Forces Reducing Linguistic Diversity

Forces Reducing Linguistic Diversity Introduction People’s perceptions of language differ greatly and consequently, this makes it hard to give a universally acceptable definition of language. However, communication appears as being central to every single definition.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Forces Reducing Linguistic Diversity specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More A language may thus be defined as a huge set of words that are used for the sole purpose of relating with one another in a given setting. A language will usually be shared by individuals who have grown up in a community or a particular area governed by the same customs and values. It brings out the uniqueness of a group of people and makes life quite interesting especially when we get to see the differences in the way people live and relate with one another. According to Janse (2003), language is a means of solving problems that affect a group of people who speak it. It offe rs a way for individuals in a community to stay in touch with and understand one another. This explains why most people will get alarmed at the mention of the fact that language diversity continues to reduce at a very high rate (Janse, 2003). In the world today, there are thousands of languages that are spoken by people from different corners of the world. Maffi (1998) observed that the total number of languages spoken then worldwide were approximately between 5,000 and 7,000. Statistics from Maffi’s study also indicated that 32% of these languages were spoken in the Asia, 30% were found in African, 19% in the Pacific, 15% in the United States and only 3% were spoken in Europe (Maffi, 1998). With the current technological advancements, the world is becoming more of a global village and to stay abreast with the rapid changes communities across the world are forced to make some radical adjustments. The biggest concern, however, is the effect that all these events on the diversi ty of languages.Advertising Looking for research paper on linguistics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Over time some of these languages have lost their originality and usage within the groups leading to reduced language diversity. Whilst in the past communities mostly lived in closed environments, it is practically impossible for this to happen in the present world due to the many changes that are happening internationally. People are busy moving from one part of the continent to another and as they do so, they carry with them their language, culture and tradition built over time. One thing that we have to be clear about is the fact that globalization has opened up numerous channels of communication and subsequently, reaching out to one another a cross borders is no longer a problem. As a result, there is so much interaction that is going on between communities across the world as nations choose to work closely with neighbors so as they benefit each other. Sadly though, this interaction has a detrimental effect on the diversity of languages as well as culture. Unless a community is very strong, its language and culture easily get swallowed by others that are deemed to be much stronger. Nevertheless, this is a challenge that has to be accommodated as it is no longer possible for individuals and countries to live or operate in isolation. This paper talks about some forces that are considered responsible for the reduction in linguistic diversity and the erosion of a people’s cultural identity. Language Diversity Before going further, it may be helpful to try and explain what is meant by language diversity. According to Maffi (1998), a number of definitions have been given for linguistic diversity. Maffi, however, attempts to provide a definition by providing facts about different languages that are spoken all over the world.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample o n Forces Reducing Linguistic Diversity specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More By looking at the way languages are distributed world wide, it becomes easy for one to notice the variation that characterizes languages (Maffi, 1998). Often, the people speaking a particular common language are also bound by cultural values that distinguish them from the rest and define who they are as a people. According to studies done in this area, the languages that have been found to define linguistic diversity are spoken by only a small number of communities that are made up of indigenous people. Apparently, these are the very languages that are in danger of disappearing. The threat normally comes from increased pressure to them integrate into others but in the end, they get absorbed by languages of other communities. Once the amalgamation takes place, individuals from the minority speakers often end up dumping their own languages and slowly, they begin to learnin g the majority languages (Maffi, 1998). Crawford (1995) carried out a study on language extinction in the United States and pointed out that the problem of language loss is now considered a crisis and a threat to the entire world. Crawford also observed that by 1995, close to 50% of all the languages in the world were being spoken by only a few elderly people who made very little or no effort at all to make sure that the younger generations learned the languages (Crawford, 1995). Crawford further explained that