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Semantics and Cultural Analysis, 1999.
This paper looks at how language is defined by different cultures.
3,170 words (approx. 12.7 pages), 9 sources, MLA, $ 91.95
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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."
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The "Critical Period", 2001.
This paper gives an evaluation of the theoretical claims, empirical evidence, and practical consequences associated with the concept of the critical period.
3,980 words (approx. 15.9 pages), 26 sources, MLA, $ 108.95
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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 behaviour, where it was noticed that certain behavioural 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."
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Argot: Language Used in Prisons Today, 2002.
An analysis of the language of thieves (argot) which is spoken is prison.
2,870 words (approx. 11.5 pages), 7 sources, MLA, $ 85.95
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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."
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Homosexuality, 2001.
This paper discusses the use of slang terms that refer to homosexual individuals.
1,305 words (approx. 5.2 pages), 3 sources, MLA, $ 44.95
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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."
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Chinese Address Terms, 2001.
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.
3,220 words (approx. 12.9 pages), 100 sources, MLA, $ 92.95
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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."
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Cross-Cultural Politeness Analysis with Brown and Levinson Model, 2000.
This paper examines cross-cultural politeness using the Brown and Levinson's model.
5,855 words (approx. 23.4 pages), 11 sources, MLA, $ 140.95
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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. "
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Authority in Ethnography, 2001.
This is a critique of James Clifford and Michael Fisher's work on the authority of language and literary elements in ethnographic writing.
1,420 words (approx. 5.7 pages), 3 sources, MLA, $ 47.95
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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."
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Interpretation of Fairy Tales, 2001.
This essay examines Bengt Holbek's model of classifying and interpreting the world's fairy tales.
2,900 words (approx. 11.6 pages), 6 sources, $ 85.95
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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).?
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Burke's Contributions to Rhetoric, 2001.
This paper discusses Kenneth Burke's contributions to rhetoric and its importance as a communicative tool.
2,890 words (approx. 11.6 pages), 7 sources, $ 85.95
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Abstract
This paper examines the history of rhetoric and it's significance in early Greek and Roman civilizations that coincided with creation of democracy and the importance of public speech. It then shows Kenneth Burke's contribution to the new rhetoric as an argumentative weapon and his influence on the post-modern deconstructionism.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Section One: The Preceding Conversation
3. Section Two: Contribution to the Conversation
4. Section Three: Effect on the Conversation
5. Conclusion
From the paper:
"The word ?rhetoric? has an old fashioned air about it. It calls up images of schoolrooms with children in ruffled collars and Latin grammars and not a laptop in sight for several centuries. But rhetoric is as alive as is language itself, and this paper examines the importance of rhetorical studies in helping each of us to become the best writers and speakers ? the best communicators ? that we can be. A historical study of changes models and standards in rhetoric can also provide us not only with a sense of how linguistic and especially English style has changed over the years as well as illuminating how our conception of language and its structure and function have changed as well. This paper engages in such an examination by focusing on the work of Kenneth Burke. We begin with a brief overview of the life of this man whose rhetorical work we will then examine."
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A Common Language: Communication Between Humans and the Great Apes, 2002.
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, $ 148.95
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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."
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The Significance of "The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle", 2001.
This paper describes how the 'Anglo-Saxon Chronicle' defines the national and linguistic history of the beginning of England.
1,170 words (approx. 4.7 pages), 3 sources, $ 40.95
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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."
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Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 2001.
Discusses the spread and decline of various languages.
1,150 words (approx. 4.6 pages), 0 sources, $ 39.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses the pros and cons of bilingualism focusing on the homogenizing of the world's languages and the struggle to keep some languages and cultures alive. It mentions the effects of colonial powers, the necessities of learning other languages for trade purposes and the reluctance of younger members of minority groups to learn their original tongue. Contains information such as the top nine countries language wise contain 3,300 languages. The paper also discusses the gradual process of change in a language.
From the paper:
?Bilingualism is a reality today and it will become a greater reality as time goes. The extent to which it is prevalent is evidenced by the presence of bilinguals in every country today, as well as in every social class and every age group. International travel, communication and the mass media, emigration and planetary economics have created a so-called global village whereby inhabitants speak more than their own native language."
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Linguistics, 2001.
The differences between American English and Canadian English.
3,000 words (approx. 12.0 pages), 13 sources, $ 88.95
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Abstract
This paper analyzes and examines the differences between American English and Canadian English. In Part II, the national language conflict in Canada is discussed. Part III evaluates the differences between American English and Canadian English are examined. Finally, this paper concludes with a recommendation for embracing bilingualism
From the paper:
"Modern Canada was born out of the Confederation of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Ontario (formerly Upper Canada) and Quebec (formerly Lower Canada), under the 1867 Constitution Act.[1] The constitutional provisions for language were minimal.[2] The Constitution Act, 1867 provided for the use of English or French in the debates and the use of both languages in the records and journals of Parliament and the Quebec legislature, the publication of acts of both bodies in English and French, and the permission to use either language in any court of Canada or Quebec.[3]"
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Chomsky's Theory of Universal Grammar, 2002.
This paper is a discussion of the ideas espoused by Chomsky that the capacity for language acquisition is something we are born with.
1,810 words (approx. 7.2 pages), 4 sources, $ 58.95
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Abstract
This paper provides a detailed evaluation of Chomsky?s theory of Universal Grammar and innate Language Acquisition Device, which is central to the field of linguistics and psycholinguistics. It reviews the controversies surrounding Chomsky?s theory and discusses alternative theories.
From the Paper
"Language acquisition is undeniably biologically programmed as children all over the world, from varying cultures and linguistic environments produce the same levels of language at the same stages. Chomsky proposes that this is a direct result of Universal Grammar, which is an inherent part of every human mind. However, his theory of an innate Language Acquisition Device provokes controversy on two grounds. First is the debate between nature and nurture, with many theorists criticising Chomsky for dismissing any environmental factors. Second, is the dispute as to whether language acquisition is an independent innate faculty as Chomsky claims, or part of the child?s wider cognitive development. Such disagreements demonstrate the enormous impact Chomsky?s theory has had on the field of linguistics and reflects how ?the Universal Grammar theory is for many the central pillar in our understanding of language.? (Cook, V. Inside Language. Arnold. 1997, p249)"
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The History and Development of English, 2001.
A look at the development of the English language.
1,380 words (approx. 5.5 pages), 7 sources, $ 46.95
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Abstract
This paper presents an examination of the English language and its origins. The author traces through the three stages of Old English, Middle English, and Modern English and examines the development of language.
From the Paper
"The English Language has been built on the backs of great nations and as these nations rose they brought with them a language that has evolved over many generations and is spoken all over the world. The history of the English language is an extensive and colorful one that has filled the lives of the linguistic scholars who have studied it with many hours of reading material. The English language and its origins will be traced through the three stages of Old English, Middle English, and Modern English. The stages will be studied in order to understand what influences have played a key role in the development of English. Also in this paper a look will be taken at the ways slang, jargon, and Colloquialism continue to the changes that English is even now under going."
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