Abstract This paper examines the origins, history, and evolution of Chicano English, described as a new and unique American dialect. The paper describes how the linguistic heritage of Chicano English, combined with unique phonetic qualities gave birth to a dialect which is directly descended from the immigrant experience. The paper concludes that the tapestry of forms ranging from the Spanish of the Ranchero experience, blended with the Americanization of the industrial revolution, and the modern urban experience all helped to create the amalgamation that is the Chicano dialect.
From the Paper "A new foreword vision of prosperity was realized within the Mexican culture. Mexican immigrants desired to become integrated into American culture. This aspiration ultimately resulted in Hispanic participation in unions. "Additional evidence of this Americanization process was in the increased involvement in labor unions, especially the steel unions in the late 1930s, by Mexicans who participated not as Mexicans, but as American industrial workers". Obviously this type of integration into mainstream American culture would demand and that these first-generation Spanish speakers acquire Standard English in order to assimilate."
Abstract The paper discusses the arguments of those who believe that language is a biological ability and those who argue that it is an acquired skill or that the ability evolved over time. The paper concludes that although culture, environment and reinforcement have a large part in developing a person's ability to communicate, the ability itself would not come about without the initial presence of an innate ability to form speech and present ideas.
From the Paper "The issue of language ability being innate or learned is in essence, a special case of the nature vs. nurture debate. Some people believe that language is a biological ability, or a gift from God that is wired into our being. Others believe that it is an acquired skill or that the ability evolved over time. Nevertheless a fascination with this concept is nothing new, as the ability to communicate through the complex rules and regulations that define language is in essence human's unique gift. Interest on the ability to learn a language has existed since the fourth century, where Plato pondered upon the origin of words and their meanings (Bloomfield, 1933)."
Abstract This paper defines what sociolinguistics is, illustrating this definition by looking at the movies "Crocodile Dundee" and "Crocodile Dundee II". It looks at dialectal and pronunciation differences which appear throughout the two movies, which help explain the way in which different social networks/stereotypes are developed and maintained.
From the Paper "Sociolinguistics deals with the attempt to understand the relationships between language, and the societies that give it structure and function. A variety of factors separate these "societies". These factors include a variety of things such as social stratification, personal identity, geography, and group reference through a type of accent/dialect continuum, which can be associated with characteristics derived from economic factors and language contact. Due to the lack of a "consensus" view of social class or one socially prestigious norm of social class, the sociolinguistic differences are made obvious in the movies Crocodile Dundee I and Crocodile Dundee II (Thomas and Wareing 128)."
Abstract A discussion about how words are stored in memory and retrieved. The author discusses how the mental lexical is organized focusing on the priming paradigm method, which entails looking for stimuli that facilitate word retrieval. This is a review of the relevant literature including a proposition of alternative instruments to be used as well as a pilot experiment using the proposed instrument. Main focus is on Arabic speakers.
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Literature Review
3. The Present Paper
4. Metodology
4.a. Stimuli and Design
4.b. Participants and Procedure
5. Results and Discussion
From the Paper "How is our mental lexicon organized?" Is this an abstract theoretical question that belongs solely to the domain of linguistics? In my opinion it does not; this question may have practical consequences too. Take for instance language learning: knowledge about the way the mental lexicon is organized might serve in constructing better learning programs. For example, if we knew that morphological knowledge of language learners facilitates their learning, it might be required to focus on this aspect when constructing a teaching program. And in fact, psycholinguistic literature does report a facilitating effect of morphological knowledge (Mimouni et al 1998, Deutsch et al 1998 and Frost et al 1997)."
Abstract This is an intensive paper looking at both slang and rock music. The two have much in common and the author goes to great lengths to divulge their common threads. It's an 'All you need to know' paper looking at the history of slang, its many uses, youth subcultures and rock subcultures of the 20th - 21st century. The author includes a handy dictionary of slang terms.
From the Paper "Slang fills a necessary niche in all languages, occupying a middle ground between the standard and informal words accepted by the general public and the special words and expressions known only to comparatively small social subgroups. It can serve as a bridge or a barrier, either helping both old and new words that have been used as "insiders' " terms by a specific group of people to enter the language of the general public or, on the other hand, preventing them from doing so. Thus, for many words, slang is a testing ground that finally proves them to be generally useful, appealing, and acceptable enough to become standard or informal. For many other words, slang is a testing ground that shows them to be too restricted in use, not as appealing as standard synonyms, or unnecessary, frivolous, faddish, or unacceptable for standard or informal speech."
