Papers by Gabriella Torres
Journal of Social Science Studies, 2015
Citizens of industrialized, capitalist societies inhabit cultural spaces that are saturated with ... more Citizens of industrialized, capitalist societies inhabit cultural spaces that are saturated with sound, and of the sounds that compose our daily soundscapes (Schafer, 1977) -buzzing refrigerators, honking horns, humming laptops-none perhaps is as pervasive as music. Perhaps it is precisely because of music's ubiquitousness in modern living that it has become an area of increasing interest in social semiotics with its capacity to serve as a tool for understanding the connections between music, the soundscape and ideology in our society . This paper sets out to explore what a social semiotic approach to music can reveal in terms of not only how pieces of music may make meaning but also in terms of the discourses we have for understanding these meanings and the wider cultural practices that inform them. Using a framework established by van Leeuwen (1999), the author will examine how the musical elements of timing and sound quality work together in three Radiohead songs to create meaning potentials. The writer will then consider the possible broader discourses connoted by these meanings before concluding with a reflection on the usefulness of van Leeuwen's framework in conducting a social semiotic analysis of music.
International Journal of Education, 2014
The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how the Task-Based Syllabus (TBS) can be used to promo... more The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how the Task-Based Syllabus (TBS) can be used to promote L2 acquisition and learner empowerment in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context. The paper begins by reviewing definitions of the Task-Based Syllabus as well as the term "task" in relation to the syllabus. It then examines influential theories, which have helped shape the Task-Based Syllabus before identifying its strengths and weaknesses in the classroom. The author then identifies ideal teaching situations for implementing a Task-Based Syllabus in order to encourage L2 acquisition and facilitate learner motivation and empowerment by promoting language learning strategy awareness.
The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of English as an International Language (EIL) an... more The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of English as an International Language (EIL) and the effects of teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in South Korea within the current landscape of globalization. The paper begins by discussing the relationship of language in terms of the development and maintenance of society and culture before looking at the “worldliness” of English by exploring its neutral, imperialist and democratic functionalities. The author then examines the specific role of EIL and EFL in the context of South Korea before discussing the broader capitalist implications of EIL and EFL education. The paper concludes by acknowledging that though EIL is a site of struggle and a means of sustaining certain economic inequalities, it is also the tool with which to resist such inequalities by providing a common language to create a counter-discourse of opposition.
As Kress (1993: 174) states, “no sign is innocent” and therefore no text, no matter how innocuous... more As Kress (1993: 174) states, “no sign is innocent” and therefore no text, no matter how innocuous, bland or mundane, should be free from critical reading. This paper sets out to do just this by examining World Link (2011), an EFL textbook used in a South Korean university context, by using a framework of ‘visual grammar’ established by Kress and van Leeuweun (2006). The paper begins by reviewing the grounding theories of semiotics on which the framework is based. It then uses the framework to perform an analysis of the representational and interactive patterns of two pages from the World Link textbook. The author concludes with a discussion of her findings by addressing the embedded ideologies discovered within the pages and considering how these meaning potentials relate to the purposes of the textbook and thereby the greater purposes of the publisher, Heinle Cengage Learning.
The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how an understanding of the Good Language Learner mode... more The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how an understanding of the Good Language Learner models described in the SLA literature can be used to tailor and implement a program of learning strategy training and self-regulatory practices in the classroom to empower L2 learners in an EFL context. The paper begins by reviewing the various definitions and classification systems of language learning strategies prominent in the SLA literature. It then examines the evolution of the "good" language learner by specfically looking at the GLL in terms of what strategies they employ, the manner in which they utilize those strategies and what drives them to be proactive in their learning process. The author concludes by proposing a program of metacogntive strategy training and self-regulatory awareness practices for classroom implementation in order to increase the language learning effectiveness of students in a South Korean university.
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Papers by Gabriella Torres