over and above the 50% of the languages that were not being taught to the upcoming generations, about 40% of the total world languages were also at risk given that there was an ever increasing reduction in the number of children learning them. Therefore, out of all the languages spoken in the world back then only 10% appeared secure and obviously by now it is even worse (Crawford, 1995). Generally, even though language death is a threat to all languages, the level of suscepti bility greatly differs from one language to another and mostly, languages that have 1,000 or fewer speakers are more at risk than those with a larger number of speakers (Maffi, 1998).Advertising Looking for research paper on linguistics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More A further challenge for the smaller languages is that the small number of people who speak them will keep reducing and more often than not, the up coming generation usually has very little interest in learning and preserving these languages let alone culture. It is very common to find that a few survivors from the older generation are the only ones who are able to speak the languages as expected (Maffi, 1998). It has, however, been noted that loss of linguistic diversity does not necessarily imply the death of a language (Janse, 2003). Janse stated that language loss is often regarded as a social loss and often an indication that an ethnic group lacks confidence in itself. In addition, language death is considered responsible for the loss of cultural diversity (Janse, 2003). Forces behind the Loss of Linguistic Diversity Research has indicated that many languages have been exposed to serious challenges that have threatened their existence (Crawford, 1995). According to Crystal (1997 ), language loss is most prevalent in parts of the world where a huge number of languages are spoken by only a few individuals confined in smaller geographical areas. A number of factors have been identified as being directly responsible for the reduction of language diversity. Some of these factors are listed and discussed in the following sub sections. Technology Recent advances in technology have introduced a new culture that has completely changed the way people live (Crawford, 1995). Working, communicating, traveling, teaching and socializing are now all being done very differently. Unlike in the past when people lived and did everything in an almost closed up environment, today we are all part of one big â€Å"village†. The strong community structures that once existed have been exposed to external forces that have really weakened them. Technology has forced people to learn many new things and to accept certain ways of living. Learning new languages and skills is necess arily if one to continue living in the present world. Without the relevant skills and means of communicating, it becomes very challenging for people to live and work in a world greatly dominated by technology. Migration People will migrate for different reasons. Some move around looking for better settlements, others such as pastoralists will go around trying to locate suitable places for their livestock and the reasons are many. As people migrate from place to place in search of better things, they are forced to interact with other people. Language is obviously a powerful means of interaction and it gets really affected by these migration activities. Sometimes a group of people migrating may be forced to learn a new language so as to be able to communicate or it may even be vice versa. Many times, the majority speakers get swallowed up by the minority speakers who will be compelled to learn the dominant language to guarantee their survival. The minority languages are therefore put aside in favor of the foreign language and this to a large extent jeopardizes the existence of language with minority speakers. Pressure to be assimilated into the Dominant Cultures Given that we no longer live in a closed setup and that the way things are done across the world has really changed over time, people are obliged to look for acceptance among the dominant cultures tom ensure that they are not being left behind. By being integrated with the dominant cultures, a community is made to compromise on language and cultural issues so as to exist. Most of the time the language will be lost since one has to learn the dominant language that is usually needed to cope. The same thing happens to culture and gradually, the beliefs and values that were at one time held by a group of people are lost. For political reasons, the assimilation into the dominant cultures has always been done in ruthless manner. It has seen governments dictating the dominant language to be used in the school s ystem, in the running of government offices and in the media too. With almost equal zeal, a minority language is looked down upon as being flawed and of a poor standard (Crawford, 1995). Tyrannical Policies A language may also die if a government operates with oppressive laws that do not respect or look for ways to preserve the minority languages. Policies that do not advocate for the conservation of the small groups will lead to the extinction of languages spoken by them and this will in turn lead to a reduction in linguistic and cultural diversity. It is therefore imperative that the government of the day takes it upon itself to make sure that the laws that are put in place recognize the importance