Current Issue
Full volume of The Journal of Languages for Specific Purposes (JLSP) – 11th Issue – March 2024
Title: ROLL UP YOUR SLEEVES: DESIGNING A COURSE ON ITALIAN FOR HEALTHCARE
Author(s): Sarah Annunziato
Abstract: This article will discuss the design and implementation of an intermediate level Italian for HealthcareLanguage class. Since 2016, the language of Dante has experienced a marked decline in enrollment in many higher education institutions in the United States. Some recent studies related to this issue suggest that providing students with a wide variety of course options, including ones related to professional fields, is key to reversing this trend. Nevertheless, Italian presents somewhat of a challenge in this regard as it is the norm rather than the exception for learners to first encounter the language only when they begin their studies at college or university. However, in many instances, such as in healthcare, language for specific purposes courses target more advanced students. Therefore, introducing these types of classes earlier in the learning experience might prove to be instrumental in encouraging more students to continue studying Italian at advanced-level and perhaps even beyond. The present course was offered to learners who had previously completed three semesters of college-level Italian from beginner level to intermediate. People enrolled in the class had already attained an upper-intermediate level of skill in the target language. Since the course focused on healthcare, it emphasized the acquisition of new terms and communicative modes to help learners better interact with patients or clinicians in a medical setting. It was also designed around the Five C’s (Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities) made popular by ACTFL’s World Readiness Standards for Learning Languages. Overall, Italian for Healthcare Professionals relied on both an experiential and project-based methodology through which students completed tasks that reflected challenges that they might realistically encounter while working in the allied health professions in Italy or with Italian-speaking diasporas in other parts of the world. Learners reported benefiting from both the variety and realistic nature of the activities. This article will explore the need for such a course in Italian Studies, its structure, as well as examples of projects and activities that it might include. Ultimately, student response to the course suggests that such offerings can be made available to intermediate-level learners of Italian with promising results.
Keywords: Italian; Intermediate Level; Healthcare; Experiential Learning; Project-Based Learning.
Pagination: 7-15
Title: TEXTBOOK EVALUATION AND MATERIALS SELECTION IN THE CONTEXT OF ENGLISH FOR NURSING COURSE DEVELOPMENT
Author(s): Elena Spirovska Tevdovska
Abstract: The paper analyses the process of textbook selection and materials adaptation in the context of ESP (English for Specific Purposes) courses and in the context of English for Nursing course. Textbooks and materials are essential components of ESP course design, which frequently contribute to the success or failure of the course in completing the course objectives. However, the process of selecting a specific textbook for the course, which will address the course objectives, is not straightforward or simple. In the ESP literature, the views about the need of using textbooks in ESP courses are polarised. The study will examine the benefits of using textbooks in ESP context, which include available sources for the students and facilitate the class preparation for the teachers, as well as the drawbacks which include the impossibility of finding a textbook which corresponds entirely to learners’ needs. The research includes the evaluation of the selected textbook in the context of English for Nursing. The evaluation is based on the literature review on the topic of textbook evaluation in ESP and language teaching and learning context in general. The evaluation described is based on the set of criteria provided by Miekley (2005), which includes the following criteria: content, vocabulary and grammar, exercises and activities, attractiveness of the text, the quality of the teacher’s manual and the context. Two textbooks are examined and compared, in order to select the appropriate one. Apart from the textbook analysis, the paper aims to provide suggestions and recommendations regarding materials adaptation and development of materials which can be used in English for Nursing and Medical English Courses.
Keywords: English for Specific Purposes; English for Nursing; textbook; evaluation.
