Sociolinguistics - Language, Dialects and Society

Sociolinguistics - Language, Dialects and Society Language is central to social interaction in every society, regardless of location and time period. Language and social interaction have a reciprocal relationship: language shapes social interactions and social interactions shape language. What is Sociolinguistics? Sociolinguistics is the study of the connection between language and society and the way people use language in different social situations. It asks the question, How does language affect the social nature of human beings, and how does social interaction shape language? It ranges greatly in depth and detail, from the study of dialects across a given region to the analysis of the way men and women speak to each other in certain situations. The basic premise of sociolinguistics is that language is variable and ever-changing. As a result, language is not uniform or constant. Rather, it is varied and inconsistent for both the individual user and within and among groups of speakers who use the same language. People adjust the way they talk to their social situation. An individual, for instance, will speak differently to a child than he or she will to their college professor. This socio-situational variation is sometimes called register and depends no only on the occasion and relationship between the participants, but also on the participants’ region, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, age, and gender. One way that sociolinguists study language is through dated written records. They examine both hand-written and printed documents to identify how language and society have interacted in the past. This is often referred to as historical sociolinguistics: the study of the relationship between changes in society and changes in language over time. For example, historical sociolinguists have studied the use and frequency of the pronoun thou in dated documents and found that its replacement with the word you is correlated with changes in class structure in 16th and 17th century England. Sociolinguists also commonly study dialect, which is the regional, social, or ethnic variation of a language. For example, the primary language in the United States is English. People who live in the South, however, often vary in the way they speak and the words they use compared to people who live in the Northwest, even though it is all the same language. There are different dialects of English, depending on what region of the country you are in. What Sociolinguists Study Researchers and scholars are currently using sociolinguistics to examine some interesting questions about language in the United States: There is vowel shift occurring in the North, in which pattered alterations to vowels is occurring in certain words. For example, many people in Buffalo, Cleveland, Detroit, and Chicago are now pronouncing bat like bet and bet like but. Who is changing the pronunciation of these vowels, why are they changing it, and why/how is it spreading?What parts of African American Vernacular English grammar are being used by white middle-class teenagers? For example, white adolescents might compliment a peer’s clothes by saying, she money, a phrase associated with African Americans.What will be the impact on language in Louisiana due to the loss of monolingual French speakers in the Cajun region of Southern Louisiana? Will the French features of language be sustained even when these French speakers are gone?What slang terms do younger generations use to show their affiliation with certain subgroups and to distinguish themselves from their parents’ generation? For example, in the ea rly 2000s, teenagers described things that they enjoyed as cool, money, tight, or sweet, but definitely not swell, which is what their parents would have said when they were teenagers. Which words are pronounced differently according to age, gender, socioeconomic status, or race/ethnicity? For instance, African Americans often pronounce certain words differently than whites. Likewise, some words are pronounced differently depending on whether the person speaking was born after World War II or before.Which vocabulary words vary by region and time, and what are the different meanings associated with certain words? For example, in Southern Louisiana, a certain breakfast dish is often called lost bread while in other parts of the country, it is called French toast. Similarly, which words have changed over time? Frock, for instance, used to refer to a woman’s dress, while today frock is rarely used. Sociolinguists study many other issues as well. For instance, they often examine the values that hearers place on variations in language, the regulation of linguistic behavior, language standardization, and educational and governmental policies concerning language. References Eble, C. (2005). What is Sociolinguistics?: Sociolinguistics Basics. pbs.org/speak/speech/sociolinguistics/sociolinguistics/.

