Zoubir Dendane | Abou bekr bel kaid University,Tlemcen (original) (raw)

Papers by Zoubir Dendane

Traduction et Langues

The present article intends first to point up the difference between a translator’s task and that... more The present article intends first to point up the difference between a translator’s task and that of an interpreter though both are required to master the target language to a large extent. Interpreters, however are faced with an easier task for many reasons when they translate into their mother tongue, in particular, because interpreting generally involves general questions and topics which are rendered in a rather spontaneous manner. Translators, in contrast, are supposed to master specialized fields such as business, sciences, law cases, literature and so on, even though the target language is usually theirs. The second part of the paper attempts to deal with the difficulties of translation and interpreting in relation to the diglossic issues that Arabic as the target language raises.

Arab World English Journal

In recent times, at the turn of the 21st century, there have been significant developments in the... more In recent times, at the turn of the 21st century, there have been significant developments in the use of technological advances for teaching languages. Following the use of traditional language laboratories, and then the emergence of computer-assisted forms of language teaching, language-oriented social networks such as YouTube and Facebook and other types of language applications have been used for that purpose, particularly in teaching English. Learners’ attitudes are aroused in significantly different ways compared to feelings about traditional forms of language teaching, including learner-centered approaches. One aim of this paper is to elicit learners’ interest in Internet use and to consider the degree to which social media and language applications enhance in-class formal learning. This study brings forth learners’ digital experience in the use of social media and we argue that it will raise awareness as to the importance of these media in improving their language skills. We ...

In the last three decades, the study of gender in relation to EFL research has gained greater imp... more In the last three decades, the study of gender in relation to EFL research has gained greater importance. The gender-based difference has been widely studied showing the role played by the teacher as perceived by university students. A teacher’s gender is undeniably a significant factor in influencing the learning process and thus bears some impact on learners’ achievement. This study explores students’ perception of the impact of teachers’ gender in the EFL classroom at Tlemcen University in Algeria. This research bears some significance as to the achievements reached by the learners based on how they may be affected by their teachers’ gender, and thus it attempts to question their preferences and their relationship with their teachers. The main question considers the impact of teachers’ gender on Algerian EFL learners’. An open-ended questionnaire was administered to forty first-year students. The findings show that students do not mind studying in mixed-gender classes and being t...

This paper looks at the relationship between language and society from a social-psychological per... more This paper looks at the relationship between language and society from a social-psychological perspective, a line of exploration that has been of considerable importance to sociolinguistics. Indeed, research has shown that people"s attitudes towards a language variety reflect their views about the users of that variety, and the observation of their reactions can help us understand the association between social stereotypes and ways of speaking, as well as the resulting impact on their own linguistic behaviour. Based on an indirect technique of eliciting the attitudes of a number of respondents in the speech community of Tlemcen, our investigation reveals interesting results as to their reactions to the two high status languages, MSA and French, on the one hand, and the two low varieties co-existing in the community, Tlemcen Arabic and a "rural" form of Arabic.

Interaction between social factors and language use is clearly detectable in all types of society... more Interaction between social factors and language use is clearly detectable in all types of society, though different speech communities will display different characteristics in relation to the nature and status of the languages at play. Following the variationist paradigm and by means of quantitative and qualitative approaches, this research work examines a wide range of issues that pervade today's Algerian language practices, while attempting to analyse the intricacies of a multi-dimensional linguistic configuration. In addition to dialectal variation, diglossia and bilingualism are two linguistic phenomena that may be seen as part of the Algerian social identity. The use of French, Standard Arabic or mixing and switching languages are not random, but patterned on the basis of communicative competence and language choice governed by social factors and settings. From a social-psychological perspective, this work shows how attitudes play a crucial role in the maintenance or shift...

