Books by Faiz Sathi Abdullah
The papers in this book explore language use in a broad range of discourse fields. They provide t... more The papers in this book explore language use in a broad range of discourse fields. They provide theoretical perspectives on global orientations to social, political and economic transformations in the “New World Order” (NWO), and extend these with studies on the impacts of such transformations at the local, national, regional and global levels. The discussions highlight current concerns among academics and political commentators about the potential social impact of representations of the NWO in language and discourse. The present work is important in raising social consciousness towards the central role that language and discourse play in the construction of shifting/multiple identities. In this way, the roles of critical discourse analysis and indeed that of the analysts themselves are emancipative and socially transformative. The value of such consciousness-raising for potential social action in language user empowerment terms cannot be overstressed, particularly given the ascendant position of the English language in the NWO. This collection is a significant contribution to the ongoing critical discussion on global order discourse.
Needs-based courses of instruction in the English language and related academic training in highe... more Needs-based courses of instruction in the English language and related academic training in higher education have come into greater focus in recent years. This has been in tandem with developments in EAP (English for Academic Purposes) towards the enhancement of reading and writing skills among second/foreign language learners. Assessing the genre-based language as well as strategic text processing needs of EAP learners is necessarily complex and arduous, but has to be attempted if the course designer is to provide pedagogically viable solutions to help the learner come to grips with the rigours of studying in English at the university. The research reported here acknowledges that the needs analyst has to go beyond a synchronic one-off investigation. Hence, it establishes essential population parameters about Malaysian TESOL undergraduates in the UK through academic needs-oriented surveys and provides insights into how an institutional sample of students strategically process selected research genres. The findings contribute to a generalised needs profile and should bring greater clarity to the thematic as well as the methodological aspects of similar professional efforts.
The role of English as a lingua franca in the affairs of the world’s nations is currently un... more The role of English as a lingua franca in the affairs of the world’s nations is currently unquestioned. The multi-faceted character of this role not only facilitates wider communication in a variety of fields and their constituent workplace contexts but also serves as a source of identity and cultural expression among speakers of other languages. In addressing selected language learning, use and associated issues that are salient to this scenario, the present collection of recent research topics in English language studies brings to the initiated reader a smorgasbord of insights into the linguistic environment of the multicultural microcosm that Malaysia is. The topics highlight language and identity, workplace communication, learning science and mathematics in English, community language learning, use of electronic portfolios and forums, academic metadiscourse, the language in literature, acquisition of specific linguistic forms among majority Malay speakers, as well as modelling Malay similes and metaphors in English.
Journal Articles by Faiz Sathi Abdullah
European Journal of Education Studies, 2017
It is generally acknowledged that the college/university foundation programme, often instituted a... more It is generally acknowledged that the college/university foundation programme, often instituted as a one-year course of instruction, plays a crucial role in preparing students for graduation to their various academic departments, which are usually located within the same educational institution. Foundation studies programmes in Oman are delivered to cater for the disciplinary, and almost invariably the closely related academic English language needs of the academic departments in addition to the requisite basic computer literacy and mathematical skills. The present study sought to evaluate two sets of teaching-learning ELT materials at a higher education college in
International Journal of Innovative Research and Knowledge, 2017
Non-native students of English studying in the language in institutions of higher learning, wheth... more Non-native students of English studying in the language in institutions of higher learning, whether in Anglophone countries or in their own countries are expected to gain access to the discourses of the academia via competence in the language. The present paper reviews the theoretical and practical bases of EAP (English for Specific Purposes) needs analysis within the context of higher education teaching-learning of ESL/EFL as a set of analytical procedures for the identification of what the learner has to learn, and how it has to be learnt and how it is to be learnt, focusing essentially on aspects of language, pedagogy, and the learner's specific interests in terms of language use. The key issues concern how as a pragmatic, practitioner-oriented approach, EAP needs analysis has to come to grips with the subjectivity inherent in the concept of " need " , as well as the multifarious educational, pedagogical, political, and ideological considerations that impact upon its analysis in higher education. Based on the relevant literature in the area, the paper then reviews the mainstream framework EAP needs classification and analysis before it proposes a theoretical model for application in the field.
