Abstract The paper discusses Pinker's ideas expressed in his book "The Language Instinct", and explains the position of those who oppose his theory of language instinct and advocate a more or less behaviorist position in which nothing is "innate" in the mind.
Abstract This paper examines the relationship between reading acquisition and reading skills and the degree of parental involvement in a child's education. This includes participation in homework assignments, attendance at school functions, beliefs about their children's abilities, and how parents emphasize different aspects of a problem in their instruction, depending on their perceptions of the nature of the task and of their children's competencies in reading acquisition and reading skills. The paper includes relevant tables and figures.
From the Paper "Although it is well established that parents play a critical role in both their children's academic achievement and their children's socioemotional development, the most basic reason to involve parents in education is student success (Greenfield & Hecht, 2001). According to Sherlie A. Anderson (2000), parental involvement is "any interaction between a parent and child that may contribute to the child's development or direct parent participation with a child's school in the interest of the child" (p. 61). Anderson notes that there are two types of parental involvement in the reading acquisition process. The first type she describes as "surface involvement"; this level involves one or both parents going to the child's school to volunteer with administrative tasks or supervising children; the second type of involvement consists of the parents working directly with children (under a teacher's supervision) in reinforcing important reading skills. "Parents are a resource that must be tapped to the fullest. They do not replace teachers, but they help fill in the gaps created by staff cutbacks. Parents can be used in a variety of meaningful ways in reading programs" (Anderson, 2000, p. 63). Further, parents stand to gain economically by helping their children learn how to read and succeed academically. According to Nabil Ibrahim, Rose-Marie Weber, and Joann Yaworski (2000), when students arrive at college ill-prepared for the rigors of higher education, it frequently results in remedial classes, lower grades, frustrated students (and parents) and consequentially higher drop-out rates. "It is certainly a concern for those parents who shoulder the high costs of tuition, room and board, and transportation for four years. In addition to students and parents, student success impacts professors and administrators at tuition driven institutions because of its potential effects on retention" (Ibrahim, Weber &Yaworski, 2000, p. 196)."
Abstract This paper analyzes prison language, prison inmates and prison gangs. It looks at the use of such dialects in other cultures and situations and how they came about.
From the Paper "In every culture, language differs in some manner, more in some than others. Language can be defined as a means of communication in which vocal sounds are combined into meaningful units to convey thoughts and feelings. Language can differ from culture to culture no matter how far apart they are from each other or how they differ. Take for instance, ebonics, a specialized language used solely by African-American people in the inner city, and although it is made up mostly of slang, it actually gets taught in some schools. People living in the same block may not understand the language, and the same can be said of prisoners located in our cities, who have their own language. In prison, inmates have a language that is entirely unique and cannot be compared to any other language, called argot, which would sound like meaningless babble to the common person, but this code is necessary knowledge to all prison inmates and guards."
Abstract This paper shows how cultural misunderstandings are often as a result of incorrect or incomplete translations. The writer explains that people are influenced by the culture in which they live and this helps form their impressions and the ways in which they communicate. Consequently, a metalanguage is required to enable people to discuss a specific language without their culture impacting upon it.
From the Paper "Cultural differences, which upon careful analysis may not be very great, are often exaggerated by the language barrier thus making it hard to conduct a comprehensive cultural analysis. If a person were to attempt to analyse another culture purely in terms of their own culture, this would clearly lead to misunderstanding and a breakdown in communication. This cultural divide is reinforced by the differing languages spoken in the varying cultures being compared. Whilst in a cultural analysis cultures may not be directly compared, the person conducting the analysis is still influenced by the culture to which they belong. As language forms a part of the activities which people undertake in their cultures, language is obviously going to have a large impact upon the cultural analysis being undertaken. By this, I am referring to the fact that if the person conducting the analysis merely translates lexemes from another language into his/her own language, the analysis will be incorrect as the cultural concepts underpinning the languages will be different. Thus it becomes necessary to be able to give definitions in a consistent fashion which does not rely upon any particular cultural concepts."
Discusses 1989 book that focuses on the development of sign language. Differences between the pre and post-lingually deaf. Development of linguistic competence.
1,125 words (approx. 4.5 pages), 1 source, 2001, $ 39.95
From the Paper "In his book, Seeking Voices: A trip to the world of the deaf, Oliver Sacks spends most of his time dealing with the development and of sign language for the deaf, and the fact that before the development of modern sign language, many deaf people were considered retarded because they were unable to communicate. Even with early versions of sign language, the deaf were limited in developing language skills because so much of language depends on "hearing" the spoken word - intonations, inflections, the emotions it contains, etc. These are difficult to convey in sign language. By its very nature, sign language is a kind of shorthand form of communication.
Many schools for the deaf teach their students to vocalize as well as use sign language because, while the deaf can converse fluently among themselves in sign language, most people in ..."