The present paper addresses issues related to the effect that the abrupt shift from the mother to... more The present paper addresses issues related to the effect that the abrupt shift from the mother tongue to the school language impacts on the quality of Algerian children's formal instruction and the difficulties they face in primary school. The diglossic character of today's Arabic appears to be problematic as it hampers the intellectual progress and the cognitive development of the child. To clarify the point, the study compares the intellectual development that the Algerian learner goes through with that of English or French children who are not faced with the same difficulties at school as their respective native tongues are not very distant from the standard forms. A number of 3 to 5-year-old children were observed in a kindergarten where they got progressively acquainted with Standard Arabic, particularly in its spoken form, while playing, singing and drawing. This early immersion proved to be of valuable assistance for their academic achievement when they reached school age. Résumé : Cet article aborde des questions liées à l'effet que le changement brusque de la langue maternelle vers la langue de l'école représente pour la qualité de l'instruction formelle des enfants algériens et les difficultés qu'ils rencontrent à l'école primaire. Le caractère diglossique de l'arabe d'aujourd'hui semble être problématique, car le phénomène entrave le progrès intellectuel et le développement cognitif de l'enfant. Pour clarifier ce point, l'étude compare le développement intellectuel que l'apprenant algérien traverse avec celui des enfants anglais ou français qui ne sont pas confrontés aux mêmes difficultés à l'école étant donné que leurs langues maternelles respectives ne sont pas très éloignées des formes 'standard'. Un certain nombre d'enfants (âgés de3 à 5 ans) ont été observés dans une 'crèche' où ils se sont progressivement familiarisés avec l'arabe standard, en particulier dans sa forme parlée, tout en jouant, en chantant et en dessinant. Cette immersion précoce s'avère une aide précieuse pour leur réussite scolaire lorsqu'ils atteignent les bancs de l'école.

The present study aims at understanding Algerian first year students‟ language use and their atti... more The present study aims at understanding Algerian first year students‟ language use and their attitudes towards the languages/varieties at play in Tlemcen University: Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) and Algerian Arabic (AA), their mother tongue on the one hand, and French on the other. Moreover, it looks at the field of study as a factor affecting students‟ language use and language attitudes. To achieve the aims of the study a questionnaire was designed by the authors and administered to a sample of 78 participants. The results reveal a high degree of AA use as compared to French and MSA and much lower use of MSA as compared to AA and French. However, as regards language attitudes, we have found out that participants hold a highly positive attitude towards MSA as compared to AA and negative attitudes towards French. The study also reveals some unexpected results where AA is highly preferred as a secondary language in education used to facilitate lessons especially in scientific discipl...

Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2015

Over the past few decades native speakers in Tlemcen have come into regular contact with rural sp... more Over the past few decades native speakers in Tlemcen have come into regular contact with rural speech users as a result of massive in-migration. It is surprisingly interesting that, though the usual pattern attested in urban speech communities reflects an obvious influence of the dominant language variety over the minority speakers, non-native speakers, now settled in Tlemcen, are hardly ever influenced by urban speech features. Rather, the overall pattern reveals increasing accommodation from the part of native urban speakers to rural forms. This one-way switch occurs almost exclusively among males, and more so among younger ones, particularly in mixed interactions. Female speakers, on the other hand, seem to break away from the rule by maintaining their native speech whatever the situation.

Traduction et Langues

Arab World English Journal

Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2015

The talk highlights the problematic linguistic situation referred to as 'diglossia' with regard t... more The talk highlights the problematic linguistic situation referred to as 'diglossia' with regard to the Arab child who acquires a local variety of Arabic as a mother tongue, but is faced with disruption at school age, not only at the linguistic level but also in his/her cognitive development. We suggest in this research that the only solution to the problem is to progressively get rid of Arabic diglossia, by inculcating in whatever way the standard form of Arabic to the children in the early years of their lives, at least three years before they join school. In the long run, if all conditions are available for such a process, Standard Arabic will become the mother tongue of all Arabs, just like Standard English in all English-speaking countries, and the child's cognitive capacities will develop in a smooth way leading to better academic achievement and knowledge acquisition.