A comparison of the articles "Dell Hymes, Kenneth Burke's 'Identification,' and the Birth of Sociolinguistics" by Jay Jordan and "Do You Speak American?" by John Baugh.
Abstract The paper discusses how Dell Hymes and Kenneth Burke offer compelling insight into the foundations of sociolinguistics using the key term of "Identification". The paper then analyzes Jay Jordan's scholarly article "Dell Hymes, Kenneth Burke's 'Identification,' and the Birth of Sociolinguistics" and contrasts it to John Baugh's popular press article "Do You Speak American?" The paper shows how, while Jordan's article is based on hard research without taking any one side, Baugh's article on Ebonics is based on the author's opinions and fueled by media exposure and political impact.
Outline:
Background
Issue
Scholarly Article
Popular Press Article
Discussion
From the Paper ""Sociolinguistics is the study of the effect of any and all aspects of society, including cultural norms, expectations, and context on the way language is used. Sociolinguistics overlaps to a considerable degree with pragmatics" (Wikipedia). The study of sociolinguistics offers a view on how subtle or pronounced language variation can be a result of social variables such as ethnicity, religion, status, and level of education (Wikipedia). The importance of the study of sociolinguistics can be applied to a variety of applications; from legal precedence in a court of law to defining the true meaning, or as Kenneth Burke defined, the "identification" of the meaning of words in which context, setting, and other social factors are applied (Jordan)."
Tags: Ebonics, African-Americans, dialect, language
Abstract The paper discusses seven mandates that collectively define the designation of culturally competent care. The paper explores the issue of cultural competence and shows how it does not involve merely language but must be applied on a sociocultural level too. The paper describes the need for direct in-house and trained institutional interpreters and for culturally diverse recruitment and hiring.
From the Paper "A very responsive and positive current trend in health care is to establish systems that are much more open and receptive to cultural diversity and the particular needs of a culturally diverse regional and patient population. Culturally competent is the designation that is utilized to describe a health care facility (usually a hospital) that answers the needs of a diverse population through services and employee/volunteer training that recognizes cultural diversity assists cultural minority individuals through specific important access points, and services to achieve a better patient outcome, overall."
Abstract In this article, the writer notes that the traits of order and categorization, without which society cannot function, are especially prominent in the Victorian society in which 'The French Lieutenant's Woman' is set. The writer points out that the Victorian era is an outstanding example of when categorization was taken to the extreme, almost completely suppressing the socially and scientifically inexplicable instead of incorporating it into a system as had been done in religion and superstition. The writer discusses that Fowles' experimentation with the most fundamental elements of the Victorian novel (for instance with their endings) clearly indicates that he actually uses his image of Sarah to highlight the limitations he suffers in his own position as author with an equal weight. The writer notes that Fowles shows, through his exploration of the categorization of the individual and the external world, and his evasion of authorial convention, that the problems of excessive categorization are just as much of a problem for the author himself - not just the world around him.
From the Paper "That which makes The French Lieutenant's Woman most radical and arguably post-modern, however, is that Fowles goes beyond the implicit existentialism of modernist literature and becomes directly self-reflexive. He tackles the idea of unnecessary categorization far more directly by exploring it in his own position as author. Fowles demonstrates this in his unwillingness to be limited by basic premises of narrative of the conventional novel. Interruptions to the narrative, denial of authorial omniscience, moving backwards and forwards in time as easily as in the imagination - these are all attempts by Fowles to avoid being pinned down. The Victorian crusade of categorization, it seems, was still evident in the need for a 'second wave' of feminism in the 1960s - excessive categorization, while already established as a problem by some Victorians, required a 'second' wave for the internalization of this change in attitude."
Abstract Considering Heinrich Heine's work "Religion and Philosophy", this paper shows that Luther unleashed not only a true religious revolution in Germany, but that this was corroborated with and triggered in itself a literary revolution. The writer discusses Heine's belief that the new religion that Luther promoted in Germany had one substantial literary characteristic: it was German and in German, which meant that the Bible and service needed to be in German. The writer maintains that this was perhaps the foremost contribution Luther made to German literature and literary language, marking the beginning of literary manifestations in German language. The writer concludes that Heine's constant references throughout his book to the importance of Luther as a literary revolutionary show that the impact of his revolution by far left the simple sphere of politics or religion and laid the foundations of literary German.
From the Paper "Undoubtedly, Luther's religious revolution had enough force so as to propagate itself as a literary revolution as well. This was done in several ways, first of all by simply creating the use of German language as a mean of communication. In the 16th century, this is of utmost importance, as it subsequently gave way to the birth of the German nation in its respective European territory.
