6 Common Myths About Language and Grammar

6 Common Myths About Language and Grammar In the book Language Myths, edited by Laurie Bauer and Peter Trudgill (Penguin, 1998), a team of leading linguists set out to challenge some of the conventional wisdom about language and the way it works. Of the 21 myths or misconceptions they examined, here are six of the most common. The Meanings of Words Should Not Be Allowed to Vary or Change Peter Trudgill, now an honorary professor of sociolinguistics at the University of East Anglia in England, recounts the history of the word nice to illustrate his point that the English language is full of words which have changed their meanings slightly or even dramatically over the centuries. Derived from the Latin adjective nescius (meaning not knowing or ignorant), nice arrived in English around 1300 meaning silly, foolish, or shy. Over the centuries, its meaning gradually changed to fussy, then refined, and then (by the end of the 18th century) pleasant and agreeable. Trudgill observes that none of us can unilaterally decide what a word means. Meanings of words are shared between peoplethey are a kind of social contract we all agree tootherwise, communication would not be possible. Children Cant Speak or Write Properly Any More Though upholding educational standards is important, says linguist James Milroy, there is, in reality, nothing to suggest that todays youngsters are less competent at speaking and writing their native language than older generations of children were. Going back to Jonathan Swift (who blamed linguistic decline on the Licentiousness which entered with the Restoration), Milroy notes that every generation has complained about deteriorating standards of ​literacy. He points out that over the past century general standards of literacy have, in fact, steadily risen. According to the myth, there has always been a Golden Age when children could write much better than they can now. But as Milroy concludes, There was no Golden Age. America Is Ruining the English Language John Algeo, professor emeritus of English at the University of Georgia, demonstrates some of the ways in which Americans have contributed to changes in English vocabulary, syntax, and pronunciation. He also shows how American English has retained some of the characteristics of 16th-century English that have disappeared from present-day British. American is not corrupt British plus barbarisms. . . . Present-day British is no closer to that earlier form than present-day American is. Indeed, in some ways present-day American is more conservative, that is, closer to the common original standard, than is present-day English. Algeo notes that British people tend to be more aware of American innovations in language than Americans are of British ones. The cause of that greater awareness may be a keener linguistic sensitivity on the part of the British, or a more insular anxiety and hence irritation about influences from abroad. TV Makes People Sound the Same J. K. Chambers, a professor of linguistics at the University of Toronto, counters the common view that television and other popular media are steadily diluting regional speech patterns. The media do play a role, he says, in the spread of certain words and expressions. But at the deeper reaches of language changesound changes and grammatical changesthe media have no significant effect at all. According to sociolinguists, regional dialects continue to diverge from standard dialects throughout the English-speaking world. And while the media can help to popularize certain slang expressions and catch-phrases, its pure linguistic science fiction to think that television has any significant effect on the way we pronounce words or put together sentences. The biggest influence on language change, Chambers says, is not Homer Simpson or Oprah Winfrey. It is, as it always has been, face-to-face interactions with friends and colleagues: it takes real people to make an impression. Some Languages Are Spoken More Quickly Than Others Peter Roach, now an emeritus professor of phonetics at Reading University in England, has been studying speech perception throughout his career. And what has he found out? That theres no real difference between different languages in terms of sounds per second in normal speaking cycles. But surely, youre saying, theres a rhythmical difference between English (which is classed as a stress-timed language) and, say, French or Spanish (classed as syllable-timed). Indeed, Roach says, it usually seems that syllable-timed speech sounds faster than stress-timed to speakers of stress-timed languages. So Spanish, French, and Italian sound fast to English speakers, but Russian and Arabic dont. However, different speech rhythms dont necessarily mean different speaking speeds. Studies suggest that languages and dialects just sound faster or slower, without any physically measurable difference. The apparent speed of some languages might simply be an illusion. You Shouldnt Say It Is Me Because Me Is Accusative According to Laurie Bauer, professor of theoretical and descriptive linguistics at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, the It is I rule is just one example of how the rules of Latin grammar have been inappropriately forced on English. In the 18th century, Latin was widely viewed as the language of refinementclassy and conveniently dead. As a result, a number of grammar mavens set out to transfer this prestige to English by importing and imposing various Latin grammatical rulesregardless of actual English usage and normal word patterns. One of these inappropriate rules was an insistence on using the nominative I after a form of the verb to be. Bauer argues that theres no point in avoiding normal English speech patternsin this case, me, not I, after the verb. And theres no sense in imposing the patterns of one language on another. Doing so, he says, is like trying to make people play tennis with a golf club.

