Journal of Applied Linguistics and TESOL (JALT)

The rapid integration of generative artificial intelligence (AI), particularly large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT, has reshaped pedagogical practices in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) writing classrooms. This article synthesizes empirical findings published between 2023 and 2025 to investigate how such tools influence two interrelated dimensions of language learning: learner autonomy and critical thinking (CT). A structured review of peer-reviewed studies including quasi-experimental interventions, mixed-methods research, and systematic reviews was conducted. Evidence consistently shows that AI-mediated writing instruction enhances writing performance through immediate, context-sensitive feedback, improved drafting strategies, and iterative revision processes. For example, studies with n=136 university-level EFL students demonstrated statistically significant improvements in content, organization, and mechanics after AI-supported interventions, while another mixed-methods study involving 70 experimental and 66 control group participants reported large within-group effects favoring AI integration. Similarly, a one-group pre-post study of n=117 students found highly significant improvements (p < .001) across multiple dimensions of ESP writing. Beyond performance, evidence indicates positive shifts in learner autonomy, with students demonstrating increased responsibility for drafting, evaluating AI-generated feedback, and monitoring their revision decisions. However, findings related to critical thinking are more nuanced. A 2025 systematic review reported that approximately two-thirds of studies (≈67%) found enhanced CT outcomes, including improvements in argument quality, reasoning, and evaluation, whereas about one-third (≈33%) cautioned that uncritical reliance on AI may suppress independent analysis and reflective judgment. These outcomes suggest that task design and pedagogical scaffolding are decisive in shaping whether AI use strengthens or weakens higher-order thinking. The analysis is interpreted through Self-Determination Theory (Ryan & Deci, 2000), which highlights the role of AI in fostering competence and autonomy; sociocultural theory, positioning LLMs as mediational tools in learners’ zones of proximal development; and feedback-as-dialogue frameworks, which reconceptualize AI outputs as opportunities for feedback literacy and metacognitive engagement. Drawing on this evidence, we propose a pedagogical design pattern, AI-scaffolded, teacher-orchestrated, rubric-anchored writing that integrates generative AI as a supportive resource while ensuring learners remain critically engaged and responsible for their own learning processes. Overall, the findings confirm that generative AI has the potential to serve as a catalyst for improved writing quality, greater autonomy, and the development of critical thinking in EFL classrooms, but only when embedded within intentional, reflective, and ethically guided instructional practices.

The integration of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini into educational contexts has ushered in a paradigm shift in how teaching, learning, and assessment are designed and delivered. This study investigates the multifaceted role of GenAI in transforming educational practices, drawing insights from educators and learners across secondary and tertiary institutions. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the research explores how GenAI supports instructional efficiency, personalized learning, and novel assessment formats, while also raising concerns regarding academic integrity, policy clarity, and digital equity. Quantitative survey data (n = 300) reveals that a significant portion of educators use GenAI for lesson planning, grading support, and content generation, reporting time savings and increased differentiation. Students report using GenAI for idea generation, language refinement, and exam preparation, citing increased confidence and comprehension. However, both groups express uncertainty about ethical boundaries and inconsistent institutional guidelines. Thematic analysis of interviews (n = 40) surfaces four core themes: empowerment through personalization, enhanced efficiency with caveats, ethical ambiguity, and the urgent need for AI literacy and policy development. This study contributes to the emerging literature on AI in education by offering a nuanced, data-driven understanding of the promises and perils of GenAI adoption. The findings emphasize the need for rethinking pedagogical design, assessment models, and institutional policies to ensure that GenAI is integrated responsibly, equitably, and effectively. The study concludes with actionable recommendations for educators, policymakers, and technology developers to co-create future-ready educational ecosystems that preserve human creativity, integrity, and critical thinking.

