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Item Evaluation of Intelligibility debate from the perspective of Pakistani English language Practitioners(UMT Lahore, 2013)The English language came to the subcontinent through the British who ruled it for more than 100 years in the 17th century. Now the people of Pakistan and India are sandwiched between a more formal, sophisticated and literal English Language of the British and informal and casual English Language of the Americans. English is a lingua Franca which is acknowledged as a store house of knowledge and window onto world. At the start of the 21st century, most applied linguists were familiar with the fact that English is now spoken by a considerably greater number of non-native speakers than the native speakers. This incipient change in the status of English as an International language has opened a new vista of debate, namely, the intelligibility debate. It is assumed that English as an International Language has attained such a niche that its ownership by some group or some nation cannot be accepted as an authority, as it is connecting people across the globe through its mutual intelligibility trait. Those who can use it proficiently and even have command over its idiomatic use, whatever accent they may have must be acknowledged. The idea of following RP has been challenged by linguists like Jennifer Jenkins, Barbra Sieldhofer, Jonna Przedlacka, Katerzyna,etc and defended by Peter Trudgill and others insisting on the importance of a standard accent to be followed. This school says that every language has its own peculiar patterns which should be maintained while acquiring it otherwise that particular language will lose its peculiar flavor and identity and would gradually be lost like many other languages which could not resist simplification campaigns and eventually lost their originality. The current study explores this issue in Pakistani academic situation with a survey based on the views of students and teachers through a questionnaire. The results show that both groups are in favor of an eclectic approach that is approved worldwide to facilitate convenience and ease without compromising the minimum standard.Item Shifting focus of language teaching in Pakistan(UMT Lahore, 2013) Imran BhattiDeveloping proficiency in English is imperative because of its instructional stature among all other languages of the world. Hence being an international language its acquisition is considered not only compulsory as well as a prestigious value being added to a person’s profile. Generally, students, professionals, business leaders and all those engaged in administrative duties need to interact in English due to its valuable and respected lingual status among the rest of the languages. Primarily, developing proficiency in English language is one of the major goals of each student at tertiary educational level. However, a major shift has been observed quite evidently among the language stakeholders i.e. our youth primarily and public generally is obsessed for developing proficiency of spoken English skills at the cost of their writing skills in the course of academic learnings, which are inevitable part of every language. To cater this need, our print and electronic media, our academic syllabi and course-contents at higher education-level, various institutes of spoken English all over the country, foreign funded agencies like US-AID and NGO’s under the umbrella of HEC, are major facilitating platforms in this agenda. This particular research addresses the need of shifting focus of language teaching in Pakistan, primarily focusing more on vocal-skills by neglecting academic language skills. The researcher has collected data through random sampling by using quantitative methods of research, research articles, research journals and during participation in various English language workshops and programs. The data were maintained in response of the students and teachers of higher education. The researcher finds partiality in the attitude of the students and the teachers concerned with English as language towards the verbal / oral dimension of the target language acquisition rather than writing / academic skills.Item Textbook Evaluation and ELT Management,(UMT Lahore, 2013) Tasawar Abbas ShahThe present research focuses on the evaluation of English textbooks of Intermediate Part Two and by designing communicative tasks for the textbooks; it shows how English language teaching in Pakistan can be managed effectively. It is partly a qualitative research, as it evaluates the English textbooks, and partly quantitative as experiments, to check the effectiveness of communicative tasks, are carried out. The ultimate motive of the research is to show that in Pakistan, importance should be given to the evaluation of textbooks on regular basis so that it could be judged to what extent the approved books have harmony among them with respect to basic characteristics of textbook. Moreover, it also identifies that the language competence of the students can be raised if the textbooks offer appropriate communicative tasks with the lessons and these communicative tasks will serve to enhance the language skills and communicative competence of the students.Item Diachronic analysis of orthographic patterns of computer mediated communication(UMT Lahore, 2013) JAHANZEB JAHANComputer-Mediated-Communication (CMC) is emerging as a new medium – a third medium because it supposedly combines features of speech and writing alike. The increasing proliferation of CMC has also influenced the English orthography. The present research aims to explore what has been its impact on orthographic patterns of English used by