درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

This study investigated the discourse features of requestive speech acts in 10 textbooks from the Top Notch and Summit series to assess their potential for developing learners' pragmatic competence. Requests were analyzed in terms of directness strategies, head acts, and supportive discourse moves, drawing on the frameworks of Blum-Kulka et al. (1989) and Farch and Kasper (1989). The findings revealed a bias towards direct request strategies in both series, likely influenced by their utilitarian discourse structure. While Top Notch provided a wider range of directness levels, Summit, designed for advanced learners, offered limited exposure to diverse request strategies. Internal supportive moves, particularly the use of questions, were more prevalent than external moves in both series. These findings suggest that while the series contribute to language learning, they may not fully equip learners with the pragmatic competence necessary for effective intercultural communication. Further research is needed to explore the impact of explicit instruction and implicit learning on the acquisition of request strategies.

The challenges posed by climate change, on the one hand, and energy shortages, on the other, are frequently in the headlines. Accelerating the global deployment of renewable energy is both essential and strategic for mitigating climate change and strengthening energy security here and there. Achieving this objective requires substantial financial and technological investments, which can be supported by both domestic legal frameworks and international arrangements. International Investment Agreements (IIAs), in particular, play a pivotal role in facilitating the inflow of foreign investment, especially in the renewable energy sector. Among their provisions, the standard of National Treatment (NT) is central to liberalising investment flows and fostering foreign participation. This article therefore examines how NT clauses can be more effectively designed to protect and promote foreign investments in renewable energy—an issue of considerable economic, legal, and academic significance. Through a detailed analysis of NT clauses in existing IIAs (lex lata) and by providing recommendations for their future clauses (lex ferenda), the article concludes that, despite some progress, most IIAs still adopt a superficial approach to the protection and promotion of renewable energy investments. In particular, the absence of pre-establishment NT clauses in most agreements significantly undermines their effectiveness. The article ultimately highlights the legal techniques that states should consider when drafting IIAs to attract and safeguard foreign investment in this sector.