Foreign language speaking anxiety (FLA) remains a significant barrier to acquiring English as a Foreign Language (EFL), particularly in oral communication. This anxiety manifests through fears of correction, communication apprehension, and heightened self-consciousness, shaped by a complex interplay of pedagogical, institutional, psychological, and sociocultural factors. Teacher-related influences, such as intolerance of mistakes, harsh criticism, and ineffective pedagogy, foster judgment-laden environments that heighten stress. The fear of negative evaluation, particularly through immediate correction or public questioning, further suppresses participation. Classroom dynamics, such as overcrowding, competitive atmospheres, and limited technological support, amplify communicative pressure, while inadequate academic preparation and limited interaction with native speakers contribute to learners' insecurity. Linguistic challenges, including restricted vocabulary, complex grammar, and pronunciation concerns, discourage spontaneous speech. Additionally, assessment-driven systems that link oral proficiency to academic performance exacerbate anxiety, reinforcing the pressure to perform. Peer dynamics, such as embarrassment, competitiveness, and fear of judgment from classmates, also play a pivotal role in suppressing engagement. Psychological factors, including low self-esteem, perfectionism, and irrational beliefs, intersect with age, gender, proficiency levels, and multilingual backgrounds, creating diverse experiences of anxiety. Communication apprehension and lack of preparation are recurring themes, underscoring the need for structured and supportive practice environments. This thematic synthesis presents foreign language speaking anxiety as a multidimensional phenomenon influenced by interrelated pedagogical, institutional, and personal factors. It advocates for holistic approaches that prioritize not only linguistic proficiency but also the emotional well-being of learners, thereby fostering more supportive and effective EFL learning environments.

Media headlines serve as powerful discursive tools that shape public perceptions of global conflicts. In the case of the Israel–Palestine conflict, divergent ideological narratives across Western and Eastern media often reflect distinct geopolitical alignments and cultural sympathies. This study investigates how headlines from selected Western and Eastern newspapers linguistically construct the conflict through Halliday’s Systemic Functional Linguistics (Transitivity) and Martin and White’s Appraisal Theory. A total of 600 headlines were analyzed using the UAM Corpus Tool, drawn from six newspapers—three Western (The Times, New York Times, Frankfurter Rundschau) and three Eastern (Arab News, Dawn, Tehran Times). The analysis focused on process types, participant roles, and attitudinal resources including affect, judgment, and appreciation. Findings show that Western headlines predominantly employed material and verbal processes to assign agency to Israeli actors, using intensified judgmental language and mono-glossic engagement that privileged institutional voices. In contrast, Eastern headlines favored relational and existential processes that highlighted Palestinian suffering and moral framing, supported by higher lexical density (a greater ratio of content words to function words) and more academic vocabulary, alongside hetero-glossic engagement. These results reveal that headlines construct conflict ideologically through distinct linguistic strategies aligned with regional worldviews. The study underscores the role of language in reproducing geopolitical bias and aims to contribute to critical discourse scholarship and awareness of media framing practices.

Suicide represents one of the most devastating and preventable causes of premature death globally, yet its early detection remains stubbornly elusive. This study advances the hypothesis that language specifically the spontaneous lexical choices individuals make in everyday written and digital discourse constitutes one of the most sensitive and accessible markers of suicidal ideation. We employ corpus-based methodologies to conduct a systematic, quantitative investigation of how the written language of individuals experiencing suicidal ideation differs from that of a matched non-suicidal population. A purpose-built Suicide Discourse Corpus (SDC) of approximately 452,000 tokens was compiled from four heterogeneous sources: anonymized crisis helpline transcripts, Reddit posts from mental health disclosure communities, published first-person narratives of suicidal crises, and archival farewell notes. A Matched Control Corpus (MCC) of 449,800 tokens from general online discourse was constructed as a baseline. Analytical methods include keyness analysis (log-likelihood, G²), semantic domain profiling using the UCREL Semantic Analysis System (USAS), collocational analysis (Mutual Information scoring), and frequency analysis of grammatical and functional-word categories. Findings reveal a statistically robust lexical signature in suicidal discourse marked by: (a) dramatically elevated pain, suffering, and death-related vocabulary; (b) absolutist and negation-heavy language reflecting cognitive constriction; (c) a depletion of future-oriented temporal reference and positive evaluative terms; (d) heightened first-person singular pronoun use alongside reduced social solidarity vocabulary; and (e) distinctive collocational frames encoding inescapable, internally directed suffering. These patterns align with major psychological theories of suicide including Shneidman's psychache theory, Joiner's Interpersonal Theory of Suicide (IPTS), and Beck's cognitive model of hopelessness. Implications for the design of NLP-assisted early-warning systems, ethical governance of mental health corpus research, and future multilingual extension of this work are discussed at length.

