Abstract This paper reviews Alan Bennett's powerful book "Talking Heads", a compilation of many intriguing characters incorporated within six highly different monologues. It compares and contrasts the varied techniques employed by Bennett in the crafting and presentation of sustained, convincing and engaging voices for his protagonists. It looks at the use of techniques such as stereotypes, character self-denial, humour and moreover the use of powerful language, i.e. witticisms, idioms, cynicism and colloquialisms.
From the Paper "Bennett uses a variety of techniques to show the characters emotions in each monologue, some are the same and others are completely different. A change of subject is quite common. In "Soldiering On" Muriel's remorse and grief are shown quite sparsely but when it is shown, "then I felt a bit choked" the subject is changed immediately, ?Anyway the tablet did the trick.? She appears extremely distraught about her husbands? death but the way she has been brought up dictates her behaviour as "keeping up appearances". Bennett shows Susan's emotions in "Bed among the lentils" with the use of frequent sarcasm towards her husband, herself and others. ?Geoffrey praying in that pausy way he does.? ?For once I got it right.? "Fan club running around in small circles" Mrs Frobisher even went as far as to squeeze my elbow.? Susan created the feeling of being useless and unloved, and basically being in the way."
Abstract This paper explores the theory of Alfred Tarski, which he published in 1936 called "Wahrheitsbegriff". It explains how he investigates the schema of colloquial language and formal language to prove whether such language usage is true in its context and logic or not. It discusses how theorists challenged Tarski's controversial equation, which he presents as his T schema for proving statements/ sentences true. It also states that most theorists disagree with this T schema "p" is true if p.
From the Paper "Tarski presumes that the rule for this equation is true if p is proven false. To achieve the desired result, he put forward the condition that in the T schema if a sentence is S then p is a replica or in another word S= p. However p will have to be untrue for S to be true. In formal language he perceives that correctness means that there is no ambiguity of truthfulness or untruthfulness of the existence of a sentence/phrase. Inconsistency according to him exists when the parts of the sentence does not conform to the object of the sentence (Tarski 1944)."
Abstract The paper examines two short stories, "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker and "I Stand Here Ironing" by Tillie Olson, where both viewpoint characters are the mothers of now-grown daughters who realize truths about their daughters they never saw before. The paper explains that "I Stand Here Ironing" is written in a more mainstream way, without ethnic or regional colloquialisms, while "Everyday Use" reflects, in terms of content as well as style, the distinctiveness of African- American culture. The paper analyzes both stories in terms of style and content and demonstrates the similarities of many of the key themes and realizations of the mothers within these stories.
From the Paper "In "Everyday Use", Mama is the mother of Dee, who is flashy, outspoken, confident and successful, and Maggie, who is shyer and mush less confident, but who has survived a fire and has quiet inner strength her mother has not always seen. In "I Stand Here Ironing", Emily's unnamed mother, who is ironing clothes throughout the whole story, recollects to herself how someone, perhaps a teacher or counselor from Emily's school, had once wanted to talk to her, a poor working single parent, about Emily's needing help. Then, later, the mother recalls, Emily showed a surprising gift for comedy."
Abstract The paper relates that social labeling is identified as qualifying terms attached to specific constructs found within general social interactions. The paper explains that the purpose of this study is to identify those social colloquialisms that are used to identify gender within common parlance. The paper states the scope of the study, the research questions, the methods of assessment as well as the format and timetable.
Outline:
Purpose of the Study
Scope of the Study
Methods
Outline and Timetable
From the Paper "The pervasiveness of social labeling has resulted in the investigation of these words as representative of values shared throughout a specific society. Early research by Brooks-Gunn and Lewis (1979), for example, sought to identify why children between 9 to 24 months of age were more likely to associate the label "daddy" with an authority figure while the label "mommy" was more likely to be associated with a nurturing figure. The authors found that these two terms were heavily saturated within information communicated to infants and children, such as nursery rhymes, and that the children absorbed these social labels without attaching any qualifying information to these terms."
Abstract This paper discusses how in Flannery O'Connor's story "A Good Man is Hard to Find" the reader finds themselves bombarded by a colloquial mannerism as portrayed by the grandmother figure in the story. In particular, the paper delves into the grandmother's perception and reaction the events around her and her personal view of certain situations. An analysis of the plot is dissected as well as the impetus for specific characters in the story.
From the Paper "The colloquial use of such words as pickininny, rigger and the reference to country riggers not having pants on in the country all point to a social commentary on racism. The item that is extremely alarming in this symbolism is the calm reaction the rest of the family has to grandmother's comments. The reference to plantations and Gone with the Wind are all symbols in the story to allow the reader to traverse past the family on vacation and to take a cerebral road trip to the past, the aggressions of the country during the war and the common day sentiment on slaves as McPherson (1965) writes, "Freedom has been your legacy from birth; by some of us it has been achieved. We know what oppression is..." (McPherson The Negro's civil War 15). Thus, the grandmother does not know in the story yet, what oppression is so then she most assuredly does not know what freedom is."