"However, even more than that, Luther actually produced literature, with his poems and songs and was a generous source of inspiration for his own contemporaries, but also for the German poets to come. It is no wonder that Heine, one of the greatest German poets of all, recognizes Luther as one of his own important predecessors and advices all writers that his language and the words he has introduced are there to stay and need to be used, as rejuvenating as they are."
Abstract In this article, the writer reviews and presents several language-learning software programs. In reviewing 10 software packages, the author chooses three which seem to be the best in their category. The writer focuses attention on the following programs: Speak2Easy Language Learning Expert 3.07, French Verb Games 1, and Human Japanese. Specifically, the paper discusses the different types of language learning criteria, and compares the software packages to the criteria which the author feels are the most important.
Outline:
Language-learning software
Types of Language Software
Criteria for Selection
What they were all missing
Comparative table
Speak2Easy Language Learning Expert 3.07
French Verb Games 1
Human Japanese
Russian Language Learning 1.0.1
Mandarin Learning Assistant
Learn French Vocabulary 1.6
Flash Cards for Learning 1
Choice 1.4
Learning Spanish Like Crazy
Learn Chinese 2007 5.1
From the Paper "The primary question is: how close does the language software come in achieving its stated goal? The language software must be engaging, give feedback, and be fun for the student to use. The old-fashioned, non-computer methods of rote memorization weren't effective because the student became bored quickly. Retention is helped by games, visual clues, and socialization.
"The primary selection criteria for these software packages were therefore user involvement: how many senses were involved in the use of this software? How much fun can a student have with it? Can the student get feedback from his/her own voice? Are the methods progressive, with a sense of advancement? Can it be tied to social interaction, such as working with fellow students? To this end, the author used the criteria selected by the National Foreign Language Resource Center."
Abstract In this article, the writer notes that poetry has traditionally been the realm where the Dionysian myth, as defined in opposition to the Apollonian myth, is able to reign free, effectively embracing the sort of chaos and formlessness that has traditionally defined Dionysus. At the same time, the writer points out, it is very difficult to isolate the Dionysian qualities of a poem from the Apollonian qualities, as one relies on the difference between the two as definitional factors in each; in order for true poetry to occur, one needs the Apollonian to give form and temperance to the wildness of the Dionysian. Still, in this essay, the writer reads two poems by Frank O'Hara, "Poem" and "Homosexuality," from a purely Dionysian standpoint - even though, it may be argued, that an Apollonian reading of the poems may also be elicited.
From the Paper " "Poem" is about desire in a purely aesthetic sense. It is Dionysian not only in this embrace of desire and the aesthetic, but in that it does not fear embracing the irrational, the absurd, in rendering a work of art. The poet states that we desire flowers more than George Sand's blue rose; in other words, a blue rose is not a flower? The poem does not really make any logical, Apollonian sense - and that is exactly O'Hara's point. A classical, romantic nature poem about flowers might attempt to elaborate on the qualities of the blue rose via metaphor, thus allowing the Apollonian to temper the Dionysian impulses of the poem. But O'Hara will have none of it - other than stating that it belongs to George Sand, the famous French writer from the 19th century, we do not learn anything else about flowers, other than what they are not: poison oak."
Abstract In this paper, the writer discusses the concepts of a common language and a foreign language. The writer notes that in his 'Communist Manifesto', Karl Marx at one point states that a foreign language is only appropriated by translation. The writer explains that Marx believes that a foreign language only becomes a foreign language when it is identified as being foreign and thus set off from the "normal" or accepted language through the process of foreign language translation. At the same time, in his 'An Introductory Talk on the Yiddish Language', Franz Kafka once described the relationship between the German and Yiddish language as being related in that Yiddish is the only language that allows the Jew to describe their suffering at the hands of the German language. The writer maintains that taken together, what both authors claim is that the act of translating a foreign language is futile in that, within the translation, the concepts or emotions of the words and language becomes lost and thus the result of the translation is a foreign language.
From the Paper "According to Marx, language and political or economic power does not intertwine. Take for instance the case of Russia. For centuries the dominant language of Russia has been Russian. This has been the language of all classes of people. Even after the fall of the Czar and the reign of Communist Russia, Russian remained the national language. Likewise, after the fall of the communist regime and the establishment of the Russian Federation, Russian remains the language of the nation.
"However, when the Soviet Union began to colonize the surrounding states, such as the Ukraine, Georgia, Estonia, and the nations of Central Asia, part of the plan was to enforce the Russian way of life onto these people and thus make them Russian."
