International Journal of Linguistics and Translation Studies

The Effect of Generative AI-Assisted Feedback on EFL Students’ Writing Performance

2026-04-27T11:48:16-04:00

The integration of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education has introduced new possibilities for enhancing formative assessment practices, particularly in language learning contexts. In EFL classrooms, providing individualized and timely feedback on writing remains a persistent challenge due to teacher workload and limited instructional time. Generative AI systems offer potential support by producing immediate, structured feedback that may assist students during the revision process. This study investigates the effect of AI-assisted formative feedback on the writing performance of second-year baccalaureate students in an EFL context. Adopting a one-group pretest–posttest quasi-experimental design, 20 students completed an in-class writing task under controlled conditions. Their handwritten texts were evaluated using an analytic scoring rubric, then processed through a generative AI system to generate structured feedback focusing on grammar accuracy, vocabulary use, organization, and coherence. After reviewing the AI-assisted feedback, students revised their drafts, which were subsequently re-evaluated using the same rubric. Data analysis included descriptive statistics to examine mean score differences and a paired-samples t-test to determine whether observed improvements were statistically significant. The study provides empirical insight into the pedagogical value of AI-assisted formative feedback and contributes to ongoing discussions regarding the responsible integration of generative AI in EFL writing instruction.

The Role of Online Dictionaries in EFL Learning within a Digitally Transformed Educational Context

2026-05-07T11:13:52-04:00

Educational digitalization has played a significant role in reshaping EFL teaching and learning, particularly in enhancing vocabulary development. The integration of information and communication technologies (ICT) has fostered more personalized, interactive, and autonomous learning environments, enabling learners to actively engage with language beyond classroom boundaries. Within this context, online dictionaries have emerged as essential digital tools supporting lexical development and learner agency. Unlike traditional print dictionaries, online dictionaries function as dynamic, multifunctional platforms that provide immediate access to definitions, phonetic transcriptions, audio pronunciation, authentic usage examples, collocations, frequency data, and corpus-based information. These features enable learners to conceptualize vocabulary as a multidimensional construct encompassing form, meaning, and use rather than isolated word-meaning pairs. Empirical research consistently indicates that dictionary use positively impacts second language vocabulary development, with online dictionaries often proving more effective than print versions due to their accessibility, multimodal support, and increased consultation frequency.

Composite Probing in Standard Arabic Preverbal Dependencies

2026-05-25T11:17:53-04:00

In this paper, we investigate whether Chen’s (2025) theory of composite probing can be generalized to Standard Arabic preverbal dependencies. Chen (2025) argues that there are some movements that are neither purely A-movement nor Ā-movement, but are instead triggered by the presence of a composite probe such as [φ + TOP] or [φ + FOC]. Standard Arabic has various types of preverbal dependencies, including VSO/SVO alternation, agreement asymmetry, case dependencies, null subjects, object fronting, wh-movement, and clitic left-dislocation. The results of this investigation indicate that Standard Arabic does exhibit behavior that is best described as composite probing, but only under a restricted formulation. Object fronting is the best candidate for composite A/Ā-movement, since the object of the fronted clause retains its case with the object of the sentence. However, subject movement in SVO clauses is better described as A-movement to Spec-TP, and clitic left-dislocation occurs through base-generation in the left periphery of the clause. The paper concludes that Standard Arabic does support the idea of composite probing as a type of derivational process for the language. Yet, a distinction should be made between A-movement, composite A/Ā-movement, pure Ā-movement, and any process of base-generating topics.