Information technology and mobile intelligence are no longer a distant hope or a dream whose success requires time; they have become a tangible reality. The era of information technology has begun rapidly, with no end in sight. There is no doubt that this technology may lead to a division of the scientific work process. Studies and research in this field have been numerous, but they do not address the importance of using these educational tools in the educational process for children. One of the most important developments in the era of mobile learning is its use in providing solutions to the modern problems facing the educational commerce, with its various components, whether the educational system or distance learning. This is due to the use of wireless technologies that do not require presence at a specific time or in a limited location to obtain education. This technological development has been implemented in many countries, and a number of international conferences have been held to discuss this topic. Hence, the importance of studying this topic, which attempts to discover the effectiveness of this type of mobile learning, which relies on Android applications available on mobile phones.This development in information technology has led to the use of a new term in the field of education: "mobile learning," or "mobile learning," where the word "mobile" means "movable," "movable," or "recognizable." Hence, this study aimed to identify the most popular Arabic teaching applications for children in Pakistan as a second language, available on the Google Play Store at the time of the study. It also aimed to review their distinct features to determine their effectiveness in developing language skills and highlight their advantages and disadvantages. The evaluation included a study of the archaeological sites constructed by Google and its users, resulting in five applications. This study demonstrated a weakness among children in the quality of Arabic educational applications. However, the detailed results are: 1- Good applications: These are applications that have a number of important features in various aspects and categories. Different evaluations. These apps are mostly geared toward people. 2- Average or weak apps: These require a variety of work and improvement to be able to do so if you want.

The rapid integration of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) into educational settings has raised new possibilities and challenges for second language acquisition, particularly in the domain of academic writing. While most existing applications emphasize lower-order concerns such as grammar correction, spelling, and vocabulary enhancement, less is known about how GenAI can be harnessed to cultivate higher-order thinking skills in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) writing contexts. This study addresses that gap by examining the extent to which GenAI tools can support analysis, evaluation, and creation with core dimensions of higher-order cognition as outlined in the Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy. Guided by Cognitive Learning Theory and Sociocultural perspectives on mediated learning, the study employed a mixed-methods, quasi-experimental design with 80 intermediate-level EFL university students. Participants were randomly assigned to an experimental group (n = 40), which engaged in GenAI-assisted writing and revision tasks, and a control group (n = 40), which received traditional instructor feedback with a focus on grammar and mechanics. Over the course of twelve weeks, students produced weekly essays, engaged in iterative revisions, and, for the experimental group, critically interacted with AI-generated feedback targeting content development, argument structure, and rhetorical clarity. Data sources included pre- and post-intervention writing assessments evaluated against a rubric emphasizing higher-order components (argumentation, coherence, and originality), weekly reflective journals, and semi-structured interviews with a subset of participants. Quantitative results revealed statistically significant gains in the experimental group’s higher-order writing dimensions compared to the control group, with notable improvements in argument development, logical coherence, and the generation of original insights. Qualitative findings further highlighted that students using GenAI engaged in deeper revision cycles, demonstrated increased metacognitive awareness, and reported heightened confidence in idea generation and critical evaluation of their own writing. Nevertheless, some risks were identified, including over-reliance on AI suggestions, occasional uncritical acceptance of machine-generated text, and uncertainties surrounding academic integrity. These findings underscore the dual role of GenAI as both a scaffold and a potential crutch in EFL writing pedagogy. The study concludes that when thoughtfully integrated into instructional design, GenAI can extend beyond its remedial function of grammar correction to become a catalyst for higher-order thinking. Pedagogical implications include the need for explicit training on critical engagement with AI outputs, structured reflective activities to reinforce metacognitive skills, and assessment frameworks that reward originality and critical reasoning rather than surface-level accuracy alone. By shifting the focus from linguistic correctness to cognitive depth, educators can leverage GenAI not merely as an editing tool but as an active partner in fostering analytical, evaluative, and creative writing competencies among EFL learners.

The current paper analyses conversations between teachers and students in the classroom in the context of the IRF model of discourse analysis, as developed by Sinclair and Coulthard (1975). The information was taken as an output of an online lesson recording on Academic Writing in English, which gives the researcher an opportunity to examine how the teacher can begin, govern, and end the interaction, as well as how students can respond in this context. As the analysis shows, the communication pattern that dominates the classroom, the IRF pattern of initiation, response, and feedback, has a propensity to encourage a highly teacher-centred discourse. This structure makes sure that the lesson content is addressed and it is sequential; however, the student is hardly involved in the lesson process and is not able to develop communicative competence. The results validate the prevailing criticisms of the IRF model, as it is useful in describing the interactional structures, at the same time demonstrating how it is limited in fostering learner autonomy. The paper concludes by highlighting the necessity of more learner-based methods in ESL/EFL settings, in which students are invited to be more active participants in a conversation, thus encouraging a more intense and effective language use and skill development.