of all languages regardless of the number of speakers. The government should also create an environment that will help to nurture all languages in an impartial way. War In times of war, if the small population who speak a particular language are wiped out, it only means one thing; the l anguage may also goes with them (Crawford, 1995). Although it did not completely wipe out the minority group, the genocide that took place in Rwanda in 1994 is an example that shows how war, whether civil or otherwise, can easily destroy language and culture and eventually linguistic diversity. The Hutu majority managed to plan and went on execute a huge population of the minority Tutsi. If the Tutsi had their own beliefs and languages that guided them and all of them got wiped out, no one would remain to carry on with the language, beliefs and values they held. This therefore means that peace among citizens of a nation and between neighboring countries also has a part to play in preserving linguistic diversity. Shifting to Dominant Regional Languages This is a common scenario in many parts of the world where individuals try to make adjustments in favor of the language that is considered to not only be dominant but also advantageous in the region (Janse, 2003). English and Swahili a re two languages that are commonly spoken in East Africa and with the revival of the East African Community (EAC) all East African countries are being forced to ensure that citizens can speak English. Countries like Rwanda and Burundi that have had French as the official language for a long time are now forced to reinforce the use of English in their school systems to equip citizens with skills required survive in the region lest they get disadvantaged. Another example is the use of Swahili language. Even though it is mainly spoken in Kenya and Tanzania and to some extent in Uganda, individuals from other East African countries have to work very hard to learn the Swahili language. Education Education systems across the world may also give an impression that some languages are probably more superior compared to others. The language reinforced in a school system as the main one may end up being more popular than others. English for example is a language of choice for most nations and is heavily used in learning institution as the main language of communication. Even in Africa, a continent with very diverse languages and cultures, most countries have adopted English to be used in the education system. This may give an impression to many people that as long as they are able to communicate in English, they live in various environments and are therefore safe. This is a major problem especially with the younger generation that now doesn’t feel obligated to learn native languages. Conclusion Linguistic diversity that is mainly represented by the various indigenous languages is presently subjected to threats that are bound to bring loss to language and the knowledge carried by them (Maffi, 1998). Language diversity is a key ingredient for cultural diversity and without this diversity it follows that cultural diversity will also be automatically lost (Maffi, 1998). It is therefore very important that deliberate efforts are made to slow down and where possible sto p completely, the ongoing trend of reduction in linguistic diversity. References Crawford, J. (1995). Endangered Native American Languages: What is to be done, and Why? The Bilingual Research Journal, 19(1) 1995: 17-38. Web. Crystal, D. (1997). Vanishing Languages. Washington, DC: Civilization (Library of Congress). Web. Janse, M. (2003). Language Death and Language Maintenance: Theoretical, Practical and Descriptive Approaches. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company. Maffi, L. (1998). Language: A Resource for Nature. The UNESCO Journal on the Environment and National Resources Research, 34(4) 1998: 12-21. Web.

The Cooperative Principle in Conversation

The Cooperative Principle in Conversation In conversation analysis, the cooperative principle is the assumption that participants in a conversation normally attempt to be informative, truthful, relevant, and clear. The concept of the cooperative principle was introduced by philosopher H. Paul Grice in his article Logic and Conversation (Syntax and Semantics, 1975). In that article, Grice argued that talk exchanges arent merely a succession of disconnected remarks, and would not be rational if they did. They are characteristically, to some degree at least, cooperative efforts; and each participant recognizes in them, to some extent, a common purpose or set of purposes, or at least a mutually accepted direction.   Examples and Observations We might then formulate a rough general principle which participants will be expected (ceteris paribus) to observe, namely: Make your conversational contribution such as is required, at the stage at which it occurs, by the accepted purpose or direction of the talk exchange in which you are engaged. One might label this the Cooperative Principle.  (Paul Grice, Logic and Conversation, 1975. Reprinted in Studies in the Way of Words. Harvard University  Press, 1989)[T]he  sum and substance of the Cooperative  Principle might be put this way: Do whatever is necessary to achieve the purpose of your talk; dont do anything that will frustrate that purpose. (Aloysius Martinich,  Communication and Reference.  