EDITOR'S FOREWORD

Abstract

This year’s issue of the Online Journal of Humanities (N 8) includes articles in Linguistics and Applied Linguistics.

The article  “The Concept of Foregrounding in the Wake of the Developments of Stylistics”  by Nino Tvedoradze discusses the emergence and evolution of the concept of foregrounding and examined its validity from today’s perspective.

In the paper, “Functions and Significance of Teaching Translation in ELT,” Lela Dumbadze explores the role and significance of teaching translation and in particular, teaching creative translation in the process of Teaching English as a Second Language.  The empirical data for this research were collected from the electronic questionnaire filled out by the teachers delivering practical courses in English at the Department of English Philology at Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University. The questionnaire included questions about the importance, advantages and disadvantages of teaching translation to students. Analyzing the responses to the questionnaire, the author still encourages including an elective course in creative translation which would play a positive role in ELT by “improving students’ overall understanding of the English language and strengthening their professional skills and self-confidence in reference to multiple aspects concerning their future professional aims”.

The paper by Yasmine Mitaishvili- Rayyis “ Vapshe Ara: Attitudes of English Philology Students in Georgia towards the Russian Language” explores the beliefs and attitudes of English Philology students in Georgia towards the Russian language, focusing on Russia’s linguistic prestige and history within Georgia, and the current state of Russian-Georgian relations. It investigates linguistic prestige, models for language context, relevant educational and language policy, and student perspectives. In addition, this research sheds light on the complex relationship between language, politics, and identity in contemporary Georgia.

This year’s issue of the Online Journal of Humanities (N 8) includes articles in Linguistics and Applied Linguistics.

The article  “The Concept of Foregrounding in the Wake of the Developments of Stylistics”  by Nino Tvedoradze discusses the emergence and evolution of the concept of foregrounding and examined its validity from today’s perspective.

In the paper, “Functions and Significance of Teaching Translation in ELT,” Lela Dumbadze explores the role and significance of teaching translation and in particular, teaching creative translation in the process of Teaching English as a Second Language.  The empirical data for this research were collected from the electronic questionnaire filled out by the teachers delivering practical courses in English at the Department of English Philology at Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University. The questionnaire included questions about the importance, advantages and disadvantages of teaching translation to students. Analyzing the responses to the questionnaire, the author still encourages including an elective course in creative translation which would play a positive role in ELT by “improving students’ overall understanding of the English language and strengthening their professional skills and self-confidence in reference to multiple aspects concerning their future professional aims”.

The paper by Yasmine Mitaishvili- Rayyis “ Vapshe Ara: Attitudes of English Philology Students in Georgia towards the Russian Language” explores the beliefs and attitudes of English Philology students in Georgia towards the Russian language, focusing on Russia’s linguistic prestige and history within Georgia, and the current state of Russian-Georgian relations. It investigates linguistic prestige, models for language context, relevant educational and language policy, and student perspectives. In addition, this research sheds light on the complex relationship between language, politics, and identity in contemporary Georgia.

and reveals the difference between the syntactic patterns and lexical meaning of the adverb + adjective collocations produced in written language by Georgian learners of English and native speakers.

The article by Mariam Nebieridze “Towards the Students’ Use of Backchannel Signals Within the Context of Virtual (Zoom) Class: The Students’ Perspective”  discusses the signals which show the speaker that their message is getting through examined in online classroom discourse, taking place via Zoom during the pandemic. The study reveals the frequency and the types of backchannel signals employed by the students online and discusses the students’ perspective on the function of the backchannel signals.

The article by Ekaterina Torchinava, “The Impact of Social Media on the Four Components of English Language Development for Learners (A Case Study)” explores the role of social media in the development of the four components of language (listening, speaking, reading and writing). It is proposed that the utilization of social media and online platforms, alongside digital interactions and communication among peers, yields interesting outcomes in the development of English language skills among children.

Professor Manana Rusieshvili-Cartledge

Editor-in-Chief