In this study, the authors explore whether machine learning-based corpus/pattern recognition of code switching in multilingual digital writings is feasible and to monitor the extent of code switching between these five languages in multilingual contexts (English-Hindi, English-Spanish, English-Arabic, English-Tagalog, and English-Malay). Based on a large-scale annotated corpus and transformer-based architecture fine-tuned on the multilingual setting, the study delivered token-level accuracies of above 95 percent and macro F1 scores of over 0.94 both in the in-domain and out-of-domain assessment. The analysis elicited consistent part-of-speech triggers where the nouns, verbs, discourse markers, were common occurrence at switch point, and usages of syntactic choices were realized by focusing on switch at noun phrase-verb phrase boundaries. The fact that high bilingual collocations ranks also demonstrated that formulaic expressions were robust indicators of switches. The reliability of annotation was verified using Cohen Kappa values that exceeded 0.86 and hyperparameter tuning showed that long-distance switching dependencies can be captured using longer sequence lengths. Not simply re-assuring the powerfulness of AI-guided models to reflect a human-level of code-switch detection, the results also contribute to theoretical knowledge in terms of structural, pragmatic, as well as sociolinguistic aspects of cross-linguistic contact when occurring in online contexts of communication.

This study investigates the dynamics of turn-taking, politeness, and identity construction in the YouTube talk show Speak Your Heart, a popular digital media platform in Pakistan. Drawing on Conversation Analysis (Sacks et al., 1974), Politeness Theory (Brown & Levinson, 1987), Interactional Sociolinguistics (Goffman, 1959; Bucholtz & Hall, 2005), and Digital Discourse Studies (Page, 2012; Tagg et al., 2017), the research explores how conversational structures shape participant roles and audience engagement in mediated talk. Data was collected from selected episodes of Speak Your Heart, transcribed, and analysed qualitatively to examine turn allocation, interruptions, overlaps, politeness strategies, and identity markers. The findings reveal that turn-taking is strategically managed by both hosts and guests to maintain conversational flow, assert authority, and highlight stance. Politeness strategies, particularly positive politeness and mitigation, are frequently employed to balance face needs while addressing sensitive topics. The analysis further demonstrates that identity is not fixed but dynamically negotiated, as participants align or distance themselves from cultural norms, professional affiliations, and audience expectations. The results highlight how digital talk shows function as hybrid spaces where personal narratives intersect with public performance, combining informal conversational styles with structured media formats. The study contributes to ongoing discussions in discourse analysis by situating Pakistani digital discourse within broader sociolinguistic scholarship. It also underscores the role of online talk shows in shaping contemporary cultural identities and provides insights for media practitioners on fostering meaningful, respectful, and engaging interactions.

ABSTRACT: The majority of non-Muslim biographers are those who have maintained a hostile attitude towards the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), this kind of attitude began when he received the prophethood. It was only after receiving the prophethood that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) had to face opposition and persecution. The persecution was so great that even plans were made to kill the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), but Allah, the Almighty, thwarted every plan of his enemies during the Meccan and Medinan periods and protected him in every way. After the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) left this world, the Jews and Christians adopted the same previous attitude to extinguish their fire. The Prophet of Islam was not present, but such thoughts and ideas were expressed regarding his personality that have no truth. The pioneer of these oppositions is John of Damascus, who tried to distort the character of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The titles of his biography that he objected to are the most beloved titles of non-Muslim biographers. After him, the style of Theosophists, Abdul Masih ibn Ishaq al-Kindi, San Pardo Pascal, Dante, Shakespeare, Father Alexander D. etc. was also hostile. Until the time of the Crusades, the attitude of non-Muslims towards the Prophet of Islam was very harsh. When non-Muslims were defeated in the military arena, they emphasized on dealing with Islam in different ways. Now most of the emphasis was given on practical and intellectual grounds. Different areas of Islam should be studied and criticized. This is the reason why these people did not leave any aspect of Islam, for this they gained access to the Arabic language, then they translated Arabic books into their own languages, then they made it very popular in the world, this is also a characteristic of these periods, fabricated events of the past, fictitious stories were denied. There were still those who were biased, but the non-biased group increased after this period, that is, the Crusades. These people changed the color of their writings, but there were also those among them who could not remain biased, racial and religious prejudice was also deeply embedded in them. In this chapter, the style of writing of biographies of non-Muslims and famous non-Muslim historians have been mentioned, who have worked on the biography of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in one way or another.

