The present paper investigates one aspect of questionable research practices relating to Arabic L... more The present paper investigates one aspect of questionable research practices relating to Arabic L1 learners of foreign languages, namely the use of statistics. The objective of the paper is to argue that reproducible research requires adopting wise practices in linguistics and that the excessive focus on quantification does not seem to serve this purpose. Statistical significance tests in quantitative research are routinely used in linguistic inquiry as well as language teaching and learning studies with a view to supporting the relevant explanatory insights in linguistics. In this article, I will expose the misuse of statistics by doctoral students in English departments of Morocco working on Arabic L1 learners' data, by highlighting some practices that are at odds with international good practices in academic research in linguistics. I will take stock of the current questionable practices in this regard to dispel some of the misunderstanding about the use of statistics which is now gaining grounds lest this becomes an orthodoxy. I will argue that research on Arabic L1 learners' data should be focused more on exploration and discovery, as well as the validation of epistemological insights than on mere descriptive quantification geared to hypothesis verification. These areas of focus constitute the crux of academic research in linguistics, but they seem to be lost in statistics in doctoral students' theses. Recommendations and solutions are provided for enhancing transparency and improving reproducibility of doctoral research outcomes to advance theory building and the delivery of new research lines in linguistics as well as to avoid the risk of research waste, in line with the requirements of open science.
This research aims to shed light on the impact of exophoric and endophoric instruction on the com... more This research aims to shed light on the impact of exophoric and endophoric instruction on the comprehension (decoding) skills, writing (encoding skills), and linguistic awareness of English as Foreign Language learners. In this line, a mixed qualitative quantitative approach was conducted over a period of fifteen weeks on sixty English major students enrolled in their first year at the Lebanese University, fifth branch. The sixty participants were divided into two groups (30 experimental) that benefited from instruction on exophoric and endophoric relations and (30 control) that did not have the opportunity to study referents in the designated period of the research. The participants sat for a reading and writing pretest at the beginning of the study; and they sat again for the same reading and writing assessment at the end of the study. The results of the pre and post tests for both groups were analyzed via SPSS program and findings were as follows: hypothesis one stating that stud...
The current debate in translation pedagogy seems to relegate the importance of linguistics to a s... more The current debate in translation pedagogy seems to relegate the importance of linguistics to a secondary position. The objective of this article is to argue that descriptive and contrastive linguistics should constitute a core component in translator-training programs. For one thing, translators are language professionals and should be equipped with the required tools as well as metalanguage (language used to make statements about language) to analyze, understand and evaluate source and target texts in the translation process. The development of cultural, technical and professional dimensions of translation competence, which constitute the focus of translation research in recent years, remains inadequate unless it is supported by sound training in linguistics relevant to the tasks professional translators grapple with while translating texts. Besides translation, translators are required to edit and revise translated texts, hence the significance of equipping them with the linguist...
There is growing evidence that Universal Grammar (UG) is heavily involved in second language acqu... more There is growing evidence that Universal Grammar (UG) is heavily involved in second language acquisition (SLA). However, current research in applied linguistics still explores various issues in interlanguage, particularly the initial state (the representation that learners use to make sense of second language input). That is, do the properties of interlanguage come from UG or the first language (L1)? Does this count as access to UG? Does L1 grammar constitute the initial state? Does UG count as the initial state? In this paper, I will provide evidence from the production of Arab learners of English to support the fact that UG is undoubtedly involved in the development of L2, and to challenge the claim that UG is irrelevant in L2 acquisition. I will outline the evidence put forward in the published literature indicating that universal grammar principles shape the processes of acquiring a second language. More specifically, I will provide evidence from the linguistic behavior of Moroccan learners of English, showing that L2 learners transfer their pre-existing knowledge to the target language, which indicates that they indirectly pick up from UG, a cognitive move that can be considered as an indirect access to UG. However, I by no means claim that our understanding of the nature of UG itself is clear enough in any conclusive way, as more research should be conducted in this connection.
There is growing evidence that Universal Grammar (UG) is heavily involved in second language
acqu... more There is growing evidence that Universal Grammar (UG) is heavily involved in second language acquisition (SLA). However, current research in applied linguistics still explores various issues in interlanguage, particularly the initial state (the representation that learners use to make sense of second language input). That is, do the properties of interlanguage come from UG or the first language (L1)? Does this count as access to UG? Does L1 grammar constitute the initial state? Does UG count as the initial state? In this paper, I will provide evidence from the production of Arab learners of English to support the fact that UG is undoubtedly involved in the development of L2, and to challenge the claim that UG is irrelevant in L2 acquisition. I will outline the evidence put forward in the published literature indicating that universal grammar principles shape the processes of acquiring a second language. More specifically, I will provide evidence from the linguistic behavior of Moroccan learners of English, showing that L2 learners transfer their pre-existing knowledge to the target language, which indicates that they indirectly pick up from UG, a cognitive move that can be considered as an indirect access to UG. However, I by no means claim that our understanding of the nature of UG itself is clear enough in any conclusive way, as more research should be conducted in this connection.
