https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/101848 2026-04-15T06:50:26Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/103253 Title: The major influence of English when compared with the other languages in the signs of the linguistic landscape of Madinah, Saudi Arabia : a case study in the linguistic landscape of Madinah, Saudi Arabia Abstract: This study proposes to examine multilingual signs around several sites in Madinah, Saudi Arabia. First, AL Nakheel Compound, a residential area, and its residents are characterized by many ethnic groups and mother tongues. Second, Quba Mosque, the second largest mosque in Madinah and the first mosque built by the Prophet of Islam, Mohammad (PBUH), is an important Islamic landmark in the holy city, where the Muslim pilgrims attempt to visit while passing from the city during the "Hajj season" (one of the Islamic religious practices). Third, "Masjid Al Nabawi," or "The Prophet's Mosque," is one of the most important mosques for the Islamic state. Lastly, Sultana Road and Safiya Bint Abd Al Moutalib Street are two main streets in Madinah. Throughout the research, the influence of the English language will be compared to the other languages presented in the signs. The research focuses on a new attempt to expand the scope of linguistic landscape studies, revealing the important role the English language has introduced in the descriptive signs using both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Moreover, the quantitative part of the research will present the languages used in Madinah's signs and attempt to prove the English language's broader effect and the secondary effect of the other languages in the noted signs of the proposed locations. In addition to the quantitative part of the research, a questionnaire will be distributed to 150 people to find their observations. Finally, a qualitative section will be given in which short interviews about the proposed areas of research to give a more comprehensive idea to the readers about the distribution of the multilingual signs and reveal the opinions of the interviewed targeted people about the chosen languages in the signs. Description: M.A.(Melit.) 2022-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/103251 Title: Adult migrant English learners’ use of English as a lingua franca in Malta Abstract: This qualitative study documented the ELF pragmatic strategies used by six migrants with low English proficiency in Malta. During two 1.5-hour sessions, the participants engaged in collaborative English activities which attempted to simulate everyday topics (e.g., going out with friends; playing sports). Transcriptions from the recorded sessions were then reviewed and analysed. 16 examples of pragmatic strategies were chosen for the analysis, specifically in the pre-emptive, remedial, and accommodative categories. The results, in keeping with other ELF research, indicate that the participants employed a wide and flexible range of pragmatic strategies to achieve their communicative goals. This study in particular notes the use of interactional humour to suit a variety of purposes. Description: M.A.(Melit.) 2022-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/103250 Title: Bilingualism and social media : exploring the language practices of Maltese online news portals Abstract: In the first chapter of the Constitution of Malta (1964), Maltese is recognised as the national language of Malta, whilst both Maltese and English are accorded the status of official languages. Having said this, Malta’s position as a bilingual country is one that is repeatedly scrutinised with the Maltese language’s position as the truly dominant language often becoming a source of heated debate (Sciriha and Vassallo 2015). While Maltese does seem to be the most spoken language (Sciriha and Vassallo, 2006), there have been factors which point towards a decline in Maltese (Vassallo and Sciriha, 2020). Furthermore, while there does seem to be a preference for Maltese as the spoken medium, English now seems to be preferred as the written medium (Fabri, 2015). In sight of this, one must also recognise the shift that has been made towards online communication, with social media and online news consumption now becoming part of daily routine (Yadamsuren and Erdelez, 2011), and so it becomes important to explore how the bilingual public uses its two official languages in the online domain. The main aim of this research is to demonstrate and discuss the language practices of Maltese online news portals, while also attempting to understand the stance that is taken by the Maltese public towards the ways by which the local news portals use language. A cursory look at local online news portals reveals that both official languages are present on local social media, though not to equal measure. The most followed news portals each seem to use English, either exclusively or together with Maltese, while Maltese-language news content is still published but to a lesser extent (especially by state-owned or party-owned news portals). The results in this research present the reasons for this prevalence of English in Malta’s online domain. The research follows a mixed-method approach; In-depth interviews with journalists and editors give insight as to how they produce content for their respective news portals, while a quantitative survey was also held to understand the general ideologies towards language use on these news portals from an audience perspective, with both sides of the research pointing towards English being the governing language on Malta’s online linguistic landscape. On top of that, audiences seem to prefer English for most types of content. As such, English is preferred for online content related to entertainment, current affairs, and sports. Maltese is, however, still preferred for all political content. This is likely to be a result of the political party media outlets which have firmly established themselves in Malta’s culture, both having their own Maltese-language television station, website, and online news portal. Moreover, the propaganda which is associated with Maltese-language media outlets might have led towards a stigma against Maltese-based journalism, an ideology which has perhaps contributed to the English language’s dominance across social media and online news portals. Although the idea is controversial in nature, English is often still considered as the more serious and credible language, and this language elitism is but another factor contributing to the majority of the public preferring English for all online content. In addition, news portals must also begin to recognise the call for bilingual online news portals. While having a bilingual online news portal certainly comes with its own set of challenges, it is clear that the Maltese public is demanding for online news portals to produce content in both Maltese and English. This research hopes to give an understanding of Malta’s de facto status of bilingualism in the online domain. This insight might help future online news portals shape their language policies according to the wants and needs of their audience, while also serving as a record of Malta’s current linguistic situation, especially important when considering the uphill battle that Maltese seems to be facing (Vassallo and Sciriha, 2020) in a future that increasingly looks like it will be linguistically hegemonized by English. Description: M.A.(Melit.) 2022-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/103247 Title: An analysis of the presence and attitudes towards the English language in Mitrovica’s linguistic landscape Abstract: This dissertation examined the LL of Mitrovica, a divided city located in the central Balkans that has gone through significant unrest over the past twenty years with the break-up of Yugoslavia, Kosovo war (1998-1999) and Kosovo’s declaration of independence in 2008. The aim of this research is to determine whether the English language may function to unite the opposing Albanian and Serbian sides of the city. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used in the study. Over 300 photographs were taken and 10 interviews conducted with both Serbian and Albanian participants in order to determine how much English was visible in Mitrovica’s LL and to explore residents’ attitudes towards seeing the language in the LL of their home city. The key finding is that the English language is present in well over a third of signage in North and South Mitrovica. In addition, none of the subjects interviewed believed that having the language in their LL was a negative. Therefore, it may be stated that the English language could potentially function as Mitrovica’s lingua-franca. Description: M.A.(Melit.) 2022-01-01T00:00:00Z