From the Paper
""The Black Cat" by Edgar Allen Poe is a grotesque short story of a man's conscience. "The Black Cat combines several themes that fascinated Poe such as reincarnation, perversity, and retribution. This story also carried an implied theme in the superstitious implications of this man's downfall. In this story Poe keeps very strongly to the theme of perversity and superstitions to illustrate the strange conditions that led to the crimes of this "happy man" especially fond of animals" (Poe 103). The theme of superstition is found to be a background motivation to the events and actions performed in the story. Towards the beginning of the story it is first mentioned to us that his wife always tells him "all black cats [are] witches in disguise" (Poe 103). The narrator also mentions that the name of the cat was Pluto. Pluto in "Greek and Roman mythology was the god of the dead and the ruler of the underworld" (Womack 5). The use of this name leads the reader to believe that the cat is somehow responsible for the death that is caused by the narrator himself. This is where the reader is first introduced to the fact that the events of this story could be caused by some superstition and not coincidence alone."

Tags:allen, analysis, critical, edgar, poe, themes, literature, Black Cat

Abstract
Second Language Acquisition is a field of inquiry that abounds in theories, while at the same time no single approach has adequately explained how language acquisition takes place. One reason for this might be that linguists interested in SLA have been trained in different disciplines, such as linguistics, psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics and neurolinguistics. The paper explains that, naturally, they have approached SLA from very different perspectives and treat all the variables involved in the learning process differently. The situation appears to be very confusing and frustrating. All the present theories, hypotheses, and models are all preliminary work done toward the ultimate goal of a true theory. The paper shows that in this sense, the different approaches taken by linguists and researchers are never worthless. They have uncovered bits and pieces of the whole complexity of language acquisition. Hopefully, the continuing and combined efforts made by linguists and researchers will lead to the ultimate success of establishing the true theory in language acquisition as well as in SLA.

From the Paper
"Linguistics is one of the newest fields of scientific inquiry. It was developed into an independent discipline of social science in the United Sates first "as an offshoot of anthropology" in the first half of the twentieth century in an attempt to investigate into the disappearing American indigenous languages (Lakoff, 2000, p. 2-3). Traditionally, it has been concerned with the analysis of language, namely its phonology, morphology and syntax. Following this tradition, Norm Chomsky in the 1950s put forward his milestone transformational generative grammar (TGG), which assumed "an ideal speaker-listener, in a completely homogeneous speech-community" unaffected by any external factors in his exploration of the Universal Grammar (UG), the general rules of language (Chomsky, 1965, p.3). This is basically an asocial or theoretical view in linguistic studies as opposed to the social view which claims knowing a language also means "knowing how to use that language"(Wardhaugh, 2002, p.3) in social contexts. Adopting either or both of the two views, linguistics and researchers alike have postulated a multitude of theories, approaches, and models in the inquiry into the nature of language and language acquisition, which appear to be conflicting ones fighting against one another."

Tags:Noam, Chomsky, Universal, Grammar, TGG, Connectionism, CAH

Abstract
This is a position paper on the advantages of bilingual education. The different educational models of bilingual education are looked at, as well as the opportunities provided by bilingual education to students with limited English proficiency. The paper also examines the controversy surrounding bilingual education.

From the Paper
"Bilingual education programs have been a fixture in the American public education system for many decades. However an enormous amount of controversy surrounds bilingual education which includes a variety of different educational ..."

Tags:bilingual education

Abstract
This paper focuses on facts and statistics surrounding America's growing problem of illiteracy. The author discusses the major causes of illiteracy and the numbers of illiterates today. The author then presents some solutions to solve the problem.

From the Paper
"?Call 1-800-ABC-DEFG; Hooked on Phonics worked for me.? Almost everyone has heard the commercial that uses this motto, Hooked on Phonics. Children of all ages tell how Hooked on Phonics helped them to read. For skeptical parents there is a money back guarantee if their children do not improve at least a letter grade on their next report card. Obviously something is wrong in America if fewer and fewer children are being taught how to read. Granted many children can read, but there is still little or no reading comprehension. Illiteracy is a never-ending cycle in America".

Tags:reading, education, children, books, comprehension

Abstract
This paper studies the critical period hypothesis which suggests that languages cannot be learned after the age of twelve. However, an evaluation of evidence from many different sources suggests that this is not accurate. It examines sources such as: Studies of second language learning methods, wild children studies and the theories of Noam Chomsky and Stephen Krashen. Factors which make it easier for children to learn language, such as parentheses, are also discussed.

From the Paper
"The "critical period" hypothesis cites a commonly observable phenomenon, the fact that children find language learning much easier than adults, and learn language remarkably quickly, to claim that language learning is more difficult, or impossible after puberty. The concept of "critical periods" was initially introduced in the study of animal behavior, where it was noticed that certain behavioral responses only emerged when stimulus was given within a particular time frame. This concept has been applied to many species, including humans, with regard to the development of specific emotional responses such as stress. In 1967 Lenneberg proposed that this concept also applied to human linguistic development, seeing language as a response, and exposure to language as the stimulus. There are two versions of this hypothesis: the "strong" version, which claims that no language acquisition is possible after puberty, and the "weak" version, which maintains that language learning will be much more difficult. A distinction is often made between "language acquisition", the way in which children unconsciously learn their native tongue, and "language learning" which implies formal instruction, and Lenneberg maintains this distinction himself."

