New ARAL paper alert!
A review of the idiodynamic method in second language learning and teaching research
Authors: Quoc Viet Hoang, Van-Loi Nguyen and Xuan Mai Le
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Australian Review of Applied Linguistics
ARAL is the preeminent journal of the Applied Linguistics Association of Australia
New ARAL paper alert!
Q***r identity in critical language pedagogical practice
How do q***r teachers’ identities shape language pedagogy?
Author(s): Mark Bedoya Ulla and Stephenie Ong Busbus
https://www.jbe-platform.com/content/journals/10.1075/aral.25110.ull
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New ARAL paper alert!
Developing a nature tourism word list for L2 learners in the tourism Piyapong Laosrirattanachai, Nitikorn Rittikote and Piyanuch Laosrirattanachai
https://www.jbe-platform.com/content/journals/10.1075/aral.25109.lao
ABSTRACT
This study develops the Nature Tourism Word List (NTWL) to support second-language (L2) learners in acquiring specialised vocabulary crucial for effective communication in the nature tourism sector. Recognising the significance of nature tourism for global economies, environmental awareness, and professional communication, the NTWL was designed to bridge the gap between academic preparation and real-world practice. The study employed a mixed approach, combining corpus-based and judgement-based methods. A Nature Tourism Corpus (NTC) of 3.4 million tokens was compiled from official national park websites across six regions, while a Second-NTC of 448,000 tokens was used for evaluation. Statistical measures — frequency, range, uniformity, and dispersion — were applied alongside lexical profiling, keyword analysis, semantic tagging, and dictionary consultation to ensure precision and contextual relevance. The final NTWL comprises 744 lemmas, classified into technical, semi-technical, and supportive categories. Coverage tests showed the NTWL accounted for 14.55% of the NTC and 13.48% of the Second-NTC, surpassing the 5–8% expected threshold for technical lists. These findings indicate its strong generalisability and pedagogical value. The NTWL thus provides a practical resource for learners and educators, enhancing vocabulary acquisition and promoting communicative competence in nature tourism.
26/05/2026
New ARAL paper alert!
https://benjamins.com/catalog/aral.25086.mhi
Voice markers in writing
A scoping review of recent empirical research
Olga Mhilli | The University of Sydney
Available Open Access!
Abstract
Authorial voice has been recognised as an essential aspect of writing, prompting increased efforts to interpret this complex concept (Cheung & Lau, 2020; Mhilli, 2020; Mhilli, 2023; Zabihi & Bayan, 2020; Zhao & Liu, 2021). The most recent literature on voice in writing defines voice as the author’s identity reflected in text (Naimmah Hamdan & Ahmad, 2023; Mhilli, 2023). However, the question of which linguistic features mark voice in text remains contested, as existing empirical studies identify a wide range of possible linguistic realisations of authorial voice in writing (Stock & Eik-Nes, 2016). While this variety of markers reflects the concept’s complexity (Mhilli, 2023), it also poses challenges, particularly in contexts such as linguistic analysis and teaching, where voice needs to be clearly operationalised. This scoping review addresses this gap through a systematic mapping of the complex landscape of linguistic realisations of textual voice in recent empirical research. The findings highlight the crucial role analytical frameworks play in determining the choice of voice markers for textual analysis. The findings indicate that the analytical frameworks used in recent empirical studies range from unfocused to narrowly focused. The findings also indicate that the implementation of comprehensive and manageable functional frameworks with specific categorisations of voice markers enables more informed and rigorous analysis of the complex and dynamic concept of authorial voice in writing. This scoping literature review has implications for future research, advocating for a refinement of research methodologies in textual voice analysis. It also informs evidence-based educational practices, advancing the understanding of authorial voice as an explicitly teachable objective integrated into writing instruction and curricula.
Voice markers in writing: A scoping review of recent empirical research Authorial voice has been recognised as an essential aspect of writing, prompting increased efforts to interpret this complex concept (Cheung & Lau, 2020; Mhilli, 2020; Mhilli, 2023; Zabihi & Bayan, 2020; Zhao & Liu, 2021). The most recent literature on voice in writing defines voice as the author’...
