Properties of Language, According to Linguistics Essay

Language, we use it everyday, but what exactly defines â€Å"language? † Are there generalizations to be made of all languages? Does everyone learn language same way? What are the rules of language? â€Å"What is Language? † by Neil Smith and Deirdre Wilson answers these questions and more by highlighting the three major theories of modern linguistics. The first modern linguistic theory claims that language is govern by grammar and that grammar is a set of rules with two functions: identifying possible sentences in a given language and dictate the pronunciation & meaning of a sentence in a given language. The first function provides fluent speakers the ability to understand every conceivable sentence in their language even if they never heard it before sentences. This creative quality to produce infinitely many sentences is unique to language. The second function provides fluent speakers of different dialects to communicate with each other using the grammar rules of their shared language. The two functions of the first modern linguistic theory provides effective communication between two parties and acknowledgment of it is vital in first understanding language. In part with the first modern linguistic theory’s definition of grammar is that each person’s linguistic grammar is entirely unique to him or herself, because everyone learns grammar differently due different external factors. Everyone absorbs different linguistic speech patterns from their external environment during infancy and adds it to his or her own unique grammar customs, habits or conventions. These differences are even more prominent in patients of aphasia, a language disability that breaks up certain parts of their grammar creating difficult to understand or entirely incoherent sentences. People with aphasia create their own linguistic systems, sometimes being completely incompatible with the common linguistic systems of their receivers, causing misunderstandings. Generally, the only two instances of completely unique linguistic systems are when infants first learn language and patients with aphasia. The study of these two instances are vital in understanding the degree of uniqueness a linguistic grammar systems. The second modern linguistic theory claims that grammar is psychologically real and unconsciously known. However, the idea that grammar is unconscious knowledge is a controversial one. The opposition argues that sentence understanding is formed from using analogous sentences the listener has already heard and understood. It is not unconscious knowledge, they claim, but conscious identification of previously understood sentences. However, that does not explain the creativity of forming entirely new sentences or understanding the meaning of a never heard before sentence. For example, Noam Chomsky’s famous line, â€Å"Colorless green ideas sleep furiously† understandably sounds English and follows the grammatical rules of English, but makes no semantic sense. The opposition’s claim should be understood as â€Å"previously experienced analogous rules are used to understand language. † This would be classified under grammar rules. This explains how students first learn a language by identifying patterns through multiple experiences with the same kind of sentences. L inguists, however, research existing patterns from recognizing sentence patterns that are psychologically valid, i. e. significant generalizations and sentence patterns that arose by accident or by coincidence, i.  e. accidental generalizations. Significant generalizations are formed from existing rules, such as using â€Å"mister† for a man and â€Å"miss† for a woman. Accidental generalizations are any rules that are not the currently valid linguistic rules and are formed from chance events from using rules during early development of the language or change from outside influences. A child might make an accidental generalization of â€Å"mister† and call a woman â€Å"mister,† which would be very inappropriate and incorrect. Through intensive research, linguists are able to identify which generalizations are accidental or incorrect and create generalizations that are correct. The third modern linguistic theory by Noam Chomsky claims that people learn certain language forms instinctively. Chomsky discovered this parallel from the fact that all languages are very similar to each other. A few universalities shared by all languages discovered by linguistics are that all languages have vowels, consonants, nouns, verbs, affirmative sentences, negative sentences and interrogative sentences. A study done by Russell Tomlin in 1986, London, is that 45% of all languages share the â€Å"subject-verb-object† sentence structure and 42% share the â€Å"subject-verb-object† sentence structure. Very few languages, for whatever reason, have the verb or object first, which would indicate that the formation of language favors the subject first and that most languages are predisposed to having a subject first in a sentence. Language, whether we completely comprehend its inner workings or not, is constantly a prevailing aspect of our daily lives. We use language unconsciously, and yet because of this aspect, it is very difficult to fully classify rules of language. Thankfully, we can analyze various instances of unique grammar formation to further clarify our generalizations of languages and through these generalizations, find universalities of all languages. What is language, you ask? Language is a beautiful study of unique linguistics systems, interplaying with each other to create powerful communication.