Tags:chomsky, immersion, krashen, language, learning, linguistics, pinker, second, teaching

Abstract
The paper shows that when we think about communication, we think about the spoken word and that our thoughts are always about the words people use and their fluency of speech. Yet, at the same time, we are also taking in information from nonlinguistic sources. The author notes that people's mannerisms, clothing, and appearance are also important, as well as their tone of voice. Researches have estimated that, in face-to-face communication, as much as 90 percent of the social meaning may be carried in the nonverbal message and that facial appearance and response may contribute more to our meaning of their message than all their words. The paper explores the importance of both types of communication and how they are put across.

From the Paper
"As popularly used, language refers to a system of words. This development is not surprising, since words distinguish human communication from that of lower animals. Words, as symbols, usually convey information in a quite deliberate, no instinctive way. For this reason, language is sometimes treated as a set of verbal symbols."

Tags:symbol, coding, culture, language

Abstract
The paper defines a cochlear implant as a device which converts sound waves into electric signals and thus allows the hearing impaired to hear at a greater level than a hearing aid provides. The paper discusses the effects that cochlear implants have on childhood development, focusing on children from one to four years of age. The paper explores the issues of speech recognition/language, academic concerns, social ramifications and family relationships.

From the Paper
"The University of Michigan performed the largest study ever on Cochlear implants and released the findings in January of last year. Researchers found that children who are implanted with cochlears before the age of four are able to achieve high levels of speech recognition and language skills. Dr. Paul Kileny establishes that research shows "a significant difference in speech recognition between those who got their implants between the ages of 2 and 4 years, during the critical language development period, and those who received them later." He concluded that people who receive the implant early in life get the greatest benefits."

Tags:deaf, American, Medical, Association, sign, language

Abstract
Based on a substantial amount of empirical research conducted on second language acquisition, it has been theorized that learners are best able to achieve the critical skill of learning a second language at some point fairly early in their maturational development. This claim is known as the "critical period hypothesis," which postulates that there is some maturational period for language learning that maximizes one's degree of proficiency in the language beyond that of other maturational periods. This study examines whether the critical period during which children are best able to learn English as a second language is before six years or age. To this end, the study compares the English proficiency levels of two groups of eighth grade ESL learners, a group that had begun to learn English before they were six years of age and a group that had begun to learn English after six years of age. Because the nature of language required in school is complex, a fairly complex assessment was made of English proficiency, namely English proficiency was assessed using the Quick-Start in English Written Language Assessment (QSE). The study shows that there are higher proficiency levels for those children who learned English before six than for those children who learned it after six years of age.

Table of Contents:
The Problem
Background
Problem Statement
Significance
Limitations
Null Hypothesis
Review of the Literature
Introduction
Critical Period Hypothesis and the Best Age of Second
Language Learning: The Pertinent Research
Conclusions
Subjects, Materials and Methods
The Setting
Subjects
Materials
Methods
Methods Used To Obtain Permission To Conduct Research
Data Gathering Methods
The Findings
Conclusions and Recommendations
References
Appendix A
Letter Mailed From Researcher to Supervisor
Appendix B
Letter From Supervisor
Appendix C
Letter Sent to Mark's Middle School Principal
Appendix D
Letter received from Mark's Middle School Principal

From the Paper
"While many claims have been made as to what precise age/age group constitutes the critical period, some recent research conducted in Germany, Doll (1996) stated that this critical period takes place during kindergarten or first grade. In other words, the period occurs sometime before the child is six years of age. What is interesting about Doll's findings is that they are in conflict with the majority of the earlier research in the area; this research tending to show that the critical period for effectively learning a second language is between the ages of eight and ten years (Bialystok, 1997)."

Tags:cognitive, development, vocabulary

Abstract
George Orwell's discourse on the political and social significance of the modern English writing is the primary theme shown in his essay, "Politics and the English Language," (1945). The paper shows that in this discourse, Orwell discusses the faults of modern English language regarding the gradual spread of vagueness and insincerity in the meaning of prose text. The paper shows Orwell's proposed solutions to this problem of vagueness in the English language, especially with regard to political writings. To convey Orwell's idea of poor English prose, this paper analyzes Abraham Lincoln's "The Gettysburg Address," delivered in 1863 as the President's reaction to the ongoing Civil War during that period.

From the Paper
"For Orwell, thought must definitely determine language, and not the other way around. This means that there must first be clarity and sincerity of thought before effective writing will take place. This way, problems of vagueness will be avoided, an element of writing that results to insincerity. This means that the use of elaborate explanations to express a feeling or thought is an ineffective way of explaining and describing these thoughts, and Orwell suggests that long and elaborate sentences must be replaced with short, concise ones, where meaning will become clearer to the audience. While avoiding an imposition of definite rules in English writing and composition, Orwell enumerated and discussed the common mistakes and faults that prose writers commit in expressing their thoughts on important issues, especially those that are political and social in nature."

Tags:patriotism, freedom

Abstract
This paper examines how socio-linguistic study shows that men and women use language in different ways, which all too often leads to male-female mis-communication. It looks at how, although the dominance approach and the difference approach are the two main viewpoints in analysing gender and language, some linguists have taken a position somewhere in between the two. It explores these theories and concludes with the author's viewpoint on the subject.

From the Paper
"The dominance theory emphasizes the idea that linguistic differences in women and men's language exist as a result of men's power and women's subordination. The dominance approach considers linguistic differences to be a result of traditional social differences i.e. that of man in the role of power, and woman in the role of submission. Man's authority and woman's inferiority are mirrored through their linguistic behaviour. This research focuses mainly on a variety of features, such as the use of tag questions, interruptions, questions, standard forms and minimal responses."

Tags:approach, difference, dominance, gender