Posters had their breakthrough in 1830-1840’s all thanks to the lithographic printing technique. The poster was used as an advertising tool. In this essay, we have looked at which semiotic and rhetorical elements that are found in today’s Swedish movie posters. What kind of image and text elements does the poster use and with what function? With what and how do they persuade the audience that the movies are interesting and worth seeing? We have taken the most popular Swedish movies between 2001 and 2010, one for each year, going by the statistic found at the website of the Swedish Film Institute. We have first analyzed using a semiotic perspective (signs, codes, denotation, connotation and myth combined with Giddens´ lifestyle sectors). Then we have used a rhetorical perspective using the three persuasion categories: ethos (credibility), logos (logical) and pathos (emotional). The posters vary in their way of using different elements and tactics trying to interest audiences and communicate the intended information. Iconic pictures of people are important carriers of emotional bound codes. Symbolic signs communicate the title and names of participators. Some posters rely on the names of the actors and writers (ethos) while others focus on communicating the story (logos). Pathos is used to set the mood to connotate the genre. Every poster has its strengths and weaknesses. Promoting the strengths in the right way and finding a balance is key.

The purpose of this quantitative study is to examine receiver variables involved in strategic communications and to look specifically at the use of graphic images in strategic communication materials. It argues that any complete, general model of persuasion effects will include both goal compatibility and emotional determinants. It argues that some influential theories used in strategic communications scholarship, including the situational theory of publics and the elaboration likelihood model, are incomplete because they have omitted these variables. This study also tests variables related to willingness to communicate, behavioral intention, and attitude towards the organization. These variables are drawn from prominent, well-tested theories in strategic communications, and used to begin building a new model of the effects of messages featuring graphic images.

The news media serve as the Canadian public’s main source of information about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This thesis examines the ways in which the Canadian media portray the conflict, through a lens of Habermas’ (1962) public sphere theory, Foucault’s (1926 – 1984) ideas on discourse, and Rawls’ (1921 – 2002) conceptions of equality and justice. Building on these theories, Noelle-Neumann’s Spiral of Silence theory (1974), Said’s Orientalism (1978), and d’Arcy’s (1913 – 1983) conception of the right to communicate are examined to arrive at a framework for analyzing Canadian news. Looking at ideological representations, power manifestations, issue framing, and social responsibility within the media, this thesis explores whether the Canadian media portray the conflict in such a way that fosters a downward spiral of opinions within the Canadian public. A Critical Discourse Analysis of coverage in two national English Canadian newspapers, The Globe and Mail and the National Post, during three separate timeframes of increased violence in Israel and Palestine between 2000 and 2009 reveals that newspaper representations of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are often entrenched in predefined ways of portraying the Other, fostering an Israeli-Palestinian spiral of silence in Canadian media.

International teaching assistants (ITAs) are considered advanced English users with relatively high standardized language proficiency test scores. However, they may experience difficulties during their interactions with undergraduate students. Some of these difficulties may arise from affective factors such as ambiguity, stress, and adjustment and can impact language use. From an individual differences perspective, a second language user with high communication anxiety may have difficulty comprehending or producing appropriate pragmalinguistic forms. Using a mixed-methods approach, this study examined the underlying factors in ITAs communication anxiety and willingness to communicate in the US classroom and how these factors explained their pragmatic competence, which refers to the ability to use language in socially appropriate ways. A total of 289 ITAs participated in the study. To measure their judgement of appropriateness, a pragmatic appropriateness test was designed. The speech act production was elicited through a discourse completion test. Two survey instruments were designed to measure ITAs’ classroom communication anxiety and willingness to communicate. The major underlying factors from the exploratory factor analysis performed on the survey responses were ‘ease of communication,’ classroom management anxiety,’ ‘fear of warning,’ and ‘willingness to interact with students’. A six-predictor multiple regression analysis revealed that linguistic competence was the most important factor contributing to pragmatic competence. Other factors such as ease of communication and willingness to communicate positively correlated with pragmatic competence. In addition to quantitative data, qualitative data were collected in the form of classroom observations, field notes, and interviews from a group of ITAs (N = 4) who had also participated in the quantitative part of the study. The analysis of the qualitative data revealed that the situational context of instruction determined the particular communication patterns in different disciplines, specifically the impact of threat posed to the negative and positive face of the discourse participants. Additionally, in conjunction with the quantitative findings, while the ITAs seemed to be generally willing to interact with students, teacher-fronted talk in the form of delivering lectures and self-talk especially in large classes was found to be anxiety-inducing for some of them. Length of residence and opportunities for communication seemed to influence the process of adjustment and acquisition of the classroom pragmatic norms. Finally, ITAs’ perceptions and beliefs about appropriateness seemed to affect their pragmatic performance in the classroom. More specifically, ITAs’ perspectives on education and communication such as moderating the power variable in class and building rapport and interpersonal relationships with students through casual talk seemed to guide their choices of pragmalinguistic forms and politeness strategies. The study offered a number of implications for ITA research and training.

The news media serve as the Canadian public’s main source of information about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This thesis examines the ways in which the Canadian media portray the conflict, through a lens of Habermas’ (1962) public sphere theory, Foucault’s (1926 – 1984) ideas on discourse, and Rawls’ (1921 – 2002) conceptions of equality and justice. Building on these theories, Noelle-Neumann’s Spiral of Silence theory (1974), Said’s Orientalism (1978), and d’Arcy’s (1913 – 1983) conception of the right to communicate are examined to arrive at a framework for analyzing Canadian news. Looking at ideological representations, power manifestations, issue framing, and social responsibility within the media, this thesis explores whether the Canadian media portray the conflict in such a way that fosters a downward spiral of opinions within the Canadian public. A Critical Discourse Analysis of coverage in two national English Canadian newspapers, The Globe and Mail and the National Post, during three separate timeframes of increased violence in Israel and Palestine between 2000 and 2009 reveals that newspaper representations of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are often entrenched in predefined ways of portraying the Other, fostering an Israeli-Palestinian spiral of silence in Canadian media.