Faisal Zaman Chishti is a devoted Sufi and a poet of rare sincerity and moral clarity. What lends a distinctive charm to his poetic voice is his masterful use of almost the entire classical apparatus of ilm al-Bayan and ilm-al-Badi’, which he weaves seamlessly into his verse. His poetry moves effortlessly across a wide emotiona and ideological landscape, embracing themes of peace and revolution, the dignity and suffering of the laborer, Palestine and Pakistan, the trials of the common individual, social bitterness, exile, from home, the ache of separation, and the pain of a faithless beloved. Taken as a whole, it is beyond doubt that Faisal Zaman Chishti’s poetic style stands as both powerful and profoundly distinguished

This thesis analyzes representations of transgender and non-binary identities through a transnational,comparative literary analysis of Girl, Woman, Other by BernardineEvaristo, and Middlesex by JeffreyEugenides. It investigates how the experiences and identities of trans characters in British and Americanliterature are shaped through the lens of intersectionality, particularly at the intersections of race, class,gender, and national context. The study pays particular attention to the distinct narrative frameworksestablished by each text. Middlesex constructs trans identity within a model that is medicalized, binary,and biologically deterministic, where gender transition and transformation are normalized as a journeydefined by genetics and sanctioned by institutions. In contrast, Girl, Woman, Other addresses selfdefinition, gender fluidity, and identification, situating trans and non-binary identities within a broadersocio-political post-colonial context. Finally, the close reading of these texts demonstrates that Girl,Woman, Other promotes disruptive narratives in its representation of marginalized gender identities,particularly those of Black and working-class individuals, while Middlesex reinforces and engages with adominant ideological position in Western narratives that characterize trans identity as white, middleclass, and legitimized by medical establishments.

Language is ever evolving, majorly shaped by the cultural and societal contexts. The present youth (Gen Z) plays an important role in this evolution process through punctuation drop and syntax restructuring. These phenomenon occur credited to the habituated usage of digital platforms for daily communication and in some regional contexts, for instance the countries with English as a second or third language, because of competence with their first or second languages. This study conducted an analysis of punctuation usage and syntax restructuring practices in Gen Z, with the aim of understanding the reasons of normalized punctuation drop and syntax restructuring. The study is created by concentrating on platforms like WhatsApp, Instagram and Snapchat chiefly. Future academics might attain a profound comprehension of the reasons of negligence of punctuation and syntactic structures, the ailing point causing it and ways to recompense it among upcoming generations in Pakistan.

In the modern era, humanity stands at the pinnacle of material advancement yet suffers from an acute spiritual vacuum, existential anxiety, and a profound loss of inner meaning. Science, technology, and economic progress have indeed enriched human life externally, but have simultaneously deprived it of peace, love, and transcendence. The greatest tragedy of modern civilization is its absolutization of reason and neglect of the soul, reducing man to a mechanical being devoid of spiritual depth. Within this context of spiritual decay and intellectual fragmentation, the thought of Mawlana Jalal al-Din Rumi (1207–1273) emerges as a timeless and universal remedy for the maladies of the modern human condition. Rumi’s philosophy centers upon love (ʿishq), unity (tawḥīd), and self-realization (maʿrifah). For him, love is not merely an emotional state but a cosmic force that unites the human being with the Divine. His Mathnawī-i Maʿnawī is not only a masterpiece of mystical literature but also a map of the soul’s inward journey a guide to purification (tazkiyah al-nafs), moral discipline, and spiritual ascent. Rumi maintains that reason without love becomes a “cold intellect,” which distances the seeker from truth rather than leading him toward it. Therefore, he invites humankind to look inward, recognize the reality of their existence, and attain spiritual insight through the transformative power of divine love. This article explores Rumi’s thought as a response to the spiritual crisis of modernity. It examines how his metaphysical and ethical teachings rooted in love, intellect, knowledge, and unity — offer a coherent framework for addressing the inner emptiness, alienation, and materialism of the modern self. The discussion includes a comparative analysis of Rumi’s philosophy with that of Carl Jung, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Henry Corbin, highlighting both intersections and divergences in their conceptions of the self, imagination, and transcendence. Furthermore, the paper investigates how major contemporary Muslim thinkers such as Allama Muhammad Iqbal, Seyyed Hossein Nasr, and William Chittick have interpreted and expanded Rumi’s message in modern intellectual discourse. For these scholars, Rumi represents not only a spiritual master but also a philosophical architect whose vision can heal the fragmented consciousness of modern humanity. Ultimately, the study concludes that Rumi’s vision of divine love, purification of the soul, and reawakening of selfhood provides a profound and practical solution to the spiritual disintegration of the modern age. Through the application of Mathnawī’s teachings in personal and social life, humanity may rediscover inner peace, moral balance, and proximity to the Divine, thereby transforming the age of alienation into an era of spiritual wholeness.