Abstract The paper begins by discussing Locke's refutation of "innate understanding". It looks at Locke's explanation of the concept of and "idea", distinguishing between "simple" and "complex" ideas. It lists the division of simple ideas into four categories and also brings in the three steps involved in the creation of simple ideas. It discusses the procedures involved in complex ideas and then moves on to the connection between ideas and language, and the relationship of these processes with knowledge. The paper concludes with a synopsis and evaluation of Locke's theories.
From the Paper "Locke has explained his theories on how the human mind is developed and nurtured. Due to man's unique ability to perceive and to process information differently from another, it is unimportant if a person is associated with the same man as another or with the same immaterial substances as another. Locke has made it very clear that a human mind is as blank as a sheet of white paper waiting to be written upon. The perceptions and discernment of the mind determine what knowledge a person may have and how he uses it."
Abstract This paper examines the globalization of culture and how the American popular culture shapes it. It investigates how economic dominance, communications technologies, social and political events influence global mass media. The paper also describes the role of the English language in creating a single world culture.
From the Paper "When we look at the dominant form of culture that characterizes our society today, it is often referred to as "globalization". But to many, this idea of a unified world is characterized by the concept of "Americanization". To a large extent, the shared culture around the world is becoming more and more influenced by American culture. There are many reasons for this, but primarily these are the result of the economic dominance of that nation, the development of global systems of communication, and the spread of English as the new international language. The following paper will address all of these issues in order to fully understand the reasons why the United States has a stranglehold on the global market in mass culture."
Abstract This paper is written about the criticism made from George Orwell in "Politics and the English Writing." Many people often complain about the problems related to the English language.
Abstract African American Vernacular English (AAVE) is the dialect of English used by most African-Americans in familiar and informal settings . Although the language spoken by African-Americans in different parts of the United States exhibits some regional variation, the dialect has fairly uniform characteristics. It has a well-formed grammar and an interesting, though controversial, history. Dismissed as 'bad English' by some, it has evoked considerable debate interest among academics and linguists many of whom recognize its importance, especially as a medium of instruction for the African-Americans. This paper explores the origins of AAVE, discusses whether the dialect is a creole, investigates its similarity with other creoles and examines its grammar.
From the Paper "There is some controversy about the origin of AAVE. Some people believe that the Black people, who were brought to America as slaves, picked up English from the 'English-speaking' Southerners they came in contact with. The proponents of this theory, also known as the dialect hypothesis, note that the AAVE and the English spoken by the American Southerners have many features in common, such as the Southern Vowel Shift, vowel lowering, and double modals. (Sidnell, background) The theory contends that the white Southerners in the 17th century spoke a distinct "Virginian" dialect that had its origins in a family of regional dialects spoken in the south and west of England in counties such as Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, Devon, Wiltshire, Oxford and Gloucester during the 17th century. (Williams, 24) Although the use of such a dialect in polite conversation quickly disappeared in England by the end of the 18th century, most of its characteristics persisted in the American South. According to this theory, the 'incorrect' English picked up by the Blacks from the Southern whites was passed down through subsequent generations. In other words, this theory (also known as the 'dialect hypothesis') about the origins of AAVE contends that the present form of the dialect is simply "bad English" and has nothing to do with the native, Western African languages of the slaves. In answer to the question as to why this type of English does not currently exist among its originators, the proponents of this theory argue that most people avoid using "bad" English when they get educated. They contend that the Englishmen from the south and west counties of Britain and the white Southerners discontinued the use of such an 'incorrect' form of English after being educated; the African Americans continued to persist with such 'bad' as they did not benefit from similar education. (Ibid.)"
Abstract This paper discusses whether otherwise gifted students with linguistic disabilities (e.g., hearing or speech impediments) are overlooked by teachers for nomination to gifted programs, thereby placing a "hidden" hurdle in their academic path.
From the Paper "Commonly gifted students with some type of disabling condition are referred to as twice-exceptional ..."
Abstract This paper discusses certain theories of second language acquisition especially about the development of grammar over time. The author review theories of Long, Anderson, Vygotsky, Bialystok, and Pulvermuller and Shumann. The paper relates that these theories do not necessarily contradict each other but do emphasize different parts of the process, such as some theories emphasize the neurological process while others emphasize interaction with other speakers.
From the Paper "The theories of Long, Anderson, Vygotsky, Bialystok, and Pulvermuller and Shumann all explain second language acquisition (SLA) with a different emphasis, but interestingly, not all of these theories are mutually exclusive. That is, because some of them simply emphasize different parts of the process as being of primary importance, or they see the process as happening in a certain part of the consciousness, rather than directly contradicting one another. However, it would be an exaggeration to say that these theories complement and complete each other and give us a complete picture of language acquisition."
