نشریه پژوهش های زبانشناختی در زبان های خارجی
سال سیزدهم شماره 4 (زمستان 1402)

Online second language courses are experiencing significant growth worldwide, with the teacher being widely recognized as the key determinant of success in these courses. Given the absence of physical presence in virtual environments, it is essential to employ strategies that enhance the perception of teaching presence (TP) in virtual courses. The objective of this study is to explore TP based on Anderson et al.'s (2001) conceptual framework as a crucial element in online Persian courses for non-Persian speakers at the International Center for Teaching Persian Language to non-Persian Speakers (ICTPL), Ferdowsi University of Mashhad (FUM). This research adopts a descriptive-analytical methodology, employing a questionnaire based on Anderson's TP framework as its primary instrument. The study incorporates both qualitative and quantitative analyses to offer a comprehensive examination of the data. The data were collected from questionnaires completed by these 30 instructors involved in various Persian online language courses at FUM. The findings showed that among the three indicators of TP, including instructional design and organization, facilitating discourse and direct instruction, the most agreement and application was with facilitating discourse. Among the components of the first category “designing methods" and “establishing netiquette”, and in the indicator of facilitating discourse, “encouraging student contributions” and “drawing in participants to prompt discussion” show the highest percentage of agreement and application. Additionally, in the indicator of direct instruction, the lowest percentage among all components was dedicated to the “present content and questions”, which suggests the acceptance of new educational approaches among the teachers at ICTPL.

The present textbook analysis aims to investigate the dimensions of intercultural competence training in GFL textbooks by using textbook evaluation questions, with focusing on DaF kompakt A1-B1 as its case study. According to the intercultural approach, the teaching of intercultural competence takes place by addressing the source and target cultures and through a specific didactics of understanding based on reading skills. Accordingly, the use of reading text types as well as the teaching of reading techniques in intercultural textbooks is of particular importance. In order to explore this, after the general description of the textbook based on questions of Funk (1998), the intercultural competence was assessed by using six questions, developed by the authors based on Bolten (2007) and Brill (2005). Due to the lack of appropriate textbook evaluation questions to examine the reflection of intercultural competence in reading skills, reading text types and reading technique exercises, this was analyzed using three questions suggested by the authors. The results confirmed the reflection of intercultural competence in reading skills and showed that intercultural competence in DaF kompact A1-B1 is trained not only through the content of the texts and comparing exercises of the source and target cultures, but also through reading skills, offering reading text types and reading technique exercises. Considering the key role of reading skills, reading text types and reading technique exercises by the training of intercultural competence, was finally the use of three questions suggested by the authors in the current textbook questions for analyzing intercultural competence recommended.

The present study probed the effect of explicit text structure instruction on argumentative reading comprehension and written recall of Iranian EFL learners. Furthermore, it tried to find out whether the effect of text structure awareness was significantly different between learners at high and low reading ability. To achieve these goals, 40 English undergraduate students were randomly assigned into two experimental (n=18) and control (n=22) groups. To ensure the homogeneity of the two groups, a thirty-multiple-choice-item reading comprehension test and a free immediate written recall task were implemented. Furthermore, a Cambridge Advanced English (CAE) paper reading ability test was used for dividing the participants into high and low reading ability. The treatment was the instruction of argumentative text structure based on Toulmin's (1958) model of argumentation. Finally, the post-test on argumentative reading comprehension and the post-task on argumentative written recall were administered on the two groups to show their comprehension and recall of argumentative texts after the instruction. Independent-samples t-tests were run to analyze the data. The findings of the study suggested that explicit instruction of text structure enhanced learners' reading comprehension; however, no significant difference was indicated for written recall ability between the two groups. It should be mentioned that a significant difference was observed with regard to the effect of explicit instruction of text structure on reading comprehension of argumentative texts for learners at high and low level of reading ability. The pedagogical implications of the study as well as suggestions for further research are reported at the end.

In this research, we try to figure out the transfer and also to discuss cultural concepts in literary translation by taking into account the linguistic and cultural differences. Therefore, as the corpus of this research, we will examine some examples from the translations of two works by Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt in different eras and we will analyze the methods that are used by translators for translating some of cultural elements, relying on the theory of Peter Newmark. The applicability of this theory over time and the perspective of its efficiency based on three indicators which are objectives, possibilities and obstacles will be examined. With the expansion of mastery over artificial intelligence and the application of a new generation of translation software by young translators, which always provide more accurate versions of the original content in more languages, we are witnessing the emergence of a generation of translators who ignore the relevance of translation theories regarding the representation of cultural themes. Since the meaning of words or phrases is derived from the culture of a language, understanding the meaning requires complete knowledge of the culture of the language which it originated from, so the translation software alone cannot be effective in obtaining accurate translation. Thus, in this essay, we try to indicate for the next generation of translators the importance of the application of translation theories in the field of literary translation, especially concerning translating cultural elements.