Examining Body Language as a Compensatory Semiotic Resource in EFL Classroom Discourse: A Sociolinguistic Perspective

2026-05-08T08:37:06-04:00

This study investigates the role of body language as a compensatory semiotic resource in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom discourse from a sociolinguistic perspective. The study conceptualizes classroom interaction as a multimodal process in which meaning is co-constructed through the dynamic interplay of linguistic and non-linguistic resources. The analysis focuses on how embodied actions—such as gestures, facial expressions, gaze, and posture—function to mitigate lexical and grammatical gaps, facilitate comprehension, and sustain interactional flow within instructional settings. Adopting a qualitative, discourse-analytic approach, the study examines naturally occurring classroom data, emphasizing patterns of nonverbal behavior that emerge alongside verbal communication. The findings indicate that body language operates mainly as an integral component of meaning-making, enabling both instructors and learners to negotiate understanding, clarify intent, and maintain communicative effectiveness in contexts of limited linguistic proficiency. Furthermore, the study highlights how these semiotic resources are shaped by sociocultural norms and interactional expectations embedded within the classroom environment. This research contributes to a more nuanced understanding of EFL discourse and challenges language-centric models of communication. The study also offers pedagogical implications, suggesting that greater awareness of embodied communication can enhance instructional practices and support more inclusive and effective language learning environments.

What Can We Learn from Good Moroccan Learners of English?

2026-05-03T10:43:16-04:00

One of the primary concerns of language teachers is to prepare their students to be life-long learners. To achieve this, they have numerous ways among which we can cite to instruct and train them on language learning strategies. Another considerable body of research has investigated these strategies employed by good language learners. This article, therefore, aims to investigate and explore how Moroccan good language learners successfully learned English. The three case studies are Moroccan students following their Master studies in Artificial Intelligence and Digital Computing in the Faculty of Sciences and Techniques, Beni Mellal. The find out what language learning strategies good Moroccan language learners use, the study adopted, in addition to informal observation, a questionnaire wherein these three participants: two males and one females, after being informally observed, responded to the use of multiple language learning strategies reported in the literature. The findings suggested that the three participants’ language learning strategies are diverse and that there were their own other creative ways of picking up English. Training and instructing ‘ineffective’ learners who belong to the same context going through nearly the same circumstances can bring about good language learning outcomes.

Social Distance, Directness, And Cultural-Cognitive Orientations in Student Requests

2026-06-05T11:26:41-04:00

This study aims to analyze the impact of social distance on the level of directness in the request acts of American and Vietnamese students, while simultaneously providing a preliminary examination of the role of cultural-cognitive orientations regarding social relationships and hierarchy. Methodologically, data from 94 students (45 American, 49 Vietnamese) were collected via 6 Discourse Completion Task (DCT) situations and Likert scales, and subsequently coded according to the CCSARP framework. The main results indicate that social distance had a strong negative effect on the level of directness (p < .001). American students consistently employed conventionally indirect strategies, whereas Vietnamese students preferred direct utterances in close relationships and gradually shifted toward indirectness as social distance increased. The interaction of cultural-cognitive orientations did not demonstrate a statistically significant moderating role. The study concludes that social distance is the central contextual variable governing politeness strategies. Therefore, practical recommendations emphasize the need to focus on context-recognition competence in intercultural pragmatics pedagogy, while concurrently refining the measurement instruments for cognitive structures in subsequent research.

Real-Time Analysis of Cognitive Writing Processes in EFL Undergraduates: A Keystroke Logging Study

2026-05-26T08:46:43-04:00

Research on second and foreign language writing has traditionally focused on the final written product, while the cognitive processes underlying text production remain less explored. This exploratory study investigates the real-time writing processes of Moroccan undergraduate learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) using keystroke logging technology. Five focal participants completed a timed argumentative writing task while their writing activity was recorded using Inputlog. Process indicators including active writing time, pause duration, revision activity, and production bursts were analyzed alongside the quality of the final texts. The findings revealed clear differences in writing profiles among participants. Writers who produced higher-quality texts demonstrated greater active writing time, shorter pause durations, and more frequent revision activity, whereas longer pauses and reduced revision behaviors were associated with lower writing performance. The study highlights the potential of keystroke logging as a process-oriented research tool for examining cognitive writing processes in EFL contexts.