Abstract This paper examines the content of "The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle" as a primary historical source for the creation of English and England. It shows how the work of historian Venerable Bede documents England prior to the "Chronicle" and details religious and cultural life in that era, while the Chronicle focuses on the broader historical scale of war. It also focuses on the linguistic significance of the "Chronicle" the first important piece of English prose.
From the paper:
"One of the most important aspects of 'The Angle-Saxon Chronicle' is that it is the first continuous national history of any western people in their own language. Written down by a succession of generations of scribes, 'The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle' covers such fundamentally important events in the history of early England as the migration of the Saxon war-lords, the results of the Romanization of Britain, the onslaught of the Vikings, the Norman Conquest and on the reign of Stephen."
Abstract After examining the basic elements of Holbek's system, the writer applies them to several fairy tales about giants to see how well it works "on the ground". Holbek's system is based on seven rules, rather like algorithms that he used to correlate the various symbolic expressions within fairy tales to the corresponding (real world) emotional expressions, focusing on three thematic opposition: child versus adult, male versus female and low versus high.
From the paper:
?Holbek's system of structural oppositions ?define the three categories of crises which occur in fairy tales,? all of which are in turn "real or possible events in the storytelling community?, which may include such relatively minor trauma as adolescent rebellion and such terrible ones as incest (Holbek 416 & 418). Holbek believed that this psychological delving of fairy tales was in no way inappropriate, arguing that "every element [in a fairy tale] may be read as pertaining to real life" (Holbek 439. For Holbek, every ogre, fairy, sprite and giant was merely the representation of a real person (Holbek 418).?
Tags: oral, verbal, art, symbolic, Structuralism, culture-centric, linguistics, cultural, forms
Abstract This paper follows the historical development of Clifford's theory of ethnographic authority. It also attempts to expand upon these notions, especially as they pertain to developments in the last decade and the new notion of anthropologist as autobiographer. It discusses the evolution of this field, and how in the last few years an increasingly popular form of anthropology has centered around the use of autobiographical writing, and it's impact on the field.
From the Paper "It appears almost as if, some twelve years after Clifford's article, the history of hermeneutics he discussed and critiqued has come full circle. The pronoun 'the' used in description has become 'I,' and the professionalization of anthropology has, while anything but disintegrated, at least had to re-recognize the power of voices outside its own. This adds an interesting new chapter to Clifford's discussion of hermeneutics. Not that all, or even a large amount, of anthropology has become autobiographical in nature. Nor does it mean that this is necessarily an all positive and un-critiqued movement. Not only is the idea of an autobiographer and self ethnographer not widely accepted, but there are still very few traditional ethnographic texts with a large voice by informants."
Abstract This paper is a critical analysis of cross-cultural politeness using the Brown and Levinson's model as a basis for defining and understanding politeness and applying it to three Asian languages: Chinese; Cantonese and Japanese.
From the Paper "What is politeness? If I propose that 'politeness' be used as pragmatically terminology, the preferable definition is to be found in appropriateness. It can be also said to be universal only in the sense that every society has some sort of norms for the appropriate behavior, although these norms are vary. The primary purpose of this paper is to provide a cross-cultural context by applying a well-known Brown and Levinson's model (1978 and revised in 1987), which has been applied in various settings, from casual services, encounters to EFL classrooms. However, Brown and Levinson's model (1978) has been criticized for being too geared to Western (especially American) notions of "independence" and, hence, for its limited applicability in Asian contexts. I have attempted in the following by first giving a general and brief account for Brown and Levinson's model (1978), and then try to apply and analyze the Brown and Levinson's model (1978) in three Asian languages: Chinese; Cantonese and Japanese. "
This paper looks at the actual use of Chinese address terms in various interpersonal relations, the grammatical status of the terms of address, and the condition(s) for their occurrence in Chinese.
Abstract This paper lexamines Chinese address terms, their grammatical nature, usage, history of their use, similarities to other languages, and the social dynamics involved in their use. Through the examination of exact terms, the author demonstrates to the reader, the different ways that these terms can be used, depending upon the audience being addressed.
