-
A Pragmatic Analysis of Digital Media Stickers, Emojis and Gifs Towards Vocabulary Development
Prisca Godspower Ochulor,
Yusufu Kaptani Atiu,
Mary Adebayo
Issue:
Volume 8, Issue 4, December 2023
Pages:
83-91
Received:
18 August 2023
Accepted:
11 September 2023
Published:
14 October 2023
Abstract: Communication is a birthright of all societies, regardless of geographical location. As the globe becomes a global village where a common language is utilised for communication via social media images, there is a need to investigate how social media images can be used to improve vocabulary for efficient communication. To achieve this objective, this paper examines several digital media images purposively selected from WhatsApp, Twitter, and Instagram using Grice's (1975) theory of cooperative principles in conjunction with a qualitative research design. The six digital media images employed in the study include stickers, emojis, and gifs. The study critically investigates these images using insights from cooperative principles and qualitative design to identify and explain how they have been used for effective communication when there is no appropriate word to explain and interpret them. According to the study’s findings, stickers, emojis and gifs are tools that can be utilised to develop vocabulary for effective communication. The paper recommends that English instructors incorporate digital media images into their lesson plans when teaching new vocabulary. Furthermore, more glossaries on stickers, emojis, and gifs with emotions and food types from around the world, as well as living and non-living things with text attached to them for expressing their names and meaning, should be made available in order to facilitate the teaching and learning of new words thereby improving effective communication.
Abstract: Communication is a birthright of all societies, regardless of geographical location. As the globe becomes a global village where a common language is utilised for communication via social media images, there is a need to investigate how social media images can be used to improve vocabulary for efficient communication. To achieve this objective, thi...
Show More
-
Current Status, Hot Spots, and Future Trends in Research on Negation: A Statistical Analysis
Yaoqin Xue,
Mengyao Zhao,
Rongbin Wang
Issue:
Volume 8, Issue 4, December 2023
Pages:
92-100
Received:
14 September 2023
Accepted:
4 October 2023
Published:
14 October 2023
Abstract: Through reviewing and summarizing existent studies of negation that are published both domestically and internationally which investigate negation as either linguistic expressions/structures or as verbal/multimodal discursive acts, this paper systematically analyzes the characteristics of existent studies with regard to their research objects, research content, research methodologies, and supporting theories. After a thorough analysis, it is revealed that (1) existent publications mainly focus on verbal negation rather than multimodal negation; (2) diverse theoretical frameworks were built in order to analyze negation from different aspects; (3) typical research perspectives are found. For instance, many papers investigate negative expression or structures within specific contexts or explore the acquisition of negative structures by children or other second language learners; (4) the use of corpora is becoming prevalent. For future studies of negation, it is suggested that first, future research can expand its scope to encompass verbal, non-verbal and multimodal negation cross languages and different cultures. Second, interdisciplinary collaboration should be fostered, which means drawing insights from related disciplines such as linguistics, sociology and pragmatics, etc., and recognizing the complementary nature of different fields in both theory and methodology. Third, it is suggested that mixed research approaches be continuously adopted in future research as the combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches can provide a more comprehensive and rigorous understanding of negation as either structures or as discursive acts. Fourth, research on negation is a multifaceted field with a wide range of research approaches and theories. Lastly, this paper acknowledges the richness of current literature on negation but emphasizes the need for further development of negation studies across different languages and cultures.
Abstract: Through reviewing and summarizing existent studies of negation that are published both domestically and internationally which investigate negation as either linguistic expressions/structures or as verbal/multimodal discursive acts, this paper systematically analyzes the characteristics of existent studies with regard to their research objects, rese...
Show More
-
Research Article
The Language of Official Communiques in Cameroon: Interpretations and Attitudes
Issue:
Volume 8, Issue 4, December 2023
Pages:
101-107
Received:
20 September 2023
Accepted:
9 October 2023
Published:
28 October 2023
Abstract: Information is designed to stimulate responses. It should, therefore, be well crafted in terms of codes of communication and contents. In Cameroon, however, though English and French are the two official languages, as stated in Article one Paragraph three of the Constitution of Cameroon, official communiques are sometimes published only in French and this seems to create a feeling of frustration among Cameroonians who do not understand the French language and consequently cannot efficiently react to communiques that may concern them. This study was, therefore, designed to find out the extent to which official communiques in Cameroon are published in English and French, as stated in the constitution of the country. The study also intended to find out the levels of comprehension of French-only communiques and attitudes towards inabilities to decode and react to them. In order to effectively carry out this study, 50 randomly selected communiques from five Government Ministries (10 from each Ministry), published between 2020 and 2023 were considered for analysis. One communique was later randomly selected and used to find out the extent to which the Anglophone informants could interpret French-only communiques. 360 informants (180 Anglophones and 180 Francophones) from the city of Yaounde were sampled as informants for the study. The results revealed that communiques from Cameroon Government Ministries are either published in French or in French and English and this poses a serious problem of comprehension and feeling of frustration among Anglophones who do not understand French.