A Rhetorical Analysis of Propaganda in George Orwell's Animal Farm

2026-06-24T18:41:06-04:00

Following studies on the prevalence of rhetoric and propaganda in political speeches and literary discourses, this study investigated the prevalence of rhetorical strategies and propaganda devices in Old Major's speech in George Orwell's Animal Farm. The study draws on Aristotle's Theory of Rhetoric (Griffin, 2000) and Edward and Miller's (1936) seven propaganda devices as its theoretical framework. Content analysis was used as the conceptual framework for data analysis. Findings from the study revealed that claim-justification and cause-and-effect reasoning anchored the logical reasoning in Old Major's speech. In addition, name-calling, glittering generalities, card stacking, and hypophora punctuated the propaganda devices in Old Major's speech. The study has implications for research, practice, and theory.

Word Order Variation and Focus Marking in Jordanian Arabic: A Syntax–Pragmatics Interface Study

2026-07-27T07:34:43-04:00

This article examines the relationship between word order variation and focus marking in Jordanian Arabic (JA) from the perspective of the syntax-pragmatics interface. Drawing on a corpus of naturalistic conversations, semi-structured interviews, and written dialectal texts, the study investigates how JA speakers exploit subject-initial, verb-initial, fronted, dislocated, interrogative, and elliptical constructions to organize information and foreground salient discourse material. The analysis shows that JA word order is flexible but patterned: SVO clauses most frequently support topic-comment organization, verb-initial clauses foreground events or changes of state, left dislocation and topicalization activate or re-activate referents, and wh-fronting, contrastive particles, negation, repetition, and evaluative predicates mark several types of focus. Quantitative distributional evidence from 4,090 coded clauses supports the qualitative finding that word order choices are not merely grammatical alternatives but discourse-sensitive strategies. This study argues that focus marking in JA is multi-cued: it emerges through the interaction of constituent order, discourse particles, recoverable subjects, clitic resumption, and contextual contrast. These findings contribute to Arabic dialectology, information-structure theory, and applied work in translation, language teaching, and Arabic natural language processing. The theoretical framing is grounded in information-structure theory and cartographic approaches to the left periphery (Lambrecht, 1994; Rizzi, 1997), while the interpretation of JA word order follows previous work on Arabic dialectal syntax and information structure (Benmamoun, 2000; Jarrah, 2019).

Reconfiguring Craft Knowledge Across Languages: Relational Meaning in Guizhou Batik Terminology

2026-07-24T09:43:24-04:00

This study examines how craft-related terminology functions beyond the level of individual terms in specialised translation, using Guizhou batik production terminology as a case study. It addresses the limited attention previously paid to the relational structures through which specialised craft knowledge is organised and transformed across languages. Adopting a qualitative, relation-oriented approach, the study analyses 51 production-related terms selected from four bilingual publications on Guizhou batik. The analysis focuses on three forms of relational organisation—process relations, role relations, and sequence structures—and compares how these relations are represented in the Chinese source contexts and their English translations. The findings show that Guizhou batik terminology constitutes an interconnected process-oriented system in which meaning emerges through relations among actions, tools, materials, participants, and production stages. In translation, these relations are frequently fragmented when process chains become separate procedural labels, functional interactions are reduced to isolated categories, and sequential structures are presented as descriptive listings. However, relational meaning is not simply lost. It is also reconfigured through object-based classifications, categorical stages, and inventory-like representations. The study therefore argues that specialised translation involves not only the transfer of individual terms but also the reorganisation of the relational structures through which domain knowledge is constructed and communicated. This relational perspective provides practical implications for translators and bilingual publishers seeking to represent procedural craft knowledge more coherently across languages.