From the Paper "The extension of kinship terms to non-kin persons like categories 6 and 7 has the goal in Chinese communities of socializing the young into respect for their elders and care for their young. Wu says, ?extending the family relationships to outsiders thus fulfills the goal of "one family under the sky" (tianxia yijia)? (1989).Used by the speaker of these terms implies that the rules of behavior are extended to the addressee; or they might even by said to be imposed upon the addressee. If the addressee feels uncomfortable, he can decline the term of address applied to him in this particular relationship. This can happen when the addressee is genuinely modest or when he senses some degree of insincerity in the act. Usually the socializer who confers the address-form is a parent or a caretaker of the child (Hong 1991). But the same discomfort can occur when the term is inconsistent with the addressee's sense of camaraderie."
Abstract This paper is an examination of why the very words that have been used to make gays and lesbians feel inferior became so critical to their liberation. The author discusses how slang's purpose is to question and to subvert the notion of gender.
From the Paper "One of perhaps the most fundamental linguistic shifts in the last thirty years or so since Stonewall has been the questioning and rendering as unacceptable of certain derogatory terms for gays and lesbians in ?polite society.? Words such as "queer" and "dyke" and "butch" as terms of abuse are no longer considered appropriate for educated people to say. So post-modern etiquette would have it. Yet almost as quickly as these terms became unacceptable to use as expressions of hatred and abuse, gays and lesbians began to reconfigure the use of these terms within their own communities."
Abstract An insight into the history of Old French and how this language was developed and influenced by Latin. It examines the effect of the Oaths of Strasbourg on the growth of Old French as well as different considerations which effected Old French.
From the Paper "The evolution of Old French language began in 52 Before Christ when Julius Cesar held the power over the continents of the Gaul. According to Columbian Encyclopedia, Gaul was under the Roman Empire in the first and second century. With the strong influence it brought, Latin spoken by the Romans gradually replaced the Gaelic, a Celtic language as the Gaul's mother tongue, for a long time. Latin became the national language, spoken widely among people and became the root of recently spoken languages through Europe, including English (Le Tacon). "
Abstract In this detailed exploration into the semantics of English, this paper produces several examples to illustrate the foundational creativity of the language and its use of semantics in sentence structure and use.
From the Paper "In the study of semantics in the English language, the history of the language and words is as important as the creativity of their use and meaning. The history of many words in the English language can be dated back to the Latin and Greek days of power. Many English words are derivatives of the Latin terms that were used. Today, the medical industry still uses words that are Latin derivatives when it comes to many diagnosis names and medications in that field. The semantics of the English language is also heavily involved with the creative use of words that have double and sometimes triple meanings. Very few languages have the ability or desire to use one word as a verb and a noun at the same time. Most language are firmly divided for the purpose of clarity but the English language semantics trusts that those using the language will be able to figure it out and be pleased with the results. The language itself has changed many times over the years."
Abstract This paper discusses the history of the Portuguese language from 218 BC to the present modern-day Portuguese. The paper also discusses the various Portuguese speaking countries and traces the language from its inception. Statistics and maps showing numbers and area distribution of the Portuguese language are also included.
From the Paper "The Portuguese language, which evolved from spoken Latin, developed on the west coast of the Iberian Peninsula (now Portugal and the Spaniard province of Galicia) included in the province the Romans called Lusitania. When the Romans invaded the peninsula in 218 B.C. the people living in the region adopted Latin, the Roman's language" (on-line, orbital). From then until the 9th century, all spoke Romance, which is a language representing an intermediate stage between vulgar or common Latin and modern Latin languages, which include Portuguese, Castilian (Spanish from Spain), French and Galician (on-line, cplp)."
Abstract This paper covers the influx of English into most countries as the language of economics and commerce. The paper discusses the general fear that English could overwhelm most native tongues. The paper includes a graph of European language preferences from the Eurobarometer.
From the Paper "Linguistics is the study of language. The world serves as a unique model for linguists due to the variety of methods of communication, whether spoken or not: sign language, isolated dialects, click languages, pidgins- they all offer a different vocabulary, system of grammar, and pronunciation. However the variety of the world's languages is being threatened, by a language that borrows from most of the Romance and Germanic languages of Europe: English."
Tags: Romance, Germanic, immigrants, European, Union
