Abstract Every variety of language spoken, even that which is known as standard English, is a dialect. Many people believe stereotypes about certain dialects and thus treat people as they perceive them to be. This paper shows that one of the most common known dialects in the United States is Ebonics, or the dialect spoken by many African Americans. There are numerous assumptions regarding this dialect by people in community and educational life. This paper shows that there are, however, many techniques teachers and other officials may incorporate into their classroom activities to help lessen dialectical stereotypes and help to raise the self-esteem and grades of the children who speak them.
Paper Outline:
Abstract
The Societal and Educational of Dialects in The United States Today
Identity and Negative Attitudes
Ebonics
Education
Conclusion
References
From the Paper "Despite the differences in the varieties of Ebonics, there are some features marked by all or most types. Ebonics has picked up many of its pronunciation from white, southern coastal dialects. This is seen especially with the use of the /r/-less word use (Bonvillain, 2003; Mufwene & Gilman, as cited by Chaika, 1994). Bonvillain (2003) and Chaika (1994) also discuss the trait of the dropping of final consonants in Ebonics. This characteristic makes rhyming words out of "field" and "wheel." Ebonics also uses the form "be" for all tenses of "am." (Chaika, 1994). Chaika (1994) gives the example of the Ebonics sentence "Do babes be willin'?" as translated to "Are babes always willing?" (p. 300)."
Abstract This paper examines how the unique American Appalachian dialect is often greatly misunderstood. It looks at how many modern Americans characterize the Appalachian dialect as a corruption of the English language, which is spoken by uneducated and unintelligent hillbillies. Instead, it shows how the Appalachian dialect is more aptly characterized as an archaic type of English that resembles the English spoken in the time of the first Queen Elizabeth. It also discusses how geographical, cultural, and social isolation have kept the Appalachian dialect essentially pure over the past 200 years of America's history and how, today, the Appalachian dialect continues to thrive, preserving one of America's great linguistic traditions.
From the Paper "Currently, the Appalachian dialect is used extensively in the region. The Appalachian dialect spoken today closely in many ways resembles the English that was spoken by the first settlers to America. The isolation of life in the mountains of Appalachia has carried on many traditional attitudes and behaviors, as well as maintaining the dialect of Appalachia (Virgin English). Interestingly, Dial notes that the dialect spoken today is a "watered-down" version of the dialect spoken in earlier times. Perhaps the influence of television, radio, movies, as well as a more transient American population have helped to contributed to changes in the Appalachian dialect seen in the past century."
Abstract This paper discusses borderline personality disorder (BPD), a complex and severe psychopathology that is characterized by the presence of certain instabilities. According to the paper, the most commonly practiced interventions for the treatment of BPD are psychodynamic programs and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). The paper goes on to review DBT, which is based on dialectical philosophy and a biosocial theory of BPD.
Outline:
Mechanisms of Change in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Research Supporting DBT
The Effectiveness of DBT in Males Versus Females
DBT Intervention Development
From the Paper "The benefits of DBT experienced by individuals with BPD may be enhanced through accompanied administration of psychopharmaceutical medication. Soler et al. (2005) examined the combined effects that DBT and olanzapine have on psychiatric symptoms experienced by individuals with BPD. Results of the study showed that this combined treatment was associated with significant improvements in anxiety, depression and aggressive/impulsive behavior in comparison to a placebo group. The researchers suggested that this combination therapy of DBT and olanzapine acts to lower attrition rates and is an overall effective treatment for BPD (Soler et al., 2005). Other pharmaceuticals may not prove to be so beneficial. A study by Simpson et al. (2004) demonstrated that the addition of fluoxetine to an already effective DBT treatment program is not additionally beneficial."
A critical paper on the nature of Marxist philosophy on materialism and an examination of whether or not the theory is of a 'scientific' nature as it claims.