Pagination: 19-26
Title: PEDAGOGICAL METHODS BEHIND TEACHING THE PRACTITIONER-PATIENT INTERVIEW IN FRENCH
Author(s): Ariel-Sebastián Mercado
Abstract: The practitioner-patient interview has been the subject of several studies in the world of medicine and in the field of teaching languages for specific purposes It has been considered one of the most critical oral genres in language teaching for medical-health purposes. Every health professional has to know and understand why the patient has come for a consultation; they must have the necessary skills to obtain as much information about the patient’s health problem as possible, and if necessary, they have to perform a physical examination. The practitioner-patient interview is divided into several steps. Each step consists of a specific task with its specific objectives for the practitioner. For about fifteen years, the French Language Centre of McGill University, an English-speaking university in Montreal, Canada, has been offering French courses to students specializing in different areas of the Faculty of Health Sciences and Social Work who wish to do their clinical placements and pursue their professional career in the province of Quebec. Most of McGill’s students are native English speakers from different parts of Canada and the United States or international students whose first language is not necessarily English. One of the most important oral genres which must be taught to these students is the practitioner-patient interview in French, since one of their principal tasks as healthcare professionals will to interact with patients. Furthermore, students who have obtained a degree in any healthcare profession from an English-speaking university in the French-speaking province of Quebec must take a French language exam offered by the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF). In one of the activities of this exam, the candidates must interview a patient or a caregiver in French. Therefore, this constitutes another reason to teach the practitioner-patient interview to our students. Unfortunately, there is little extant literature on how to teach students to carry out a practitioner-patient interview in French as a second language. Moreover, the possibility of recording actual interviews for use in class is practically impossible to respect patient confidentiality. This paper aims to share with the scientific community and with other language for specific purposes instructors how the practitioner-patient interview is taught at McGill University to non-native French speakers who wish to work in Quebec.
Keywords: French for specific purposes, French for health sciences, French for healthcare professionals, practitioner-patient interview, doctor-patient interview, OQLF Exams.
Pagination: 27-43
Title: IDENTITY CONSTRUCTION IN THE PROFILE NAMES OF YORUBA FACEBOOK USERS
Author(s): Ayo Osisanwo, Oluwakemi Akinade
Abstract: Name or naming is significant in the construction of identity. While studies on online identity constructions have concentrated on examining textual or graphical discourse to reflect identities, identity construction based on profile names has received very little attention. This study examines identity construction in naming among Yoruba Facebook (FB) users. Fifty purposively selected FB profile names were analysed using Castells’(2010) identity construction framework. Four identified identities in the Profile names of Yoruba Facebook Users, namely religiously pious, innovators, football lovers and entertainers were indexed by six linguistic features – hybridisation of orthography (HOO), back formation, blending, compounding, clipping and hypocorism. The linguistic features showed the connection between the linguistic peculiarities of FB profile names and the identity constructed in the social media platform.
Keywords: Hybridization; Identity construction; linguistic features; profile name; social media platform; Yoruba Facebook Users.
Pagination: 45-58
Title: FROM A SIMULATED PATIENT INTERVIEW TO A CASE PRESENTATION
Author(s): Kata Eklics, Judit Fekete
Abstract: Medical communication skills are learned during undergraduate studies and residency programmes by future doctors through case presentations, medical interviews, and healthcare staff interactions. Approaches like peer tutoring, simulation-based education, and blended learning enhance these skills. Our study aims to draw attention to the significance of doctor-patient and doctor-doctor scenarios by presenting a course that facilitates sociopragmatic, pragmalinguistic, and code-switching skills that medical students need to successfully employ in future healthcare settings. We consider patient information, case presenting, and interviewing skills, as well as profound knowledge of medical language equally important elements. While highlighting the essential components of the doctor-patient discourse and revealing the students’ development of code-switching abilities, this article shares the results of a feedback survey completed by participants in a course entitled ‘History taking with actors; simulation practices in the mediskillslab’. We can see the gradual improvement in using medical terms, and the growing confidence of students presenting cases. The programme’s assessment approach, which provides constructive feedback from three perspectives—clinician, simulated patient, and communication instructor—helps the students pinpoint their areas for enhancement. Most students report no major difficulties in taking medical history by employing a simplified ‘patient-friendly’ language understandable to laypeople. However, when they intentionally choose a different code for reporting on their patients by using medical terms, younger students face challenges in creating a brief medical text. The most demanding task for senior participants proved to be delivering bad news; both emotionally and code-switch wise. Our study identifies these difficulties from history-taking simulations to case reports to raise awareness of levels of medical communication. As a conclusion, we believe that an early onset and gradual introduction of activities including history taking, case presentation, and breaking bad news should be incorporated into medical curricula to assist in the acquisition of highly professional, assertive, and empathetic communication skills by graduation.
