English Department

In this paper, I intended to analyze 14 Saudi students’ argumentative essays using the Theme-Rheme system. The system of Theme-Rheme is considered useful and has been utilized in analyzing students’ problems in L2 writing in many studies (Krisnawati, 2013; Wang, 2007; Setiawati, Hapsari, and Priyatmojo, 2017). This paper using the system of Theme-Rheme unravelled many problems Saudi students committed in their writing due to their misuse of the Theme and Rheme. Those problems were as follow: the problem of brand-new Theme, the problem of empty Theme, the problem of confusing selection of textual Theme and the problem of empty Rheme. However, not only are those problems, but also the researcher claims that the analysis revealed problems that were not found in other studies, to the best knowledge of the researcher; these problems were termed as follow: the problem of incomplete Theme due to either thematic equative or the misuse of nominalization, the problem of empty exemplificative ...

Implementing systemic functional linguistics, in particular Theme-Rheme system as a method of teaching writing has been recommended and suggested in many studies The present small-scale paper aimed to analyze 7 texts produced by Saudi engineering students and found that six students faced problems in developing their paragraphs. Results indicate that all the students mainly used unmarked topical Themes. Four students utilized marked topical Themes with differences in terms of the number of uses. Six students used textual Themes in their texts, while three students employed interpersonal Themes in their texts. Moreover, the analysis revealed many problems committed by students. These were: the problem of confusing selection textual Themes, the problem of brand new Theme, the problem of empty Rheme, and the problem of using cohesive devices inappropriately. There was one student could develop his text consistently and cohesively. To sum up, the paper was carried out for shedding light...

Implementing systemic functional linguistics, in particular Theme-Rheme system as a method of teaching writing has been recommended and suggested in many studies The present small-scale paper aimed to analyze 7 texts produced by Saudi engineering students and found that six students faced problems in developing their paragraphs. Results indicate that all the students mainly used unmarked topical Themes. Four students utilized marked topical Themes with differences in terms of the number of uses. Six students used textual Themes in their texts, while three students employed interpersonal Themes in their texts. Moreover, the analysis revealed many problems committed by students. These were: the problem of confusing selection textual Themes, the problem of brand new Theme, the problem of empty Rheme, and the problem of using cohesive devices inappropriately. There was one student could develop his text consistently and cohesively. To sum up, the paper was carried out for shedding light on the problems of Saudi engineering students when writing in English; even though the data was small, bringing the notion of Theme-Rheme into/to the light can be useful for instructors to put the basic principles of Theme-Rheme into practice when teaching writing.

This is an investigation of the assimilation process across word boundaries of the four main dialects of Yemeni Arabic. Twenty native speakers of these dialects have been asked to read the collected data, five from each dialect. The reading of the phrases has been transcribed for the analysis. The data under investigation uncovers the fact that assimilation in the four Yemeni dialects can be classified into symmetrical and asymmetrical categories. Symmetrical assimilation does not lead to irregularity. However, asymmetrical assimilation can cause irregularity among the four Yemeni dialects. The asymmetrical category of assimilation is investigated in terms of place, voicing, and emphasis. These irregularities are analogous to earlier typological work undertaken by Lehn (1963), Mohanon (1993), Watson (2002), Zuraiq and Zhang (2006), and Zuraiq and Abu Joudeh (2013). The study provides informative phonetic data useful for the foundation of a cross-dialectal study of assimilation in YA consonants.

This is an investigation of the assimilation process across word boundaries of the four main dialects of Yemeni Arabic. Twenty native speakers of these dialects have been asked to read the collected data, five from each dialect. The reading of the phrases has been transcribed for the analysis. The data under investigation uncovers the fact that assimilation in the four Yemeni dialects can be classified into symmetrical and asymmetrical categories. Symmetrical assimilation does not lead to irregularity. However, asymmetrical assimilation can cause irregularity among the four Yemeni dialects. The asymmetrical category of assimilation is investigated in terms of place, voicing, and emphasis. These irregularities are analogous to earlier typological work undertaken by Lehn (1963), Mohanon (1993), Watson (2002), Zuraiq and Zhang (2006), and Zuraiq and Abu Joudeh (2013). The study provides informative phonetic data useful for the foundation of a cross-dialectal study of assimilation in YA consonants.