Abstract This paper discusses neuro linguistic programming (NLP), a "fringe science" offshoot of linguistic research. The paper attempts to break down the misunderstandings surrounding NLP and recognize that NLP has progressed our understanding of how our minds make meaning of language.
From the Paper "La Fontaine, in this magnificent quote, shows that lying and deception are not synonymous in his mind. Dictionary definitions and common meanings of words rarely reflect our self-contained and original meanings. It seems that the deeper, or more ambiguous the word, the more varied each of our individual meanings are. Walk, a fairly simple word, to you or I might mean the same general thing, but to a person has a spinal fracture it might be a shinning goal in the distance. Imagine the variance of meaning for words like space, nature, love, acceptance, surveillance, or the previous examples, lying, and deceit. Single words carry plenty of meaning differentials; imagine the variance of meaning in whole sentences or dialogs of communication. Nero-linguistic programming is the study of human communication and linguistic meaning formation."
Abstract This paper discusses the postmodern understanding of subjectivity as fiction and some of its consequential statements criticising humanist Western understanding. Firstly, it discusses the theories of an autonomous and pre-existing selfhood and then explains the psychoanalytic approach to human subjectivity. That approach analyses subjectivity and concludes that it is the interior structure of humans which is constructed through the childhood stages and psychoanalytic processes.
From the Paper "On the other hand, it is important to remember that we cannot function in this world or in this society without some concept of subjectivity (Mansfield 2000, 171-172). Language is grounded in subjectivity. Every noun and every pronoun argues for the existence of some unique subject. One couldn't have social rhetoric, ultimately, without some theory of the subject, some faith in a society composed of multiple, unique subjects. Carrying this argument to is furthest extreme, one could say that nothing would show up for us at all without subjectivity since subjectivity is the cornerstone of language, and language delivers "the world" to us once we have entered the symbolic order. Subjectivity, then, is a useful fiction in that it delivers the world to us, and allows us to function within it. It is a useful tool which helps us shape our worlds, through language. Whether we argue that subjects are auto-produced or culturally produced or they are fictions created by power, however, it seems clear that there are subjects so long as there is language, and that subjectivity is not a spontaneous and naturally occurring phenomenon (Mansfield 2000, 179). It seem to be produced, in one way or another."
Abstract In this proposal, the writer provides an overview of the learning disorder "dysgraphia" which describes a learning disabled person that has difficulty interpreting their own written language or handwriting. The paper begins with a synopsis or review of learning disabilities and a detailed description of the learning disability reviewed. Further the writer presents an overview of best practices, curriculum adaptations and other changes a teacher and student may make to enhance the learning experience of a learning disabled child.
Outline:
Executive Summary
Plan of Differentiated Instruction to Meet the Special Needs of this Student
Best Practices
Personnel Implementing Plan
Sample Lesson Plan Overview
Lesson Plan 1: Research Report
Lesson Plan 2: Writing Poetry
From the Paper " The goal of differentiated instruction is to meet the needs of the student with dysgraphia, so they are able to comprehend their own written word and transcribe their thoughts in a way they can understand, and in a way that their teachers and other peers can understand. In this instance the student has difficulty writing in their own "handwriting" and then making sense out of the writing produced. The goal is to help the student by developing a modified approach to learning so that he can participate in a normal, general education classroom. This will help the student feel less like an "outcast" and will thus help the student bolster his self-esteem, which may then improve his outlook on life and commitment to learning."
Abstract This research proposal paper discusses the reasons why English language acquisition and acculturation may not be high priorities for foreign language speakers in the United States. The paper specifically aims to identify opportunities for improvement in foreign language educational services among foreign-born children enrolled in elementary (not including kindergarten) and secondary schools in the United States.
Table of Contents:
Statement of the Problem
Research Questions
Information on the Data
Data Analysis Statistical Design
Appendix
From the Paper "According to U.S. Census data from 2000, the total number of foreign-born children enrolled in elementary (not including kindergarten) and secondary schools in the United States was around two-and-a-half million (Ernst-Slavit, Moore & Maloney, 2002). When students that were born in the United States to foreign-born parents are included in this total, the figure actually increases to more than 12 million students. According to Ernst-Slavit and his colleagues (2002), "Although not all students from these figures would be ESL students, a significant portion of them are likely to be. These figures also suggest the imminent reality that all teachers, at some point during their careers, will have in their classrooms at least one student for whom English is a second language" (p. 116). Indeed, in many parts of the country such as Texas and New Mexico, a majority of the students may be ESL students (Waters, 2007). According to this author, "Few trends have changed the demographics of U.S. elementary and secondary schools as dramatically as the record-high immigration of the past dozen years. Students who are learning English for the first time, better known as English language learners, make up a greater proportion of the K-12 population than ever before" Waters, 2007, p. 34)."