This article aims to review the body of research on ceremonial speeches of popular world leaders ... more This article aims to review the body of research on ceremonial speeches of popular world leaders and their genre of persuasive discourse—ceremonial speech that includes special occasion, religious, political, and editorial rhetoric. The review of related past studies revealed that some studies lack a clear explication of the theoretical framework which informs the study. It was also found that the outcomes of other studies were not fully discussed within the theoretical framework adopted. Yet other studies appeared to be confined to the
application of single theory/approach to explore the multifaceted phenomenon of persuasive discourse. Despite these somewhat limited orientations to the research, much of the critical work concerned show that the persuasive strategies and devices employed by the dominant social actors include a range of rhetorical proofs, questions, and figures of speech, as well as the speech acts of directives, assertives, representatives, and expressives as the way forward in the field.
This article aims to present detailed accounts of central approaches to Critical Discourse Analys... more This article aims to present detailed accounts of central approaches to Critical Discourse Analysis. It focuses on the
work of three prominent scholars such as Fairclough’s critical approach, Wodak’s discourse-historical approach and
Van Dijk’s socio-cognitive approach. This study concludes that a combination of these three approaches can be useful
to critical analysis of texts.
This research aims to provide an overview of studies carried out on media representation of Islam... more This research aims to provide an overview of studies carried out on media representation of Islam, Muslims and Iran.
The study intends to present theoretical and methodological approaches used to focus on media discourse as well as the
findings of research on the treatment of Islam and Muslims by the mass media. Drawing on approaches such as framing
paradigm, Foucault’s notion of power/knowledge, Van Dijk’s ideological square and critical discourse analysis, the
previous literature illustrated the role of media discourse in the production and reproduction of Islam and Muslims as
the negative Other.
The Palestinian Prisoners-Shalit Swap' was a major issue in the media coverage in the Middle East... more The Palestinian Prisoners-Shalit Swap' was a major issue in the media coverage in the Middle East for almost five years. This issue refers to an agreement between Israel and Hamas, the dominant political party governing the Gaza Strip, to release the captivated Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in exchange for 1,027 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons. Both the Arab and Israeli media played a role in portraying the image of the released Palestinian Prisoners versus the Israeli soldier to the readers worldwide. The study aimed to identify the online media coverage of the Swap by Aljazeera English and Ha'aretz in terms of the manipulation of language to identify the discursive strategies and the linguistic means of self-justification of both news agencies towards this issue .The results of the critical discourse analysis using the Halliday's Transivity Theory revealed that both news agencies employed material process, verbal processes and relational processes differently to highlight certain characters and actions of the Swap from their viewpoint.
Atefeh Mobasher, Aida Mohd Ali, Faiz S. Abdullah & Chan Mei Yuit. (2013)., Mar 31, 2013
Corporate Annual Reports (CARs) are corporate communication tools which have been around for 75 y... more Corporate Annual Reports (CARs) are corporate communication tools which have been around for 75 years. They report company’s progress, profits and losses. At first, reports were provided in English, because they were published in an English speaking context. After a while, non-English speaking companies started to publish CARs in English to attract international investments. So far studies on CARs considered themes in text and images of CARs, subgenres of CARs, rhetorical construction, discourse and genre structure. During the last two decade; however, not many studies have been conducted on CARs from a language perspective. We aim to evaluate those studies and provide insight for further research. Findings of previous studies revealed that CARs consist of various sections functioning as sub-genres that have features of their own. Researchers so far have been interested in management forewords section as it is
considered to be the most widely read section of CAR, which are supposed to gain the trust of readers. Other sub-genres studied include: operational and financial performance, corporate history and mission statements. As modern CARs are considered to be multimodal, images that appear in CARs have also been studied.