The Importance of Doing and Turning Your Work in on Time

Browne 1 Patrick Browne 9-29-12 Mr. Slade Boondocks Driven Satire Sunday nights on Cartoon Network has become fertile ground for some of the most side-spitting, razor-sharp humor on this side of a cable box. The show concepts that constitute the â€Å"Adult Swim† block of programming on CN has drawn its fair share of rave reviews and harsh criticism from anybody willing to offer an opinion. For Afro-American viewers, no show represents that aforementioned razor's edge quite like Aaron McGruder's comic strip creation, â€Å"The Boondocks†.The first season of the weekly series found every way possible to poke humor at many of the events, individuals, and situations we see around ourselves on a daily basis. In some cases, the biting satire that's become this shows trademark may have opened up some ‘wounds' that some folk in and among Black America would prefer to have left stitched up. From the would-be Revolutionary Huey, to the saggy pants wearing, â€Å"thuggedâ €  out Riley, to the blatantly Uncle Tom-like Uncle Ruckus, the characters and situations are cleverly designed to force us to look at ourselves through a very revealing lens.No person, topic, or issue has been too ‘taboo' to examine within the show, which has drawn the ire of some of the more ‘prominent' faces within the African-American community. Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, Oprah Winfrey, and Bill Cosby have been among the more outspoken detractors of the show, harping Browne 2 on the use of the dreaded â€Å"N† word among other things. The second season of the show may prove to be just as funny and potentially inflammatory as the previous one.The scrutiny has been pretty intense, drawing criticism from multiple sources in the black community, as well as some pretty severe rebukes from the aforementioned likes of Sharpton and Jackson. In fact, the pointed criticism that has come from these sources saying are we not supposed to talk about such things? Are we supposed to ignore some of the more embarrassing fads and unhealthy stereotypes that have come with this generation among black folk? I mean, we can talk about the war, how the government is ‘shafting' the black man and woman out of our ightful piece of the American Dream. We can talk about all these things, but there's a big stink about one person taking an assessment of our own house through his own prism. Maybe the real reason some folks are getting so uptight about what they see is because some of the material hits really close to home. As much as I respect the Cosby's and the Jackson's of the world, there method isn't the only means to get the message across. Sometimes the finesse and subtle nature of satire and humor can deliver the same powerful, heartfelt message.Sometimes, we as black folk need to be shocked and ‘awed' into seeing a particular reality. That's what this show is; A strong smack in the mouth†¦ A wake-up call†¦ Humor is a pretty revealing thing; If we can take the time out to laugh at some of our own shortcomings, we can take the same type of time out to correct those issues and set about the task of strengthening our communities. Will we hear the occasional curse word, sure†¦ We might even hear the foul Browne 3 and dreaded â€Å"N† word a few more times before the show leaves syndication.So what is more important? Listening and acting on the message delivered to correct said problems, or whining about a character that portrays something that practically all of us have seen at some point during our lifetime? I don’t know about the next viewer, but this show represents solid with most Afro-Americans, which is why I’ll be tuned in for season four†¦I may indeed get a good laugh out of the over-the-top ‘pimp’ behavior of â€Å"A Pimp Named Slick Back†, or the numerous references to some of the out-of-control aspects of hip-hop culture.Through that laughter I and others tend to see a bit more of the reality that some of Black America seems too apathetic or too afraid, to confront the satire that this particular show represents. I can’t think of a better way to start that process than speaking on this issue through our own prism. Since 2005, Aaron McGruder has brought the previously unexposed taboos of Black American culture in its most raw and comedic form to the forefront of this country’s conscience through our TV screens.The tales of Huey, Riley, and Granddad Freeman’s migration from the Southside of Chicago to the lily white suburb of Woodcrest has endured its share of controversy. From public condemnation by Rev. Al Sharpton to threats of legal action by BET, The Boondocks, one of the most watched shows to be broadcast on Adult Swim, goes straight for the jugular of many of the most famous and infamous figures of our generation.As the main character on the show, Huey’s neo-Black nationalist views have been the cente rpiece of some of The Boondocks’ most memorable moments. From blasting MLK for Browne 4 repeatedly saying ‘nigga’ on the â€Å"Return of the King† episode to calling Ronald Reagan a devil, Huey and his militant antics made way for more serious issues to be addressed. The way he schooled Granddad about the origins of Christmas and dropped knowledge about the negative and nostalgic images shown on cable giant Black Entertainment Television were classic and unprecedented.His less informed and gangster inclined little brother Riley barked ‘Ain’t nothin’ wrong with BET’, while he punctuated every sentence with an unapologetic ‘nigga’. Other episodes like â€Å"The Hunger Strike† and â€Å"The Uncle Ruckus Reality Show† ridiculed BET to the point where they pressured Sony to ban the shows. One of the funniest and ironically most criticized characters is Uncle Ruckus, a self-hating older black man and brother of Granddad Freeman creates a climate for one of the shows more controversial episodes, â€Å"Jimmy Rebel†.In this particular instance, Ruckus wrote music for a racist country singer, made mention to every known racial epithet to Black people, and called our president, ‘that baboon ‘Bama’. Other creative minds were not spared by McGruder’s satire, like Tyler Perry who was extremely roasted on the â€Å"Pause† episode, where they focused on Perry’s overzealous religious POV and used his cross-dressing and homosexual innuendos as fuel for the fire.It was a point in the episode where Granddad, whose voice is that of actor John Witherspoon, was forced by Perry’s character to say, ‘I renounce Ice Cube and all his works†¦even Friday! ’ Actor Kadeem Hardison was even clowned when his lack of persistent work in the film industry was mentioned as he auditioned for one of Perry’s plays turned films. Whitney and Bob by, Lil’ Browne 5 Wayne, and even fictional musical artists like Thugnificent are used to manifest negative, yet accurate portrayals of Black performers.There’s always talk about white television shows that ought to have black faces, but many of these same critics tend to overlook the reality that programming in general could stand to diversify, too. Diversity comes in many shades – most of which go beyond color. To that end, while it’s lovely to see so many shows strive to show the more â€Å"positive† aspects of black life, more often than not it appears to come at the expense of offering our perspective as it relates to race, class, and pop culture on the airwaves.There are plenty who confirm the satire found in the social and political commentary on the show, and other instances of the kind of acute humor found in shows like The Boondocks and Chappelle’s Show. That kind of humor, for the most part, can only be found in shows largely scri pted and conceived by whites like The Daily Show, or even Family Guy and The Cleveland Show. Those shows are great, but still come from a separate point of view.The Boondocks has been known to be brought up in conversations as a point of reference to show how much driven satire entertainment that is enjoyed by Black people is a step backwards toward the days of the minstrel shows, but you have to be able to keep laughing, even if it’s at your own shortcomings. Browne 6 Works Cited Allah, Shabe. â€Å"The Boondocks†. The Best of Boondocks. Source Magazine 24 June 2010. Seward III, Herbert. â€Å"The Boondocks†. The Boondocks: Offensive show or stinging reality. Yahoo article 16 November 2007. Arceneaux, Michael. â€Å"The Boondocks†. Black Satire. Thegrio 18 May 2012

