No abstract

Infants usually say their first word at the age of 12 months; subsequently, within the next 6–12 months, they develop a vocabulary of approximately 50 words, along with the ability to make two-word combinations. However, late talkers (LTs) demonstrate delayed speech in the absence of hearing impairments, cognitive developmental issues or relevant birth history. The prevalence of late language emergence (LLE) in toddlers is reported to be 10–15%. Studies of LTs are both theoretically and clinically significant. Early diagnosis and clinical intervention may result in relatively stable speech capabilities by the early school years. The present article aimed to review both theoretical and empirical studies regarding LLE within the process of first language acquisition, as well as methods for the early diagnosis of delayed speech in children and the authors’ own clinical and theoretical recommendations. Keywords: Infants; Speech; Language Development; Speech-Language Pathology; Language Development Disorders; Rehabilitation of Speech and Language Disorders.

E-Learning has recently gained significance among researchers. Although it has long been used in parallel with traditional learning styles, it is still known to be in its early stages. E-Learning is a broad self-standing category with many sub-types. However, there is a prevalent tendency to interchangeably use various terms to refer to this domain. With the strike of the recent pandemic around the globe, nearly all educational bodies including universities, colleges, and schools were urged to shift to e-Learning mediums. The use of e-Learning suddenly gained a tremendous amount of significance. Therefore, studying the problems and challenges that could impact the effectiveness of this phenomenon seemed to be of great importance. Accordingly, this study aimed at reviewing the problems and challenges encountered by students and educators involved in the e-Learning process. Through a systematic review, data were collected from studies on e-Learning. Using the findings of the systematic review, a conceptual framework was created consisting of two broad areas, namely problems vs. challenges of e-Learning. Then, semi-structured interviews with 15 participants of different ages, genders, academic qualifications, positions, and locations were conducted in search of their lived experiences on e-Learning. The present work may shed light upon the e-Learning process, ultimately leading to the development and reinforcement of this rather complicated phenomenon. The framework developed in this study holds potential applicability in studying the e-Learning phenomenon in comparable scenarios, such as pandemics or a complete transition to e-Learning driven by future technological advancements.

The present study aimed at investigating the probable effects of gender and rhythmic methods on the final output of Iranian English as a Foreign Language (henceforth EFL) learners with special reference to their spelling skills. In this regard, 108 Iranian EFL learners studying at three different levels were divided into two groups of genders, each consisting of 54 students. Primarily, the students were taught the new English vocabularies using both rhythmic and non-rhythmic methods of spelling. After the trainings, participants were given a test consisting ten marks of spelling in search for the effect of a) gender of the learners and b) the application of the methods in question. The results of the Two-Way ANOVA test revealed statistically significant gender-derived differences while dealing with spelling. In addition, the results pointed out that both groups of learners achieved much higher marks on the words taught using rhythmic method of spelling rather than the nonrhythmic one.

Translation Studies research trends and methods have often been neglected in modern society of Iran. A considerable number of Iranian translation students, professors, and researchers conduct research programs on different aspects of this nascent discipline. However, they are mostly faced with difficulties in terms of selecting a suitable topic. This might be due to the fact that such researchers are not sufficiently informed of the gaps existing between the main branches and sub-branches of Translation Studies (henceforth TS) in their country. In this regard, this study aimed at investigating the orientations and tendencies of such researchers with special reference to their topic selections. First, a data bank of 400 M.A. theses abstracts in TS was established. These were among the theses defended between 2002 and 2012 in six Iranian universities including both State and Islamic Azad Universities branches. The study was then divided into two sections. As for the first part, we compared 120 theses abstracts to Holmes map of TS. The second part, however, was concerned with the keywords used in the theses abstracts. To include a wide variety of areas, the 12 main areas of researching translation proposed by Williams and Chesterman were considered as well. The results of the study revealed that there was a statistically significant difference among the 21 branches of TS map introduced by Holmes. The results also suggested that out of the main 12 areas of research in translation, 6 areas remained relatively untouched in modern society of Iran, remarkably corresponding to other Asian areas such as mainland China and Taiwan. Finally, some reasons for the current situation were discussed, especially in light of personal communication with some of the well-known TS scholars and theorists around the world (e.g., Larson, Chesterman, Munday, and Schaeffer), and the trends were then compared to the global ones. Some suggestions were also made for the future trends of TS in Iran.