This study delves into the complex interplay between feedback, anxiety, and writing performance in second language learning, with the focus on written corrective feedback. While debates persist on the efficacy of feedback, existing literature underscores its positive impact on language focus and subsequent writing tasks. Unique to this research is its exploration of less commonly taught languages such as Japanese as well as its investigation of the differential effects of online versus face-to-face feedback delivery on emotional responses and learning outcomes. Grounded in social cognitive theory, the study examines how students' beliefs and feedback sources interact with anxiety to shape writing proficiency and explores the intricate relationship between feedback, anxiety, and writing performance in different corrective feedback conditions (i.e., online versus face-to-face teacher and peer feedback). To this end, 84 JFL learners wrote Japanese essays and answerer to an anxiety questionnaire. Then, the learners' anxiety levels and Japanese writing performance under conditions of online and face-to-face teacher and peer feedback were investigated. Results revealed a significant connection between anxiety reduction and improved writing scores, with peer feedback exhibiting a stronger correlation. Moreover, students experienced lower anxiety levels with peers compared to teachers regardless of the delivery mode. Remarkably, teacher feedback significantly enhanced composition quality, outweighing the influence of anxiety. This emphasizes the pivotal role of student attitudes in shaping learning experiences. The study also highlights the importance of tailored pedagogical strategies in optimizing language learning outcomes by considering students' emotional states and preferences when designing effective feedback mechanisms.

Translation of poetry has been a subject of scholarly interest for centuries. It poses numerous challenges, including the difficulty of conveying the poet's intended meaning, preserving the poetic form and structure, and retaining the emotional impact of the original work. The primary purpose of this study is to gain a deeper understanding of the translation process, particularly when dealing with poetry. By employing Conrad Potter Aiken's analytical approach to translation, this research seeks to shed light on the cognitive aspects involved in the transference of poetic meaning from one language to another. Through a case study of the translation of "When You Are Old" into Azerbaijani Turkish, the study aims to explore the intricate decisions and creative adaptations that the translator had to make while preserving the essence of the original poem. In the second attempt, the translation of “When you are old” is compared with some translations in Azerbaijani Turkish (Sabir’s translation of Hafiz), Persian (Nasime- Shomal’s translation of Sabir), and English (Fitzgerald’s translation of Khayyam) to present a crosslinguistic analysis of poetic translation to study the qualities of successful poetic translations. The results of the paper showed that translators of poetry, to achieve a successful translation, must be successful in transferring both form and content. The conveyance of meaning in poetry translation can be similar to the conveyance of meaning from any text, and if the translator masters both languages, it can be possible. However, to covey the form, the translator must be a poet. The investigations of Turkish, Persian, and English translations showed that mastering the respective prosody is not enough, and the translator must possess poetic wit and he must be a poet himself. This study also showed that the poetic translation can be successful if it looks like a poem in the target language. Moreover, one of the criteria for examining and investigating the translation is referring to the successful translations of that language.

This study investigated the teachers’ provision of indirect versus metalinguistic error correction to EFL learners committed errors in their argumentative writing pieces. The discourse aspects that were the focus of this research include: unity, organization, cohesion, coherence and metadiscourse. For this purpose, six intact classes were selected where two classes received indirect correction, the other two were exposed to metalinguistic correction and two other classes functioned as the control group where there was no correction at all. Pre- and post-tests in terms of argumentative writing tasks were analyzed. The results of statistical analysis revealed a non-significant difference between the indirect and metalinguistic feedback types regarding organization. However, all the other comparisons were found to be statistically significant where the indirect feedback outperformed the metalinguistic feedback, and both proved more fruitful than the control group. Additionally, on the whole, teachers were more inclined towards indirect corrective feedback compared to metalinguistic feedback in addressing learners’ discourse problems. The teachers gave more comments to identify problems instead of providing corrections and suggestions.

During recent years, EFL oral communication instruction is faced with challenges to reconsider replacing traditional and teacher-centered approaches by authentic and student-directed learning methods. The present study incorporated project-based language learning methodology in an EFL communication course in an Iranian university during one semester and elicited students’ perceptions regarding its practicality, efficiency, advantages, and disadvantages at the end of the course. To serve that end, 20 students who had enrolled in the course and collaboratively created the video clip projects during the term were invited to participate in two separate but identical semi-structured focus group interviews at the end of the course and the interview data were analyzed inductively to evaluate the efficiency of the projects from student perspectives. Overall, the findings indicated that the approach was welcomed by the learners, who expressed favorable attitudes towards incorporation of this innovative instructional method into the course as it improved their communication skill as well as other skills such as interpersonal, autonomy, planning, organization, time management, team working, creativity, imagination, and giving and taking criticism skills in a supportive, friendly, and exciting environment. Drawing on the positive views expressed by the participants, it can be concluded that L2 practitioners should regard this approach as a viable alternative or a complement to the teacher-centered methods currently performed in EFL oral communication courses.

The present study aims to investigate the difficulties of word stress in German prefixed words for Persian students of German language major at Isfahan University from the perspective of contrastive linguistics and error analysis. German and Persian are syllabic languages in which one or more than one syllable of a word is pronounced with more emphasis. The prefixed Persian words are mostly pronounced without stress; however, Some German prefixed words are enunciated with stress, and in some cases, the word stress has a distinguishing characteristic in which the change in the stress leads to a variation in the meaning of the word or sentence. The lack of commonality in phonetic rules between the two languages results in errors in some language learners leading to disruption in communicating with the audience in real situations. In order to analyze the controlling factors two groups of students received assignments to pronounce words and sentences containing various prefixes in German. The obtained results indicated that in the junior students who did not master in the related phonetic rules, the most important cause of error was linguistic interference from the mother tongue and the tendency to stress the final syllables of the prefixed words. The number of errors in the senior and graduated students is much less than that of the first group due to their familiarity with the phonetic rules, Moreover, in this group of students, the major reasons included language interference, overgeneralization, the lack of fixation of rules, fossilization, and wrong mental hypothesizing.