The present study explores the psychological journey of the major characters towards the radicalization process in Fatima Bhutto's novel The Runaways. It focuses on the mechanical group behaviors of these characters during the whole process. The study uses John Horgan's process model of terrorism as a theoretical framework for the analysis of these major characters. It outlines three stages of radicalization: becoming a terrorist, being a terrorist and disengagement. The study uses this model to interpret how psychological vulnerabilities of the major characters are exploited and transformed within the context of jihad. Methodologically, the study is qualitative in nature while employing textual analysis through close-reading and narrative interpretation. It focuses on psychological cues, symbols, characters monologue and interaction that reflect their psychological transformation. The findings suggest that Bhutto's novel portrays radicalization as a process rooted in psychological reasons, rather than political or religious motives. This process begins with emotional dissatisfaction and personal confusion, where individuals experience isolation, invisibility and identity crisis. Then, this inner conflict grows deeper and consequently Anita Rose and Sunny become increasingly vulnerable to alternative ideologies that offer them a belonging or purpose. It also explores the role of human ideologues and role figures who manipulate these individuals for recruitment or make a way for their radicalization. Extremist groups provide a sense of self-hood and new identity to fractured individuals. In the next stage, these individuals adopt new roles and absorb radical identities where they derive meaning in symbolic transformation and structured belief systems. Moreover, the process moves toward disillusionment or disengagement, often marked by inner conflict, emotional fatigue, or shifting group dynamics. Finally, the findings suggest that radicalization of the jihadists is a complex emotional journey, where psychological needs are exploited, redefined, and ritualized within extremist context. By treating fiction as a site of psychological inquiry, this study provides a fresh and emotionally grounded perspective to the study of radicalization.

This article argues that Danial Mueenuddin’s ‘This is Where the Serpent Lives’ (2026) should not be read as a mere book with a very casual story but as a reflection of feudal governance in Pakistan. Rather than depicting it as a comparison between rural and city life, this novel gives a more comprehensive approach to more closely interrogate the caste system, gender binaries, gender violence, colonial rule, and racial discrimination. To illuminate these structures, this novel is viewed particularly from the perspective of Maria Lugones’ Multiple Oppression. The argument proceeds from the perspective of Saqib’s character and Hisham Attar as representatives of the Feudal System. The novel, ‘This is Where the Serpent Lives’ (2026), is authored by the well-known Pakistani author Danial Mueenuddin. A poor person is never allowed to have even a tenth of his Master’s property, which is what the novel revolves around to expose the lingering realities of Pakistani Feudal lords having great lands in Pakistan through colonial rule. Maria Lugones’ idea of Multiple Oppression has taken its responsibility in explaining how various systems, such as race, gender, class, sexuality, and colonialism interlock and mutually reinforce each other. Maria Lugones, in her 2003 book, Pilgrimages/Peregrinajes: Theorizing Coalition against Multiple Oppressions, introduced Decolonial Feminism as a theoretical framework. I intend to view the novel, ‘This is Where the Serpent Lives’ from the Decolonial Feminist Perspective. My research aims at exposing various bitter realities of Pakistan’s Feudal Systems as a tool to operate colonialism, racial discrimination, gender oppression, and class difference in Danial Mueenuddin’s ‘This is Where the Serpent Lives’ (2026). This novel is not analyzed from this perspective earlier. This research aims to fill the gap and pave the way for further research.