Task-Based Learning in Moroccan Translation Education: A PACTE and EMT Competence Approach

2026-06-27T17:34:34-04:00

The evolving translation profession demands pedagogical approaches that prepare students for contemporary professional environments. While traditional teaching develops linguistic skills, it often fails to reflect the translation industry's rapid technological and methodological changes. Task-Based Learning (TBL) has emerged as a promising approach, centering authentic and meaningful tasks in the learning process. This article examines the integration of TBL into General Translation teaching for Moroccan Master's students through the PACTE Translation Competence Model and the European Master's in Translation (EMT) Competence Framework. Adopting a theoretical-conceptual methodology, this study explores the compatibility between TBL principles and contemporary translator education. Contextualizing translator training in Morocco, we propose a pedagogical framework for implementing task-based translation instruction within Master's programs. Ultimately, this article argues that TBL substantially contributes to developing translation competence, learner autonomy, technological literacy, and market-oriented skills, strengthening the alignment between translator education and the evolving demands of the Moroccan translation profession.

Exploring the Use of Discourse Markers in Students' Spoken Discourse

2026-07-08T15:03:18-04:00

Using discourse markers in speech is inevitable, as they characterize natural, spontaneous speech. However, excessive reliance on this compensatory strategy may affect both speakers and listeners. Grounded in the concept of strategic competence, this study investigates the frequency of discourse markers’ use among Moroccan EFL learners in spoken discourse. To achieve this, the occurrence of discourse markers was systematically quantified in participants' speech across different communicative contexts to determine their frequency of use. The findings indicated a tendency for discourse marker use to increase when learners discussed topics requiring less familiar domain-specific jargon. These findings contribute to a better understanding of strategic competence in the Moroccan context and offer insights into learners' spoken language production.

A Corpus Based Study on Tense Translation in Academic Discourse: French/English Theses Abstracts as a Case Study

2026-07-28T14:46:12-04:00

English verb tenses present significant challenges impacting both writing and translation into English by non-native speakers. This paper examines the translation of tenses from French to English in a corpus of 40 thesis abstracts across disciplines including biology, geology, physics, chemistry, and mathematics and computer sciences, submitted by Moroccan doctoral students with no prior training in translation. Drawing on Day’s (1995), Malcolm’s (1987), and Salager-Meyer’s (1992) functional frameworks, the study classifies each tense mismatch according to the rhetorical function it serves in scientific discourse. The analysis shows that most mismatches follow a recurring pattern in which a French passé composé reporting the students’ own methods, results, or attribution to prior research is rendered in the English present tense, blurring the distinction between the students’ specific findings and established disciplinary knowledge. These patterns point to gaps in genre awareness, rather than to general English proficiency alone. The findings of this analysis have the potential to significantly inform curriculum designers in the development of specialized language courses tailored to enhance the genre awareness, academic writing, and translation skills of multilingual doctoral students .

Personality Profiles Associated With Vulnerability to Substance Use Among Moroccan Middle School Students Aged 12–14 Years: An Exploratory Study Using the Substance Use Risk Profile Scale (SURPS)

2026-07-30T10:19:11-04:00

Early prevention of addictive behaviors requires a better understanding of individual differences that may increase adolescents’ vulnerability. The Substance Use Risk Profile Scale (SURPS) assesses four personality dimensions theoretically associated with distinct risk pathways: hopelessness, anxiety sensitivity, impulsivity, and sensation seeking. This cross-sectional, descriptive, and exploratory study aimed to describe these dimensions among Moroccan middle school students and to examine the internal consistency of the administered Arabic version. The sample included 150 students aged 12 to 14 years. Analyses comprised descriptive statistics, Cronbach’s alpha coefficients, comparisons by sex, age, and parents’ marital status, and correlations between subscales. The mean total SURPS score was 53.52 (SD = 8.28), with acceptable internal consistency for exploratory purposes (α = .70). When adjusted for the number of items, sensation seeking showed the highest mean (M/item = 2.83), followed by anxiety sensitivity (2.45), impulsivity (2.36), and hopelessness (1.79). Reliability was acceptable for hopelessness (α = .75), modest for anxiety sensitivity (α = .64), and low to modest for impulsivity (α = .55) and sensation seeking (α = .54). After correction for multiple comparisons, no sex difference remained statistically significant. No significant differences were found by age or parents’ marital status. Correlations between dimensions were small to moderate, with the strongest association observed between impulsivity and sensation seeking (r = .29). These findings provide an initial description of SURPS personality profiles in this Moroccan sample; however, they do not support conclusions regarding actual substance use, motives for use, or effects sought. Further psychometric validation in larger and more diverse samples is required.

