Volume 1, issue 1 by IJHCS IJHCS
When Libya joined the Arab Spring in 2011 it did so in reaction to the success of Tunisia and Egy... more When Libya joined the Arab Spring in 2011 it did so in reaction to the success of Tunisia and Egypt ousting their leaders. However, Libya's foray into revolution was different in that the Libyan people had spent 42 years under the frightening rule of Gaddafi, in an era rife with the fear of who was watching and reporting, and a general consensus that to speak out was to accept the fate of imprisonment or death. Due to the years of repression, the Libyans did not put themselves into situations, like Tahrir Square, wherein they knew they would be slaughtered. Instead, they organized themselves and in short order seemed to have developed a military mentality in order to survive. Their struggle was enabled, in part, by NATO strikes. But another difference from the other two rebellions was how the Libyan revolution blended the old with the new. Technology and modernity did play a role in the ability of the uprising to take hold, but the icons which were chosen to help rally the masses, included the old flag and Omar Mukhtar's photograph. Both of these harkened back to the Libyan's earlier revolt against the Italians and their hard-won independence in 1951. Both looked to a pre-Gaddafi era in the country's past. This article looks at how the Libyan uprising differed from that of Tunisia and Egypt, and how this particular rebellion was a revolution. Furthermore, it discusses the catalysts for the uprising and the role of the "Arab street" in giving the masses a place to express their rage with the Gaddafi regime.
For decades, the historical and political ramifications of the Palestinian / Israeli dispute not ... more For decades, the historical and political ramifications of the Palestinian / Israeli dispute not only created hostility between the Arabs and the Jews but also undermined the possibility of initiating a mutual dialogue between the two peoples. This paper aims to re-historicize the literary representation of the Jew in postmodern Arabic / Palestinian fiction dealing with the Palestinian question to illuminate controversial issues integral to both sides of the conflict. The paper argues that Palestinian authors particularly the great Palestinian writer, Ghassan Kanafani, provided counter-narratives deploying positive Jewish images in his literary works -in the post 1948 era-challenging orthodox and conservative Arabic discourse paving the way for a new era of sympathetic Jewish literary images in Arabic literature. In Returning to Haifa: Palestine's Children, the writer not only incorporates Palestinian suffering and displacementas in traditional Arabic literature -but also engages the Jewish history of diaspora and genocide. In other words, Kanafani in Returning to Haifa: Palestine's Children attempts to underline human issues of common interest for the two partners in the conflict foreshadowing the political agenda of his literary works.
Through the various lines along which the community is divided emerges a nuanced image of the bla... more Through the various lines along which the community is divided emerges a nuanced image of the black community in which blackness is an ontological category, not to be tied down to ugly, beautiful or any other specifics.
It is probably true to say that most learners of a foreign or a second language fail to achieve t... more It is probably true to say that most learners of a foreign or a second language fail to achieve their aim of native-like competence. Advanced Tunisian English Learners (ATEL) are an example; they faced problems to speak accurately due to inability to permanently correct persistent errors. This condition has become known as fossilization. This paper focuses on the fossilized pronunciation of the schwa sound in the speech of ATEL. It analyses the problem and propounds the factors behind this phenomenon.
Rites and rituals related to major events of human life like birth, marriage and death are preval... more Rites and rituals related to major events of human life like birth, marriage and death are prevalent from the infancy of human race in the world. The celebration of suchlike events varies as well as conforms in relation to the region, religion, language, class, caste and gender. In all communities around the world the birth of a child is considered as a blessing and ceremonies are held to celebrate this event. It seems as a moment of joy and happiness in the life of spouses and family members and they share it with their relatives and colleagues. However the celebrations regarding the birth of a child are conducted in multiple ways according to time and space. Post and pre delivery periods of pregnancy of a woman are also going through certain rites and rituals in various societies and religions. Here I try to scrutinize the major celebrations, rites and rituals of pre and post delivery period of a woman and child birth in a middle class Muslim family of Malabar through the textual narrations and sociological interpretations.
. In this essay, I argue that in addition to two haunting settings, an apparition, and an atypica... more . In this essay, I argue that in addition to two haunting settings, an apparition, and an atypical villain, the author adapts the gothic mode in depicting the danger caused by the disempowered, aimless, and intractable Hugo Montmorency. Following in the prose footprints of prior Irish writers Sheridan Le Fanu and Bram Stoker, Bowen portrays Hugo Montmorency to suggest the dark, parasitic danger of suppressed masculine aggression upon modern women's lives and the Irish family unit.
The proverb goes, Jack of all trades, master of none. Everybody laughs at Jack for his superficia... more The proverb goes, Jack of all trades, master of none. Everybody laughs at Jack for his superficial knowledge but laughs for John (say) for his mastery. But today's master becomes a novice tomorrow due to fast advancement of knowledge and technology. Modern age is the age of interdisciplinary approach viz., Biophysics, Biochemistry, Psychophysiology, etc. As such present day master must have knowledge in different subjects. Expertise in one discipline renders him a marginal player. So today's master is Jack but not John. Thus we have pleaded for Jack the present day master but not John as others do. In some culture the phrase, "Jack of all trades" signifies superficial knowledge being Jack "master of none". But in some societies the phrase has different resonance, where "Jack of all trades" is generally considered a very positive trait and it is assumed that a Jack of all trades is someone who has, in fact, mastered those trades.
Volume 1, Issue 2 by IJHCS IJHCS
Educational technologies are becoming increasingly important and promise to change the way studen... more Educational technologies are becoming increasingly important and promise to change the way students learn and teachers teach. However, technology has been around in language teaching for decades. For example, the blackboard, as a form of technology, has been used for centuries. Tape recorders, language labs and videos have been in use since the 1960s and 1970s, and are still used in classrooms around the world (Dudeny and Hockly, 2008).
