...English has come a long way since it first started to crop up as a language. Many words have been borrowed from pervious and concurrent languages in the beginning and still are to this day. English is an ever evolving language. Even now, new words and phrases are being adding to it. What will the English language look like in 500 years? We can look to the past and present for clues to how the language will evolve over that time. The English language as it is known now will not exist in 500 years. The difference between English at the beginning of its usage and English in the modern day is astounding. It has come a very long way from how it used to be. This is due, in part, to the fact that English speakers are constantly adding new words and phrases. These days, it is common to see people texting on their phones and chatting on social media sites. To decrease the amount of characters they have to type, many use abbreviations or acronyms. Abbreviations and acronyms make it faster and easier to share information. They have become very prevalent in modern society. Acronyms like YOLO, which means “You Only Live Once”, have become so popular in writing that they have become commonly used while speaking. This form of speaking has become very popular among young people. In years to come, it would not be improbable if this acronym or acronyms like it became actual words. This would not be the first time an acronym has become a word though. The word laser was an acronym for Light...
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...Introduction Unsurprisingly, English is the second most spoken language after Mandarin. To add on to this fact, more people can easily communicate in English compared to any other language. Undoubtedly, the popularity of the language has termed English as the international language of diplomacy, business, science, technology, banking, computing, medicine, aviation, engineering, tourism, and even the UN & NATO armed forces, Hollywood films and the best pop and rock music of the world. Apart from these unfamiliar and strange facts, there are still several other reasons that state the importance of learning the universal language, English. To cite some of them, they are as follows: After graduating high school, if a student is seeking admission in a reputable college or university, one must be very knowledgeable in English, otherwise he/she won’t be admitted. And if after finishing college he would then apply for a job but most companies welcome those candidates who are fluent in English and have the relevant qualification and skill set. However, candidates with the relevant qualification without having proper knowledge of English language are being rejected after some sort of personal interviews. Also, most of the businesses engaged in dealing with international clients and suppliers prefer using English as the primary source of communication. While people have their own native languages, English serves as the most common and user-friendly language to interpret, translate...
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...7 ELEMENTS OF CULTURE NIGERIA INDIA MATERIAL LIFE Industrial sector - structurally weak, industrial development based on import substitution strategy, production, distribution and consumption depends a lot on families and community efforts. Industrial Sector is comparatively well developed. LANGUAGE 529 languages - 7 extinct English is the official language, Other most spoken languages are - Haus, Igbo, Yoruba, Pidgin-English 780 languages – 220 lost last 50 yrs. 14 official Languages Hindi is the first official Language and English is the second, Other most spoken languages are Gujarati, Marathi, Telugu, Tamil SOCIAL INTERACTIONS Extended families-Social standing and recognition, Family relationships are guided by hierarchy and seniority. Individuals turn to members of the extended family for financial aid and guidance Very similar to Nigeria Family relationships are guided by hierarchy and seniority. Great importance is given to elders in the family who are also decision makers. AESTHETICS Ethnic, tattooing & Ornamentation, Art inspired by nature, Depends on availability of recourses, has utilitarian significance, socio-cultural significance is symbolic, Extensive use of colours. Follows similar patterns use of vibrant colours, jewellery, Colours and music art folk songs for every occasion. RELIGION Main religions of Nigeria are Islam (50%) and Christianity (48%), other religions, which includes: Judaism, Hinduism, Bahá'i Characterized by a diversity of religious...
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...Topic: Don't insist on English! How long did you listen to it? 10:35 Summarize the main points(including the beginning middle and end): Patricia Ryan is a longtime English teacher who asks a provocative question: Is the world's focus on English preventing the spread of great ideas in other languages? In other words: What if Einstein had to pass the TOEFL? It's a passionate defense of translating and sharing ideas. Reflecting on the listening experience: How teaching English has morphed from being a mutually beneficial practice to becoming a massive international business that it is today. No longer just a foreign language on the school curriculum, and no longer the sole domain of mother England, it has become a bandwagon for every English-speaking nation on earth. What did you learn about America culture? Education: The Great Divide." Now I get it, I understand why people would want to focus on English. They want to give their children the best chance in life. And to do that, they need a Western education. Because of course, the best jobs go to people out of the Western Universities that I put on earlier. It's a circular thing. What new vocabulary words did you learn? 1. metaphorical Definition: not having real existence but symbolic and showing some truth about a situation or other subject Context: People who have no light, whether it's physical or metaphorical arbitrary 2. arbitrary Definition: based on chance rather than being planned or...