Generative AI (GAI), including ChatGPT, has sparked a change in academic literacy for students in higher education and has placed the ESL students at the centre of the changes. Students learning English as a Second Language (ESL) play a pivotal role in the higher education academic literacy environment, and are being shaped by generative AI (GAI) tools like ChatGPT. What is so exciting about these tools is that they can help make writing easier as never before, but they raise a few issues that have ethical implications in terms of ownership, plagiarism, and cognitive offloading. The present mixed methods study is concerned with the perception and the moral dilemma of the academic writing with the help of ChatGPT among the diversified sample of 416 ESL learners of a big public university of Pakistan. The results of our qualitative study, which involved conducting semi structured focus group discussions, do not contradict the quantitative results from the survey in which students indicated that using ChatGPT to support them with a language skill is an equaliser, that is, "ease of use in relation to their performance" (C. Lee & Chew, 2023; Yan, 2023); at the same time, however, students do not feel confident of the boundaries of using ChatGPT as an assistive tool, and what constitutes academic transgression, which gives rise to “ethics anxiety” (Eaton, 2023; Perkins, 2023). A positive correlation (r = .68 p < .001) is statistically significant between the perception of a positive impact of AI on language acquisition and writing self-efficacy, while the negative correlation (r = –.61 p < .001) is statistically significant between the perception of a negative impact of AI on language acquisition and writing self-efficacy. They were analysed qualitatively and in themed forms and revealed four main ethical tensions: (1) Loss of voice of the author, (2) digital divide in algorithmic literacy, (3) Failure of current academic integrity frameworks, and (4) Potential intellectual deskilling. Finally, we propose a new “Dynamic AI Literacy Model” for teaching ESL that shifts from a punitive detection model to a constructive detection model, building on the students' culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds with the knowledge of AI and engaging the students in developing explicit and contextual ethics guidelines.

Song lyrics constitute a rich and underexplored domain of linguistic inquiry, offering a window into the intersection of popular culture, emotional expression, and vocabulary use. The present study employs a corpus-based computational approach to examine lexical diversity, sentiment polarity, and thematic structures in contemporary English song lyrics drawn from three dominant musical genres: Pop, Rock, and Rap. A balanced corpus of 3,000 songs—1,000 per genre—was compiled from a publicly available Kaggle dataset. Lexical diversity was operationalized through the Type-Token Ratio (TTR), while sentiment polarity was measured using the TextBlob framework. Keyword frequency analysis and Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) topic modeling were applied to uncover dominant vocabularies and latent semantic themes. One-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Tukey's Honest Significant Difference (HSD) post-hoc tests were used to determine the statistical significance of inter-genre differences. Results indicate that Rap exhibits significantly greater lexical diversity (M = 0.5070) than both Pop (M = 0.4707) and Rock (M = 0.4724), while Pop demonstrates significantly more positive sentiment polarity (M = 0.0668) than the other genres. Topic modeling identified four major thematic clusters—Narrative Action, Romance, Reflective Existentialism, and Socio-Cultural Realism—which vary in prominence across genres. These findings demonstrate how computational linguistic methods can systematically uncover meaningful differences in language use across contemporary musical genres.

This study analyzes Amitav Ghosh’s Gun Island (2019) through the theoretical frameworks of Rob Nixon’s concept of slow violence and eco-anxiety theory. It examines how environmental catastrophe in this novel is a process that has been unfolding over many years, is a cumulative phenomenon resulting from global economic relations, colonial histories, and climate change. The study is qualitative, interpretive and close reading, using selected text passages to explore the dynamic of ecological degradation over time and space, all the while revealing its often hidden and intensely harmful nature. The findings reveal that Gun Island (2019) portrays environmental harm as slow violence that manifests through droughts, floods, biodiversity loss, and forced migration. These processes destabilize human life while remaining socially and politically under recognized until they reach visible intensity. At the same time, it reveals what conditions such ecological instability create in the characters' minds, conditions that manifest as fear, uncertainty and grief, as well as psychological disorientation. This fear is magnified by a series of interconnected crises like migration, trafficking networks and global capitalism. The study concludes that the novel interlinks slow violence and eco-anxiety, presenting environmental catastrophe as both a structural and psychological phenomenon. It states that ecological destruction isn't some mere material problem, but also a tremendous emotional and psychological one, one which has a remarkable effect on human consciousness.