Journal of Modern Languages

Editorial

2023-10-03T12:24:32+08:00

In this first issue of Volume 33, we delve into the rich tapestry of linguistic diversity and academic discourse, showcasing a range of studies that shed light on various facets of language use, maintenance, and communication. The collection of articles in this issue offers valuable insights into the ever-evolving world of language.

The first article in our lineup, Language Shift and Maintenance: A Case Study of the Telugu Community in Bagan Datoh, Perak (Malaysia), takes us to Bagan Datoh, Perak, where the Telugu language, despite being a minority language in Malaysia, continues to thrive in specific domains. This case study illuminates the dynamics of language choice among different generations and provides hope for the revitalization of Telugu among the younger generation.

The second article, Metadiscourse Markers in Abstracts of Linguistics and Literature Research Articles from Scopus-Indexed Journals, shifts our focus to the world of academic writing, specifically the use of metadiscourse markers in abstracts. It highlights the crucial role these markers play in structuring and presenting research arguments. The comparative analysis between linguistics and literature abstracts provides valuable insights into disciplinary differences in the use of these markers.

Our third article, An Exploratory Analysis of Linking Adverbials Used by Filipino, Pakistani, and Thai Writers of English, undertakes a contrastive interlanguage analysis, shedding light on how students from the Philippines, Pakistan, and Thailand use linking adverbials in their English academic writing. The importance of understanding the distinct production tendencies of various English varieties is emphasised in this article.

Turning to a sensitive topic in the Malaysian context, the fourth article, Female Circumcision in Malaysia: Challenges and Lessons Learned in Using Focus Groups through an NGO-Academia Collaboration, explores female circumcision and the challenges faced in conducting research on this subject. It highlights the collaborative efforts between academia and a local NGO, offering valuable insights into data collection via focus group discussions.

The fifth article, Prosodic Marking of New and Given Information in English and Mandarin by Chinese Speakers, ventures into the realm of prosody and its impact on language comprehension. Focusing on Chinese English as a Foreign Language learners, it investigates how Mandarin influences the prosodic marking of new and given information in English, shedding light on potential areas of misunderstanding.

Our final article, Privacy Policy Pop-up: A Genre Analysis of Journal Websites’ HTTP Cookies, takes a dive into the world of online privacy and transparency. It analyses the communication of transparency through HTTP cookies on academic journal websites, uncovering the rhetorical strategies employed to inform users about data privacy.

In this diverse collection of articles, we invite readers to explore the multifaceted world of language and academic discourse. Each study offers unique insights into the complexities of communication and the richness of linguistic diversity. We hope this issue serves as a valuable resource for scholars, researchers, and language enthusiasts alike, encouraging further exploration and understanding of these vital aspects of our academic and cultural landscape.

Last but not least, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to all the contributors, reviewers and readers of this Journal. My special thanks also go to all the members of the Editorial Board and Advisory Board for their significant contributions.

Editorial Board
Prof. Dr. Stefanie Pillai
A.P. Dr. Paolo Coluzzi
A.P. Kim Keum Hyun
Dr. Azlin Zaiti Zainal
Dr. Charity Lee Chin Ai
Dr. Ng Lee Luan
Dr. Noor Aqsa Nabila binti Mat Isa
Dr. Soh Siak Bie (journal manager)
Dr. Thanalachime Perumal

International Advisory Board
Prof. Dr. Richard Fitzgerald (University of Macau, China)
Prof. Dr. Stephen Hall (Sunway University, Malaysia)
Prof. Dr. Jan Hardman (University of York, United Kingdom)
Prof. Dr. Jason Miin-Hwa Lim (Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Malaysia)
Prof. Dr. Dennis Tay (The Hong Kong Polytechnic University)
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Shirley Dita (De La Salle University, Philippines)
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Michelle M. Lazar (National University of Singapore, Singapore)
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Jonathan Newton (Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand)
Dr. Mário Pinharanda-Nunes (University of Macau, China)

The future issues of this Journal will be in the capable hands of Prof. Dr. Stefanie Pillai, whom I believe will be able to lead the Journal to greater heights.

P.S.: An Appendix with a compilation of highlighted articles from the past five years is also included here for your reference.

Language Shift and Maintenance: A Case Study of the Telugu Community in Bagan Datoh, Perak (Malaysia)

2023-05-27T17:16:47+08:00

Telugu is an official language, commonly spoken in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, India. Despite being one of the largest languages in the world, it is a minority language in Malaysia. Majority of the Telugus who migrated, settled in the plantation estates i.e Bagan Datoh, Perak (known as a Telugu heritage site). This study employs domain analysis to find out language choice in home, social, entertainment, religious and official domains among the younger and older generation as well as their language attitude. This study uses mixed methods. Questionnaire surveys were accompanied by interviews and focus groups discussions. Language shift is observed in literacy but being revitalized among the youngest generation. In spoken language, Telugu is well maintained especially in the home domain, coexisting with other languages in a diglossic relationship. Positive attitude towards mother tongue and revitalization endeavors demonstrate a favorable influence on the maintenance of the Telugu language in Bagan Datoh.