Denna studie har gjorts inom temat språk och berättande. Där syftet var att ta reda på pedagogens medvetenhet om kommunikationens betydelse under samlingssituationerna. Det empiriska materialet i studien har samlats in genom intervjuer av förskollärare på fyra olika förskolor. Jag använde intervjuer som metod för att syftet var att ta reda på pedagogens förhållningssätt kring kommunikation. Resultatet av studien visar på att pedagogerna har en stor medvetenhet när det kommer till hur de använder kommunikationen i bemötandet av barnen. De är medvetna om att kommunikationen har betydelse för barns utveckling och lärande. Pedagogerna belyser att varje individ kommunicerar individuellt och att det är förskollärarnas uppgift att tolka dem. Samlingen är en aktivitet i verksamheten där pedagogerna alltid har en tanke bakom hur de kommunicerar med barngruppen. / This survey is within the theme of language and narrative. The aim was to find out how the pedagogues awereness on the communication’s meaning during various gathering situations. The empirical material used in this study has been collected through interviews of preschool-teachers from four preschools. I used interviews as the chosen method, due to the aim being, finding out the pedagogues approach on communication. The results of the survey, show that the pedagogues have great awareness when it comes to how they use communication when treating children. They are therefore very aware that communication has a very big role in children’s developement and learning. The pedagogues mention the significancy of the individual ways to communicate and it being up to the preschool-teachers to translate the children’s different ways to communicate. Gathering with the children in preschool is an activity, that shows that the pedagogues always think about how they communicate with the children.

This study explores the possible relationship between extramural English (EE) and students’ willingness to communicate (WTC) in the EFL classroom in the Swedish upper secondary school. The study employed a mixed-methods approach, and the data was collected through a questionnaire and interviews. The results of the study suggest that EE usage positively affects students’ language proficiency and their self-perceptions of their English ability, which in turn is beneficial for their WTC in all contexts inside the classroom. The results also show that the students who spend the most time in EE contexts reported higher levels of WTC than the non-frequent users of EE. Productive EE activities were also found to be more beneficial for raising students’ WTC than receptive activities. The connection between EE and WTC is, however, not absolute since a minority of the students reported a high frequency of EE but low WTC, which indicates that several other factors might also be influencing upper secondary school students' WTC.

This study aims at exploring (1) EFL students’ willingness to communicate (WTC) from the perspectives of some English teachers in Swedish upper secondary schools, and (2) the same teachers’ reported strategies for dealing with their students’ WTC. Six teachers from five different upper secondary schools in Sweden, who all teach English in different programs, volunteered to participate in the study. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews, and the transcripts were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The results of the study showed that teachers perceive both social and psychological factors to influence students’ WTC, and that motivation plays an important role. A natural part of discussing EFL learners’ WTC also seemed to be to discuss their use of the target language. Strategies that were reportedly perceived to enhance EFL learners’ WTC were building respectful relationships within the classroom, using meaningful and relevant topics, creating communicative settings, correcting mistakes cautiously and utilizing digital tools. However, enhancing students’ WTC was considered challenging, and more teacher training in affecting factors of and strategies for enhancing EFL learners’ WTC are suggested to be needed.

There is very little research done on the use and perceptions of icebreakers, and even fewer researchers have focused on young learners in this regard. This study investigates which icebreakers English teachers in grade 4-6 use in Swedish primary classrooms, why they use them, and what their perception is of how icebreakers can affect students’ oral production. Five semi-structured interviews were carried out, containing twelve questions formulated with a focus on significant factors such as motivation, engagement, foreign language anxiety and willingness to communicate, which are addressed in the research on icebreakers. The interviews were transcribed, translated, analyzed (more than once) and thematically categorized to answer the research questions. This showed patterns, perceptions, and trends that English teachers in grade 4-6 have of icebreakers and their use. Most of the teachers who were interviewed had a knowledge of what icebreakers are and what affect they have, and use them daily. As a tool for improving oral performance, icebreakers were seen as well-functioning by most of the interviewed teachers, even though not all of them believed they had time to use them. Only one teacher believed there to be other more effective methods to use. The study showed that teachers perceive anxiety and fear to be reduced by using icebreakers during English lessons, something that is necessary to promote speaking. It may therefore be advisable for teachers to reflect on common classroom practices that induce anxiety, rather than viewing language anxiety as a disadvantageous characteristic of individual learners. The results call for in-depth studies of icebreakers and their effects on students’ learning experiences and speaking ability. Moreover, the study helps fill the gap of research in grades 4-6, with new perspectives on teachers’ perceptions of young learners in relation to icebreakers.

The present study aims to investigate the possible impact that extramural English (EE) has on students’ foreign language anxiety (FLA) in the Swedish EFL classroom. The focus lies specifically on speaking anxiety and its relation to EE, if certain EE activities have a greater importance than others, and if there are gender differences in EE activities and levels of speaking anxiety. The study was carried out in a secondary school in Stockholm, Sweden. The 142 participants attended the last term of ninth grade when the study was carried out. Quantitative data was collected through a questionnaire and results demonstrated that the more extramural English the participants engaged in, the lower their levels of speaking anxiety were. Results also showed that productive EE activities seemed to have a greater impact than receptive activities on FLA. Finally, the study also revealed gender differences in preferred EE activities as well as in levels of speaking anxiety. The participating girls, as a group, had higher levels of speaking anxiety than the boys and were more involved in receptive EE activities than the participating boys. Additionally, the boys spent more time on activities involving video games than girls.