Abstract In this paper the author closely examines Falkners, "The Bear". He suggests that it exhibits such values as the importance of nature in an individual's proving of him or herself and the importance of individual self-realization. The author contends that the book has a characteristic narrative style of a sparse and colloquial tone, meant to convey a reality of thought and expression, and consequently is the progeny of all the previous authors in the American Romantic tradition.
From the paper:
?How could a story about a bear be a romantic tale, a reader might be tempted to ask upon hearing William Faulkner's short story "The Bear" characterized as a work of classic American Romantic fiction. Perhaps it is, a kind of romance between a boy and the woods, between man and nature in man's determination to prove himself both worthy of the natural world, part of the natural world, and also master of it."
Abstract This paper introduces and discusses the short story, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" by Mark Twain. Specifically it analyzes the dialect of the story and examines how it adds dimension and depth to the characters.
From the Paper "From the time Wheeler takes over the narration, Twain's tone is casual and humorous. Wheeler begins characterizing Smiley as a man who would bet on anything, even whether a preacher's wife would die or not. "Lots of the boys here has seen that Smiley, and can tell you about him. Why, it never made no difference to him--he'd bet on any thing--the dangdest feller" (Twain 1262). Already the reader has an idea about Smiley and his wagering. Wheeler's words are simple and sound uneducated, but it is clear he is shrewd and knowledgeable about many subjects; he just wants to appear simple. He sets up the scene for Smiley to teach a frog to jump, and because of his clear and affable explanations, the reader fully believes that Smiley can and will teach the frog to jump, and win yet another bet. "He got him up so in the matter of catching flies, and kept him in practice so constant, that he'd nail a fly every time as far as he could see him" (Twain 1263). The frog is smart, and the reader cannot see how this agile creature can lose any race, until a stranger with a trick up his sleeve comes to town."
Abstract A discussion between family members that gives a lesson in biology and defines several aspects of biology such as vegetarianism, protein, vitamin B12, cladistics, tetrapods, and antisense technology. Because this colloquial paper is written in the style of a story being told to the lay person, the reader is able to easily understand the bioligical concepts.
From the Paper ""I'm being more efficient," Sadie said. "The 10% rule of ecology says that only 10% of the available energy stored in a food can be used by the next level of the ecosystem. So plants can use only 10% of the energy sent by the sun, and we can use only 10% of the energy stored by plants when we eat them, or 1% of what comes from the sun. Eating meat cuts the percentage to one-tenth of 1%. Too inefficient. That's why I eat only plants" ("Vegetarianism"). Sadie nodded her head wisely.
"She's right, you know." David was a graduate student in molecular biology. He knew that sort of stuff backward and forward. Uncle Eldridge looked a little startled.
"I learned that in class, too," I added.
"But what about protein? How do you get enough protein?" Aunt Sally looked worried.
"There are a lot of sources of protein besides meat. The need for protein is based on getting both essential and non-essential amino acids from your food," Sadie explained. "It can be from complete protein foods, like meat or fish or chicken, that include all the amino acids. But non-complete protein foods are just called that because they don't include every amino acid. So you just have to combine them to get all the amino acids you need."
"Will you be able to get all your amino acids today without the turkey?" Mom asked.
"Probably," Sadie said. "The beans, the potatoes, the walnuts, and the corn in the cornbread probably include all the essential amino acids between them." ("Protein")."
Abstract This paper examines Roddy Doyle"s novel, "Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha", a powerful and compelling story of life in 1960s Ireland through the eyes of a ten-year-old boy, Paddy. It looks at how the book is purposely written almost entirely in dialogue, creating a fantastic range of slang, vulgarisms and colloquialisms. It analyzes how within the book, Doyle explores and deals with many issues, including Paddy and his hatred for his brother, peer group pressure and his mother and father's rocky and deteriorating marriage as well as many other themes. These include the loss of childhood innocence, the family, the marvellous nature of a child's imagination, the harshness of life and the cruelty of children.
From the Paper "The first techniques which one could mention, is the obvious slow change of the tone within the book. Doyle creates, for the first 200 pages of so, the dominant tone of happiness, delight and childish mischief. ?I had a book on my head. I had to get up the stairs without it falling off. If it fell off I would die.? Nothing is particularly serious, Paddy continues to harass his brother and play with his peers, and has yet to understand the seriousness of his mother and fathers continuous quarrelling. However Doyle cleverly changes the tone, towards the end of the novel, through Paddy's dialogue, not only to show that Paddy is growing up, as he most definitely is, but also to create a tone more serious, anxious and tense. "They were fighting all the time now. They said nothing but it was a fight"The silences were worst, waiting it to start again, or louder.? "
Abstract This paper discusses how granny flats, a colloquial term often used for accessory second dwelling units, are best described as the converted use of space in a residential home into a small apartment. It examines how in California most often this means converting part or all of a garage into an apartment or flat and how the advantages of converting the extra space into living units is often in providing a source of income for the owners of the house. It evaluates how the State of California requires that local governments allow second dwelling units in single-family districts. It looks at how granny flats mostly meet the same housing construction and safety codes of more traditional housing. It shows how they offer low-cost alternatives to apartments for those on a fixed income such as the elderly or those with disabilities who are receiving assistance. In addition they are an alternative to warehousing older generation Americans who cannot afford to live independently.
