Two-day Int'l Conference On Applied Linguistics Concludes At Riphah University

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 12th Mar, 2023 ) :The two-day international conference on Applied Linguistics concluded here on Sunday after holding a total of two inspiring plenary and 10 academic sessions.

� The conference was held under the aegis of the Department of English Linguistics and Literature, Riphah International University and was represented by countries across the three continents which include the USA, UK, Canada, Italy, England, Russia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Philippines, Poland, Tunisia and Ghana.

� The conference revolved around eight key themes: communication in healthcare system, current trends in English language teaching, ecolinguistics and ecological Narratives, implications of disinformation on social media, language of resistance and call for social justice, literature for social transformation, political hate speech, and new directions in translation study.

� Speaking at the inaugural session, Riphah International University Vice Chancellor Dr Anis Ahmad welcomed the delegates from different countries and emphasized the need to produce original, indigenous and significant studies aligned with the parameters of research ethics.

� Dr Lance Cummings from the University of North Carolina, Wilmington, USA, while presenting his paper, highlighted the importance of Artificial Intelligence in the classroom, showing examples of how this could help drive student engagement, improve their overall writing skills, and create opportunities for creativity, exploration, and experimentation.

� Dr Meng Huat Chau and Dr George M Jacobs explicated how the news coverage of COVID-19 neglected the topics linked to poverty -- lack of food, clean water, and sanitation -- even though the neglected topics accounted for more deaths.

� Dr Arran Stibbe highlighted the linguistic devices that construct ecocultural identities. He explained that ecocultural identity was belonging to a group that included not just humans but also animals, plants, or other beings from the more-than-human world.

� Dr Maya Khemlani explained that appropriate communication with patients is taught in some medical faculties; however, a focus on talking with older patients should also be incorporated in such courses.

� Dr Kingsley Cyril Mintah from the University of Ghana in his paper titled "Against all odds: examining the language of newspaper political campaigns" analysed how ideologically cloned linguistic strategies are employed to project political messages.

� Dr Alexandar Dube from the University of Ottawa, Dr Alexander Pavlenko and Dr Marina Paramonova from Rostov State University Russia presented their papers on emerging trends in translation studies.

� Dr Waseem Anwar from Kinnaird College Lahore emphasized the need to bring social transformation at various levels through literature.� � Dr Samina Qadir pointed out the embedded biases in the English curriculum of Pakistan and emphasized the need to tailor the language curriculum keeping in view the needs of Pakistani students to develop national consciousness among them.�� � � Dr Shahid Siddiqui, former AIOU Vice Chancellor emphasized the need to push conventional academic boundaries and urged the researchers to come up with original, indigenous and contemporary studies, leading toward socioeconomic development.

� Dr Munnaza Yaqoob stressed the need to develop students' ecological consciousness by adopting creative pedagogies to increase students' awareness of environmental crises and foster ecological thinking.

� Dr Raja Nasim Akhtar emphasized the need to train the teachers in line with the emerging trends in the areas of linguistics and literary studies.

� Dr Ajmal Gulzar, Dr Jameel Jami, Dr Imran Aib, Dr Muntazir Mehdi, Dr Ghulam Ali, Dr Javed Iqbal, Dr Akhtar Abbas, Dr Hmaira, Dr Ayesha Junaid, Dr Muhammad islam, Dr Fatima Syeda and Dr Sadia also presented their papers in the conference.� ��The conference was concluded by the closing remarks and a vote of thanks by Dr Muhammad Shaban Rafi, Chair of the Department of English at Riphah International University.