Purpose Using videos in language learning has been investigated in the literature to enhance second language learning. The previous studies have explored the effect of videos on learning a foreign language, especially vocabulary learning. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of videos on learning present progressive tense in the perspective of semiotics. Design/methodology/approach A total of 30 Arab English foreign language (EFL) learners participated in the study and were assigned into two groups. The first group was taught present progressive tense with the help of videos (the semiotics group). The second group was taught the same content using a traditional way, i.e. without videos. Findings Results of the post-test indicated that participants in the semiotics group outscored the participants who did not learn through videos to learn present progressive tense. The study concluded that using videos is a useful tool to enhance learning present progressive tense. Originality/value To the authors’ knowledge, no study has been conducted to examine the effect of semiotics on learning L2 grammar, especially the present progressive tense. Therefore, this study explores the impact of using videos, as a form of semiotics, to help EFL learners learn present progressive tense.

PurposeThis study aimed to investigate the impact of social networks on learning requests by Arab undergraduate EFL students.Design/methodology/approachFurthermore, both types of requests (i.e. direct and indirect) have been compared under the same condition. A total of 40 Saudi EFL learners participated in this study. Their scores in the pre-test and post-test were compared.FindingsResults of the post-tests indicated that the experimental groups' performance significantly outscored the control groups. However, no significant difference was reported between the two experimental groups (i.e. direct and indirect).Originality/valueRequests, as a component of pragmatics, have been investigated extensively in the literature to aid second/foreign language learning. However, little is known about the manner by which social networks could foster learning requests.

In this paper, the author supports the claim that there is an inevitable relationship between language and social class to which a speaker (character) belongs. The paper claims that a literary language is a manifestation of the verbal practices done by real speakers in real communicative situations. The paper illustrates that Bernard Shaw in Pygmalion used the concept of “language variation” as a stylistic device to reveal some significant social aspects of Eliza Doolittle, the main character of the play. Drawing on Basil Bernstein’s distinction between elaborated code and restricted code, the paper compares between Eliza as a low -class illiterate speaker and the same Eliza after having intensive linguistic training by Prof. Higgins. The analysis is based on some selected extracts of Eliza’s speech in different conversational scenes in the play. The paper hypothizes that literary discourse, mainly dialogues, can be treated as an ordinary language used in real conversational situations. The analysis was conducted from phonological, syntactic, pragmatic and sociolinguistic perspectives.