Teacher Metalinguistic Awareness (TMA) constitutes an important prerequisite to the nature of int... more Teacher Metalinguistic Awareness (TMA) constitutes an important prerequisite to the nature of interaction in any ELT context and conditions the teaching /learning outcomes. This study examines pre-service, inservice and practicing teachers' attitudes to and their knowledge of metalinguistics (awareness of language structure) in the process of L2 learning and teaching in the multilingual context of Cameroon. In particular, the study investigates the Cameroon English language teachers' nature and level of grammatical awareness and highlights the impact of such knowledge on the different sources of input (materials, other learners, and the teacher) in L2 tutored -language -leaning settings. Evidence about TMA in the ELT context of Cameroon indicates a relative positive teacher attitude to but poor knowledge of metalinguistics. The need for languageawareness-raising for the improvement of teacher education and material development in the ESL context of Cameroon is indicated.
The present paper investigates one aspect of questionable research practices relating to Arabic L... more The present paper investigates one aspect of questionable research practices relating to Arabic L1 learners of foreign languages, namely the use of statistics. The objective of the paper is to argue that reproducible research requires adopting wise practices in linguistics and that the excessive focus on quantification does not seem to serve this purpose. Statistical significance tests in quantitative research are routinely used in linguistic inquiry as well as language teaching and learning studies with a view to supporting the relevant explanatory insights in linguistics. In this article, I will expose the misuse of statistics by doctoral students in English departments of Morocco working on Arabic L1 learners' data, by highlighting some practices that are at odds with international good practices in academic research in linguistics. I will take stock of the current questionable practices in this regard to dispel some of the misunderstanding about the use of statistics which is now gaining grounds lest this becomes an orthodoxy. I will argue that research on Arabic L1 learners' data should be focused more on exploration and discovery, as well as the validation of epistemological insights than on mere descriptive quantification geared to hypothesis verification. These areas of focus constitute the crux of academic research in linguistics, but they seem to be lost in statistics in doctoral students' theses. Recommendations and solutions are provided for enhancing transparency and improving reproducibility of doctoral research outcomes to advance theory building and the delivery of new research lines in linguistics as well as to avoid the risk of research waste, in line with the requirements of open science.
This research aims to shed light on the impact of exophoric and endophoric instruction on the com... more This research aims to shed light on the impact of exophoric and endophoric instruction on the comprehension (decoding) skills, writing (encoding skills), and linguistic awareness of English as Foreign Language learners. In this line, a mixed qualitative quantitative approach was conducted over a period of fifteen weeks on sixty English major students enrolled in their first year at the Lebanese University, fifth branch. The sixty participants were divided into two groups (30 experimental) that benefited from instruction on exophoric and endophoric relations and (30 control) that did not have the opportunity to study referents in the designated period of the research. The participants sat for a reading and writing pretest at the beginning of the study; and they sat again for the same reading and writing assessment at the end of the study. The results of the pre and post tests for both groups were analyzed via SPSS program and findings were as follows: hypothesis one stating that stud...
The current debate in translation pedagogy seems to relegate the importance of linguistics to a s... more The current debate in translation pedagogy seems to relegate the importance of linguistics to a secondary position. The objective of this article is to argue that descriptive and contrastive linguistics should constitute a core component in translator-training programs. For one thing, translators are language professionals and should be equipped with the required tools as well as metalanguage (language used to make statements about language) to analyze, understand and evaluate source and target texts in the translation process. The development of cultural, technical and professional dimensions of translation competence, which constitute the focus of translation research in recent years, remains inadequate unless it is supported by sound training in linguistics relevant to the tasks professional translators grapple with while translating texts. Besides translation, translators are required to edit and revise translated texts, hence the significance of equipping them with the linguist...