Merchant of Venice Critical Essay

Merchant of Venice Critical Essay Merchant of Venice Critical Essay Merchant of Venice Critical Essay Merchant of Venice is of the most popular plays written by Shakespeare. Undoubtedly, every literature teacher includes this play into the syllabus. Below is a short sample Merchant of Venice critical essay written by our writer. This sample essay is a good example of professional writing. Our essay blog has numerous free sample essays on plays by Shakespeare. One of the main disadvantages of the free samples is lack of originality and unrestricted access. If you want to get an original critical essay on Merchant of Venice written from scratch specially for you, you have found the right site to get help - writers will not let you down! We can handle all types of assignments and we are never late with paper delivery. Merchant of Venice Critical Essay Sample One of the most persistent and pernicious factors in confusing the interpretation of The Merchant of Venice is the common assumption that the play is built around a race theme. This assumption has thrust the racial problem into the foreground of the play. It has implied that the very introduction of Shylock inevitably necessitated a choice of sides in a lively and pressing social controversy. And from it has sprung the interminable discussion of Shakespeare's alleged sympathy or antipathy for the Jew. That Shakespeare intended, or could have intended, a deliberate defense of the Jew has been effectively controverted in E. E. Stoll's exhaustive study of Shylock. Therein he has established beyond reasonable doubt the existence in England of a common tradition of antisemitic prejudice, and has adduced abundant evidence-of its persistence throughout the Renaissance. This prejudice clearly conceived of the Jew as an object of distrust, dislike, and contempt. To assume that Shakespeare departed radically from the common convictions of his time is to deny the known facts about the man. To assume that he ignored the sentiments of his audience to champion a disreputable cause is to impugn his intelligence as a practical playwright, to set at defiance all probability, to commit a critical anachronism, and, finally, to contradict the patent evidence of the play itself. Unfortunately, in his laudable work of demolition Professor Stoll has gone to the opposite extreme of assuming the prevalence in Shakespeare's time of a rampant and energetic antisemitism. Unless I misinterpret him, he would have one believe that the average Elizabethan nursed an active grudge against the Jew which found congenial expression in the popular sport of Jew-baiting. Accordingly the contemporary dramatist could count upon the insulting of a Jew to prompt a round of spontaneous applause, and the protracted humiliation of a Jew to provide the Elizabethan equivalent of a Roman holiday. In consequence of this assumption Professor Stoll interprets Shylock as a comic figure and finds much of his conduct somewhat amazingly ludicrous. The hypothesis of the persecuted Jew has found favor with most of the Jewish writers upon Shakespeare. It has served as a text for miscellaneous lamentation over Elizabethan injustice and the particular damage to the race wrought by Shakespeare's play. Unfortunately no very conclusive evidence has come forth to support the hypothesis. Evidence there is that Jews were persecuted in England prior to their banishment in 1290; that the Middle Ages were hostile to Jews; that enmity toward the Jew persisted in European countries throughout the Renaissance; and that agitation arose in England during the decade preceding the readmission of the Jews in 1653. Merchant of Venice Critical Essay Custom Writing Looking for custom written essay? Want to get truly professional essay help? Get it here! Our writers are working hard writing a critical essay! We offer essay writing from scratch as well as editing services. Our writing services are affordable.