Obisity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Obisity - Essay Example 006) â€Å"†¦an estimated 8.1 million Filipinos — nearly 10 percent of the countrys 85 million people — were working and/or residing in close to 200 countries and territories.† This is one of the many examples of people who have started migrating from developing areas to wealthy nations so that they can improve their stature in life. In modern times, this form of movement is better known as immigration, Rowthorn explains why immigration is encouraged â€Å"†¦ developed nations consist more of the ageing population and they require these immigrants to stabilize the economy of the country... also ensure a cultural diversity in the developed nations.† There are pro’s and con’s of any issue, and by far, immigration has undoubtedly shed light for the oppressed ones of the society. Fleeing the native land does not mean, one is not a patriot, nor has an inclination for westerners. Immigration is solely a personal choice, it is subjective, therefore must not encounter criticism. Immigration can serve to be beneficial for the wealthy countries where the population ages ay by day. The widespread use of birth control measures contributes to the low population of the developed than in the undeveloped and developing nations. These factors result in lower number of manpower and hence require someone who can take the vacant posts. Immigrants can take over these positions; help to improve the economy by producing outputs from their work, paying taxes to the government of the host country just like a native citizen, and providing the cultural diversity as mentioned by Rowthorn. As immigration is increasing all over the worl, , P d it is seen that an understanding of different cultures and religions has also increased simultaneously. People are able to immerse and adjust themselves with the new culture thus, providing an opportunity to exchange cultural point of views. Immigrant tends to speak the tongue one way or the other; they can also teach their own language to