Music and History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Music and History - Essay Example Tower's works, moreover, evoke an energy, a use of color and texture which are uniquely her own, and which make them not only exciting to listen to, but continue the traditional lineage of Western art music (Scholes, 1979). Conductor Leonard Slatkin states that Tower's works come from the "roots" of the "traditional playing repertory. "He describes her work as being "a continuation of historical musical line, but late twentieth century work" (Slatkin, 1984, p. D3). As will be illustrated through reference to her works, with particular focus on Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman, although Tower's music has strong ties to much of the music which came before her, through her use of orchestration, form and musical materials, her final product which combines these elements is not simply a repetition or imitation of what has been written, but an intertwining of these characteristics into the context of her own new musical work. Tower's practical process of dea... Her hands-on compositional process continued as she worked at the Greenwich Music School after she had graduated from Bennington, and with the Da Capo Chamber Players, a group which she co-founded, performed with and composed for from 1969 to 1984 (O'Brian, 1982; Tower, 1984; Humphrey, 1988). The sounds she heard were an ever present sound source for her own works. As she experienced music with the Da Capo players through study and performance of numerous pieces, these sounds came to be present in her own works, several of which were written especially for members of the ensemble whose performances and the sounds she heard them making in these performances were inspirational. Andre Emelianoff, a cellist from the Da Capo players for whom she wrote Music for Cello and Orchestra (1984), worked in close collaboration with Tower, allowing her to hear and work with the sounds of the instrument and the player making these sounds. She states, "We spent six months together meeting, working on bowing, on register. We really created this piece together" (Tower, 1984, n.p.). Wings is an excellent example of how the sounds to which Tower was listening affected her composition. As Humphrey (1982) explains, there is nothing new or revolutionary in her writing a solo clarinet piece. Rather, this work clearly shows the influence of Messiaen's well known piece for solo clarinet, "Abime des Oiseaux," the third movement of the Quatuor Pour La Fin Bu Temps. Although Wings was written many years after Messiaen's work, Tower acknowledges her debt to Messiaen stating that "his use of slow time is astounding in that piece. It is really quite a brilliant piece, and it's [a] very risky piece because of its slow terrain" (Humphrey, 1988) As well as drawing some of her

Waldseemller map Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Waldseemller map - Article Example r maps recorded in the 1500s such as Henricus Martellus or Martin Behaim maps that used the Geography (Ptolemy) and the Caveri planisphere, the Waldseemà ¼ller 1507 map gets right most of the mapping of the world mapping and tells us much about European knowledge of the world in the early sixteenth century. While the other maps during that time are ambiguous in representing the eastern coastline for Asia and Europe, the Waldseemà ¼ller 1507 map gets right by making a distinction those coastline from the American coastline (Hessler 63).The Waldseemà ¼ller map designates the existence of the trans-Atlantic region in Spain and the Asian Ptolemy as displayed on the Behaim globe representation in 1492. The Waldseemà ¼ller map of 1507 is today credited basically as the mother of all the other maps we use today as it has been used as a credible source for those maps. Waldseemà ¼ller’s world map is an important product of research effort that spans from the sixteen century. It was developed using resourceful data gathered during the era of the Amerigo Vespucci’s voyages between 1501 and 1502. Waldseemà ¼ller christened the "American" land in recognition of Vespucci’s data by uncovering a new continent namely America as a result of the Columbus voyages and other late fifteen century explorers (Hessler 75). The Waldseemà ¼ller’s map therefore, supported Vespucci’s revolutionary concept by portraying the New World. This is what the map tells us about European knowledge of the world in the early sixteenth because prior to it, the separate continent which the map represents was unknown to the Europeans. The map was the first manuscript that was printed clearly depicting a separate Western Hemisphere which it distinct from the Pacific Ocean and the African coastline (Hessler 76). The map gets all these aspects right and represents a huge spring forward in knowledge across Europe and it forever changed the European understanding which still remains today that the world is

Physiological Changes Essay Example for Free

Physiological Changes Essay In order to compensate, more salt is added to the diet. This can contribute to, or exacerbate, a pre existing high blood pressure condition. Changes to the gastrointestinal system can seriously affect the overall body of an older adult. Reduced saliva and imbalanced stomach acid contribute to dehydration and bowel problems. Ulcers can result from the imbalanced stomach acid and limited movement. Sometimes these can become bad enough that surgery is necessary. Then, the person is exposed to a higher susceptibility of alternate infections and secondary problems. Decreased muscle mass causes a lack of physical strength and endurance. Overall body composition begins to change in the older adult. Fat in the body increases as muscle mass decreases. Joints stiffen as glucosamine is lost. Ligaments between bones loosen. When an older person tries to walk, just as they did before, they can likely have a fall. This can lead to broken bones. Within the body’s organ system, plaque begins to build up in arterial walls. Increased blood pressure causes the heart to work harder. This is one explanation for the decreased energy and stamina in older adults. With decreased circulation comes a lack of oxygen throughout the entire body system. Dry skin and general forgetfulness becomes common in the older adult. Cognitive decline begins to happen along with the physical changes occurring with age. Illness, disease, memory loss, and changes in a person’s environment can all contribute to physiological decline. Due to lack of physical exercise, proper hydration, and lack of oxygen, emotional stress becomes a serious issue. As stress levels increase, physical stress increases. This cycle becomes reciprocal in nature. Hormonal changes occur simultaneously. This can be detrimental to body’s ability to process vital nutrients in the dietary intake. The imbalance in hormone levels causes issues with insulin and glucose levels. Lack of hormonal balance and dehydration contributes to poorly maintained nerves. Stress is both a result of these changes and a contributor to them. Hearing loss impacts a person’s social abilities and can lead to isolation. Some older adults may be embarrassed at their lack of ability to hear or understand everyday conversation. They tend to withdraw from social opportunities and become susceptible to depression. Along with hearing loss, comes lack of vision. Cataracts, lack of sensitivity to light, and decreased blood supply to the retina all contribute to the inability to correctly see in one’s environment. This can lead to accidents within the living space. The last factor to consider is socioeconomic status. During retirement, income may decrease and medical costs increase. One of the first areas impacted is the affordability of food containing proper nutrition. Social events are not always accessible. These environmental changes coupled with the physiological changes can accelerate physical and mental decline. Supportive services do help to increase both longevity and the quality of life.