Walter de Gruyter, 1984) Grice's Conversational Maxims [Paul] Grice fleshed out the cooperative principle in four conversational maxims, which are commandments that people tacitly follow (or should follow) to further the conversation efficiently: Quantity: Say no less than the conversation requires.Say no more than the conversation requires. Quality: Dont say what you believe to be false.Dont say things for which you lack evidence. Manner: Dont be obscure.Dont be ambiguous.Be brief.Be orderly. Relevance: Be relevant. People undoubtedly can be tight-lipped, long-winded, mendacious, cavalier, obscure, ambiguous, verbose, rambling, or off-topic. But on closer examination they are far less so than they could be, given the possibilities. . . . Because human hearers can count on some degree of adherence to the maxims, they can read between the lines, weed out unintended ambiguities, and connect the dots when they listen and read. (Steven Pinker, The Stuff of Thought. Viking, 2007) Cooperation vs. Agreeableness We need to make a distinction between communicatively cooperative and socially cooperative . . ..  The Cooperative Principle is  not about being positive and socially smooth, or agreeable. It is a presumption that when people speak, they intend and expect that they will communicate by doing so, and that the hearer will help at making this happen. When two people quarrel or have a disagreement, the Cooperative Principle still holds, even though the speakers may not be doing anything positive or cooperative. . . . Even if individuals are aggressive, self-serving, egotistic, and so on, and not quite focusing on the other participants of the interaction, they cant have spoken at all to someone else without expecting that something would come out of it, that there would be some result, and that the other person/s was/were engaged with them. That is what the Cooperative Principle is all about, and it certainly does have to continue to be considered as the main driving force in communic ation. (Istvan Kecskes,  Intercultural Pragmatics. Oxford University Press,  2014) Jack Reacher's Telephone Conversation The operator answered  and I asked for Shoemaker  and I got transferred, maybe elsewhere in the building, or the country, or the world, and after a bunch of clicks  and hisses and some long minutes of dead air Shoemaker came on the line and said Yes? This is Jack Reacher, I said. Where are you? Dont you have all kinds of automatic machines to tell you that? Yes, he said. Youre in Seattle, on a pay phone  down by the fish market. But we prefer it when people volunteer the information themselves. We find that makes the subsequent conversation go better. Because theyre already cooperating. Theyre invested. In what? The conversation. Are we having a conversation? Not really. (Lee Child, Personal.  Delacorte Press, 2014) The Lighter Side of the Cooperative Principle Sheldon Cooper: Ive been giving the matter some thought, and I think Id be willing to be a house pet to a race of superintelligent aliens.​ Leonard Hofstadter: Interesting.​ Sheldon Cooper: Ask me why?​ Leonard Hofstadter: Do I have to?​ Sheldon Cooper: Of course. Thats how you move a conversation forward. (Jim Parsons and  Johnny Galecki, The Financial Permeability. The Big Bang Theory, 2009)

Disappointed + Preposition

Disappointed + Preposition Disappointed + Preposition Disappointed + Preposition By Maeve Maddox A reader asks: Could you write about which preposition should be used after disappointed (e.g., in, at, with, by)? Please explain the instances to use them correctly. I don’t think it’s possible to lay down a hard and fast rule about which preposition should follow disappointed, but I’ve gathered some headlines and quotations from the Web that illustrate what seems to me to be the most common usage. His military dad was disappointed in him. My parents are disappointed in me. Disappointment is an emotion. The preposition that follows disappointed hints at the intensity of the emotion involved. â€Å"Disappointed in† suggests that a betrayal has taken place. The source of the disappointment is usually a loved and trusted person whose actions are seen by another as a betrayal. The trusted person’s very character is in question. This kind of disappointment shakes a relationship. In is also used when trust has been placed in an entity or institution from which something else was expected: New Hope parents, students disappointed in courts decision Drivers in Liberia are expressing frustration and disappointment in the Federation of Road Transport Union (FRTUL) for its alleged failure to meet their needs. â€Å"Disappointed by† lacks the sense of betrayal conveyed by â€Å"disappointed in†; with by the emotion seems to be more one of surprise: Kim Simplis Barrow says she’s disappointed by church’s position â€Å"Disappointed with† seems to have the broadest application. We’re disappointed with products or with how things are done: †I am deeply disappointed with how WorkSafe conducted this investigation,† Clark told reporters. iPhone users are disappointed with the iOS 7.1 software update thats draining their batteries Julien Disappointed With Bruins’ Effort In  Winnipeg Chase disappointed with outcome of 2014 Legislative sessions Preposition use is changing rapidly. For example, nonstandard â€Å"excited for† is challenging standard â€Å"excited about† in the speech of younger speakers. If the established uses of â€Å"disappointed in† and â€Å"disappointed by† are displaced, it will be by â€Å"disappointed with,† as in this comment by Drake Bennett: Being disappointed with a person feels different from being disappointed with an outcome, and demands a different response. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Handy Expressions About Hands10 Colloquial Terms and Their Meanings45 Idioms About the Number One