Compare and contrast two examples of surveillance culture in the Essay

Compare and contrast two examples of surveillance culture in the digital age, drawing on Foucault's notion of disciplinary socie - Essay Example R.D. Laing was a pioneer of various treatments for the then known paranoid schizophrenics. He can be said to be an important tie between Gilles Dileuze and Michel Foucault. He is a concrete reference in 1,000 Plateau's, and is a notable figure 'personal' to both Foucault and Deleuze's respective past's. The following is an essay and analysis on the subject of paranoia as it is a part of a nexus of the "continuous forms of control" [Deleuze, 1992, , 4] . The focus of this analysis, is toward both understanding the causes of this unfortunate condition, and further, the following will examine also how schizophrenia effects those who are families or friends with individuals. Careful consideration in this discussion will be paid to understanding also, the varieties of schizophrenia , and in turn, what can be said to be the degree of severity for this disorder. This paper will begin with a discussion of the debate in the literature on this subject, and proceed to present a discussion of ho w schizophrenia effects the families who surround individuals who suffer from this disorder. Aside from the nexus of relationships involved, focus will also be paid to the issue of current technologies. It can be said that any use of the internet, and second, any use of a basic cell-phone both raise concerns about privacy and security. In both instances, one has to assume that they do not have control over what is being used by supposedly private data. It is a closed 'system' in the Foucault sense. One cannot control the data on either the internet or the telephone, so that one has to begin with the assumption that the subject or consumer does not have control. Likewise, this is an important parallel to skizophrenia. One either has it or they do not. Schizophrenia is a disease which can be effectively controlled. There are a number of medications which allow these individuals some relief from the suffering which is associated with schizophrenia . For the disease itself, the sufferin g of the individual can be seen in terms of having to cope with hallucinations. By this, it is implied in terms of seeing things which are not really there, or hearing voices, and so on [Westen, 1996, p. 593]. One can only imagine how disorienting a state of mind this must be. And, there are different types of schizophrenia in terms of the degrees with which an individual’s reality can become distorted. For example, there is a condition known as paranoia schizophrenia . This is a state of mental reasoning which is directed toward believing in the behaviour of other individuals, and sometimes objects (e.g. radios, trees). That is, it is a state of mind where the individual who is suffering from this disorder, will attribute an ‘order’ or a ‘pattern’ where such an order or pattern simply does not exist [Westen, 1996, p. 593]. The systems stand in an "analogical" relationship with each other. They are are all systems that exhibit "continuous forms of co ntrol". What is controlled, and how it is being controlled varies among "hospital system", "prison system" and the "school system". "On the other hand, the different control mechanisms are inseparable variations, forming a system of variable geometry the language of which is numerical (which doesn't necessarily mean binary)." The current control is the

You can decide the topic (following the instruction) Essay

You can decide the topic (following the instruction) - Essay Example While there are no real guidelines on how to write a Letter to the Editor, a reading of the five letters (Bigbee; Little; Blumenthal; Allen and Huskey; Margelish) shows that such letters must contain an introduction (which connects to the article or issue that the writer is responding to), a body (which contains the writer’s position and the rationale behind it), and a summary or conclusion (which typically states the call to action). The introduction in this case is very important because it has to capture the audience’s attention and ensure that the topic being discussed is relevant. Letters to the Editor typically have strong introductions, which in turn dictate the tone style of the letter. For example in the first letter, Dean Bigbee said,†Every keystone argument leaves out the same major facts: Tar sands oil is not intended for United States consumption, but for shipping to the highest bidder†. Even if the readers did not read the February 7 column, th ey will know that this letter was opposing some assertions of the Joe Nacera article. One can see immediately that this letter will show objective evidences that will debunk some of the claims made in the Nacera article. Meanwhile, the second letter (Little) starts out with the following words: â€Å"Although Joe Nocera is probably right to lay most of the blame for the Keystone pipeline fiasco on our intractable political situation, President Obama is supposed to be the grown-up in the room†. From this introduction, one can already deduct that this letter will criticize the President Obama and that much of its claims will rely mainly on his personal opinion. One will notice, however, that while this second letter is written in the form of a criticism, it does not use abusive language. Because such letters are printed on a newspaper whose main audience are professionals, name calling will not help. Reader are more interested in the proof behind the claim, and while the letter is

The Good Soldier Svejk Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Good Soldier Svejk Analysis - Essay Example en analyzed by the author as well as the main characteristics that have been explored and satirized such as the use of national language, utilization of legal symbols, and religious objects among others. The novel describes the happenings of the First World War that resulted from the murder in Sarajevo. Characters such as Svejk display a great interest in serving the Australian emperor during the war that it was hard to decide whether he was simply crafty or an idiot who undermined the efforts of the war. Subsequently, he gets arrested by the secret police, Bretschneider, when he makes sensitive remarks about politics and later sent to penitentiary. It is then claimed that he was insane and was sent to a madhouse before he was ejected. Subsequently, he uses his intellect to join the army as batman to the chaplain of the army who is Otto Katz. Generally, the narrative recounts of how a rogue was able to use his wits and survived various misfortunes. It gives a limelight to a corrupt and complex society where the main character is always on the move from the beginning of the novel. One of the key elements that the author has used in sustaining and creating interest and making the char acteristics more credible is in developing the main character and how he is enlightened by the struggles in his life. The amazing and picaresque novel is a genre that has exemplary characteristics such as satire, which enables the author to introduce various social types in funny and bizarrely situations. This he does to expose their vanity, stupidity, and hypocrisy. The form used does not make difficult demands to have intricate plotting as in the case of detective stories but rather has detailed characterization of persons who are comic strips with regard to social types. The style employed demands an interesting and sympathetic central character as well as witty satire in order to sustain the interest’s of the reader in all the episodes. Hasek satirize s and explores various