Keywords: simulation; medical communication; code-switching skills; bad news; case report.
Pagination: 59-70
Title: STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS TRANSLATION IN THE LSP CLASSROOM AT INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION
Author(s): Mladen Marinac, Iva Barić
Abstract: From the era of Grammar-Translation Method to the onset of Communicative Language Teaching, the role of translation in language learning has completely changed. Nowadays, the use of translation activities in the language learning classroom remains a contentious issue, namely, there are arguments for and against their use. Given that attitudes are one of the factors that affect the way students learn and the level of proficiency they achieve, the aim of this quantitative study is to find out what the attitudes of higher education students in Croatia are towards the use of translation in learning languages for specific purposes. The responses were collected via a questionnaire, which was completed by 618 students who were enrolled in eight different LSP courses, i.e. medical, maritime, business, agriculture, tourism, safety, IT and transport. The participants come from five institutions of higher education in two Croatian towns (Zagreb and Rijeka). The majority of the respondents (86.4%) claim they use translation in their LSP classroom, but the frequency in using translation varies greatly. On the other hand, translation is used in assessment less frequently, 37.4% of the participants state they have encountered translation in tests. While they believe that other more communicative methods are more beneficial for their language learning, and they only partially enjoy doing translation activities, most of them are sure that translating both from their L1 into L2 and L2 into L1 is very useful for their language learning, especially when it comes to learning new vocabulary. A statistical difference occurred between genders; namely, male students seem to be more positive towards translation. Also, statistical differences were confirmed among students of different study programs in relation to their attitudes towards enjoyment, usefulness and demand of translation activities. Future research should focus on investigating how translation activities are implemented and account for gender and study program differences.
Keywords: language for specific purposes; English for specific purposes; students’ attitudes; tertiary education; translation in language teaching.
Pagination: 71-83
Title: STATISTICAL LITERACY AMONG EFL MASTER’S STUDENTS: ACTION RESEARCH
Author(s): Kamila Ammour
Abstract: The Social Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) is among the most common programs used by researchers in language studies to explore, examine, and analyze quantitative data for the sake of drawing valid conclusions. The current action research aims to offer insights into the utilization of SPSS by Master’s students in their empirical studies for statistical analysis. Specifically, it attempts to depict the way SPSS is employed in academic pursuits, and discern the inherent challenges faced by students, offering insights into the obstacles that may impede their effective use of SPSS as a tool for statistical exploration and interpretation in academic research. To reach these objectives, ten Master’s dissertations written by EFL students at the Department of English at Mouloud Mammeri University in language studies were scrutinized though a qualitative content analysis. Findings indicate that the students limit the scope of their use of SPSS to quantitative variables and descriptive statistics. In addition, it has been found that the most commonly used statistical technique is ‘the mean’ or ‘the average’ that could be easily measured without any sophisticated software. Furthermore, no reference to inferential statistics in order to compare among groups or to measure the impact of a variable on another is made. The overall conclusion drawn from the analysis of the corpus is that students exhibit reluctance to the use of inferential statistics in their empirical studies and unconsciously believe that SPSS, inferential statistics, or any other sophisticated software are tightly related to natural sciences and could not be easily applied in social sciences. On the basis of the findings, a number of recommendations are suggested like organizing workshops with computer scientists. In addition, students’ self-confidence should be increased in order to change their perception of their potential and abilities to feel more at ease with statistics and technologies while doing academic research in language studies.
Keywords: Inferential statistics, Novice EFL researchers; Social sciences; SPSS, Statistical Literacy.