It is acknowledged that language learning can be channelled towards knowledge acquisition benefit... more It is acknowledged that language learning can be channelled towards knowledge acquisition benefits and the ability to live outside the university environment. For that purpose, the process of language learning needs to be congruent with the stability of internal factors (disposition) and external factors (situational) of he learners themselves. This stability between internal and external factors generates the language learning achievement potential that the learners require to succeed at the university with the lecturer as the facilitator. From this research, it was found that the attributions of language learning which develop entrepreneur attitudes favour the stability of external elements, especially the language learning situation with the axis of course selection, academic staff, transfer of knowledge, values, and message. The most source of information is still the lecturer. Corresponding with entrepreneur attitudes, the students need not only to be capable of organizing their financial matters well, but also need to be more prudent in saving money, make budget estimations, and be generally enthusiastic in seeking extra income.
Faiz Sathi Abdullah, Mar 31, 2014
In this article, I aim to revisit some key issues in approaches to research on mass media texts f... more In this article, I aim to revisit some key issues in approaches to research on mass media texts from a discourse analytical perspective and to present a rationale as well as Critical Discourse Analysis (henceforth, CDA) framework for analysis of mass media discourse. I then consider a number of areas of critical research interest in mass media discourse locally and elsewhere. Examples of actual CDA research on mass media discourse are reviewed in terms of topics of apparent popular interest among practitioners such as racist discourse in news reporting, language of globalization and neo-capitalism, and war news reporting before listing methodological as well as topical agenda by a major proponent in the field for further work. The article concludes that CDA’s multidisciplinary approach to research on mass media discourse helps reveal hidden socio-political issues and agenda in various areas of language as social practice and in doing so potentially empowers the individual and social groups.
Mohammed M Ali Abdulkhaleq & Faiz Sathi Abdullah, Nov 30, 2013
"The provision of oral feedback to ESL students at the postgraduate level plays an interventionis... more "The provision of oral feedback to ESL students at the postgraduate level plays an interventionist role in their development as writers. It is through such feedback that the students are expected to be guided towards achieving their writing goals. Supervisors provide written feedback and this is usually supported with oral feedback which appears to play a crucial role in the supervision process
in that it helps in the formation of scholarly identities, scaffolds students’ academic writing and learning, fosters autonomy, equality, and learning skills among ESL learners, develops students’
dialogical skills, helps students focus on their research, and guides them to conform with dissertation/thesis writing. However, ESL students’ own cultural background and social circumstances may affect the efficacy of the oral feedback process. Some limitations of existing studies are discussed and key directions for future research on the role of oral feedback in ESL postgraduate supervision settings are suggested."
Abstract This study examined how discursive strategies and related linguistic devices were employ... more Abstract This study examined how discursive strategies and related linguistic devices were employed by The New York Times (TNYT) to portray Iran after the terrorist attacks in the US on September 11, 2001, and how the media representation may have contributed to negative and/or positive outcomes in terms of geopolitical relations.
This study aims to explore the effects of different glosses on reading comprehension of low profi... more This study aims to explore the effects of different glosses on reading comprehension of low proficiency postgraduate students. In the present quasi-experimental study, 76 EFL learners at UPM who had attained similar scores in a standardized reading test were divided into four groups randomly. To make sure that the subjects did not know the target words, a vocabulary pre-test was conducted before the study. Then, the participants read six authentic texts under one of the conditions: L1 (Persian) gloss, L2 (English) gloss, L1 and L2 (Persian and English) gloss, and no-gloss. Results of recall protocol scores revealed the advantage of textual glosses over no-gloss condition. There was a significant difference between experimental groups and control group, but the differences between L1 gloss, L2 gloss, and L1 and L2 gloss were not significant. The findings of this study will be beneficial for those who are interested in applying related psychological theories in learning, teaching, and developing EFL/ESL learners’ reading comprehension, particularly by focusing on low proficiency postgraduate students.
The present study reviews the findings of previous studies on reading comprehension of ESL/EFL le... more The present study reviews the findings of previous studies on reading comprehension of ESL/EFL learners chronologically. The results were divided into two groups as follows: the first group of studies reported that there was difference between the effects of textual glosses on reading comprehension and the second group of studies confirmed that there was no difference between the effects of different glosses on reading comprehension. This study reviewed the previous studies from a new perspective that can be used as a fundamental review for future studies on the effects of glossing on reading comprehension of ESL/EFL learners.
