An International Research Journal of Language and Literature

Importance and Implications of Teachers’ Training for Teaching English Literature

Dr. Ume Kulsoom Rind — 2021-04-30

This study analyses the issues and the experiences of senior and junior teachers who teach English literature. The main aim in carrying out this study is, firstly to examine lack of training and its effects on teaching English literature. Secondly, how training is important for teaching English literature at the university level. To achieve this objective, the semistructured interviews were conducted from teachers at the Institute of English Language and Literature (IELL), the University of Sindh, Jamshoro, Pakistan. The findings of the research show that due to lack of trainings, the traditional lecture method is applied in classrooms and teachers either try to emulate the way they have been taught or teach on trial and error basis, which results in ineffective and monotonous teaching practices. This study emphasizes teaching with novel and fresh techniques by arranging teachers’ training and professional development programs for teaching literature subjects and to ensure the practical implication of the trainings in the classrooms.

Perceptions of English language teachers and learners on the Code Switching practice in English language classes in University of Sindh: A Qualitative Study

Uzma Shah — 2021-04-30

Code-Switching is a widespread practice in almost every walk of life, from teaching to political speeches, from media discourse to professional trainings code-switching tends to be inevitable. It refers to the use of two or more languages in a single discourse. The current research studies the perceptions of English language teachers and learners on the use of code-switching in English language classes. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews. The teachers hold positive opinion about code-switching. According to them code-switching serves as a teaching aid which is worth applying for the sake of learners' ease, understanding, building interest and developing attention in the language class, and lightening classroom environment. Thus, if it is properly employed in the English language classes it can bring about positive learning outcomes. The other part of the research covers the learners' views on the use of code-switching. The learners come up with an ambivalent responses. On one hand, some of the students believe that code-switching serves as an obstacle that inhibits the direct exposure of the target language: the more the exposure and practice, the more the learning. On the contrary, there were some other learners who did not prefer codeswitching for themselves but for the sake of fellow learners they endorsed it. To them, codeswitching helps in guiding and clarifying the fellow learners' concepts. Thus, they viewed code-switching as a learning aid as well.

Use of Hedges in Pakistani Academic Discourse: A Comparative Study

Imtisal Nosheen — 2021-04-30

This study investigates the use of stance markers in Pakistani academic discourse of PhD theses of pure sciences and social sciences. Stance markers consist of hedges, boosters, attitude markers and self mention. However, the researchers only investigated the hedges. Hyland (2005) model of metadiscourse is used to analyze the data. This model consists of two categories; interactional and interactive and is used to investigate the stance and engagement markers in different genres. Moreover the researchers analyzed the data quantitatively as well. Antconc software has been used to extract the exact frequencies and examples from both corpora. It has been found that stance markers are used more frequently in the corpus of social sciences as compared to pure sciences. Moreover, Pakistani writers of PhD theses of social sciences use more stance markers of metadiscourse as compared to pure sciences. So, the writers of social sciences prefer to present their stance and engage the audience through hedges, boosters, attitude markers, self mentions, directives, questions, shared knowledge and personal asides. It can be concluded that the writers of social sciences make their theses more appealing and comprehensive for the readers through stance and engagement markers.

Which Error An ELT Teacher May Correct: Accuracy or Fluency?

Dr Farida Yasmin Panhwar — 2021-04-30

This is a classroom observation which explores teachers’ feedback on learners’ errors committed in fluency (oral) and accuracy (grammar) activities in English as second language (ESL) classroom in Sussex University, Brighton, UK. In the field of ESL this is a pertinent question to decide that should a teacher give the feedback on accuracy or fluency in the classroom? The current study has carried out an inductive microanalysis of the classroom data. Relying on the quantitative methodology and structured classroom observation the findings reveals that ESL teacher provided on-spot feedback on errors committed in accuracy while over looked the errors committed in fluency. The data analysis illustrates that corrective feedback takes a special shape in form - oriented classrooms. The teacher used a series of feedback techniques such as scaffolding, nonverbal corrective feedback strategies, objects as corrective feedback techniques, clusters of corrective feedback strategies, socialisation between the teacher and the learners and peers as part of corrective feedback episodes. The features observed in this study reflect a need of extensive investigation in the area of feedback.

Dramatic Monologue in Shah Jo Risalo: A Generic Study of Sur Marui

Muhammad Hassan Khoso — 2021-04-30

The present study is based on the data from MPhil thesis. It aims to highlight the generic techniques used in Shah Jo Risalo of Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai (1689-1752), a sufi poet of Sindh, Pakistan. Shah Jo Risalo as most of the scholars highlight consists of thirty surs. However, the present study is limited only to Sur Marui of Shah Jo Risalo. The analysis is made in the light of theoretical framework of the sub-classification of the dramatic monologue, one of the genres of poetry, presented by Ina Beth Sessions. The classification is based on the perfect, imperfect, formal and approximate examples of the dramatic monologue. The perfect example contains seven characteristics of the dramatic monologue, i.e. speaker, audience, occasion, interplay between speaker and audience, revelation of character, dramatic action and action taking place in the present. The imperfect example contains speaker and fading into the indefiniteness of one or more of the last six characteristics present in the perfect example. The formal example contains speaker, audience and occasion. An approximate example lacks one or more characteristics present in formal or imperfect examples except the speaker. After an analysis of the Sur Marui, it is concluded that the sur falls under the category of the imperfect example of the dramatic monologue according to the sub-classification presented by Sessions. Marui is the speaker. Omar, her kinsfolk, camel rider, courier, her cousins, her compeers and unknown person in the sur are her audiences. The occasion is her imprisonment inside the castle. There is interplay among Marui and her audiences. Marui reveals not only her character but also of her audiences. The action is dramatic as Marui is captive and bears tortures. Action takes place in the present. But, interplay and dramatic action fade into the indefiniteness due to the presence of lyrical elements in the sur. This study is non-empirical in nature. The data was collected in the form of texts and was analyzed by means of textual analysis with close reading technique.

The Concept of ‘New Woman’ as a struggle of women in Mrs. Warren’s Profession

Yaseen Piyar Ali — 2021-04-30

This paper studies George Bernard Shaw’s play ‘Mrs. Warren’s Profession’ as a true picture of Victorian patriarchal society. The paper uses non-empirical methods of Textual Analysis and Close Reading Method to analyse the play from textual and thematic point of view. The feminist approach of ‘New Womanhood’ by W. H. Cooley (1904) as a theoretical framework is used to analyse the selected play and the characters in it. The paper intends to uncover the position and status of women in Victorian society by analysing the female characters in the play as unconventional and un-Victorian in attitudes, interests, preferences, values and ways of lives. The paper aims to highlight the hypocrisy and monstrosity of socially powerful capitalist class the way play portrays it. The paper proposes to find out the elements of new womanhood in female characters, Mrs. Warren and Miss Vivie Warren. The study interprets the struggle of female characters as rebel to liberate themselves from the patriarchal pseudomorality, male-chauvinistic conventions, male-oriented values, institutions and tenets of society. The themes of prostitution, poverty, starvation, hypocrisy, rotten morality and values of patriarch society, individuality, overthrow of authoritative powers, and relationships or understanding between two different generations are intended to be studied and discussed in context with the selected work in this paper. This paper may be helpful to unfold the idea for readers that the fall of women is actually the fall of society and is a real tragedy.