Pakistani students for their Facebook conversations ‘on the wall’. The study has set out the following research questions: (a) what are orthographic patterns of mediated-communication? and (b) Has Facebook simplified the language and made it easier and faster means of communication? To address the above mentioned research questions, linguistic postings of 50 participants over the period of three years (2010-2012) were analyzed. Unlike the traditional orthography, various orthographic patterns of English have been emerging since 2010. The study reveals that there has been a rapid simplification in English orthography in these three years through CMC. It seems as various orthographic features regress towards simplification despite the proliferation of new styles of writing in CMC. Thus, we may estimate that linguistic forms would regress towards simplification with ever increasing needs of CMC. This is a process of evolution, though quite radical, which the world languages have been passing through since their inception. In a world where everything changes it would be unlikely if a language alone escapes this universal law. Linguistic postings (collected from Facebook walls of university students) were analysed under certain classifications and parameters which provided the result that Facebook has greatly helped in simplification of language. Results also depict that various novel patters of orthography are emerging in CMC. These results lead this research to the conclusion that Facebook has played a vital role in changing the orthographic patterns of CMC. English language has become very compact in online discourse. Students (of University of Education, selected as sample using convenient sampling technique) exhibit through their Facebook walls that there has been a great escalation in the change of orthographic patterns. This is also expected that future will unfold many novel orthographic patterns of English.Item Analysis of the effects of power and social distance upon politeness patterns(UMT Lahore, 2013) ROOMA NAUREENItem Linguistic imperialism and its effects on the learning of English language(UMT Lahore, 2013) Alvina WasimThis study investigates the effects of Linguistic Imperialism in the language learning process of the undergraduate level students .Due to these effects the language abilities of the Pakistani students are poor, despite the fact that English language is taught to them for more than eight years when they reach the graduate level they are still unable to use English language for all the skills :reading writing ,speaking and listening .The current study finds out whether English teaching and learning takes place in the influence of the Linguistic Imperialism or not and to what extent it is harming the learning and teaching of the language. Robert Phillipson’s (1992) theory of Linguistic Imperialism and its fallacies provided the theoretical framework for this research work. The data was gathered from teachers and students of the Lang 110 classes from Forman Christian College. These are specially formed classes for students in the under graduate with the language problems. After being put though the unique syllabus which is a mixture of local and foreign literature and staff also, the students undertake the lang110 test and pass it to become the formally undergraduate students of the college. With the application of both qualitative and quantitative methods the data was analyzes .The data revealed that the students had been taught in the light and fallacies of linguistic imperialism up till the graduate level. In the lang110 class they had felt, after being exposed to both local and native teachers and literature that it is just a myth and learning of the language is possible in their own familiar context. Thematerial, used to teach the language, is either too old or foreign to be comprehended by the local learners .It has not helped them to learn the language. neither has the old approach of grammar rote learning method has helped the students to enhance their skills .The literature should be helping learners to learn the speaking ,reading ,writing and listening ability. It should be easy to comprehend by the learner. Moreover, the students need to know about the local culture and its importance for the learning of the language skills .The students and the teachers were found to accept that the local teachers and local literature is equally effective for the learning of the language.Item The effect of weekly quizzes on The learning achievement Of saudi efl students: An experimental Study.(UMT Lahore, 2013) MUHAMMAD UMER AZIMInnovation and improvement is part and parcel of teaching in general and language teaching in particular. Language Teacher’s role as a researcher is always emphasised in the books and teaching courses available for both the prospective and in-service teachers. Language teachers are trained in a way that they can utilise the available resources in the best possible way to enhance the learning achievement of the learners. The teacher has the liberty to amalgamate motivational strategies, adapt teaching materials, innovate teaching methodology and adjust the speed of covering of syllabus according to the learning ability, interest, and learning strategies of the learners. All this requires the knowledge of teaching methods, motivation and language anxiety on one hand and knowledge of students’ needs, their attitude and their aptitude on the other. Teachers try innovative ways to benefit and facilitate their students in language learning process. The researcher is a student of this field who strives to enhance the learning experience of the learners through research based innovation and improvement.