Journal of Professional Communication and English Studies

Instructed Second Language Acquisition in Chinese as First Language English as Foreign Language in Secondary Schools

Liping Chen, Weijia Hou — Sat, 24 May 2025 00:00:00 +0700

In the field of second language acquisition, there have long been theoretical divisions and practical disputes between explicit and implicit instructions. Explicit instruction focuses on rule explanations but neglects language application, while implicit instruction emphasizes natural acquisition but lacks systematism. In order to complement the advantages of the two teaching methods, this study attempts to propose an integrated framework of implicit and explicit instructions based on Ellis's instructional model (2024), consisting of four parts: integration of teaching objective, integration of teaching content, integration of methodology, and integration of assessment. The current study tries to bridge the gap between explicit and implicit teaching approaches for effectively enhancing the teaching efficiency of foreign language classes in secondary schools. This current study provides a new theoretical perspective for the study of second language teaching approaches and offers an operational implementation path for classroom teaching practice. In the future, its applicability in different contexts can be further verified through empirical research.

Gothic Terms and Their Indonesian Translation Methods in Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Masque of the Red Death”

Dedi Jasrial, Yelliza Yelliza — Sat, 24 May 2025 00:00:00 +0700

Gothic terms in the short story “The Masque of the Red Death,” which was translated into “Setan Merah” by Edgar Allan Poe, are crucial to examine to understand how the translator rendered these terms into Indonesian. This is because these Gothic terms carry elements of the supernatural, terror, mysticism, horror, dread, and apparitions. Short stories containing Gothic elements were commonly found in the 18th and 19th centuries. This research aims to analyze the Gothic terms and translation methods present in the short story “The Masque of the Red Death,” by Edgar Allan Poe translated by Maggie Tiojakin into Setan Merah, published by Gramedia Pustaka in the book Kisah-Kisah Tengah Malam (Midnight Tales). The research method employed is descriptive qualitative. The data were analyzed qualitatively using the theories of Cherry (2009) for gothic terms and Harvey and Higgins (2002) for translation methods. The results of the data analysis show that the Gothic terms found in the short story Setan Merah are in the form of adjectives, nouns, verbs, and adverbs. Furthermore, the translation methods used by the translator are exotism, calque, and communicative translation. Gothic terms in the form of adjectives are the most frequently found. Meanwhile, the most prevalent method used is communicative translation. In conclusion, the translation of the short story Setan Merah contains numerous Gothic terms that support the narrative and are translated into communicative language, resulting in a translation with accurate meaning corresponding to the source text.

The impact of Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) on EFL learner’s Engagement in Speaking Courses

Watcharaphong Soongpankhao, Zhou Yuxin — Sat, 24 May 2025 00:00:00 +0700

This study investigates the impact of Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) on learner engagement in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) speaking courses. The research focused on how TBLT influences students’ active participation, motivation, and oral language development. A quasi-experimental research design was employed, involving 63 second-semester students from the English for Professional Communication course. The experimental group received instruction using task-based methods, while the control group followed conventional teaching approaches. Data were gathered through pre- and post-speaking performance tests, semi-structured interviews with instructors, and student perception questionnaires. Quantitative findings indicated no statistically significant differences between the two groups; however, qualitative data revealed notable improvements in fluency, reduced usage of fillers, and increased speaking confidence among students exposed to TBLT. Instructors also reported higher levels of student engagement and interaction during TBLT sessions. The study concludes that TBLT holds considerable promise for enhancing learner engagement and speaking competence in EFL settings, particularly in vocational education contexts.

Demystifying Students' Observance and Violation of Gricean Maxims in Online ESL Classes

Cailvin Reyes — Sat, 24 May 2025 00:00:00 +0700

The Gricean maxim construct remains a focal point of linguistic research today. According to Bakoko & Pratiwi (2021), the Cooperative Principle is one of the central guidelines facilitating effective language learning. Language teachers must understand how students communicate and the issues they encounter. This study examines conversations between teachers and students in online ESL classes, focusing on students' observance and violations of Gricean maxims and the implicatures drawn from their utterances. Using a qualitative research design, the researcher transcribed five recorded synchronous ESL discussions in a higher education institution. The transcribed conversations were analyzed to determine observance or violation of Grice’s maxims. Findings indicate that students violated all Gricean Maxims—Quantity, Quality, Relevance, and Manner—during interactions. The maxim of Manner was the most observed, while the maxim of Quantity was the most frequently violated. Interestingly, the maxim of Quality showed no violations across the 48 conversations analyzed. The study suggests that implicatures resulting from violations could be leveraged to enhance pedagogical strategies.

Anatomizing Taylor Swift’s ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’ Album

Leizl Bagasbas, Sophia Cuadro, Earl Shaun Cartier Ventura Luares — Sat, 24 May 2025 00:00:00 +0700

This qualitative study examines the parallelism in 21 songs from Taylor Swift's '1989 (Taylor's Version)' album at the morphological-lexical and phonological levels, as well as the figurative languages used. The study has two research questions: (1) What are the occurring parallelisms in the album in terms of Morphological–Lexical level and Phonological Level? (2) What are the different types of figurative languages employed? Content analysis was used to determine morpheme, word, and phrase repetition, while Cambridge Dictionary was used to identify assonance, alliteration, and consonance repetition. Inter-coding was also used. The study is grounded in Leech and Short's Foregrounding Theory and Perrine's Figurative Language Theory. Word repetition was the most frequent, followed by morpheme repetition. The findings revealed that Taylor Swift employed parallelisms in the said album such as morpheme, word, and phrase repetition. The word repetition got the highest frequency number with two hundred fifty-one (251), followed by morpheme repetition with one hundred sixty-seven (167) frequency number. The top five most prevalent figurative languages in the songs were metaphor, hyperbole, paradox, simile, and personification. The current study is presented using a formalist perspective, the study suggests using a different lens of analysis—the functionalist approach.