Pagination: 85-95
Title: GRAMMATIKKOMPETENZ IM NEUEN MILLENIUM. VERGLEICHENDE STUDIE RUMÄNIEN-UNGARN
English Title: GRAMMAR COMPETENCE IN THE NEW MILLENIUM. COMPARATIVE STUDY ROMANIA-HUNGARY
Author(s): Andrea Hamburg
Abstract: The experiences of the past few years in teaching German at the Faculty of Economic Sciences of the University of Oradea, Romania, have given the impulse for writing the following study. Rendering grammar issues has stumbled time after time over the impossibility of relating to students’ previous grammar knowledge in their mother tongue, i.e. Romanian, resulting into the feeling that they might lack basic grammar concepts in general. To check if the hypothesis of students’ deficient grammar knowledge is a mere subjective perception of the author of this article or rather an existent generational, possibly global phenomenon, quantitative research methods like descriptive statistics and a short grammar test (four questions related to morphology and one syntax issue) were applied. Lacking data referring to Hungary, the statistical inventory included only the results obtained in Romania, in the time span 2017-2022, at the national graduation exam at the end of the 8th grade, in the discipline Romanian language and literature, while the grammar test was applied in an approximately equal number to first and second year Economic students both at the University of Oradea, Romania, and respectively the University of Debrecen, Hungary. The results obtained in the Romanian exam mentioned above, mainly for 2017 and 2018, when students included in the study took it, seem to be in concordance with the hypothesis initially formulated, but the results of the grammar test applied at the University of Oradea do not give a clear-cut proof of it. Still, these data are on both sides – Romanian and Hungarian respectively – anything else than comforting. In my opinion, the causes of this state of affairs are not to be found only in the limited analytical skills, induced by digitalisation, and the aversion of generation Z for grammar. Other factors have also contributed to it, to the same extent, namely the syllabi for Romanian for the 5th-8th grade pleading for the avoidance of conceptualisation of linguistic phenomena, valid for Romania, and the insufficient importance given to grammar both in teaching/learning and in the exam subjects in both countries analysed. As for improvement measures, one can identify changes in syllabi, on the institutional side, in the sense of a more conscious, conceptualised knowledge transfer and, on the other hand, giving more importance to teaching grammar at all levels, high school included. On the individual level, teachers can support this process by creating digital auxiliary didactic materials like explanatory videos put up using simpleshow video maker, or resorting to qualitative YouTube-videos when teaching grammar. The animated form, more appealing for young people, is likely to bring grammar and language rules, abstract concepts closer to them.
Keywords: grammar in foreign language classes, students’ previous knowledge, syllabi for language and communication, avoiding terminology, shortcomings of the communicative method.
Pagination: 97-108
Title: MORPHO-SYNTAKTISCHE MERKMALE DER IRONIE ALS BEWEIS FÜR CROSSWRITING IN ERICH KÄSTNERS DER GESTIEFELTE KATER
English Title: MORPHO-SYNTACTIC FEATURES OF IRONY AS PROOF OF CROSSWRITING IN ERICH KÄSTNER’S PUSS IN BOOTS
Author(s): Liana-Mărioara Colban, Anita Andrea Széll
Abstract: Irony is a complex linguistic phenomenon that plays an important role in children’s literature. The use of irony in a children’s literary text opens up new possibilities for interpreting the text and also brings about an important change in the level of reception of the work, as it awakens not only the curiosity of the children but also the interest of the adults. The aim of this paper is to examine the forms of irony based on Erich Kästner’s fairy tale “Puss in Boots” and to discuss the role of morphology and syntax in generating irony. A detailed analysis of the morpho-syntactic elements of irony should show that Kästner’s text can be classified in the category of crosswriting. The paper also deals with the writing style of Kästner. Typical of the German author is that he has often made adaptations of famous works of children’s and young people’s literature. “Till Eulenspiegel”, “Münchhausen” and “Die Schildbürger” are adaptations that show that Kästner is interested in works that have the potential to be humorous. Earlier versions of the fairy tale “Puss in Boots” are also briefly mentioned in this paper to illustrate the popularity of the pre-text. Because Kästner’s text is an adaptation of the fairy tale of the Brothers Grimm, the following important terms are also to be explained: irony, humour and intertextuality. However, the article focuses mainly on the morpho-syntactic peculiarities of Kästner’s adaptation. Different grammatical categories such as modal particles, modal verbs, attributes and punctuation are examined in the paper and this analysis tries to determine to what extent they play a role in the manifestation of irony. Such an analysis opens up new perspectives and possibilities of interpretation of the fairy tale “Puss in Boots” by Kästner.