This paper looks at the theory of conversation analysis, which analyzes and identifies the different denotations, implications, backgrounds and perspectives of the discussions that take place within a community or an institution.
Abstract In this article, the writer notes that discussions and their evaluations that take place are simultaneously significant for a society to identify and solve any problem or deficits that they are facing. The writer points out that conversation analysis is one of the ways that was initiated 3 decades ago to analyze discussions. It is considered the most popular offshoot of the field of discourse analysis. The writer discusses that since its birth, the concept of conversation analysis has proven to be a popular overall tool especially when dealing with social and communal issues. The writer studies conversation analysis focusing on this concept within a call center. The writer concludes that the main elements for conversation analysis within a call centre revolve around the potential evaluations at the micro and macro grounds of an interaction, the management of taking turns, the management of the entire design of the interaction, the concept and use of adjacency pairs, the preference management structure and the supervision or management of expressions.
Outline:
Introduction
Conversation Analysis
Conversation Analysis: Practical Groundwork
Conversation Analysis within a Call Centre
Facets of Conversational Exchanges within a Corporate Call Centre
Conversation Analysis and Related Criticism
Conclusion
From the Paper "The link between the two forms of researches that conversation analysts have focused on: ordinary conversation and institutional talk is of hierarchical nature. One of the two, the ordinary conversation, because of its existence from the initiation of conversation analysis takes the higher place on the ladder of hierarchy. Furthermore, the ordinary conversation format is far more experienced and has been far more researched then the institutional talk format because of its nature to include both the individuals' outlook as well as the community's outlook. The format of institutional talk, which includes the schools, media, courts, etc., is comparatively a newer concept and hence has been more popular for the recent researchers; this is also why it has been going through far more shared modifications in recent years."
Abstract The paper explores various studies that attempt to determine how children learn to speak and shows how in many cases, the rudiments of language development are started early, even in the first few months after birth. The paper notes that such studies are of interest to educators and parents, as well as those who are working toward the betterment of illnesses such as autism. The paper points out that although much has been learned about the interrelationship of language and behavior, much will not be determined until the study of the brain becomes more advanced.
From the Paper "How do children learn to speak? For decades, psychologists, anthropologists, philsophers and linguists have debated this question. The cognitive theory of learning, first theorized by Piaget in the mid-1950s concerns the development stages when babies and children acquire new ways of mentally representing information. Since then, a wide variety of different and competing ideas of this relationship have been proposed, which continue to stimulate a large body of research. Although the results of these studies have brought researchers closer to the "truths" behind language development, it will not be until the construct and activity of the brain is thoroughy understood that the final answers concerning language will be known."
Abstract This paper examines the origin of the 'F' word, how the word came to be and how it is used today in American culture. The paper discusses that there are various legends and claims regarding the origin of the 'F' word and while some claim that the word was derived from the language of the Vikings, others claim that the word was derived from an acronym. This paper explores that various sources that make claim to possess knowledge of the origin of the 'F' word.
Outline:
Objective
introduction
Urban Legends And Myths Of The 'F' Word
The French Claim To Origin Of The 'F' Word
Random House Historical Dictionary Of American Slang
Indo-European Root 'Peuk'
North-Sea Germanic Areal Form
In Depth-Analysis
Summary & Conclusion
From the Paper "Because of this, English archers would taunt the French by raising their middle fingers and exclaiming that they could still 'pluck yew' hence the four-letter word." (Wilton, 2004) According to Wilton, this specific legend was a pun and Wilton states: "It is doubtful that whoever came up with this howler meant for it to be taken seriously. But this joke has gained urban legend status thanks to the internet." Wilton relates that four letter words, such as the 'F' word."
Abstract This paper explains that, although there is a larger amount of evidence supporting the notion that human language develops from natural and inborn processes, socialization and learning is important to the development of language. The paper first describes the basic components of language, which are classified as content morphemes and grammatical morphemes. The paper then presents research to support both arguments that language is innate and that the development of human language is closely linked to the development and transformation of human cognition.
From the Paper "From day one, we seem naturally equipped to develop and explore language. When a new infant is born, he/she is immediately able to distinguish his/her mother's voice. Young infants start to babble at a very young age as if they are trying to communicate with one's caregivers. Amazingly enough, deaf children initially start to babble as well, but eventually stop verbal communication because they do not hear any feedback. An interesting aspect of language development is an infant's ability to be sensitive to all languages when under the age of 6 months."