Abstract: Information is designed to stimulate responses. It should, therefore, be well crafted in terms of codes of communication and contents. In Cameroon, however, though English and French are the two official languages, as stated in Article one Paragraph three of the Constitution of Cameroon, official communiques are sometimes published only in French a...
Show More
-
Research Article
The Construction of Female Discourse Authority: An Analysis of To the Lighthouse from the Perspective of Feminist Narratology
Issue:
Volume 8, Issue 4, December 2023
Pages:
108-114
Received:
16 September 2023
Accepted:
12 October 2023
Published:
11 November 2023
Abstract: To the Lighthouse, one of Virginia Woolf's masterpieces, has caught the attention of literary critics at home and abroad since its publication in 1927. Intensive studies have been made on its advanced feminist implication and unique narrative skills, yet few pay attention to the interaction of these two factors in the novel. Based on the theory of feminist narratology, the paper, through the analysis of narrative voice, narrative focalization and narrative speech in the novel, attempts to explore the effects of its feminist narration, namely how it uses narrative strategies to construct female discourse and establish female authority. The main argument of the paper is that To the Lighthouse is Woolf's intentionally planned narrative subversion of traditional male narrative and exhibition of her unique feminist consciousness. Woolf chooses to use the authorial voice to create a heterodiegetic narrator, laying the foundation for achieving a strong narrative authority. However, the modernist idea requires that the narrator cannot overtly present his or her voice to gain mighty authority. Thus, Woolf effaces the narrator's voice on the surface but retains it with the help of another two narrative techniques. Through the use of variable internal focalization, the authorial voice is kept indirectly by giving more chances to female characters to observe and speak. Through the use of free indirect speech, the authorial voice is preserved directly through being scattered in different characters' speeches. In this way, Woolf finally successfully maintains the feminist authorial voice and wins feminist discourse authority in the novel.
Abstract: To the Lighthouse, one of Virginia Woolf's masterpieces, has caught the attention of literary critics at home and abroad since its publication in 1927. Intensive studies have been made on its advanced feminist implication and unique narrative skills, yet few pay attention to the interaction of these two factors in the novel. Based on the theory of ...
Show More
-
Research Article
Allegorical Dissections of Capitalism: A Post-Modern Reading of José Saramago's The Cave
Divya Ram Krishnan,
Manohar Dagadu Dugaje*
Issue:
Volume 8, Issue 4, December 2023
Pages:
115-121
Received:
26 October 2023
Accepted:
13 November 2023
Published:
24 November 2023
Abstract: This research paper delves into José Saramago's The Cave (2000) to examine the intricate thematic landscape that highlights a reality dominated by the proliferation of replicas and appearances. These phenomena appear to challenge and potentially supersede traditional values, particularly those intertwined with familial and occupational relationships. Within this narrative, Saramago deftly crafts a world where the influence of neoliberalism supersedes all other guiding principles, giving rise to a new paradigm of meaning shaped by the omnipresence of replicas, thereby blurring the boundaries of the so-called real world. This paper endeavors to position Saramago's narrative firmly within the framework of postmodern allegory, shedding light on the broader cultural and philosophical implications of his work. This reading of the novel primarily reveals that the prevailing system in social relations and human consciousness is capitalism, where mechanisms of discipline enforce subservience through contracts that benefit the Center, as seen in the book involving Cipriano's goods. Saramago foreshadowed a surreal, digitally-focused reality with the allure of social media, exacerbated by the pandemic landscape. We are surrounded by simulacra and anesthetizing influences. Saramago's reinterpretation of Plato's cave allegory involves journeying into the cave to escape a world of illusion and surveillance. Interactions with others help us perceive ourselves, emphasizing human values and rationality while criticizing the reduction of human existence to profit generation and technological spectacles.
Abstract: This research paper delves into José Saramago's The Cave (2000) to examine the intricate thematic landscape that highlights a reality dominated by the proliferation of replicas and appearances. These phenomena appear to challenge and potentially supersede traditional values, particularly those intertwined with familial and occupational relationship...
Show More