From the Paper "Ordinances vary widely from city to city in the state. Many municipalities have tried in the past to severely regulate the use of granny flats by their residents. California Court of Appeal struck down just such an attempt in Santa Monica, which had an ordinance on the books that restricted, who can live in second units in single family residential zones. The court found that the ordinance it violated both privacy and equal protection rights. The ordinance restricted occupancy to dependents and caretakers. It was approved by the City Council at the urging of residents, in spite of legal warnings from attorneys as well as City staff."
Abstract Today, approximately 75% of the world's population live in the over 100 'lesser developed countries', colloquially referred to as the Third (and fourth) World(s). Collectively, these countries consume only 20% of the world's resources, but account for 75% of all the world's arms imports. What is responsible for such an egregiously disproportionate distribution of wealth? What has prevented the Third World states from developing into prosperous states like those in the West? Despite this confusion, however, most of those versed on the issue can fundamentally agree that the Third World is, indeed, a creation of the West. It is the objective of this paper to verify this assertion by reflecting on the historical construction of what we now know as the 'Third World', and considering the relevance of the prevailing theories that can account for its existence.
Abstract This essay analyzes the diction of "Katherine" by Anya Seton in terms of whether the language is concrete or abstract, whether the words have interesting connotations, whether the diction is formal or colloquial and what inferences can be drawn about the speaker from the word choice of the speaker.
Abstract This paper discusses "Seventeen", a narrative poem by Andrew Hudgins, which tells the story of a boy facing the reality of death when he has to put a dying dog out of its misery. The paper shows the poet's use of colloquialism and the element of paradox throughout the text. Finally, the paper discusses the imagery of the poem.
From the Paper "The sheer imagery of the poem is the most important factor, and creates the most compassion for the characters. From the dog falling out of the truck and sustaining such graphic injuries to the boy hitting the dog twice and heaving the carcass into the weeds. The reader has a lucid picture from the beginning of this tortured dog trying to stay alive. For instance, "He scrambled, fell, and scrapped along the hot asphalt." (Line 3/4)"
Abstract An analysis of the article by Gloria Anzaldua, "How to Tame a Wild Tongue". It shows how this article explores the essence of Chicano culture in America through an analysis of language. The author speaks about gender, race, and identity as functions of language. It focuses on Tex-Mex, which is described as a language of rebellion, both against standard Spanish and standard English.
From the Paper "The reason why using more than one language at a time can be so important for immigrants or children of immigrants is that it enables us to preserve our cultural heritage while at the same time fitting into the dominant culture. Anzald"a talks about assimilation as a negative act, but in many ways assimilation can be positive, as long as people make an effort to maintain some of their customs and their language. One of the reasons why Anzald"a is proud of Tex-Mex "Spanglish" is because it reminds her of who she is. She remembers when she first discovered Chicano literature. ?When I saw poetry written in Tex-Mex for the first time, a feeling of pure joy flashed through me. I felt like we really existed as a people,? (29). The formation of Chicano culture happened largely through the use of language. "Something momentous happened to the Chicano soul"we became aware of our reality and acquired a name and a language (Chicano Spanish) that reflected that reality,? (33)."
Abstract The paper explains that the author's university degree thesis focused on technical and scientific matters and utilized a wide vocabulary from the medical and biological disciplines, which enabled the applicant to gain a strong grounding and preparation for technical vocabulary and an understanding medical and scientific matters. The author points out that her work for a company translating agricultural, scientific, and medical texts highlighted the delicate balance between subjectivity and objectivity in the art of translating another's words and thoughts into another language and cultural system of ideas. The paper stresses that medical and scientific words often have a different meaning in the technical lexicon of the profession or a discipline than they do in more colloquial usage; therefore, the most gratifying aspect of her work was having a part in making the often difficult and frightening world of medicine and the sciences comprehensible.
From the Paper "I obtained my university degree this summer, in July of 2004. I received a degree in translation and interpreting, the "Mediazione Linguistica" (Final Mark 105/110) from la Scuola Superiore per Mediatori Linguistici Gregorio VII, Rome. Previously, in July 2000 I received my Diploma di Liceo Linguistico (95/100), Liceo Linguistico N.S. della Mercede in Rome as well. Thus, my education has revolved around this diverse and exciting European city, filled with the languages of many foreign-speaking individuals, tourists and professionals."