buy custom The Impact of Technology on Education essay

buy custom The Impact of Technology on Education essay Teachers should be particularly careful when using technology in teaching. Nowadays students use computers frequently than in the past. The National School Boards association found out that students exposed to technology perform better in standardized tests than those students not subjected to technology. Teachers and educators ought to be aware of the potential negative impact of technology on learning. Inappropriate use of technology leads to poor effects of technology. Some disadvantages of technology on learning include increased plagiarism and cheating, lack of vocabularies while speaking, time wasting, overuse of technology, and lack of seriousness among the students (Reed, 2010). Discussion Most students take advantage of the internet to cheat while doing the exams. Plagiarism is yet another problem, where students copy information from the web. This means that students have become lazy to do their own work. All they have to do is to go to the internet, copy the information they need, and finally paste it down. At times, it proves difficult for teachers to trace the source of such information on the web; hence, they do not discover plagiarism. Some other students use the mobile phones during exam time to browse the correct answers and get helpful material from their friends. A study conducted by the University of Washington revealed that DVDs, meant to educate babies, have slipped infant vocabulary. The study found out that babies, who watch DVDs, do not develop their vocabulary unlike babies who did not watch the educational videos and games. To teach the new generation in classrooms; teachers make use of educational games and videos. This is to help the babies to develop their growing minds and increase their level of knowledge, as well as awareness (Petrina, 2007). Neurological changes serve as another disadvantage of technology on learning. In todays world where the computers can be found everywhere, reading and writing take a back seat because students find it easy to click and scroll using the computer mouse. People no longer make their own decisions as they mke little sense to them. Temple University conducted a survey, in the year 2007, and the findings revealed that more than 80% of families in Philadelphia did not read or buy a book. Doctors link certain illnesses to exposure to a lot of information. Some teachers lack experience when it comes to the use of computers. Now that every minute counts, some teachers end up wasting valuable time because of technical problems with the computers. Computers experience problems from time to time. These problems could be malfunctioning of some computer parts or even problems with the software. Teachers also face a problem because they teach students with different computer literacy skills. Some students have no or little exposure to computers, and this proves it hard to teach such a class. Time, therefore, becomes wasted because the teachers will need to cater for each childs needs (Montague, 2004). Another problem faced by the teachers is the mentality that the students have that computers should be used for playing games. Since most students use computers in their homes primarily for playing games, they, therefore, associate them with technology and games. Failure to address this issue properly can affect the learning process. Some students get distracted and bored fast since they will not be using the computer as they have previously used it. However, some teachers can use this as an advantage to them. They can explore it by utilizing it and making learning more enjoyable. Overuse of technology, especially computers, can interfere with the learning process. This is because a good number of students learn best when they mentally and physically interact with the subject of study. Therefore, excessive use of the internet will not care for such students needs. Learning, using computers, does not allow enough time for analysis, reflection or imagination. These vital skills become ignored when teaching using computers, video games or television. These skills are getting lost with time, yet they used to be there before the introduction of technological learning. Several studies show that imagination develops through reading. Reflection, induction and critical thinnking are also essential skills developed through reading different materials. Visual media deny students those skills, as well as print skills (Gev, 2002). Overcoming negative effects of technology in education Teachers should ensure that students do their original work and that there is no cheating or plagiarism. Strict measures, such as examination cancellation, ought to be taken on students who engage in cheating and plagiarism. Teachers should also be advised to use programs that detect plagiarism to ensure that their students do original research while doing their assignments and research (Pierson, 2003). Students should be taught using alternative methods, especially the young children. Visual media in teaching should be avoided at all costs. Teachers should encourage students to read books and other reading materials, so that they improve on their imaginative, analysis, induction and thinking skills. Reading would help learners to improve on their writing skills. Students ought to be encouraged to read for pleasure. Teachers and parents need to instill a reading culture to the children. They should also read for the young children to set an excellent example for them. Students should also be encouraged to use the computer when necessary to avoid certain illness, associated with the use of computers in learning. Technology should be an alternative method of teaching and not the sole method of teaching. Linguistic knowledge comes through interacting with people who use the desired language. Rather than spending time watching DVDs and videos, children can be exposed to people who speak so that they learn from them. Students, who use technology frequently, do not stick to the task. They aim at jumping to the next step even without understanding the concept. Parents should teach their students that computers are not merely used to lay games. They ought to teach them some other uses of computers, such as learning. Again, if computers are to be used in teaching, all areas, rural area inclusive should be supplied with computers and internet so that all students receive the same education (Ferranti, 2003). 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Drawing from module materials, analyzing how Fair trade consumption Essay