There is growing evidence that Universal Grammar (UG) is heavily involved in second language acqu... more There is growing evidence that Universal Grammar (UG) is heavily involved in second language acquisition (SLA). However, current research in applied linguistics still explores various issues in interlanguage, particularly the initial state (the representation that learners use to make sense of second language input). That is, do the properties of interlanguage come from UG or the first language (L1)? Does this count as access to UG? Does L1 grammar constitute the initial state? Does UG count as the initial state? In this paper, I will provide evidence from the production of Arab learners of English to support the fact that UG is undoubtedly involved in the development of L2, and to challenge the claim that UG is irrelevant in L2 acquisition. I will outline the evidence put forward in the published literature indicating that universal grammar principles shape the processes of acquiring a second language. More specifically, I will provide evidence from the linguistic behavior of Moroccan learners of English, showing that L2 learners transfer their pre-existing knowledge to the target language, which indicates that they indirectly pick up from UG, a cognitive move that can be considered as an indirect access to UG. However, I by no means claim that our understanding of the nature of UG itself is clear enough in any conclusive way, as more research should be conducted in this connection.
There is growing evidence that Universal Grammar (UG) is heavily involved in second language
acqu... more There is growing evidence that Universal Grammar (UG) is heavily involved in second language acquisition (SLA). However, current research in applied linguistics still explores various issues in interlanguage, particularly the initial state (the representation that learners use to make sense of second language input). That is, do the properties of interlanguage come from UG or the first language (L1)? Does this count as access to UG? Does L1 grammar constitute the initial state? Does UG count as the initial state? In this paper, I will provide evidence from the production of Arab learners of English to support the fact that UG is undoubtedly involved in the development of L2, and to challenge the claim that UG is irrelevant in L2 acquisition. I will outline the evidence put forward in the published literature indicating that universal grammar principles shape the processes of acquiring a second language. More specifically, I will provide evidence from the linguistic behavior of Moroccan learners of English, showing that L2 learners transfer their pre-existing knowledge to the target language, which indicates that they indirectly pick up from UG, a cognitive move that can be considered as an indirect access to UG. However, I by no means claim that our understanding of the nature of UG itself is clear enough in any conclusive way, as more research should be conducted in this connection.
Teacher Metalinguistic Awareness (TMA) constitutes an important prerequisite to the nature of int... more Teacher Metalinguistic Awareness (TMA) constitutes an important prerequisite to the nature of interaction in any ELT context and conditions the teaching /learning outcomes. This study examines pre-service, inservice and practicing teachers' attitudes to and their knowledge of metalinguistics (awareness of language structure) in the process of L2 learning and teaching in the multilingual context of Cameroon. In particular, the study investigates the Cameroon English language teachers' nature and level of grammatical awareness and highlights the impact of such knowledge on the different sources of input (materials, other learners, and the teacher) in L2 tutored -language -leaning settings. Evidence about TMA in the ELT context of Cameroon indicates a relative positive teacher attitude to but poor knowledge of metalinguistics. The need for languageawareness-raising for the improvement of teacher education and material development in the ESL context of Cameroon is indicated.
Uploads
Papers by Malika JMILA
acquisition (SLA). However, current research in applied linguistics still explores various issues
in interlanguage, particularly the initial state (the representation that learners use to make sense
of second language input). That is, do the properties of interlanguage come from UG or the first
language (L1)? Does this count as access to UG? Does L1 grammar constitute the initial state?
Does UG count as the initial state? In this paper, I will provide evidence from the production of
Arab learners of English to support the fact that UG is undoubtedly involved in the development
of L2, and to challenge the claim that UG is irrelevant in L2 acquisition. I will outline the
evidence put forward in the published literature indicating that universal grammar principles
shape the processes of acquiring a second language. More specifically, I will provide evidence
from the linguistic behavior of Moroccan learners of English, showing that L2 learners transfer
their pre-existing knowledge to the target language, which indicates that they indirectly pick up
from UG, a cognitive move that can be considered as an indirect access to UG. However, I by no
means claim that our understanding of the nature of UG itself is clear enough in any conclusive
way, as more research should be conducted in this connection.
acquisition (SLA). However, current research in applied linguistics still explores various issues
in interlanguage, particularly the initial state (the representation that learners use to make sense
of second language input). That is, do the properties of interlanguage come from UG or the first
language (L1)? Does this count as access to UG? Does L1 grammar constitute the initial state?
Does UG count as the initial state? In this paper, I will provide evidence from the production of
Arab learners of English to support the fact that UG is undoubtedly involved in the development
of L2, and to challenge the claim that UG is irrelevant in L2 acquisition. I will outline the
evidence put forward in the published literature indicating that universal grammar principles
shape the processes of acquiring a second language. More specifically, I will provide evidence
from the linguistic behavior of Moroccan learners of English, showing that L2 learners transfer
their pre-existing knowledge to the target language, which indicates that they indirectly pick up
from UG, a cognitive move that can be considered as an indirect access to UG. However, I by no
means claim that our understanding of the nature of UG itself is clear enough in any conclusive
way, as more research should be conducted in this connection.