3,051 words (approx. 12.2 pages), 10 sources, 2000, $ 89.95
Abstract This critical paper illustrates in a number of ways that dialectical materialism is arrived at through a process of scientific inquiry. The author gives a distinct definition of the meaning of what it is that warrants the description of a theory as "scientific". Next, she applies this definition to Marx's historical theory and shows how it corresponds to this description. Finally, she reflects and responds to some of the ways that Marx's critics are in disagreement with her argument that dialectical materialism is, in fact, a study of history that is based on scientific theory and objectivity.
From the Paper "As a student of history, I believe that there is validity in Marx's "scientific" postulation. The study of history is very important, I believe, in discovering what lies ahead of us and how best to avoid repeating past mistakes. Although there are no "concretes" in history, and at this point, I diverge from Marxian historiography, there must be an objective way of looking at the past in order to theorize about how we have arrived at our current situations. Although I do not believe Marx's theory of history to be entirely correct, I do argue that this theory is arrived at objectively and scientifically."
Abstract This paper discusses the "Ebonics" of African Americans as a viable alternative dialect. It looks at the nature of dialect in general and its effects on social status and perceived levels of education, talent and achievement. The paper shows the importance of the study of Ebonics as it is a true expression of African-American pride, values and history.
From the Paper "The struggle to understand and recognize Ebonics represents, first and foremost, the need to understand the effects of the dialect on African-Americans and their place in American society. Various aspects of African-American English have been traced to West African patterns of speech, among these the use phrases like "you still in slavery," where the verb "to be" is conspicuously absent from the sentence. In fact such phrasing has been taken as a sign that African-Americans continue to occupy a place in American society similar to that which they occupied in the days of slavery. Nevertheless, the social stigma attached to the use of such speech patterns, even in early childhood, has been taken by others as a legitimate attempt to help young African-Americans to advance in the larger majority White society. Opponents of Ebonics claim that the dialect is hardly African at all, and represents nothing more or less than "poor language habits." By claiming a false African origin for the dialect, supporters are merely attempting to get around the dialect's deficiencies by resorting to assertions of Black pride. In other words, any move to de-legitimize such speech patterns is tantamount to disparaging African-American history and culture, another example of the relegation of African-American cultural norms to the very bottom of the social scale."
Analysis of the films, "Lawrence of Arabia" and "The Sheik", vis-a-vis the theories of Horkheimer and Adorno as presented in their work, "Dialectic of Enlightenment", among others.
Abstract In this paper, the author analyzes some aspects of the production and reception of the film, "Lawrence of Arabia" (1962), by situating it within the industry that Horkheimer and Adorno describe in order to further an understanding of what is meant by a ?dialectical? critique of film as "culture industry". The paper goes on to briefly discuss the relevance of applying this type of analysis to a film like "The Sheik" (1921).
From the Paper "In Dialectic of Enlightenment, Horkheimer and Adorno make the claim that film plays a key role in what they call the "culture industries" of the 20th century. Writing in 1944, they describe an "iron system", which is in large part a reference to the Hollywood system and its fascistic employment of the ?genre film (Horkheimer 154).? Of the effects of mass culture, they write: ??culture now impresses the same stamp on everything. Films, radio and magazines make up a system which is uniform as a whole and in every part (120).? This criticism has specific implications for the feature film: "They are so designed that quickness, powers of observation, and experience are undeniably needed to apprehend them at all" yet sustained thought is out of the question. Even though the effort required for his [the viewer] response is semi-automatic, no scope is left for the imagination (126,127).? The standardization of the spectator, as it were, via the genre film and through the standardization of the viewing experience, is, for Horkheimer and Adorno, the crux of the culture industry where film is concerned. ?The culture industry as a whole,? they write, ?has molded men as a type unfailingly reproduced in every product (127).?"
Abstract The paper examines the use of narration and dialect in Langston Hughes' "Negro", and Gwendolyn Brooks' "We Real Cool". The paper discusses elements of poetry found in both poems. The paper also looks at differences in diction in both poems.
From the Paper "Elements of Poetry. Poetry is created through the use of various rhetorical devices that have no inherent meaning within themselves, but when used within a poem create meaning through the feelings and emotions which they convey to the reader. Thus an examination of a couple of these rhetorical devices within two well-known poems will offer insight into that which stirs these particular emotions within the audience."
