ISLAMABAD: A two-day international conference on applied linguistics concluded on Sunday after holding a total of two 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 attended by experts from the USA, UK, Canada, Italy, England, Russia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Philippines, Poland, Tunisia and Ghana.

According to a statement, speaking at the inaugural session, Dr Anis Ahmad, Vice Chancellor Riphah International University, emphasised 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, 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 explained 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 belonged 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 was 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 as to how ideologically cloned linguistic strategies were employed to project the 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 emphasised 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 stressed the need to tailor language curriculum keeping in view the needs of Pakistani students to develop national consciousness among them.

Dr Shahid Siddiqui, former vice chancellor AIOU, shed light on 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 spoke on 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 stressed the need to train teachers in line with the emerging trends in the arenas 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 Mohammad Islam, Dr Fatima Syeda and Dr Sadia also presented their papers.

Published in Dawn, March 13th, 2023