Recent research published in August 2026 by Elda Martha Suri and Salsabila Lianita from Universitas Ekasakti Padang, alongside Windry Novalia Jufri from Universitas Negeri Padang, reveals that the massive use of artificial intelligence (AI) in English for Specific Purposes (ESP) learning triggers linguistic ownership displacement and students' professional voice vulnerability. This finding is critical for modern education because it shows that over-reliance on technology can erode authenticity, authority, and language users' self-confidence in the professional world.
Digital transformation has reshaped global educational practices, where AI is now utilized to draft academic texts, translate technical terms, and check grammar. However, this convenience introduces a new problem known as "linguistic ownership displacement," where users feel they no longer fully control the language style, word choices, and argument structures they produce. Consequently, individual professional competence representation and academic identity become vulnerable.
To examine this phenomenon, the study employed a quantitative approach with an explanatory survey design. A total of 120 respondents consisting of ESP students and lecturers were involved through purposive sampling techniques. Data were collected using closed Likert-scale questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation tests, linear regression, and mediation analysis with statistical software assistance.
Data analysis results substantiate several key findings:
- High intensity of AI use is proven to significantly increase linguistic ownership displacement, where AI-assisted text feels more dominant than the user's personal language style.
- Excessive AI use further strengthens professional voice vulnerability, characterized by low self-confidence when respondents must write ESP texts without technological help.
- Most respondents utilize AI to draft professional texts (60%), improve sentence structures (55.8%), and translate technical terms (53.3%).
- Linguistic ownership displacement acts as an important mediator explaining how high AI use indirectly weakens the authenticity and authority of users' professional voices.
According to the researchers from Universitas Ekasakti Padang and Universitas Negeri Padang, these results provide a critical perspective that AI must not be positioned as a substitute for human thought processes. Educational institutions and instructors are advised to integrate critical AI literacy and design process-based assignments—such as initial draft collection, revision notes, and AI-use reflection—so that students retain control over their linguistic agency and professional identities.
Author Profiles
- Elda Martha Suri – Researcher and academic at Universitas Ekasakti Padang.
- Windry Novalia Jufri – Researcher and academic at Universitas Negeri Padang.
- Salsabila Lianita – Researcher and academic at Universitas Ekasakti Padang.
Research Source
- Article Title: Linguistic Ownership Displacement and Professional Voice Vulnerability in Artificial Intelligence Mediated English for Specific Purposes Ecosystems
- Journal Name: Journal of Educational Analytics (JEDA), Vol. 5 No. 3, August 2026
- DOI/URL:
https://doi.org/10.55927/jeda.v5i3.35
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