Dr John I. Liontas

Associate Professor of ESOL and Second Language Acquisition

Afilliation

University of South Florida

Country

United States of America

Professional URL

SHORT BIO

Dr. Liontas is an Associate Professor of ESOL and Second Language Acquisition at the University of
South Florida. His research explores idiomatic–figurative language competence, technology-enhanced
language learning, and the cognitive processes underlying metaphoric meaning. He has published
widely, earned 51 national and international awards for teaching and research, and presented at over
500 conferences worldwide.

PRESENTATION TITLE

Screenshot-Mediated Idiomatics Noticing in Digital Headline Ecologies

ABSTRACT

As digital reading increasingly unfolds through headline streams and algorithmically
curated news feeds, idiomatic-figurative language has become a critical site of linguistic
engagement. This presentation introduces a screenshot-mediated idiomatics framework that
reconceptualizes idiomatics learning as an emergent process of noticing, inferencing, and
confirmation within authentic digital reading contexts. The framework views idiomatics
competence as developing through recognition, interpretation, and confirmation rather than
through isolated lexical learning. Using archived headline screenshots as epistemic artifacts, the
project explores how authentic digital headline ecologies foster incidental language learning,
interpretive awareness, learner agency, and deeper engagement with idiomatic-figurative meaning
among advanced L2 readers.

ABSTRACT

PRESENTER INTERVIEW