Political cartoons constitute a form of media text whose verbal and visual elements have made the... more Political cartoons constitute a form of media text whose verbal and visual elements have made them an interesting research field across academic disciplines. The 21st century has witnessed a considerable research on political cartoons. This increasing research interest indicates that political cartoons have successfully constituted a distinct multimodal genre within media discourses. Political cartoons are used to express opinions, construct valuable arguments and provide specific knowledge on contemporary social issues. However, the analysis of the cartoons from linguistic perspectives remains under-researched. This paper aims at contributing to the knowledge of political cartoon research by analyzing the linguistic elements used in the cartoon written texts to illustrate how Nigerian cartoonists specifically use language to construct satire as a means that could be used perhaps to initiating positive social and political reforms in Nigeria. The method of analysis used in this paper as its framework of analysis, comprises of perceptual theory of satire and linguistic analytical framework within the realm of critical discourse analysis. Semiotic discussion on semiotic modes of the cartoons has also been incorporated in the analysis. From the findings of the study, a distinct lexical topology for identifying lexical items and their distribution in the cartoon written texts has been developed. The topology comprises of five items as follows: loan word, coinage, word class, denotation and connotation. Additionally, Nigerian cartoonists use interjections frequently in the cartoon written texts to create satirical impressions about political leaders, because interjections are used to express a strong emotions or feelings. Given the linguistic and nonlinguistic elements contained in the cartoon texts, cartoons could be harnessed to provide additional insights on how language is specifically used in media discourse.
This study used Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) as a multidisciplinary approach to analyse The ... more This study used Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) as a multidisciplinary approach to analyse The New York Times (The NYT) news texts in order to examine how systemic structures and properties of language played a role in the portrayal of the Iranian nation and to provide insights into how the information presented in the news texts had ideological implications. Analysis of news discourse in the study concentrated on the headlines and lead paragraphs of The NYT that covered the post-Islamic republic discourse around the Iranian hostage crisis (19791980) and the more recent discourse
concerning the Iranian presidential election of June 2009. The discursive analysis showed that there was a tendency to polarize between Us (good, righteous, peaceful, etc.) and Them (evil, violent, etc.) to associate stereotypical negative traits to the out-group. It was found that such ideological representations of the Iranian participants were linguistically
realized via the dominant processes of transitivity, thematization, and lexicalization.
Uploads
Books by Faiz Sathi Abdullah
Journal Articles by Faiz Sathi Abdullah
application of single theory/approach to explore the multifaceted phenomenon of persuasive discourse. Despite these somewhat limited orientations to the research, much of the critical work concerned show that the persuasive strategies and devices employed by the dominant social actors include a range of rhetorical proofs, questions, and figures of speech, as well as the speech acts of directives, assertives, representatives, and expressives as the way forward in the field.
work of three prominent scholars such as Fairclough’s critical approach, Wodak’s discourse-historical approach and
Van Dijk’s socio-cognitive approach. This study concludes that a combination of these three approaches can be useful
to critical analysis of texts.
The study intends to present theoretical and methodological approaches used to focus on media discourse as well as the
findings of research on the treatment of Islam and Muslims by the mass media. Drawing on approaches such as framing
paradigm, Foucault’s notion of power/knowledge, Van Dijk’s ideological square and critical discourse analysis, the
previous literature illustrated the role of media discourse in the production and reproduction of Islam and Muslims as
the negative Other.
considered to be the most widely read section of CAR, which are supposed to gain the trust of readers. Other sub-genres studied include: operational and financial performance, corporate history and mission statements. As modern CARs are considered to be multimodal, images that appear in CARs have also been studied.
in that it helps in the formation of scholarly identities, scaffolds students’ academic writing and learning, fosters autonomy, equality, and learning skills among ESL learners, develops students’
dialogical skills, helps students focus on their research, and guides them to conform with dissertation/thesis writing. However, ESL students’ own cultural background and social circumstances may affect the efficacy of the oral feedback process. Some limitations of existing studies are discussed and key directions for future research on the role of oral feedback in ESL postgraduate supervision settings are suggested."