Abstract This paper is a two-part discussion involving the interpersonal form of the communication experience. The first part of the paper deals with a theoretical and critical discussion involving the following statement by K. Miller: "Long-term relationships are often marked by tension, development, conflict and growth: processes mediated by communicative interaction within ongoing relationships". The second part of the paper concentrates on the statement by W. Fisher regarding storytelling as a basic human activity.
Outline:
Introduction
The Palo Alto Group
Important Concepts
Feedback
Equifinality
Logical Types
Rules
Dialectics Push-Me-Pull-You Dialectics Important Dialectical Concepts
Three Dialectics of Relationships
Connection Autonomy Dialectic Certainty-Uncertainty Dialectic Openness-Closeness Dialectic Storytelling
Narrative Theory
Narrative Worldview
Narrative Rationality
South African Stories
Conclusion
From the Paper "According to Miller (2005), positive feedback is behaviour that allows for change to take place in the relative system, while negative feedback is behaviour that allows for consistency and therefore a lack of change in the system. This consistency of the status quo regarding the system was named 'homeostasis' by Jackson (1957). Neither positive nor negative feedback can be characterised as consistently good as the merit of the feedback depends on the individual case of the behaviour. This means that if the status quo of a family relationship were that of an abusive or violent nature, positive feedback to change the situation would be ideal. However, in another case, the status quo of a similar relationship in another family may be loving and nurturing, and therefore would benefit from negative, as opposed to positive feedback so as to preserve the status quo of that relationship."
Abstract Just as many other language varieties, Pennsylvania Dutch has become the victim of our time, which is a time of constant and rapid change, in which nothing remains stable. Only in small religious communities such as the Mennonites or the Amish, the dialect has been preserved and is still spoken today. In this paper, firstly, the immigration history of the Pennsylvania Dutch is described briefly; afterwards a closer look at the dialect itself and its special features is taken. The paper then discusses why language varieties vanish in general and why Pennsylvania Dutch, specifically, is facing the phenomenon of the so-called "language death." Afterwards, the paper examines what may prevent a language from dying out and why may contribute to its preservation. This is done using the example of Pennsylvania Dutch, with special account of its survival in little religious communities such as the Amish.
Paper Outline:
Introduction
Immigration History of the Pennsylvania Dutch
The Dialect of Pennsylvania Dutch
Why Dialects Vanish: The Case of Pennsylvania Dutch
Preservation of the Dialect Conclusion
Bibliography
From the Paper "A different and probably one of the most influential factors to contribute to the loss of a language is mass culture (cf. Schiffman 5/2000: 4). With the distribution of television and radio networks the English language prevailed. English was the fashionable language and was now omnipresent for speakers of a dialect. It cannot be denied that television and radio and the media in general have a tremendous impact on people's attitudes, which can be observed in our society today as well, in which the media plays a central role in public as well as in private life."
Abstract This paper briefly discusses Marx's theory relating to history, which states that history develops through stages and that these developments are subject to the laws of dialectics. It explains that dialects is the study of contradictions, or how things change. This exploration of Marx's Theory of History begins with a brief summary of the stages of history. From there it moves more deeply into the dialectic of movement between these stages toward the Golden Age. Finally, this exploration ends with an explanation of how the dialectic of history ends as a communist society, in keeping with Marx's theory.
From the Paper "According to Marx, the stages of history are primitive communism, slavery, agriculture, industrialization, socialism, and communism. These stages as seen in terms of labor each involve both unity and struggle. Imagine the double helix of DNA. Rename one strand nature and the other strand industry. The name of the helix is man. He is both the creator of and the product of himself. As he develops, the relationship between his nature and industry evolve and change. With each change, man himself changes and history takes a new direction. In the case of primitive communism, man eventually learned to produce what he needed in a more efficient way. This change in infrastructure translates into a transformation of the super-structure i.e., a change in the social classes. Not everyone must be involved in the role of worker. Productive relations are altered, and a new class structure metamorphoses."
