Papers by Youness Boussaid
Journal of Literature, Language, and Linguistics, 2025
This article sheds light on Chinese to English negative transfer. It defines negative transfer an... more This article sheds light on Chinese to English negative transfer. It defines negative transfer and provides examples of each negative transfer type (pronunciation, grammar, pragmatics, and culture). The examples are drawn from previous researches and from personal experience in teaching English language to Chinese students. In the end, the article culminates with countermeasures to deal with negative transfer.
Weiming Internal Journal, 2025
International Journal of English Language and Linguistics Research, 2025
This article contrasts the phonology of English language and Standard Mandarin Chinese language, ... more This article contrasts the phonology of English language and Standard Mandarin Chinese language, highlighting some of the phonological differences that may slow down the learning of English by young Chinese students (about 3-12 years old). This article also provides linguistically plausible accounts for some of the difficulties that Chinese students encounter in their English learning process. These difficulties are mainly rooted in English speakers being voicing-distinguishers and Chinese speakers being aspiration-distinguishers. The article concludes with countermeasures to deal with the special difficulties Chinese students face while learning English. The data for this article are taken from previous research and from direct observation of real English classes in China.
Australian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 2024
This paper aims to assess the knowledge of metaphor-based teaching among teachers by investigate ... more This paper aims to assess the knowledge of metaphor-based teaching among teachers by investigate the obstacles that hinder them from incorporating metaphor-based teaching into their instructional strategies. This study makes use of a questionnaire to collect data from EFL teachers worldwide. The results show that the difficulties most faced by teachers when using metaphor-based teaching include the unsuitability of the topic, the difficulty of the topic, the unavailability of materials, time constraints, extra workload, and metaphor-based teaching not fitting students' expectations and needs. The research also touches on some countermeasures to deal with the difficulties teachers face when using metaphor-based approach. The results indicate the importance of reevaluating teacher training programs and refocusing teachers' instructional efforts on incorporating metaphor-based teaching, which is often overlooked and not fully acknowledged in language classrooms.
nternational Journal of English Language Teaching, 2023
Despite the myriad of research in the advantages of utilizing conceptual metaphor in teaching and... more Despite the myriad of research in the advantages of utilizing conceptual metaphor in teaching and learning languages, no research was conducted to survey the perception of teachers about metaphor-based teaching. This study attempts to fill this gap by examining how this innovative pedagogic application has been perceived and the extent to which it has been applied and received in the teachers' community worldwide. A questionnaire was administered and collected date from 255 EFL teachers worldwide. The results show that conceptual fluency is perceived as the least important language aspect by teachers despite the very multitude of research that demonstrate its essentialness in attaining fluency. The correlation between the teachers' years of experience and perception about teaching conceptual metaphor is statistically insignificant (r= 0.02, p= 0.72). The findings support the need to rethink teacher education, redirecting teachers' further teaching efforts to integrating the overlooked role of metaphor-based teaching which is not wholly recognized in language classrooms.
The Language Charades: A Review of the Language Game by Morten H. Christiansen and Nick Chater, 2023
Language is a tool of expression and communication. This comes naturally to us that we take langu... more Language is a tool of expression and communication. This comes naturally to us that we take language for granted. We rarely question ourselves if we can ever survive without a language. How do we learn a language? Why do we learn languages, especially our first language, so fast? These questions have been the center of a contentious and still continuous debate. A debate that brought about several theories that endeavor to explain how the human language became intricate and advanced, yet so easily learnable. Chomsky (1959) claimed that language is an innate ability that is hardwired in our brains. Others, such as Everett (2012), argued that language is a cultural tool that humans invested to satisfy their communicative needs.
International Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities Invention, 2022
This paper evaluates the use of an English language textbook in the Chinese context according to ... more This paper evaluates the use of an English language textbook in the Chinese context according to four criteria: suitability for the context, communication and tasks, learner engagement, and intellectual, aesthetic and emotional involvement. The paper culminates with adaptations which are proposed as changes that can render the teaching materials more suitable for the learners. Based on the evaluation of the textbook, rationales for the adaptations are provided. Some of the main rationales include: making the materials more relevant to students, catering for learners" differences, engaging and involving the students, and being at the appropriate level with challenging and varied tasks.
Is Universal Grammar Available To L2 Learners?, 2022
Nativist argues that Universal Grammar is the genetic component of the language faculty. This the... more Nativist argues that Universal Grammar is the genetic component of the language faculty. This theoretical concept is controversial in many aspects. The lack of strong empirical evidence has rendered some language researchers and teachers troubled about what Universal Grammar is and whether L2 learners have access to UG. Understanding the different aspects of UG would assist teachers in approaching teaching L2 learners in the light of UG theory. The present review paper provides a brief account of what UG is and critically investigates the hypotheses and arguments for and against UG to give a comprehensive answer to the question: is universal grammar available to L2 learners? A myriad of hypotheses have been put forward to answer this question. These range from those that suggest that L2 learners have full access to UG in that learners can reset their parameters to conform to L2 parameters to those that suggest that L2 learners only have partial access to UG. Apart from these accounts, others argue that learners acquire L2 using general domain skills rather than direct access to UG. Still, others assert that L2 learners only have access to UG via L1.
International Journal of English Linguistics, 2022
This paper analyzes how conceptual metaphor is used as a persuasive tool in Joseph Biden's and Ge... more This paper analyzes how conceptual metaphor is used as a persuasive tool in Joseph Biden's and George Washington's inaugural speeches. The speeches are analyzed using Conceptual Metaphor Theory. A source-based approach to metaphor analysis is adopted in this paper. Statistical findings are used to examine how metaphor is utilized to frame certain political topics. The study demonstrates that metaphor is a vital persuasive tool in political discourse. The use of conceptual metaphors persuades and appeals to people's emotions. The paper shows that Biden utilized more conceptual metaphors than Washington. This indicates the need and importance Biden attaches to persuasive rhetoric of which the use of metaphor successfully provides and attains. The nature of conceptual metaphor in both speeches reveals the existence of diachronic differences in how metaphors were used. This metaphor variation which reflects changes in society is ascribed to the differences in ideologies and the zeitgeist of the two eras in which the speeches took place.
Arab World English Journal, 2020
This paper investigates conceptual metaphors in the Moroccan Tachelhit variety in the light of th... more This paper investigates conceptual metaphors in the Moroccan Tachelhit variety in the light of the contemporary theory of metaphor advanced by Lakoff and Johnson (1980). The main objective of this research is to find out the conceptual differences between Tachelhit and English language. It also aims at contributing to the field of metaphor in Tamazight linguistics as well as filling the gap that exists in the literature. This qualitative research adopted content analysis as a technique with which data is collected, categorized, and analyzed. This research shows that metaphor can be used as a tool to examine the cultural groupthink of communities. The main findings of the present study include the conceptual differences between Tachelhit and English in metaphors such as: TIME IS A HUMAN BEING, NEWS IS A HUMAN BEING, DIRECTNESS IS UP, WORDS ARE LIQUID, HUNGER IS A KILLING THING, WEAKNESS IS EMPTINESS, GOODNESS IS A STRAIGHT LINE, MONEY IS DIRT, USEFULNESS IS A PRECIOUS OBJECT and REPUTE IS A DELICATE OBJECT; which are all examples of conceptual metaphors that exist in Tachelhit. This research paper also demonstrates that metaphor can structure gestures the way it structures metaphoric linguistic expressions. Conceptual metaphors are vital elements that need be taken into consideration in intercultural as well as intracultural contexts to overcome communication failures.
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Papers by Youness Boussaid