Time-lapse photography and light microscopy were used to determine whether or not sedimentation of the newly developed amyloplasts in the apex of Zea mays L. roots occurred at the time when geotropic responsiveness reappears following removal of the cap. All decapped roots exhibiting a geotropic response had some amyloplast sedimentation in the apical cortical cells. Exposing decapped roots to a centrifugal acceleration of 25 g for 4 h showed that amyloplasts of a similar size and development were not displaced within the cytoplasm when this treatment began 12 h after decapping, whereas displacement did occur when the treatment began 24 h after decapping. This finding indicates the occurrence of a change in the physical characteristics of the cytoplasm between 12 h and 24 h after removing of the cap, which allows amyloplast movement and thus restores gravity perception.

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This study presents the first scoping review (Arksey & O'Malley, 2005; Levac, Colquhoun, & O'Brien, 2010) of world Englishes (WE) research in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) – providing a knowledge synthesis of studies related to the sociolinguistic dynamics and realities of English(es) in one of the most underexplored WE contexts. Although the burgeoning research on English in the region focuses on macro sociolinguistic issues, language policy and planning, and language teaching and learning, there is a pressing need for a systematic investigation of scholarship with an exclusive WE perspective (Mahboob, 2013). On this premise, we map the body of WE literature pertinent to this region during the last two decades (2000–2019). We provide an overview of the state of the research activity, helping to identify the knowledge gaps and determine a fruitful research agenda for scholars interested in the diverse issues of WE in the MENA region.

This study examines the communication strategies employed by Qatar’s government in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. The study contributes to a growing body of work on the sociolinguistics of crisis communication. We focus on the use of South and Southeast Asian languages, spoken largely by blue-collar migrant workers, which are often seen as peripheral even though they are spoken by a large segment of the population. The deployment of these languages during Qatar’s COVID-19 awareness campaign assumes further significance against the backdrop of a series of measures taken by the government in the last few years to strengthen the status and use of Arabic. We analyze multilingual printed pamphlets, multilingual audio-visual communication through radio and social media, as well as interviews conducted with key figures who were part of the awareness campaign. Our examination of the availability, accessibility, acceptability, and adaptability of the multilingual awareness materials reveals that while the different languages and modes of communication were important in spreading awareness, equally critical, if not more, was who carried the information and in what forms. We show the significant roles community and religious leaders and social media influencers played in disseminating the awareness information to the diverse migrant language communities.

This article provides a contemporary profile of English, or Englishes thereof, in the State of Qatar, a tiny country undergoing tremendous socio-cultural transformations. The historical background section contextualizes Qatar's contemporary linguistic 'super-diversity' as a continuity of mobility, integration, and exchange with various communities within and beyond the shores of the Arab/Persian Gulf for centuries. We describe Qatar's present-day sociolinguistic situation, English language policy initiatives and reforms in the educational context, and take a critical stance toward the common homogenizing view of English and Arabic language in the region, one that precludes a nuanced understanding in terms of wider cultural and linguistic processes taking place and shaping identities in Qatar today.

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