Abstract This paper discusses Plato's ideas on how we discover truth with continual dialogue. The author looks at Plato's theories about the objective of dialectic and rhetoric and compares the two arguing that while rhetoric is used as a tool for persuasion, dialectic is used as a tool to achieve truth.
From the paper:
"An editorial in The Daily Princetonian of February 21, 2000 extols alcohol as ?the world's most extraordinary beverage,? noting specifically that alcohol's effects are akin to a truth serum. Through a Platonic lens, this statement comes to acute focus. Alcohol is widely noted as a conversational stimulus where participants are less inhibited in expressing opinions. Platonic congruity arises because Plato espouses dialectic, a candid give and take discourse, as a means to discovering immutable Truth. Thus, even Plato could consent to The Daily Princetonian's judgment (Brummett 25)."
Tags: aristotle, cicero, de, gorgias, oratore, plato, rhetoric, sophist, theory
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 explains that in its classical sense, Marxist theory does not deal explicitly with literature and art and does not develop an aesthetic of culture or literature. However, the theoretical trajectory of Marxist thought has impacted radically on art and literature as aspects of societal and cultural discourse. The author points out that the concept of dialectic refers specifically to the methodology or method of analysis, which is peculiar to Marxist theory;. In this sense, literature and art, as cultural products, are analyzed in relation to their social and historical context. The paper analyzes specifically " Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad, "A Passage to India" by E. M. Forster's and the writings of Charles Dickens and William Shakespeare.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Overview
Foundation of Marxist Theory and Literary Criticism
Marxism - Extrinsic and Intrinsic Approaches to Literature
The Premises of Marxist Criticism
Base and Superstructure
The Dialectic Ideology and Alienation
Semiology and Psychoanalytic Theory.
Reader - Response Theories
A Marxist Critique of Literature
Analysis of the Echo in "A Passage to India": A dialectical reading
" Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad
Dickens
Shakespeare
Conclusion
From the Paper "From this perspective, literary works are essential structures of ideological formations. In other words, literature expresses and represents the ideals and aims of class formation that persist and maintain the society. "Literature is for Marxism a particular kind of signifying practice which tends to make up what can be termed an ideological formation". Therefore, Marxist critical perspectives will attempt to explain literature from within its social context and in relation to that particular historical time period. This in turn relates to basic strategies, such as the identification of class structures and class struggle within the literature of a certain historical period."
Abstract This paper explores the various definitions and symptoms of borderline personality disorder. Additionally, a brief review of current literature and definitions of this psychiatric condition are examined. In particular, dialectical behavioral therapy, or DBT, is considered as a possible treatment for this disorder.
Table of Contents
Section one: Overview of Borderline personality Disorder
1 Definitions and Historical Foundations
1.2 Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM
1.3. Etiology
1.3.1. DBT
1.3.2. Genetics
1.3.3. Environmental Conditions
1.3.4. Neurological Issues
2. Diagnoses and Related Issues
2.1. Comorbidity
Treatment
3.1. Treatment Overview
3.2. Psycho Pharmacological Approaches
3.3. Dialectical Behavioral Therapy
3.3.1. Empirical Support
3.3.2. Theoretical Aspects of DBT
3.3.3. The Dialectical Model
3.3.4. Etiology
3.3.5. Praxis
From the Paper "Lineham pioneered this treatment of BPD in 1991. Her ideas were based on the concept and praxis that psychological treatment was just as important in dealing with Borderline patients as was the more traditional psycho? and pharmacotherapy. Lineham also emphasized a hierarchical structure in treatment goals. This structure began with the reduction of parasuicidal and life - threatening behaviors. This was followed by a reduction of behaviors which may interfere in the therapy process. Thirdly, reducing behaviors were introduced that improved the individual's quality of life. Lineman published results of her work which attested to the practical success of her work and approach. The difference of DBT to other approaches in therapy for BPD is that is combines a dialectical perspective with cognitive- behavioral therapy. This has resulted in a particular procedure of interventions which has been shown to produce positive results in the reduction of the symptoms of BPD. "
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."