The use of technology in the classroom is becoming increasingly important for the presentation of authentic materials and hopefully it will become a normal part of ELT practice in the coming years. Yet teacher training programs often ignore training in the use of ICT, and teachers are often far less skilled than their own students when it comes to using current technology.
This paper reports on technology in language teaching and the relation between technology and authentic materials. Particular emphases will be also placed on the lack of technology in our education system in general and the language centers in particular.
Key words: technology, authenticity, advantages, attitudes
Abstract
In this article, we deal with the long standing issue of the role of translation in lan... more Abstract
In this article, we deal with the long standing issue of the role of translation in language learning. Previously, it has been ruled out as, at best, inapplicable and, at worst damaging. Recent researches have tried to rebut these arguments proving how that for a language learning process, translations can prove to be quite helpful. This paper utilizes the existing researches and proposed models, however sporadic and scattered as they are, as well as the authors’ experiences in the fields of EFL and translation teaching. A language-learning-centred-translation practice is pressed for as the need for a clear description to highlight the applicability of translation in language teaching is immediate. After studying the existing work and correlating it to findings through experience, it can be concluded that translation when made recourse to in a proper language learning setting and within a well-set framework, can prove very useful.
Keywords: Pedagogical Translation, Language Learning and Teaching, Grammar Translation, Direct Method, Language-learning-centred-translation
In this article, I present the Transformational Model of Textual Activity (TMTA). It has been anc... more In this article, I present the Transformational Model of Textual Activity (TMTA). It has been anchored in Bhaskar´s critical realism. It is divided in four parts. Firstly, I outline elements of critical realism philosophy, discussing in particular the necessity of considering the ontology in the social sciences. Secondly, I present the methodological approach of critical discourse analysis and its relevance to critical social research. Thirdly, I illustrate a Transformational Model of Textual Activity, analyzing a text. And finally, I consider this approach to language to teacher education and social emancipation.
Key words: Transformational Model of Social Activity; Critical Realism; Critical Discourse Analysis; Transformational Model of Textual Activity
The act of writing, owing to the permanence it craves, may be said to be in continuous interactio... more The act of writing, owing to the permanence it craves, may be said to be in continuous interaction with the temporal flow of time. It continues to stimulate questions and open up avenues for discussion. Writing people, events and relationships into existence is a way of negotiating with the illusory. But writing falters. This paper attempts a reading of Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne in terms of power politics through the lens of the manipulation of written codes and inscriptions in the film. Identities and cultures are constructed through inscriptions and writings. But in the wrong hands, this medium of communication which has the potential to bring people together may wreck havoc on the social and political system. Writing, or the misuse of it, in the case of the film, reveals the nature of reality as provisional. If writing gives a seal of authenticity to a message, it can also become the casualty of its own creation.
Key words: Inscription, Power, Politics, Writing, Social system
Partly drawing on the postmodern theories formulated by Jean-Francois Lyotard, Fredric Jameson an... more Partly drawing on the postmodern theories formulated by Jean-Francois Lyotard, Fredric Jameson and Roland Barthes and partly treading on language theories developed by methodologists, curriculum specialists such as Patrick Slattery and Larsen-Freeman, I contend that postmodern language and literature pedagogy is characterized by the death of teacher, incredulity towards methodologies and blurring the binary opposition between teachers and students. Postmodern pedagogy deconstructs the notion of the teacher as the centre of epistemology, the authority and the controller. Student based learning becomes the focus of the classroom that dislocates the role and place of teacher from the centre of classroom to margin. The postmodern teacher provokes conversation and poses questions to the class. However, students eventually solve the problem as a group, blurring the hierarchical relation between instructors and learners.
Key Words: Pedagogy, postmodern, methodology, eclecticism, pastiche, metanarratives
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Volume 1, issue 1 by IJHCS IJHCS
Volume 1, Issue 2 by IJHCS IJHCS
The use of technology in the classroom is becoming increasingly important for the presentation of authentic materials and hopefully it will become a normal part of ELT practice in the coming years. Yet teacher training programs often ignore training in the use of ICT, and teachers are often far less skilled than their own students when it comes to using current technology.
This paper reports on technology in language teaching and the relation between technology and authentic materials. Particular emphases will be also placed on the lack of technology in our education system in general and the language centers in particular.
Key words: technology, authenticity, advantages, attitudes
In this article, we deal with the long standing issue of the role of translation in language learning. Previously, it has been ruled out as, at best, inapplicable and, at worst damaging. Recent researches have tried to rebut these arguments proving how that for a language learning process, translations can prove to be quite helpful. This paper utilizes the existing researches and proposed models, however sporadic and scattered as they are, as well as the authors’ experiences in the fields of EFL and translation teaching. A language-learning-centred-translation practice is pressed for as the need for a clear description to highlight the applicability of translation in language teaching is immediate. After studying the existing work and correlating it to findings through experience, it can be concluded that translation when made recourse to in a proper language learning setting and within a well-set framework, can prove very useful.
Keywords: Pedagogical Translation, Language Learning and Teaching, Grammar Translation, Direct Method, Language-learning-centred-translation
Key words: Transformational Model of Social Activity; Critical Realism; Critical Discourse Analysis; Transformational Model of Textual Activity
Key words: Inscription, Power, Politics, Writing, Social system
Key Words: Pedagogy, postmodern, methodology, eclecticism, pastiche, metanarratives