Metadiscourse Markers in Abstracts of Linguistics and Literature Research Articles from Scopus-Indexed Journals

2023-05-27T17:31:02+08:00

An abstract is generally a condensed version of a much lengthier research article (RA). It plays a crucial role in academic writing by initially grabbing the readers’ attention. A well-crafted abstract can greatly increase an RA’s chances of being published. Metadiscourse markers, which extend beyond the actual information being presented, provide significant assistance in textual organisation and interaction. However, less attention has been paid to the use of these markers in the abstracts of RAs within the field of linguistics and literature from Scopus-indexed journals. Therefore, this paper first investigated how authors presented their arguments in the abstracts by deploying interactive and interactional markers, and then it delved into the occurrence frequency of both types of markers in linguistics and literature corpora. A total of 100 English RA abstracts were selected for this study. The linguistics and literature corpus each contained 50 RA abstracts taken from three open-access Scopus-indexed journals. Based on Hyland’s (2005) interpersonal model of metadiscourse, an analysis of the identification and frequency of metadiscourse markers was conducted. A comparison was also drawn between the linguistics and literature RA abstracts. The findings showed that the abstracts from both corpora employed more interactive markers than interactional markers. Regarding the interactive markers, a similar tendency of using transitions was detected. However, the difference lay in the frequency of the other four types of markers between the two corpora. In the interactional category, boosters emerged as the most prominent markers while engagement markers were the least frequent in both corpora. The difference was mainly in the occurrence of self-mentions. The results of this study highlight the disciplinary awareness of metadiscourse markers in RA abstracts and offer a practical guide for scholars to utilise these cues and indicators in academic writing.

An Exploratory Analysis of Linking Adverbials Used by Filipino, Pakistani, and Thai Writers of English

2023-05-18T16:46:44+08:00

The current study provides a Contrastive Interlanguage Analysis (CIA) of linking adverbials (e.g., furthermore, in conclusion, on the other hand) in the second language (L2) English academic writing of post-secondary students from three countries: the Philippines, Pakistan, and Thailand. This analysis makes use of 80 essays from each of these three first language (L1) groups by way of data sourced from the International Corpus Network of Asian Learner English (ICNALE); we eschew the use of a native speaker control group in response to recent critiques of the native speaker fallacy. Quantitative and qualitative analyses revealed several noteworthy production tendencies which distinguish each English variety. These include a generally low frequency of linking adverbial tokens by Filipino writers of English, as well as a comparatively narrow range of linking adverbial types by Pakistani writers of English. In terms of functional category differences, Thai writers displayed a relatively high frequency of listing devices while Pakistani writers showed a low frequency of appositional linking adverbials, and a high frequency of resultative linking adverbials. Methodological and pedagogical implications of these findings are discussed.

Female Circumcision in Malaysia: Challenges and Lessons Learned in Using Focus Groups through an NGO-Academia Collaboration

2023-07-09T22:22:47+08:00

Female circumcision is a relatively understudied topic in the Malaysian context. It is also a topic that is considered sensitive due to its strong association with culture and religion. This paper explores the challenges and lessons learned from a larger project that focuses on the discourse analysis of female circumcision in Malaysia. The project involves collaborative work with a local NGO that works on the advancement of Muslim women’s rights in Malaysia. This paper outlines the processes involved in data collection via focus group discussions and is written as a reflexive exercise based on the recommendations proposed by Olmos-Vega et al. (2023). This reflexive paper on the methodological challenges and lessons learned from the collaboration offers insights that can help other researchers make a more informed research choices on working on collaborative research and on the use of focus groups as a method of data collection.

Prosodic Marking of New and Given Information in English and Mandarin by Chinese Speakers

2023-08-15T09:21:42+08:00

Second-language speakers have been found to face difficulties marking prosodic features of new and given information in English. Chinese English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners speak English with a different intonation from L1 speakers, which can lead to misunderstanding. However, there is a dearth of research on the prosodic marking of new and given information by Chinese English speakers and on the extent to which Mandarin might influence the marking of new and given information. To fill this research gap, an empirical study of the prosodic features of English and Mandarin was conducted using a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods to investigate the prosodic marking of new and given information in English and Mandarin by Chinese speakers. The results show that the prosodic marking of new and given information in English and Mandarin was similar with new information having a longer duration and a larger pitch range.

Privacy Policy Pop-up: A Genre Analysis of Journal Websites’ HTTP Cookies

2022-10-17T23:45:42+08:00

Online users are made to believe that they have control over their data privacy through the selection of website cookie options. Due to transparency requirements, policies to protect online users focus on giving them more control over their data privacy. This study examines how transparency is communicated through HTTP cookies found on academic journal websites. The analysis aims to uncover the communicative practice of this web-mediated disclosure genre through the rhetorical moves and linguistic features presented in the statements. A total of ten HTTP cookies from online journals are gathered based on random selection for this analysis. The findings revealed four obligatory moves and seven optional steps. The study also finds the use of active voice, action verbs, and self-reference pronouns to be common in the statements to realise the rhetorical function of transparency in HTTP cookies. A consistent genre pattern can be seen throughout the websites which shows the adherence to regulatory requirements while maintaining unique ways of presenting the HTTP cookies.