concerning the Iranian presidential election of June 2009. The discursive analysis showed that there was a tendency to polarize between Us (good, righteous, peaceful, etc.) and Them (evil, violent, etc.) to associate stereotypical negative traits to the out-group. It was found that such ideological representations of the Iranian participants were linguistically
realized via the dominant processes of transitivity, thematization, and lexicalization.
application of single theory/approach to explore the multifaceted phenomenon of persuasive discourse. Despite these somewhat limited orientations to the research, much of the critical work concerned show that the persuasive strategies and devices employed by the dominant social actors include a range of rhetorical proofs, questions, and figures of speech, as well as the speech acts of directives, assertives, representatives, and expressives as the way forward in the field.
work of three prominent scholars such as Fairclough’s critical approach, Wodak’s discourse-historical approach and
Van Dijk’s socio-cognitive approach. This study concludes that a combination of these three approaches can be useful
to critical analysis of texts.
The study intends to present theoretical and methodological approaches used to focus on media discourse as well as the
findings of research on the treatment of Islam and Muslims by the mass media. Drawing on approaches such as framing
paradigm, Foucault’s notion of power/knowledge, Van Dijk’s ideological square and critical discourse analysis, the
previous literature illustrated the role of media discourse in the production and reproduction of Islam and Muslims as
the negative Other.
considered to be the most widely read section of CAR, which are supposed to gain the trust of readers. Other sub-genres studied include: operational and financial performance, corporate history and mission statements. As modern CARs are considered to be multimodal, images that appear in CARs have also been studied.
in that it helps in the formation of scholarly identities, scaffolds students’ academic writing and learning, fosters autonomy, equality, and learning skills among ESL learners, develops students’
dialogical skills, helps students focus on their research, and guides them to conform with dissertation/thesis writing. However, ESL students’ own cultural background and social circumstances may affect the efficacy of the oral feedback process. Some limitations of existing studies are discussed and key directions for future research on the role of oral feedback in ESL postgraduate supervision settings are suggested."
concerning the Iranian presidential election of June 2009. The discursive analysis showed that there was a tendency to polarize between Us (good, righteous, peaceful, etc.) and Them (evil, violent, etc.) to associate stereotypical negative traits to the out-group. It was found that such ideological representations of the Iranian participants were linguistically
realized via the dominant processes of transitivity, thematization, and lexicalization.
apparently passive and powerless via a range of discursive strategies including maximizing teacher-controlled talking time, turn-taking, topic control, modes of meaning-construction, and elicitation strategies. The findings of this study are expected
to provide critical and emancipatory insights into ESL/EFL classroom practice and contribute to the transformation of its status quo.
relationship between personality, learning styles and chievement in reading comprehension, and also incongruity of the research results on personality and reading comprehension performance - the current study proposes that further research on the above areas would seem imperative.
This study examined how discursive strategies and related linguistic devices were employed by The New York Times (TNYT) to portray Iran after the terrorist attacks in the U.S. on September 11, 2001, and how the media representation may have contributed to negative and/or positive outcomes in terms of geopolitical relations. The study also investigated how sociopolitical assumptions were manifest in producing news about Iran and how the news discourse continued to shape the power relations between the nation and the U.S. in particular, and the world at large. Using Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) as a multidisciplinary approach, the analysis focused on 171 front-page TNYT news articles from 2001 until 2009. Analysis of the discursive strategies and linguistic means revealed that the news media depicted an overall negative picture of Iran after the September 11 or “9/11” attacks. The effect of this rather stereotypical construction of Iran in TNYT was that of the negative Other, a nation of people that formed part of George W. Bush’s contentious “axis of evil” thesis–malevolent, untrustworthy, violent, and a threat to world peace.
framework showed that macro-constructs such as 'Malaysian', 'nation' (bangsa), and 'we' (Tula) were ambivalently represented with a broad grammatical analysis providing initial support for a nationalist/national strategic ideological framing model. Cognizant of the localization/globalization dialectic and the emergent heterogeneity in the socio-discursive space, the paper proposes a comprehensive national research project.