New ARAL paper alert!
Appraisal resource alignment in the iterative audiovisual-based speaking continuation tasks
Chuyi Zhou and Yaohua Luo
https://www.jbe-platform.com/content/journals/10.1075/aral.25098.zho
Available now to subscribers!
ABSTRACT
Iterative audiovisual-based speaking continuation (ABSC) tasks involve multiple rounds of video-watching and speaking on a consistent topic, providing learners with opportunities to encounter varied vocabulary and contextualized usage. The appraisal system (Martin & White, 2005) serves as an important language resource to express attitudes and mediate interpersonal relations. This study examined the alignment effects of ABSC tasks on appraisal resources by a Chinese EFL learner engaged in 33 rounds of ABSC tasks across 10 topics. Findings revealed that the EFL learner’s appraisal resources showed significant differences from the video inputs, mainly in the attitude and heteroglossic systems, indicating difficulties in effectively aligning with these resources during the tasks. Throughout the longitudinal completion of multi-turn ABSC tasks, the EFL learner presented a fluctuating process of appraisal resource alignment, with limited alignment in early and middle phases and increased alignment in the later phase, reflecting the complex and developmental nature of appraisal resource alignment in continuation tasks. Notably, multiple methods were used in this process to facilitate such alignment, including video re-watching, self-motivation, and goal-setting. The pedagogical implications of integrating ABSC tasks to optimize appraisal resource utilization are also discussed.
New ARAL paper alert!
Morphological complexity as a predictor of integrated and independent L2 writing quality
Kutay Uzun
Abstract
This study aimed to test if morphological complexity (MC) could predict L2 English writing quality (L2WQ) and if the predictive power of MC would differ under integrated and independent task conditions. The data sources of the study were 234 integrated and 639 independent reliably-scored argumentative essays. Sixty-six MC indices were calculated for each text in the corpora, and the strongest possible prediction models were obtained using ElasticNet regression with recursive feature elimination and cross-validation. The results showed that the best model for integrated L2WQ was obtained with 13 MC indices, explaining almost half of the variance. For independent L2WQ, the best model could explain slightly less than one tenth of the variance with 13 MC indices. The findings underscore the need to devise an L2 MC development framework across language proficiency levels and to include MC as a component in the assessment of L2WQ. Additionally, the findings emphasize the necessity to increase morphological awareness among L2 learners.
https://www.jbe-platform.com/content/journals/10.1075/aral.25001.uzu
Available now to subscribers!
New ARAL paper and OA!
Task-based language teaching: A systematic review of research in Japan (2008–2025) across English and Japanese databases
https://www.jbe-platform.com/content/journals/10.1075/aral.26001.cot
Brent Cotsworth (UQ)
ABSTRACT
This systematic review synthesised 150 empirical studies on task-based language teaching (TBLT) conducted in Japan between 2008 and 2025. Unlike global syntheses that often rely solely on English-language databases, this review analysed studies drawn from both international (Scopus, ERIC, Web of Science, and LLBA) and domestic Japanese databases (CiNii and J-STAGE) following PRISMA 2020 guidelines (Page et al., 2021) and the SMART Protocol (Chong, 2025). Results show a predominance of university-based research and speaking-oriented tasks, with limited evidence from compulsory education. Notably, the analysis suggests a divergence in theoretical orientation. While international publications tended to prioritise mainstream TBLT frameworks and theoretical orientations, domestic studies more frequently anchored these principles in local policy and pedagogical practice. Approximately 30% of studies were found to have a combined theoretical orientation that integrated global principles with local contexts. These findings suggest that practitioners frequently employ internationally recognised frameworks alongside domestic scholarship and policy guidelines to navigate implementation challenges. This indicates an adaptive effort to align task-based principles with local educational realities rather than a weakening of theory. By integrating these domestic perspectives, the review offers a more comprehensive and context-sensitive account of how task principles are adapted to classroom reality in Japan.
