American Research Journal of English and Literature

Acheoah, John Emike1, Olaleye, Joel Iyiola, Ayankogbe, Beatrice Osaro

 In every language, continuous writing (compositions) which include informal letters, formal letters, semi-formal letters, narrative essays, descriptive essays, argumentative essays, expository essays and other more technical categories of writings are audience-driven – their different parts are written in accordance with the audience which can either be formal or informal, professional or non-professional, singular or plural, young or old, specific or unspecific. Hinging on some principles within the purview of contemporary English usage, pragmatics and stylistics, this paper simply investigates the conventional and pragmatic factors which influence writings when viewed from the audience perspective. In this paper, we use an uncommon approach – the use of letters and essays to analyze issues bordering on formal and contextual properties in continuous writing. On the whole, the paper concludes that pragmatic and stylistic motivations abound in the different categories of writings.  

Dr. Sabah A.Shakury 

Emily Bronte, the highly imaginative novelist of passion of the 19th century, produced only one novel, Wuthering Heights, in 1847. Influenced by the times and social background and life experiences, her novel reflects a vision of human nature and of the society in which she lived. In Wuthering Heights, Bronte tells a story of tragedy of passion in its two aspects of love and violence. This study presents Bronte‟s view of the nature of man and of the world in which he existed from different aspects. By analyzing the two main characters‟ different personalities, the study reveals the internal reason of the tragedy. This study also deals with women‟s status and the patriarchal society at that time, showing the influence of the society in which they lived which was intensifying man‟s basic corruption. In addition, it also focuses on how Bronte‟s success stems from the fact that she was able to present her vision obliquely and imaginatively. Bronte could portray amoral beings like Catherine and Heath cliff with total honesty and understanding, yet remain completely aware of what the inevitable consequences of their behavior must be. From these analyses, people can reach a systematic and profound understanding of the causes of the tragedy of passion, and thus will grasp the connotation of the novel comprehensively and accurately. 

Fatimah Alzughaibi1 

 This paper will analyze the social and economic situations Irish immigrants found themselves in once they reached America using Toibin’s book Brooklyn as an example. Through carefully exploring the themes and topics presented in the book, and comparing them with actual historical records, a larger picture of Irish immigration in America appears that tells the tale of the lives and struggles of this people group.  

Angela Brown 

 I come this far by faith, leaning on the Lord, trusting in His Holy name. God has not failed me yet. Each time I fall, I come around, because, I come this far by faith. 

Danebeth Tristeza Glomo-Narzoles Ph.D.1 

This study aimed to determine the potent communication skills in the workplace as perceived by the employers. A questionnaire was distributed to 64 employer representatives of companies/institutions/ organizations where the students are working or having their practicum/ on-the-job-training (OJT). Results revealed that the top potent communication skills in the workplace are as follows: reading and understanding work instructions and standard operating procedures; reading and comprehending letters and notices, electronic data, and email; reporting factual issues or incidents to the supervisor; demonstrating ability to listen effectively; and completing pertinent office forms, report sheets, tender documentation, work plans and specifications, incident report forms and notes. No significant differences were noted between the perceived communication skills in the workplace according to the type and sector of company/institution/organization where students are working or having their practicum/OJT.

Acheoah, John Emike (PhD)1, Adeoye, Adeyinka O2, Olaleye, Joel Iyiola3

Pragmatic theories are either classical (e.g. those of Austin 1962, Searle 1969, Bach and Harnish 1979) or contemporary (e.g. those of Adegbija 1982 and Mey 2000). The contributions of Hubert Paul Grice to the literature of pragmatics remain epoch-making. This explains why most contemporary pragmatic theories make reference to Grice‟s Cooperative Principle of Conversation; hence, they are said to be neo-Gricean. In this paper, we investigate, locate and situate the place of Grice‟s pragmatic theories via a critique which hinges on the Pragma-crafting Theory. Conclusively, a major finding of this paper is that Grice‟s Cooperative Principle is indeed, not an attempt to legislate “what” and “how” human interaction should operate, but an attempt to elucidate “what” makes human interactions violate the basic principles of natural communication and “how” such violations produce meanings that can always be calculated or worked out. 

Fatimah Alzughaibi1 

Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) and Frederick Douglass (1818-1895) were contemporaries who both wrote autobiographies about their experiences during a transformative time in American history. On the surface, these two men‘s autobiographies have virtually nothing in common. They are set in completely different areas of the country. Thoreau‘s Waldentakes place during a two-year, two-month, and two-day stay (compressed into a one-year narrative) in the woods near Concord, Massachusetts. On the other hand, Douglass‘ autobiography, The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave Written by Himself, spans several decades and is set in a variety of locations, to include a plantation in the South and the urban city of Baltimore. Moreover, Thoreau writes his narrative from the position of a free, white, privileged, formally educated (Harvard graduate) male elite; whereas, Douglass‘s narrative is told from the worldview of a black, former slave without a formal education or prestigious family background.  

Ibrahim I.I. Najjar1  

This paper is carried to find out if the translation of irony from Arabic,” the Holy Quran” into English might change the intended meaning. To tackle this problem, the study ventures into a contrastive analysis with reference to a number of linguistic and non-linguistic devices and concepts. It concentrates on the interpretation and the linguistic realization of irony in both languages. The study takes the view that ironic devices are the foundation of the structural development of the texts in question. To demonstrate this, the speech act and conversational theories have been used. The interaction between the ironic devices and the text development constitute a framework for the overall rhetorical meaning of the text. Thus, contrastive analysis and comparative stylistics analysis have been implemented. A thorough contrastive analysis is made of when translating irony from Arabic into English using two versions of translations;the translations of Mualawi Sher Ali and Yusuf Ali.It is found that the meaning of the ironic lexical words have been to a high degree maintained in the process of translation. Similarities and differences between both texts have also been found. In addition, both translators have implemented the literal translation strategy to render the examples of irony.  

Acheoah, John Emike (PhD)1, Adeoye, Adeyinka Olusola2 

The Nigerian learners study English towards acquiring discrete skills. However, the final destination of many career-driven learners of English is the Nigerian work-force. Their productivity determines the development of the country. This paper contends that “no nation develops more than its standard of education, which inevitably, is determined by the language of formal education. To aid this study, questionnaires are administered to 120 respondents from the study areas: Akoko-Edo, Etsako West, Owan East and Owan West Local Government Areas of Edo State of Nigeria. Data are analyzed using frequency and percentage. Hinging on the Projection Principle, the study finds that proper teaching and learning of English in schools, fosters social mobilization, participation in governance, national cohesion and effective performance at work places.