Working with families of Children with Disabilities Essay

Working with families of Children with Disabilities - Essay Example Those services should be synchronized with extra activities that they may need since they have disabilities. The children have to be cared for differently giving them the environments that are specifically suited to the needs they require in the communities they reside. Children with disabilities have been a topic of discussion for a long period and the need to give the best care has been reviewed by numerous professionals. In this paper, the focus is on the new methods of dealing with the children with special need and making sure they receive the correct care that is resourceful in the development of their abilities and lives among the society. The laws passed decades ago are useful tools that make it very essential in the society to integrate the people with the special needs. Several researches deal with the disabled people in the society. However, the focus of this paper is the impact of involving the parents in the programs of their children with special needs. The main issue is the fact a parent is an important figure in their children’s lives making them very useful in the motivation and realization of their development as they grow up. The fact that families go through different stages before they get to advance in the care for the disabled makes it appropriate to have the time to listen to the family in order to make amends on the children’s health when the family is fully aware of the children’s situation. In a recent research, the educators have realized the incorporation of the parent support is a good step to make sure there is sure progress in the edification and adaptation of the children with disability (Woolfson et al 6). Another progress is the fact that they incorporate the parental effort in the curriculum giving the children the sense of belonging and easy time since they find the people they treasure most take part in their daily routines. The

Art History 306 Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Art History 306 - Dissertation Example The proximity and accessibility of the artists to each other’s lives and work sprouted an art â€Å"scene† with â€Å"constant face to face encounters†¦constant feedback, mutual awareness† (Sandler, 1978, pg. 30) and frequent socializing in â€Å"semi-public and public meeting places†. (Sandler, 1978, p. 29) The ambience was electric, for it â€Å"generated social and intellectual exchanges†, â€Å"and it was natural for vanguard artists in every field to gravitate to the world of the New York school† (Sandler, 1978, p.22). This solidarity was reinforced by a post war sentiment of alienation which could best be summarized as â€Å"you had a feeling †¦ of you and your friends against everyone on the outside.† (Sandler, 1978, p. 29) Disillusioned further by the political climate and pseudo culture of Middle America, the vanguard artists turned to their art for â€Å"self-discovery, freedom of belief and action, and autonomous, honest creation.† (Sandler, 1978, p.21) The canvas became an â€Å"arena in which to act† (Rosenberg, 1959) and gestural painting was adopted by such influential figures as de Kooning and Hofmann. Art produced during this time was coined Abstract Expressionism (Rosenberg, 1959).

Mental Health and Psychotropic Drugs Essay Example for Free

Mental Health and Psychotropic Drugs Essay

Electric Vehicle Charging Station Market in Southeast Asia Essay Example for Free

Electric Vehicle Charging Station Market in Southeast Asia Essay An electric vehicle charging station, also called an electric recharging point, or charging point, supplies electric energy to charge PEVs, including all-electric cars, neighborhood EVs, and plug-in hybrids. Two technologies are used in charging stations, wired AC charging and DC charging. Depending on the type of charging station, these are segmented into Level 1 Charging Station, Level 2 Charging Station, and Level 3 Charging Station. The performance of the equipment is measured in terms of the charging time, input power supply, voltage, and maximum operating current. Covered in this Report. This report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the Electric Vehicle Charging Station market in Southeast Asia for the period 2014-2018. To calculate the market size, the report considers revenue generated through the sales of level 1, level 2, and level 3 charging stations. The   report also presents the vendor landscape and a corresponding detailed analysis of the five key market vendors. In addition, it discusses the major drivers that influence the growth of the market and the challenges faced by the vendors and the market at large. The report also outlines the key trends emerging in the market that will contribute to the growth of the Electric Vehicle Charging Station market in Southeast Asia during the forecast period.