)

Presents an analysis of the English language teaching situation in Nigeria in three parts: the first traces the sociocultural, political, and educational activities in Nigeria which have influenced language activities since 1960; the second summarizes emerging trends affecting the use of English; and the third proposes a radical change in English…

There is a substantial amount of literature documenting the attitudinal resistance of Muslims towards English and the supposed conflict between English and Islam. This article provides a critical review of the writings and research on the issue and discusses some of the reasons behind this resistance, focusing on Muslims in Malaysia. It argues…

Discusses the difficulties involved in analyzing the sociolinguistic situation in Guadeloupe. (AM)

Language instructors must look beyond practical and theoretical concerns to the social, psychological, and ideological implications of their profession. (Text is in French.) (Author/DB)

Surveys the legal status of English in Israel before and since the country became independent, attitudes toward the language, its use in schools and by the media, the influence of English on Hebrew, the kinds of English used, and related topics. Since 1948, English has played an increasingly greater role. (Author/PJM)