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...English as a Second Language Podcast www.eslpod.com ESL Podcast 772 – Types of People at Work GLOSSARY to show (someone) around – to give someone an orientation; to teach someone where things are in an unfamiliar building or city * When Ida moved into the apartment building, her neighbor offered to show her around the neighborhood. the lay of the land – the organization or layout of something; where things are placed or found * This is such a big campus! It’s going to take us weeks to figure out the lay of the land. perfectionist – someone who has very high standards and wants to do everything the right way, without making any mistakes * Gladys is a perfectionist who does her work well, but very slowly because she wants to make it just right. stickler – someone who follows the rules exactly and insists that other people do the same; someone who is very strict * Damian is a stickler with his exercise routine. He runs 8 miles every weekday, and 12 miles on Saturdays. slacker – someone who is lazy and does not do the work he or she is supposed to do, or does not do it well * Adam is such a slacker. He just watches TV all day and refuses to work or help around the house. troublemaker – a person who creates difficulties for other people; someone who creates problems * Hans is a troublemaker in the classroom, so the teacher watches him carefully. warning – advice about a dangerous or difficult situation that may happen in the future; caution * The embassy issued a warning about...
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...Learning English in Young Age: Children learn English as another Language Introduction There seems to be no optimum age for learning a language, according to linguistics experts. Singleton (1995) writes, “There is no point at which vocabulary acquisition can be predicted to cease.” Adults have several advantages over children when it comes to learning foreign language, especially English. Research by Harold B. Dunkel and Roger A. Pillet in 1957 assessed both adult beginning learners of French and elementary students learning French. In their studies Dunkel and Pillet found that the adult students performed better in written and oral tests, but worse on pronunciation. Adults tend to maintain both native and foreign languages at a high level while children who learn a second language can lose proficiency in the first language. But it is universally acknowledged that learning English, since early childhood would contribute positively to the child’s language acquisition. Researchers at University College London have discovered that people who are bilingual have more gray matter (neurons or brain cells) in the language region of their brains. The earlier a child learns English, the more advanced his or her brain becomes in language acquisition. This reinforces the idea that it is better to learn English in the early years. That is why I believe that learning English in young age is better than older one. The importance of language for young children The early years are recognized...
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...In this paper I will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of teaching the students in their primary language, should ELL instructions replace native language, should Ell students be identified as children who need special education. The large percentage of the population in our schools today are the English as second Language students (ESL) and the ESL population continues to grow more than the English speaking students.(Pellion 2007) In 2000-2001 the population of English Language Learners (ELL) have grown to one hundred five percent and are limited proficiency in English. (Edweeks 2004).The (ESL) students are one of the lowest ranked in academic achievements. The (ELL) are faced with challenges by not been prominent in English. Since increase of the (ELL) students this has caused to have a shortage in qualified teachers. Some teachers are not prepared to teach these students. (Echevarrea,& Graves 2007). Teaching the ELL students in their native language and English will help them achieve their goals and help them to learn faster. By teaching an ELL student in English and their native language may make them fall into a cycle of language dependency which will inhibit a significant progress in English-language acquisition. (Edweek 2004) Studies show that ELL students lag far behind their English speaking peers. Only seven percent of these students scored at or above proficient in reading, this was on...
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...it the best way possible. I don’t think it affect me at all because I am very positive person and I always say that everything happen in life for a reason and the only thing doesn’t have solution in life is death. Did some negatives event have positives outcomes? Well I personally think that yes, some of them or maybe all of them have positive outcomes the reason why it is because we are human an as human been we always are looking for solution to negatives stuff. Did some positives occurrences fail to result in a positive effect on your circumstances? Well if many things in one way or another that are good and can be created with an objective good sometimes do not meet expectations and do not end up being what we expected. So in a certain way if they fail but not to say that there were good or they were created for a good purpose. How do you think your worldview affects your choices going forward, especially your choice to further your education? Well my vision for the future is very clear and with one goal, that is to beat myself as a person and professional, I don’t think any worldwide event or social event can change my mind and my goals How well prepared do I feel for school? I feel great, and only with the challenge of language, since English is not my native language I am on perfect condition and self-motivation. What challenges do I anticipate on this class? I...
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...about language given in Section 1.1.2 (pp. 3-4). Which items on the list were things you had heard before and which were new to you? Which really were surprising? What about those items surprised you? 2. Look at the list of “common misconceptions” about language given in Section 1.1.3 (p. 4). How many of these beliefs are ones you have held at some point or have heard other people express? For each, how do you think that it came to be widely believed? What sort of evidence do you think linguists might have that causes them to say that each is false? I have heard about every item on the list except for the special verb tense used for gossip. 3. Suppose that you are chaperoning a group of kindergarten students on a trip to the zoo. One of these children walks up to you, pulls on your sleeve, and exclaims, “Look at all the aminals! (note the spelling “aminals” is intended to indicate the child’s pronunciation.) a. Has this child necessarily made a speech performance error? yes b. How do you know? Out of excitement and distraction, he confused the pronunciation of animals. c. If you do not know, how might you find out? d. What sort of additional evidence might you need? e. What would you do to test your hypothesis? 4. Give a prescriptive rule and a descriptive rule for the placement of adjectives with respect to the nouns they modify in English. Explain how each type of rule might change if, at some point in the future, younger...