Abstract This paper reviews and discusses speech acts and implicatures in relation to pragmatics. According to the paper, any time a person talks, they perform a speech act, for language is not just a logical system and, therefore, the context and the intention of the speaker are extremely important. This paper tries to sum up the points of view of John L. Austin, John R. Searle and Paul Grice as far as speech acts and implicatures are concerned, trying to draw parallels with the seminar as often as possible.
Outline:
Austin's Contribution to the Study of Speech Acts
Searle's Classification of Speech Acts
Grice's Work on Implicatures: The Cooperative Principle
From the Paper "In this perspective, implicatures (that is to say, the implied meaning that is based on the assumption that the speaker follows the cooperative principle and the four maxims) are made possible by the cooperative behaviour of both the speaker and the listener. Those implicatures are first implied by the speaker, and then inferred by the listener: we may call them "invited inferences". Even if it is very important for the listener to assume the speaker is being cooperative (that is to say, that he follows the conversational maxims), this may not be the case every time: when one or more conversational maxims are apparently broken, this may give rise to implicatures as well. One can classify implicatures into two categories: conversational and conventional implicatures. Conversational implicatures rise out of the breaking of the conversational maxims, whereas conventional ones do not interact with those maxims. "
Abstract A brief examination of the movie "Pulp Fiction" from the aspect of language and its impact on culture.
From the Paper "However, the danger and sophistication that are ever-present in the poster can only really be appreciated when related to the third myth, that of 'cool'. Danger in itself is not a myth, it is a definite fact of life that, in real-life, is taken seriously as a truth. But when the danger is removed from the individual then the cool aspect of danger can be perceived as a myth. Ultimately we know that smoking is bad for one's health, but when one is separated from it, the act becomes cool, we also know guns are extremely dangerous yet again once we can take that step away and they are no immediate threat to us, they can be perceived as cool. This removal that is necessary in order to establish the element of cool is achieved in an interesting way in the poster. Rather than being just a poster, the edges have been made to look worn and there are stylised wrinkles in the paper. The purpose of this is to enhance the illusion of this image that makes up the poster as being the cover of a 'trash novel'. We realise that in actual fact these images that we have been examining are being portrayed by the film company as fiction. "
Tags: cool, dogs, reservoir, movies, myth, james, dean
A discussion of the sign and symbol-based language experiments conducted with great apes over the last forty years, including criticisms, findings, and implications. Addresses projects with gorillas, chimpanzees, orangutans, and bonobos.
6,395 words (approx. 25.6 pages), 15 sources, 2002, $ 148.95
Abstract This paper addresses a number of different language experiments that have been performed with all four species of great apes - gorillas, chimpanzees, orangutans, and bonobos, and the advantages, disadvantages, and relative success of each, including conducted experiments. The author discusses the physical limitations of the apes, the advantages of using sign language as opposed to keyboard and symbol-based language, and criticisms brought up by various skeptics. The paper also mentions other types of cognitive activities in which the apes have participated, including painting and learning a system of economic exchange.
From the paper:
"The Koko Project is currently the longest running and most successful of all the ape language projects. Patterson's goal was for Koko [the gorilla] to learn 200 signs ? she now knows over a thousand, and understands at least 2,000 words of spoken English. She asks questions, she lies, she tells stories, she uses the negative, she uses and understands abstract words like love, hate, and death, and she even tells jokes. One of the most famous incidents involves a conversation between Koko and one of her teachers regarding the color of her blanket. As she was getting ready to go to bed, the teacher asked Koko what color the blanket was. Koko responded "red," even though the blanket was white. The teacher admonished her and asked her again, refusing to believe that Koko would make such a simple mistake. Still, Koko responded "red," and repeated it several times. The teacher was perplexed. Then Koko pulled a tiny piece of red lint off the blanket, pointed to it, and signed "red," and started laughing her deep, breathy, gorilla laugh. Humor, then, is another quality we humans can no longer claim for ourselves alone."
Abstract This paper studies the Disney film "Pocahontas" from the standpoint of linguistics students. The dialect of each character is identified and classified, and put in perspective with the others. The native dialects and ethnicities of the actors providing the voices are taken into account as well. The paper illustrates Disney's ability to play into our preconceived ideas about how we should speak and how it relates to other aspects of our lives, including sexuality.
From the Paper " ?In sixteen hundred seven we sail the open sea, for glory, God, and gold and the Virginia Company.? So begin the opening lines of Disney's ?Pocahontas,? just to give a bit of background for the children in the audience who have not yet had American History. In the film ?Pocahontas,? Disney makes a very sincere effort to promote diversity and racial acceptance, and to dispel common stereotypes about Native Americans. At the same time, however, and perhaps unintentionally, they perpetuate other linguistic stereotypes, as I intend to show."