Visitor Attraction Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Visitor Attraction Management - Essay Example Visitor attraction is a market that is an increasingly emergent market. It is established that only proper management can sustain these sites in the long run. Every aspect of the attraction i.e. finances, public relations, human resource, impact management etc need to be carefully considered to ensure that the business stays afloat. It is imperative that the site leaves a lasting impression on the visitors (McBoyle 2008). Examples are natural areas, theme parks, museums, animal orphanages, heritage centers etc. Effective management can never be underrated as it inspires visitors and thus generates revenue for the locality. It helps a visitor attraction site compete favorably (Leask 2009). It looks at factors such as the kind of attraction, skills employed, resources available, environment that is competitive enough and the stakeholder base. It is important that a visitor attraction site be well planned. It should stand out from the rest, be properly designed and be unique. This will make it superior to its competitors (Mitchell 2001). This paper will focus on theme parks and specifically, Thorpe Park. It will discuss its management in light of three subtitles; marketing, human resources and visitor experience and quality. This paper aspires to elicit the managerial challenges faced by the named park and highlight how to deal with them. Introduction Thorpe Park is a theme park located in Chertsey, Surrey in the United Kingdom established in 1979. It is managed by Merlin Entertainment, to whom it was let out. It occupies about five hundred acres of land. It enjoys visitations as statistics show that it had approximately 2million visitors in the year 2011. It is a tourist attraction site that provides fan activities for its visitors. It is well known for its ecstatic activities. It has close proximity to London (Yugimotou 2012). Marketing In simple terms it means offering the correct group of people the right product or service in the correct destination, having t he proper cost in mind and getting to them via the right channel of promotion. The aims of researchers going into it are majorly to increase its acceptability, enhance its yearly proceeds and improve clients’ approval (Swarbrooke 1999). Challenges and evidence A study was conducted of Thorpe Park’s marketing strategies adopted. Both primary and secondary data were studied and the following insights were deduced: They have a very effaceable broadcast media outreach. They use the television to publicize themselves. Without a doubt, this reaches a good number of people. Furthermore, they also use print media to promote themselves. They provide flyers and brochures to those who visit. This is a good way of reminding the visitors to go back again. It is also a means of advertising themselves to those who have never been there before (http://www.paperdue.com/details/A). It was ear-marked that their performance online is quite impressive. They have also developed certain stra tegies such as promotional like price cuts, have good eateries etc. However, it is important to note that Thorpe Park is not doing well in terms of publicity especially in the sector of billboards and posters use. In addition, another challenge is its neighboring competitor, Legoland. This is an amusement park located just under half an hour drive from Thorpe Park. It is noted that it could pose a very significant danger to the growth and development of Thorpe Park

Economic Development of China Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Economic Development of China - Research Paper Example It however remains to be termed as a growing economy since its per capita income is still low compared to the other developed economies and its market reforms are still not complete. Many challenges have as well resulted from its rapid economic growth and these include urbanization, high levels of inequality, external imbalance and challenges on the sustainability of the environment. It is also faced with internal labor migration and demographic challenges, which are associated to a high population of an aging population. It therefore requires policy adjustments to see sustainability in growth of China (The World Bank Para 6). The economy of china has attained a significant change over the decades and this was marked by its beginning of economic reforms that took place in 1978. Before these reforms, China had a command economy. This form of economy is also referred to a centrally planned economy whereby all or the major output from economic activities were controlled by the state. The state was responsible for setting the goals of production for the firms, allocated resources throughout the economy and set the operating prices. The individual firms of the households were in the 1950s were joined collectively into communes. In support of industrialization, the government undertook investment in human and physical capital in 1960s and 1970s. Three quarters of the entire industrial production at this time was from enterprises that were owned or controlled by the state and at this time, private businesses and foreign investment firms, which are the multinational companies, were barred. The government at this time had an aim of making the economy of china to be self -sufficient. The government policies held at this time held the economy of China into a state of economic stagnation and inefficiency. Companies, firms and the employees lacked incentives for working hard and improving