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...Professor Deare English 101A 09 March 2015 Take Home essay #1 In many different places of the world, many people have different reactions on what literacy is and how it is applied in life. Literacy is referred to a lot of people as “the ability to read and write” like how it is stated in the dictionary . People think that having the knowledge of how to read and write that they know the meaning and don’t have to have any more interest in it. After these few weeks of reading and comprehending the “real” meaning, it has changed the way I look at it and how it has actually affected me in life. Also how it can be referred to as a discourse because of the way many people today think the “English” language or any other language should be used. A discourse also can be referred to as standards a person should follow. It’s like what James Paul Gee tries to explain in his article Social Linguistics and Literacies , “The moral of the above discussion is that at any moment we are using language we must say or write the right thing in the right way while playing the right social role and (appearing) to hold the right values, beliefs and attitudes”(Gee 142).Literacy not only gives you the chance to read and write if not also the ability to communicate and express yourself to other people. I mean a lot of people can know how to write and read, but do they actually know how to speak it? Many people still don’t live up to the standards expected in a ...
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...The Future of English? A guide to forecasting the popularity of the English language in the 21st century David Graddol First published 1997 © The British Council 1997, 2000 All Rights Reserved This digital edition created by The English Company (UK) Ltd David Graddol hereby asserts and gives notice of his right under section 77 of the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work. What is this book about? This book is about the English language in of the English language and concludes that forecasting, identifies the patterns which the 21st century: about who will speak it and for what purposes. It is a practical the future is more complex and less predictable than has usually been assumed. underlie typical linguistic change and describes the way large corporations have briefing document, written for educationists, politicians, managers – indeed any decision maker or planning team with a professional interest in the development of English worldwide. The book has been commissioned by the British Council to complement the many texts already available about the teaching and learning of English, the history and used ‘scenario planning’ as a strategy for coping with unpredictable futures. Section three outlines significant global trends which will shape the social and economic world in the 21st century. Section four discusses the impacts these trends are The Future of English? takes stock...
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...|Cultural Comparison of Deaf Culture and Hearing Culture in the USA | |(Using the Hofstede Cultural Comparison Assignment as a guide) | |Where Deaf Culture Would Score If Included in the Geert Hofstede™ Cultural Dimensions | | | |Nathaneil Godfrey | | | PDI Power Distance Indicator Power distance This dimension deals with the fact that all individuals in societies are not equal – it expresses the attitude of the culture towards these inequalities amongst us. Power distance is defined as the extent to which the less powerful members of institutions and organisations within a country expect and accept that power is distributed unequally. It has to do with the fact that a society’s inequality is endorsed by the followers as much as by the leaders. http://geert-hofstede.com/ Deaf culture I think Deaf culture...
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...Vagueness Causes for Mislead Voters in Political Campaigns Just as evolution has taken place in animals over the decades and causing for many species to arise. Language has also evolved and changed over the years to fit different means of society. Over the years, the English language has become uninformative and vague. This vagueness has not only affected individual’s everyday lives but also their ability to understand political campaigns and make political decisions while being informed citizens of a nation. I argue that the use of the English language in a vague and uninformative manner causes for the political decisions being made that are based on information that is not well understood. In “Politics and Language” by George Orwell, he...
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...Mauricio Valle English 101, Evans Correlation between Social Class & Education Today, criticism exists between the correlation between social class division and linguistics which suggest to a reflection of United States’ educational system. Presently in the U.S. the controversy lies between society, where a fine line that divides and correlates education and social class. Samuel Bowles and Herbert Gintis, a group of scholar researchers, concluded in their article Bowles and Gintis on Schooling in the United States that being born into a specific social class could potentially determine the future of a person’s academic potential, life goal achievements, and more specifically their respective social class. In my opinion, however, education and linguistics do not adhere to predictive social classes. Education and more specifically linguistics are being suggested as an inferiority of our school system. What is known as Ebonics or AAE (African American English) is widely used though out the modern United States; not only AAE is used today but other forms of slang like those used in Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and other social media. Geneva Smitherman and others also suggest certain dialects such as AAE do not reflect nor lack control over education, but it is rather an enriched language of diverse cultures. Moreover Bowles and Gintis argue that students’ “lack of control over his or her education” reflect their respective social class. According to Basil Bernstein, another...
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...Why English is important IF YOU are currently learning English in a school, college or institute of further education, you join approximately one billion other people around the world who are engaged in the same pursuit. However, as you try to memorise proper grammar, and try to avoid the mistakes common to most students of English, you may wonder why you are learning the language in the first place. So, why is English important? After Mandarin, English is spoken by more people than any other language, and is the native language of more than 350 million people. More people speak English than those who speak the Arabic and French languages combined. Moreover, English is the international language of diplomacy, business, science, technology, banking, computing, medicine, aviation, UN & NATO armed forces, engineering, tourism, Hollywood films and arguably the best pop and rock music in the world. English has plenty of words to choose from. In fact, an English speaker is offered the biggest vocabulary of any language with a choice of 500,000 to 1,000,000 words (including technical and scientific terms). But don’t panic, most English speakers do very well with a vocabulary of around 20,000 words. English can be fun too. For instance, the music of such stars as Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Michael Jackson and Madonna has encouraged fans to speak the language of their idols, whilst others have enrolled in English classes to improve their understanding...
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