Drawing from module materials, analyzing how Fair trade consumption shapes the ethical experience of its users. How does this pa - Essay Example Thus, the essence of Fair Trade Consumption is not just to desire to be ethical, but to believe in the concept of ethical behavior for both the corporations and individuals, to approve of such ethical behavior and to demand that such behaviors be displayed by the business community (Simon, 2007 p18). The concepts of both demand and approval therefore shape the focus of this organizational form, where the demand of any corporate product is made based on the self-approval of the necessary ethical compliance. Fair Trade Consumption demands that we, as the ethical players should not just desire to be ethical, but that ethical behavior should be the basis of all consumptions we make and a fundamental feature of what we think as self, not just as a fair practice, but out of self-approval (Simon, 2007 p23). Fair trade consumption is an organizational form that serves to shape the ethical behaviors of both the producers and consumers, as well as that of all the organizations and agencies tha t operate in between, through creating a partnership that is based on dialogue, mutual respect for all parties and transparency (Bryant & Goodman, 2004 p344). Oxfam is an example of a firm operating under the Fair trade consumption umbrella, which has opened over 750 charity shops for selling second hand clothes, books and other items, for the mere purpose of ensuring to reach the less disadvantaged, while also enhancing the environmental conservation efforts (Clarke, et al., 2007 p585). While the organization of Fair trade consumption could be perceived as political mechanism that is not compatible with the business goals and objectives, the truth is that this organizational form has helped to shape who individuals believe they are, through a process referred to as Ethical Selving (Shreck, 2005 p18). For example, the Fair trade Movement has been working towards raising awareness among the consumers, regarding the negative effects of their non-ethical purchasing, to enable such cons umers exercise their purchasing powers responsibly and positively, through supporting the organizations, business entities and corporations that are enhancing developmental sustainability through corporate social responsibility and caring for the environment (Doherty & Clarke, 2012 p297). This campaign has been geared towards enhancing conventional international trade, which is based on the precepts of transparency, dialogue and respect for all the stakeholders in trade. The organizational form of Fair trade consumption does not seek to enhance responsible trading of the trading partners through trading activities only, but also through campaigns for raising awareness, geared towards ensuring that ethical business standards are not just a preserve of the partners within the Fair trade consumption organization, but the same should hold both locally and internationally (Williams, 2013 p17). The purchase and consumption of Fair trade products does not only serve to present the individu al buyer as one who cares about the implications of poor business practices, but to define the individual as an ethical person (Bird & Hughes, 1997 p167). Therefore, through purchasing Fair trade products, the individual purchasers tend to rebrand themselves as ethical, and that fact with time sinks

Biography on Antoine Watteau Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Biography on Antoine Watteau - Essay Example He was not able to get along well with Metayer and ended up working in a factory painting devotional pictures, he did not have a choice then since he was already starving and had to sacrifice his art. Thus, as early as 18 years of his life, Watteau began to make copies of Flemish and Dutch genre paintings which resulted to the development of his technique characterized as sketchlike. After a year of working at Pont Notre Dame, he became an assistant to the painter Claude Gilllot whose paintings depicted mythological landscape. Gillot was a good mentor since his apprentice surpassed him in popularity and developed their own technique. The main contribution of Gillot to Watteau was his association with character s of commedia dell’arte which heavily influenced Watteau’s works later in his life. Another mentor in Watteau’s life is a Flemish interior decorator named Claude Andran III. By profession, Adran was the curator of Palais de Luxembourg. This allowed Watteau to view the famous paintings made by Pater Paul Rubens for Queen Marie de Medici. In his life as an artist, Watteau experienced disappointments especially when he was disqualified by the Academy to obtain Prix de Rome. He took this as a challenge and surpassed the expectations of the Academy that he himself became a member of that prestigious organization. Sadly in 1720 Watteau’s health began to fail him and he sought the advice of Dr. Richard Mead who was then a a notable physician. Admittedly, he was a sickly boy since childhood days and his devotion to his work made him neglect his failing health. As a result Watteau’s life as an artist was cut-off in 1721 since he died from tuberculous laryngitis at the age of 36. Eventually, he paid the price at the cost of his life. Antoine Watteau has created many artworks yet some of them raised controversy through the meaning they seem to interpret or symbolize. Among the art works that was known as provocative was the