Keywords: irony, humor, crosswriting, Puss in Boots, adaptation, morphology, syntax.
Pagination: 109-128
Title: DIE SPRACHE UND DAS PHÄNOMEN HÖFLICHKEIT AM BEISPIEL EINES YOUTUBE-INTERVIEWS
English Title: THE LANGUAGE AND THE PHENOMENON OF POLITENESS IN THE CONTEXT OF A YOUTUBE INTERVIEW
Author(s): Gëzim Xhaferri, Biljana Ivanovska
Abstract: The aim of this paper is the language analysis of an online-YouTube-interview, where the politeness is defined as a sociocultural entity. In this paper, the most influential theories of politeness are presented and the concept of face is explained. In addition to this, it presents in detail the difference between the positive and negative politeness. The data shows that politeness influences the choice of language means and how the language means can change the communicative situation where the functions of language means in adapting language are illustrated and shown.The results are based on an online-YouTube-interview which is analyzed linguistically by defining and showing the relationship between the participants in the given communication. It also shows how the speakers adapt the politeness forms in relation to the conversation partner. The analysis of the language of the moderator and the guest confirms the assumption that the language is related to the situational context and that the speakers adapt their language depending on the communicative situation, which has been shown by the tendency of the moderator and the interviewed guest to reduce distance, through the use of interpersonal discourse markers as well as other language means.
Keywords: Interview; politeness; language elements; emotional intensifiers.
Pagination: 129-140
Title: „DEUTSCH FÜR AKADEMISCHE ZWECKE“ IM BACHELOR-STUDIUM AN DER UNIVERSITÄT IOANNINA IN GRIECHENLAND: ERGEBNISSE DER BEFRAGUNG DER STUDIERENDEN ZUM ERLERNEN DER DEUTSCHEN FACHSPRACHE
English Title: “GERMAN FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES” IN BACHELOR STUDIES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF IOANNINA IN GREECE: RESULTS OF A QUESTIONNAIRE ON STUDENTS’ VIEWS ON LEARNING GERMAN SCIENTIFIC TERMINOLOGY
Author(s): Ioanna Katerini
Abstract: In the faculties of medicine and psychology at the University of Ioannina, Greece, German courses are held for learning specific, academic terminology. In addition, language courses for German as a foreign language (levels A1 to B1) are offered during Bachelor studies. Due to the increasing interest of students in learning German language for special, academic purposes, a questionnaire survey was carried out to discover the opinions and needs of the students regarding the methodological process of teaching German for academic purposes and the difficulties in learning the German terminology. A questionnaire survey with 135 undergraduate students-participants from all faculties of the University of Ioannina, Greece was conducted. The participants were asked whether they considered German technical language to be important for their studies, why they wanted to learn German terminology, which year of their Bachelor-studies would be the most appropriate for them to learn it in, and which teaching materials were considered as the more effective for learning. In addition, the respondents were asked to mention difficulties in learning German for academic purposes and to make suggestions that could help enrich methodologically and didactically the German-terminology courses.
Keywords: German technical language; German for academic purposes; views from students in Greece.
Pagination: 141-153
Title: MARIE-ANNE CHÂTEAUREYNAUD / PETER JOHN (Editors): LSP TEACHER TRAINING SUMMER SCHOOL. THE TRAILS PROJECT
Author(s): Andrea Hamburg
Abstract: Book Review
Keywords: Book Review
Pagination: 155-158