New ARAL Paper alert!
https://www.jbe-platform.com/content/journals/10.1075/aral.25047.max
Taking a ‘stance’ as an Indonesian teacher
The symbolic power of pronouns and person reference in online teaching
Author(s): Zara Maxwell-Smith
Available now to subscribers!
ABSTRACT
The rise of online multimedia resources in formal and informal learning offers new opportunities for language education and a new site for applied linguistics research. Rich data from Indonesian ‘teacher-YouTubers’ indicate their videos address symbolic language freed from the formal setting of a physical classroom, though shaped by the online environment. Teacher-YouTubers in this study take on the identity work of self and addressee reference in all sorts of ways; using standard forms which draw on the symbolic power of national policy, forms with regional, cosmopolitan stereotypic meaning, through to (awkwardly) humorous forms targeting student engagement. Statistical description of the corpus and qualitative analysis of stance-taking behaviours reveal that teacher-YouTubers model pronoun use beyond standard language forms and explore how pronoun choices impact meaning in different contexts. The pedagogical practices examined address the imperative of developing intercultural awareness while empowering students to both understand and negotiate the construction of stance to express their own identity. Results suggest the diverse identities and competencies of teachers may broaden and enliven the Indonesian language teaching space, from the classroom to curriculum development. This study also indicates that the stance framework combined with statistical analysis of language has potential to enable rich description of how language teaching, variation, multilingualism, and identity work interact in applied linguistics more broadly.
New ARAL paper and OPEN ACCESS!
https://www.jbe-platform.com/content/journals/10.1075/aral.24138.ngu
When lexical semantics and word sense disambiguation meet lexicography
Chinh Ngan Nguyen Le and Julia Miller
ABSTRACT
Lexical ambiguity, where a word has multiple related (polysemous) and/or unrelated (homographic) meanings, causes challenges in learning and teaching semi-technical medical vocabulary owing to its lack of consideration in current lexicographical resources, including wordlists and dictionaries. Academic wordlists fail to indicate polysemes and homographs, while conventional dictionaries number multiple meanings of a semi-technical medical word in a vertical format that is unlikely to showcase polysemous and homographic relations. This study focuses on a new lexicographical resource, named SemiMed, which addresses issues in wordlists and dictionaries arising from lexical ambiguity. Hsu’s (2013) Medical Word List (MWL), an academic list of semi-technical medical vocabulary, was selected as a starting point. A qualitative analysis underpinned by lexical semantic theories was conducted to analyse polysemes and homographs of MWL words. Then, a quantitative analysis that employed word sense disambiguation practices calculated MWL word meaning frequency. These analyses resulted in two key features, radial networks of meanings and technicality levels, that are expected to help SemiMed resolve issues in academic wordlists and conventional dictionaries caused by lexical ambiguity.
New OA ARAL paper!
https://www.jbe-platform.com/content/journals/10.1075/aral.25067.jon
Learning “jump,” “run”, and then “jump and run”
A comparison of monolingual and multilingual Australian English-speaking children’s verbs and word combining on the OZI-SF
Kate Jones, Elise Baker, Lynn Kemp and Caroline Jones
Abstract
This study compared the performance of monolingual and multilingual Australian English-speaking children on the OZI-SF — an authorised short-form MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory for Australia. The focus was on two established clinical markers of early communication development: verbs (number and type) and word combinations. Caregivers of children (N = 359) aged 18.0 to 30.9 months completed the OZI-SF. Total concept scores (TCS) were calculated, giving credit for items known in English and/or any language. Regression analyses focused on two useful markers of communication development — verb sub-scores and reports of word combining — comparing monolinguals and multilinguals, controlling for age, s*x, and caregiver education level. Results showed similar performance between the groups for verb number, verb type, and the use of word combinations. Expected effects of age and s*x were observed, but language background and caregiver education did not significantly predict verbs or word combining. Findings support the utility of the OZI-SF as a screening or surveillance tool for describing verb profile and word combinations in both monolingual and multilingual populations.
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