This paper is a spectrographic analysis of the duration of geminate consonants and their impacts on the preceding and the following vowels in Ta'zi Dialect (TD), a prominent dialect of the Yemeni Arabic. More than fifty words comprising minimal words are collected from the TD to find out the difference in length between the geminated and the non-geminated consonants in words and the consequences of this process. It has been reached to the conclusion that the duration of the geminate consonant in TD is generally twice as much as that of the non-geminates. When geminated, the trill has been found to be the longest among all other consonants; pharyngeals and semivowels have been found to be the shortest. The voiceless consonants prove to be longer than their voiced counterparts. It is also observed that the geminated consonants affected the preceding and the following vowels. The adjacent vowels to the geminates are generally shortened. It seems that there is no proof that the secondary articulation affects the length of the geminated words in case of gutturals.

The paper investigates the phonological features of the seven modes of reading the Qur'an. The source of the modes of reading is attributed primarily to the Prophet Muhammad. However, the feeling of who is more accurate in his reading than the others among Muslim Qur'an reciters has led to the abrogation of all personal codices which are replaced by the official Uthmanic canonical codex. The marathon journey of the modes of reading has started during the 1 st /7 th century in Medina, Makkah, Kufah, Basra, and Damascus. Variant modes of reading are either phonetically-oriented, or semantically-oriented. The phonetically-oriented mode of reading involves vocalic and diacritic differences. However, the semantically-oriented mode of reading focuses on within-the-text exegetical expressions. The major differences among the Qur'an reciters can be classified into: (i) differences in consonants, and (ii) differences in vowels. Differences in consonants involve assimilation, almutamāthilain (two adjacent sounds), tashīl alhamza (pronouncing the glottal stop between glottal stop and the glottal fricative), alibdal (substitution), alqalb almakāni (metathesis), alnaql (the process of pronouncing the glottal stop [Ɂ] as an open vowel [a]), alta'āt (the voiceless alveolar plosive) [t]), alra'āt (the voiced alveolar trill [r] and the voiced alveolar tap [ɾ]), and allāmāt (the voiced alveolar laterals). However, differences in vowels include alimālah (the deflection of particular vowels from the fathah towards the kasrah or alif towards the yaa' sound), al-ishmām (the rounding of lips without any sound at the same time of producing the unrounded vowel), al-ikhtilās (the close vowel is reduced to mid-close vowel), alrawm (the process of lip gesture alluding to the vowel in the pause position with an extra short vowel [ɪ̆], [ă], or [ŭ]), vowel lengthening, vowel elision, and vowel change.

The present research aims to discuss the phonological patterns in Quranic verse-final pauses (fawāṣil) in order to provide an insight into the phonetic network governing the symmetrical and the asymmetrical pauses (fawāṣil) in terms of concordance (al-nasaq al-ṣawti). The data are collected from different parts of the Quran and are investigated with focus on three major phonetic criteria: the phonetic features of the fawāṣil, the fāṣilah shift from the surrounding fawāṣil, and the semantically-oriented sounds. The discussion concludes that the Quranic fawāṣil are either completely symmetrical in the fāṣilah-final syllables, semi-symmetrical in the fāṣilah final syllables. It also reveals that some fawāṣil share the same foot (taf'ilah) and rhythm (al-iqā'), while others have different foot and rhythm, but they are similar in some sounds. Other fawāṣil are similar in the foot but different in sounds, while others are similar in the last two sounds. The last category is when the Surah ends with a different fāṣilah from all the previous fawāṣil. The analysis also reveals that the fawāṣil are semantically-oriented in the sense that they are not only concerned with ornamentation and undulation of the sounds but they also convey deep meanings which move the hearer to listen carefully and to abide by the Quranic teachings.

English continues to develop as the global language of knowledge, business, commerce, and the gateway to drive the economy of the countries worldwide. The desire to participate in the knowledge society, in which English is the dominant language, and help to prompt the economy of the country towards globalization has meant that there is a strong emphasis on learning English as a foreign language by all university students in Saudi Arabia. Mobile technologies have created new prospects and opportunities for learning English. Bringing personal handheld devices by students and faculty in higher education institutions is emerging as individual practices and personal attempts to enhance learning and teaching of English within the comfort zone of both students and faculty. Higher education institutions can make a pragmatic transition from these individual practices and personal attempts of integrating mobile technologies into learning and teaching, to institutional implementation as a cost cutting strategy by calling for a Bring Your Own Personal Handheld Device (BYOPHD) institution-wide strategy. High level of acceptance of BYOPHD strategy is reported, therefore, there is a need to have a stated institutional policy to regulate and govern the implementation process. This paper reports on challenges and issues related to BYOPHD from EFL students' perspective at higher education. Students have reported several challenges and issues that can be addressed in formulating the institutional policy.