Aston Martin's New Idea Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Aston Martin's New Idea - Essay Example The essay finally tells about the impact of the marketing plan on the sales of the company and the need for right strategy for developing the effective marketing plan. Table of Content Introduction 4 Marketing plan 5 Marketing objective 5 Target market and Segmentation 5 Marketing Strategies 6 Budget 7 8 Introduction Aston Martin, the iconic name in the world of cars, was founded in 1913 by Robert Bamford and Lionel Martin. The car company is headquartered at Gaydon, Warwickshire in England. Aston Martin is known for its luxury and style around the world. There are various models of the car in the market but some of the famous models include Aston Martin DB series, Lagonda Marque, Aston Martin One-77, etc (Aston Martin, 2012). The company has recently decided to change the style and theme of the car to make it more attractive and appealing to the young people in the age group of 20s. This idea of developing a new style and theme for Aston Martin cars can be both advantageous and disa dvantageous for the company. The whole idea of the company with its plan is to increase its market share and profit by targeting new markets which would mainly comprise people of today’s generation, especially in the age group of 20s. ... Marketing plan The marketing plan based on Aston Martin’s new approach to attract a new target market requires a planned marketing strategy which can be discussed as follows: Marketing objective Marketing objective is related to the company’s objective associated with Aston Martin. The objective of the company should deal with its long-term plans in establishing Aston Martin as a brand not only for luxury seeking people but for younger generations. Young people who prefer the sporty look with style and luxury but with different theme and design can be a great market opportunity for the company in terms of market share. Target market and Segmentation Segmentation is important for any company because of reasons such as process of segmentation of products according to their life cycle, and finding which product is to be segmented as per the consumers whom the company is targeting. The target market strategy for the company would begin with the analysis of market opportunit y which would allow the company to estimate the sales and size potential associated with the market segment (Lamb, Hair, & McDaniel, 2008, p. 49). Target market strategy implies the importance of segmentation of market for Aston Martin in order to achieve the marketing objective. Marketing Strategies Marketing strategy for the company should be based on market penetration, market development and promotional tools. Market penetration for the company decides it strategy based on the pricing strategy. It is often seen that companies reduce their product price to penetrate the market and attain a considerable market share before planning for market development. Aston Martin can penetrate the new

Hillary R. Clinton for President in 2016 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Hillary R. Clinton for President in 2016 - Essay Example In a democratic country, the citizens in a process of free and fair elections elect the government. In every four-year cycle, the USA holds its presidential elections. The current USA President a Democrat, Barrack Obama, is successfully coming to the end of his tenure. According to the Twenty-second Amendment to the USA Constitution, a president can only serve a maximum of two terms. Therefore, President Barack Obama will not be seeking re-election. Bearing this in mind the Democratic Party has received a number of potential candidates who are seeking to run for the presidency on its ticket. Hillary Rodham Clinton name is among the list of potential Democratic Party candidates who have expressed their interests (Stern). Hillary Clinton has a wealth of experience in the public life and politics. Her experience in public life had begun long before she was the First Lady of the USA from 1993 to 2001. She attended Wellesley College in 1965 where she was majoring in political science. In her first year at the College, she was elected the president of the Wellesley Young Republicans. It was her first public office among the many that she would later hold. She earned her law degree from Yale Law School. Hillary Clinton got married in 1975during a private ceremony to Bill Clinton. Her life in Arkansas was busy as she joined Rose Law Firm and going up its ranks to make partner (Carl). She was further thrust into the public limelight in 1978 when her husband, Bill Clinton, was elected the Governor of Arkansas. Being a first lady kept her engaged and busy for the next 12 years. She was juggling her duties as Arkansas’ First Lady, a mother, and serving on the boards of different corporations. She was th rust into the political light in 1993 when she became USA’s First Lady. Hillary Clinton has over 12 years’ experience in politics serving in different capacities. For