Monitoring Post-Editing Habits of Student Translators via Screen-Recording

2026-08-06T06:19:39-04:00

In the era of high technology, translation as a profession has been digitized as a direct consequence of the recent developments in machine translation (MT) and generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) research. In today’s rapid flowing business environment, the sources and reliability of MT outputs are slightly questioned or ignored. Researchers also question whether professional translators and student translators should interact with MT software for better translation outputs. By adopting a focus group-oriented experiment with convenience sampling methodology, the study seeks to answer how student translators are exploiting or collaborating with MT software. Within the context of translator education, the study aims to uncover post-editing habits of student translators by making use of an online screen-recording tool. At the experimental stage of the study, seven student translators post-edit a literary text which was translated from English to Turkish by Google Translate. The obtained findings roughly reveal that student translators exhibit various post-editing habits which cannot be overgeneralized. Finally, the study concludes with recommendations for translation departments and translator trainers.

Evaluating LLMs' Arabic-English Translation of Metaphor in Al-Ashmawi’s Poetry

2026-08-21T22:01:37-04:00

The current study aims to evaluate LLMs' effectiveness of metaphor translation in the poetry of Al-Ashmawi, one of the prominent poets in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in comparison to that of human translators. It also aims to identify LLMs' potential, strengths, and limitations when translating complex literary forms and show the significance of humans' expertise in refining LLMs' translation. For data collection, a sample of 20 poetic verses were selected purposefully, after ensuring their validity and suitability for the study objectives, from the poem of "Fortitude in the Time of Fracture". The mixed methods design (quantitative and qualitative) was adopted for data analysis with the help of the comparative analytical approach where the translation quality of both systems were evaluated by four Yemeni professors specialized in literature and translation, using Likert five-point scale, then analyzed descriptively through SPSS and Multidimensional Quality Metrics (MQM) model, focusing on three parameters: linguistic accuracy, poetic fidelity, and emotional impact. The findings showed that human translators consistently outperformed LLMs, particularly in areas that require cultural sensitivity, cognitive and creative interpretation, stylistic coherence, and emotional resonance. In comparison, though LLMs outperformed human translators in preserving lexical and semantic features and produced an accurate readable translation, they simplified and literalized metaphor translation, resulting in the strip of the poem of its aesthetic beauty and artistic weight. The study called for further research on training LLMs in computational linguistics and highly symbolic poetic language besides using a hybrid approach that combines LLMs' efficiency and human's creativity to achieve contextually relevant, linguistically accurate, and artistically authentic literary translation.

Methodological Approaches and Triangulation in ESP Needs Analysis: A Systematic Review from Saudi Arabia

2026-08-13T16:09:42-04:00

Conducting needs analysis is essential for designing effective English for Specific Purposes (ESP) programs, as it identifies learners’ specific linguistic requirements. This systematic review examines the methodological approaches used in ESP needs analysis research, using the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as a case study over the period 2014–2024. Following systematic review procedures, 57 studies were initially identified through comprehensive keyword searches across multiple databases, and 21 studies met the inclusion criteria for detailed analysis. A structured framework was applied to code and evaluate study designs, data-collection instruments, and analytic procedures. The findings show a growing reliance on mixed methods designs, with questionnaires and interviews as the most frequently used instruments, alongside a recent increase in document analysis and digitally mediated data collection. Across the reviewed studies, English for Academic Purposes (EAP) contexts were most common. The review synthesizes key methodological strengths and limitations and proposes recommendations to strengthen transparency and triangulation in international ESP needs analysis research.