This paper explored postgraduate TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) students' perspectives on academic writing challenges and their practices to overcome them. The study is triggered by identified needs in literature and the empirical needs of postgraduate TESOL students in the study context. In-depth semi-structured focus group interviews were used to collect the data. The data analysis revealed that the difficulties they encounter are mainly filled into one of the following categories: language skills, academic writing skills, and source managing skills. At the same time, the study probed an intervention trial of using Google Classroom. Having explored students' perceptions regarding the use of Google Classroom and its effect on their academic writing revealed the growing understanding of digital tools' impact on encouraging independent learning and critical awareness that contribute to the enhancement of academic writing. However, with the advancements in technology, students seek support from online resources, but they still think that feedback from lecturers and supervisors is a crucial source of support; therefore, scaffolded feedback is recommended.

The use and integration of mobile information and communication technologies (ICTs) in learning and teaching, as well as the creation of new knowledge can determine whether a country is able to successfully compete in the emerging global knowledge economy. Technology acceptance theories and models have been widely developed, used and extended to determine the factors related to the acceptance of such technologies in specific national and subject contexts. This study set out to explore the key factors that determine students' and instructors' use behaviour and behavioural intentions to use mobile technologies in learning and teaching EFL, in an effort to determine the readiness and acceptance of mobile learning and teaching among students and instructors at a higher education institution in Saudi Arabia. The extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2), was used as the framework for this study. This model takes into account several perspectives; and was designed to assess technology acceptance beyond the organisational context by embedding consumer context dimensions. The results indicated that the research model was partially confirmed and highlighted key variables as the driving forces of use behaviour and behavioural intention to use mobile technologies in learning and teaching EFL.

Mobile information and communication technologies (ICTs), with advanced capabilities, have created new prospects and opportunities, for both students and faculty who are learning and teaching English as a foreign language, in higher education in Saudi Arabia. Technology acceptance theories and models have been widely developed, used and extended to determine the factors related to the acceptance of such technologies in specific national and subject contexts. However, there have been very few studies of the acceptance of new ICTs in teaching and learning in the higher education context of Saudi Arabia, in general; and none that relate to the teaching of English as a foreign language. To examine the readiness for, and acceptance of, mobile learning and teaching among students and faculty at Taibah University in Saudi Arabia, a theory of technology acceptance, developed for a consumer context, was used as the framework for this study; considering the participants as consumers of mobile...

Higher education institutions across the globe are investing much into developing and applying ICT to improve teaching and learning to cope with students' needs in the newly emerging knowledge economy and information society. In Saudi Arabia, global economic competition has had a major impact on the development of large scale ICT educational projects. The Ministry of Higher Education launched a national project, "AAFAQ", to develop a comprehensive long-term plan for university education, to address the current and the future challenges. This project has encouraged the implementation of e-learning and distance education. Therefore, there is no doubt that e-learning with its all forms can promote the learning process in a way that encourages a pedagogic shift from a teacher-centric model to a learner-centric model. English is both a global language, and the language of academic discourse. Consequently, EFL teaching and learning is becoming more and more necessary and pop...

This paper explored postgraduate TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) students' perspectives on academic writing challenges and their practices to overcome them. The study is triggered by identified needs in literature and the empirical needs of postgraduate TESOL students in the study context. In-depth semi-structured focus group interviews were used to collect the data. The data analysis revealed that the difficulties they encounter are mainly filled into one of the following categories: language skills, academic writing skills, and source managing skills. At the same time, the study probed an intervention trial of using Google Classroom. Having explored students' perceptions regarding the use of Google Classroom and its effect on their academic writing revealed the growing understanding of digital tools' impact on encouraging independent learning and critical awareness that contribute to the enhancement of academic writing. However, with the advancements in technology, students seek support from online resources, but they still think that feedback from lecturers and supervisors is a crucial source of support; therefore, scaffolded feedback is recommended.

The use and integration of mobile information and communication technologies (ICTs) in learning and teaching, as well as the creation of new knowledge can determine whether a country is able to successfully compete in the emerging global knowledge economy. Technology acceptance theories and models have been widely developed, used and extended to determine the factors related to the acceptance of such technologies in specific national and subject contexts. This study set out to explore the key factors that determine students’ and instructors’ use behaviour and behavioural intentions to use mobile technologies in learning and teaching EFL, in an effort to determine the readiness and acceptance of mobile learning and teaching among students and instructors at a higher education institution in Saudi Arabia. The extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2), was used as the framework for this study. This model takes into account several perspectives; and was design...