Churchscapes: A Multimodal Discourse Analysis of Signage in Selected Catholic Churches in Rinconada

Sat, 24 May 2025 00:00:00 +0700

This study analyzed the different signage in selected churches of Rinconada using the Theory of Public Signage by Bernard Spolsky. Its purpose is to explore the language choices, functional aspects, and communicative effectiveness of the public signage found within these religious institutions. Through rigorous review of related literature, it was found that there is a limited study of churchscapes in the local context which is the gap that this research aims to address. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining both qualitative and quantitative data to be collected and analyzed. The results indicated a significant amount of Informative signage in every selected church in Rinconada. This reflects the rules, expected behavior of parishioners, and a reminder of the sanctity of the religious spaces. Furthermore, thematic analysis of the gathered data revealed that church sign-makers in Rinconada often use the English language and Rinconada dialect variants as the language medium of their signage. The findings suggest that using English, Tagalog, and Rinconada language in the public signage that were identified helped parishioners to comply with the rules and regulations in the church’s premises. The study’s results have implications for the comprehension of public signage in religious establishments.

Interactional Metadiscourse Markers Used in Opinion Articles of Rappler on Charter Change

Sandara Hermosa Reyes — Sat, 24 May 2025 00:00:00 +0700

The study aimed at identifying interactional metadiscourse markers utilized in the opinion articles of Rappler on charter change. Following the framework of Interpersonal Metadiscourse Model proposed by Hyland in 2005, three (3) opinion articles were selected to be examined and analyzed in the lens of Corpus- Assisted Discourse Analysis. Accumulated the highest metadiscourse markers present in the 3 opinion articles are the Engagement articles with 69 frequencies with 9 metadiscourse markers which fulfills the process of negotiation. Attitude Markers acquired 1 occurrence which has the lowest frequency among all metadiscourses. These interactional metadiscourse markers identified paved the understanding of using metadiscourse markers to express the opinions, stance, and the usage of these markers to attain persuasive goals.

Food for Thought: A Gricean Pragmatic Analysis in the CSPC Canteen

Sat, 24 May 2025 00:00:00 +0700

This study explores the everyday conversations between vendors and customers in the Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges (CSPC) canteen, focusing on how these interactions follow or break Grice’s Conversational Maxims. It also looks at the conversational implicatures that emerge during these exchanges. Using a qualitative approach, the researchers analyzed recorded dialogues to identify recurring communication patterns. Although many studies have explored Grice’s theory in formal or classroom settings, few have applied it to real-life, transactional environments like school canteens. This research fills that gap by showing how ordinary conversations reflect or challenge key principles in pragmatics. The findings help explain how meaning is created, negotiated, or implied in routine interactions, thereby offering insights into how language works in practical, day-to-day situations.

Decoding Digital Humor: An Analysis of the CSPC Shitposting’s Facebook Page through the Lens of the Gricean Maxims

Sat, 24 May 2025 00:00:00 +0700

The relevance of meme culture in today’s generation together with the advancement of technology has transformed communication. Humor which represents expression and triggers emotional response appeals to the amusing quality of utterances. In real-life context, speakers often intentionally violate maxims to express their thoughts in unique ways to evoke laughter and arouse certain effects. This paper explores how the comments of Facebook users in a humorous post in the CSPC Shitposting Facebook page creates meaning and analyzes what Gricean maxims were frequently violated. The paper also aims to investigate how memes are perceived on digital platforms, providing deeper analysis of these utterances. The study was conducted using a qualitative discourse analysis research method to analyze the language used and, identify the flouted maxims. Following the study, the researchers discovered that when people use language to make humor, they typically violate the maxims of quantity and quality garnering a percentage of 31.57%, which undermines the language's impact. This offers a logical response to the question of how humans employ figures of speech, such as hyperbole, to produce hilarious statements. Furthermore, the researchers found out that Filipinos use a variety of different humor styles containing messages in a concealed manner, rather than being straightforward. Filipino online communication style is a mixed language of English and the local language, Taglish, where the use of slangs and abbreviations are evident. This underscores the intricacies of the usage of humor in language where violating Grice’s maxim becomes a linguistic tool rather than a communicative flaw.

Lexicon in Self-Harming among Adolescents: A Social Praxis Study of Ideological Dimension from an Eco-Linguistic Perspective

Vonny Ardiel, Hamdiah Hamdiah, Nova Arikhman — Sat, 24 May 2025 00:00:00 +0700

This study investigates the lexicon of self-harming among adolescents within the context of Role Player Real Life (RPRL) activities on social media platforms such as Twitter and Telegram. RPRL, a practice in which adolescents assume fictional or anonymized identities, has emerged as a digital space where emotional expression, including self-harming discourse, is normalized and ideologically reinforced. Using an eco-linguistic perspective and the dialectical model of communication proposed by Bang and Døør (1993), the study examines how language functions both as a product and a medium of social praxis, particularly in shaping adolescent behavior and mental health. Data were collected through textual analysis, interviews, and focus group discussions with students from SMAN 1 X Koto, Kabupaten Tanah Datar, Indonesia. The findings reveal a wide range of self-harm-related lexicon, such as “cutting,” “barcode,” and “overdose,”—that serve as communicative tools within these digital communities. Contributing factors include psychological distress, peer influence, and social media dynamics. The study also explores interventions such as dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), anti-ligature clothing, and self-love campaigns. The results underscore the need for comprehensive mental health strategies that consider the linguistic and ecological contexts of adolescent digital behavior.