Career Opportunities in Health Care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Career Opportunities in Health Care - Essay Example This seemed to my source of inspiration to take Optometry and other factors like passion in the medical field and interest in helping other people. Moreover, I love the program involved in Optometry since one can balance between work and family. This paper will seek to describe the reasons behind my interest in Optometry as a career. An optometrist is one of those fields that give people hope through professional practices to improve and treat patients who suffer from the vision ailments and diseases. This acts as one of the main factors that inspired me to Optometry. When I was a kid, I suffered from amblyopia which is a common eye problem that affects the children and especially the infants and it threatened my vision for life. When I was taken to an Optometrist, my condition was corrected and I regained my vision due to the professionalism of my doctor. This experience changed my life and inspired me to a level that I only considered Optometry as the only career option. It has inspired me to study and research more about vision health since I was a child and I have been passionately interested in attending or helping people suffering from vision challenges. It is also a fulfilling professional sense, there is a decent salary and one gets time to work and rest thus can balance on family time and work (Gordon, 2 011). Optometry is one of the most interesting and desirable jobs in the world today. It has flexible working schedules, a rewarding career, personal gratification, and is in high demand in the job market. It is ranked among the top jobs in America. One is allowed to work for only 37 hours a week and this gives the doctor time to balance his time. It is rewarding because a professional Optometrist earns up to $130,000 monthly salary (Field, 2007).

Individual news article analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Individual news article analysis - Essay Example As a direct result of these dynamic shifts, the manner in which marketing has taken place and the manner through which firms seek to reach their clients has also changed precipitously from what it was merely a few years ago (Jones et al. 691). Accordingly, the following analysis will seek to detail the ways in which technological change has not only shifted the means of marketing and integration, but has fundamentally changed the ways that businesses promote themselves and engage with the consumers in the market (Holmes et al. 124). The article points to the fact that many firms have been unduely tempted to step away from traditional approaches and have begun to chase the allure of cheap and omnipresent forms of internet advertising; to include those linked to social media marketing. Although this can most certainly be an effective approach in engaging certain key demographics, the author warns that it must not supplant the approach that it utilized within the many other forms of mar keting that have for so long helped to define the means by which businesses integrate with the consumers. ... mail, the communication platform that the mobile device now offers allows for a much greater degree of efficiency even if the individual in question is not within range of a Wi-Fi signal and/or within range of traditional desktop PC and keyboard (Hortinha et al. 28). Further, perhaps the greatest shift that can be noted outside of the sheer ease of communication that these devices have been able to provide is the fact that mobile marketing has been able to pervade the environment and can be exhibited to the individual upon nearly each and every website that is viewed in a mobile platform or even as advertisements that are provided within the applications that each of us have become so reliant upon (Ballve 1). With respect to the way in which the individual or the firm should integrate with the information that has thus far been presented, it must be understood that the zeitgeist of the era demands a closer attention is paid to mobile computing and the manner in which it can be utiliz ed to garner further levels of profitability for the industry/business in question. From the personal standpoint, little if anything has changed with regards to communication over the mobile platform in the past 5-10 years (Vasilchenko & Moorish 89). Once mobile devices became internet enabled and were functionally able to send emails/MMS messages as well as search the web, few innovations have come along to shift the dynamic of personal communication. However, with that being said, it must be understood that the greatest shift that has been felt with regards to mobile computing has been with respect to the way in which businesses seek to leverage these platforms as a means of reaching out to the consumer. One need look no further than a major car manufacturer’s television advertisement