Human Imperfection Illustrated in Frosts Poem, After Apple Picking Ess

The poem â€Å"After Apple Picking† by Robert Frost expresses the feelings of the narrator during and after the process of harvesting apples by showing the sustainability and ambition of human spirit. Frost’s poem is an accurate reflection of life and of human imperfection through the use of repetition, literal and figurative language and various symbols. The repeated use of the word â€Å"sleep† resonates throughout the poem and suggests that the narrator is experiencing fatigue and weariness, â€Å"I am drowsing off / I cannot rub the strangeness from my sight / Upon my way to sleep before it fell / My instep arch not only keeps the ache / [Woodchuck]’s sleep† (Frost 8-21) One interpretation of sleep is a â€Å"final sleep† due to sleep’s association with winter in this piece. Because winter is most commonly associated to death of life, one may assume that was the author’s intended definition. However, a more logical and literal interpretation is the fact that the speaker is worn out and tired from picking apples, which would relate to and explain some of the other figures of speech in the poem. T...

Moods

No doubt man is a social being and can never live a mundane custom always. Man undergoes dissimilar swings and moods in his every day life. It is true that moods are intense feelings that are directed at someone or something. Unlike a computer or any automatic tool, man gets worn out or gets weary easily. He cannot carry out any repeated action incessantly without a break. Let us take a quick tour of an instance of an exacting student who was a characteristic bookworm. He was very careful and he did studies and not anything else the whole day. Ironically, his marks never used to demonstrate the efforts he used to take. The cause for this absurdity was that he always kept poring into books with no positive mood. No doubt he never used to take even a minute gap of rest. This forced his mind to start inattention and stay put in reveries. This would obviously influence his academic and over all presentation in school activities. There is one more cause to hold up this statement. On taking a break from a usual behavior, say, studies would give a touch to the person. One would feel rather guilty for homicide the time into other behavior. This would prompt the person to study harder and go in an earlier rate with full attentiveness in his studies. Thus, still a half an hour break would save hours of time which would just be exhausted in reveries. (Thayer, 1997) Taking a diminutive period of break would give rest to the mind. The person would feel invigorated to go back to work in an improved mood. A person wearied out or in a bad swing would sense joyous and happy if he/she takes a break by doing amazing attractive or even by taking respite for a while.   Furthermore one could take a break by connecting in any sport movement or spend various times by a hobby. Going for sports could be a high-quality time-pass. This will get better one's health and obviously enrich one's mind since a sound mind forever dwells in a sound body. It would also get better a person's aptitude in sports or additional co-curricular activities like illustration, music etc. A person could get improved himself in an over-all method, not only in work but also in engage in recreation. Therefore, I powerfully believe that it is true saying moods are intense feelings that are directed at someone or something. References Thayer E. Robert, (1997), The Origin of Everyday Moods: Managing Energy, Tension, and Stress. Oxford University Press, New York.

National Interest And Sovereignty Paper Essay - 1972 Words

Connor McCarty PS 1400 - Into to International Relations - Adrianna National Interest/Sovereignty Paper Genocide is defined by the United Nations as ...acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group... (UN, 1) While there are many sovereign nations engaged in international politics, only a few engaged (or disengaged) in African politics during the Cold War era. Through realism and liberalism the actions of global leaders and members of the United Nations will be explained and their actions defined that led to the crisis of Central Africa from 1960 through 1994 and ending in Rwanda. These global state actors have an obligation to protect human rights throughout the world, but in 1994 allowed 800,000 ethnic Tutsi to be brutally murdered in their homes and in the streets of a place that once used to be safe. This all occurred because a global power struggle was top priority. To violate a state s sovereignty would need to be supported through a just cause and have multilateral support from mult iple states. Lacking such justification would cause a war and be a territorial threat and be infringing upon the rights of a government to govern its own people. A basic responsibility and fundamental expectation of and head of state leading a sovereign nation is to protect the basic human rights of its people and when a government fails or directly chooses another course of action, the right to govern is lost becauseShow MoreRelatedDr. Morris s Hotel Rwanda1067 Words   |  5 PagesBojana Misljen POL 103: Intro to World Politics Dr. Morris Video Review Paper Hotel Rwanda The Rwandan genocide occurred in 1994 between the two prevalent ethnic groups in Rwanda, the Hutu and the Tutsi. 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