«If you lived in Athens, Greece around the time when the great poet Homer lived, you probably would be acquainted with the many Greek gods. Homer’s written compilation of the epic poems The Iliad and The Odyssey, which were formerly only told through...» Document abstract
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18/04/2008
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SummaryIf you lived in Athens, Greece around the time when the great poet Homer lived, you probably would be acquainted with the many Greek gods. Homer’s written compilation of the epic poems The Iliad and The Odyssey, which were formerly only told through oral tradition, would be easy for you to understand. In fact, you would know all about the pantheon of gods Homer wrote about from Athena to Zeus. However, Homer did not conceive the “most unpleasant” of the “scandalous features” of the gods, which were probably passed down from the most primitive times of Greek culture (Earp 45). In most of western culture, however, polytheism has dwindled, and the idea of one, all-powerful God is becoming prevalent in religions such as Islam and Christianity. However, the characteristics of Greek gods still present a fascinating question: Why are they so different from the idea of God today?
«The most famous exponent of the theory of incommensurability is Thomas Kuhn. To state his theory in the simplest form, incommensurability is simply the idea that theories within science are not compatible, and that the languages they use are, at...» Document abstract
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Language : english
linguistics
school essay
date published
04/01/2008
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SummaryThe most famous exponent of the theory of incommensurability is Thomas Kuhn. To state his theory in the simplest form, incommensurability is simply the idea that theories within science are not compatible, and that the languages they use are, at least in part, mutually untranslatable. This is also linked with the idea that theories cannot be meaningfully compared with each other, because if two theories use different languages that cannot be translated from one to the other, then it seems the theories cannot be compared in any normal way.
«One of the main arguments to support the language of thought hypothesis (LOTH), as proposed by Fodor (1975), is that of the systematicity of thought. This argument consists of the idea that the ability to entertain certain thoughts is linked to the...» Document abstract
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Language : english
linguistics
school essay
date published
04/01/2008
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level : Advanced
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SummaryOne of the main arguments to support the language of thought hypothesis (LOTH), as proposed by Fodor (1975), is that of the systematicity of thought. This argument consists of the idea that the ability to entertain certain thoughts is linked to the ability to entertain certain other thoughts. This concept is quite hard to explain directly, so the easiest way to look at this theory is through the systematicity of language, as Fodor and Pylysyhn (1988) do. I believe that the analogy between systematicity of language and systematicity of thought is a valid one. However, through the work of R. Cummins (1996, 2001, in press), I hope to show that the argument for systematicity of thought does not show the concrete support for the LOTH that is usually prescribed to it. I believe that this will have the impact of eroding the LOTH, because if one of the main arguments for it is shown to be false, then the theory becomes open to criticism in this area.
«The mission lies before us: how are we, the American people, going to come together so that “cowabunga” is reinvigorated into mainstream conversation. It was not too terribly long ago, maybe 15 years, that this delightfully lighthearted...» Document abstract
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linguistics
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SummaryThe mission lies before us: how are we, the American people, going to come together so that “cowabunga” is reinvigorated into mainstream conversation. It was not too terribly long ago, maybe 15 years, that this delightfully lighthearted interjection tickled the ears of various pop-culture prone children. Yet, it seems that this wonderful English/Indian term has fallen off the tongues of many today. The word hit its stride in the 1980s and early ‘90s. I fear that stride is long behind us, never to be heard from again. However, a select few, when this four syllable interjection reaches their ears, can still appreciate it.
«A novel word is one that is not found in the lexicon of the general population; in other words, it is a word that people have not heard or seen previously. A novel compound is a compound word formed out of two or more individual known words where...» Document abstract
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Language : english
linguistics
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date published
03/01/2008
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SummaryA novel word is one that is not found in the lexicon of the general population; in other words, it is a word that people have not heard or seen previously. A novel compound is a compound word formed out of two or more individual known words where the combination of these words has not previously been recorded. So, one might wonder how listeners are able to interpret compound words they have never heard before. A method involving semantic schemas has been proposed by Mary Ellen Ryder.
«Most people will agree that there are two main types of compound words, endocentric and exocentric. Endocentric compounds are those where the rightmost constituent, called the grammatical head, is what defines the category of speech and the...» Document abstract
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Language : english
linguistics
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date published
03/01/2008
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SummaryMost people will agree that there are two main types of compound words, endocentric and exocentric. Endocentric compounds are those where the rightmost constituent, called the grammatical head, is what defines the category of speech and the semantic interpretation of the word. Exocentric compounds are generally believed to not be definable by either constituent and are therefore said to be headless.
«The role metaphor plays in language is viewed differently by scholars in different fields. The extremes are the classical view based on Aristotle’s writings about metaphor and the Romantic view. Those that follow the classical view see metaphor as...» Document abstract
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Language : english
linguistics
school essay
date published
17/12/2007
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level : Advanced
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SummaryThe role metaphor plays in language is viewed differently by scholars in different fields. The extremes are the classical view based on Aristotle’s writings about metaphor and the Romantic view. Those that follow the classical view see metaphor as a purely literary device used to decorate language and those that follow the Romantic view believe absolutely all language is metaphorical (Saeed 1997). While Cognitivists lean toward the Romantic view, they don’t go as far as to say that all language is metaphorical; however, they do claim that metaphor is found in everyday life, not only in language but in thought and actions as well (Lakoff and Johnson 1980). Needless to say, the various theories of metaphor and its function are abundant and a complete review of metaphor is beyond the scope of this paper. I will therefore give some general background information about metaphor and then focus on ANIMAL for HUMAN metaphor.
«The ability to compound words in the English language has always been a very productive method of adding new words to the lexicon. Compound words are generally formed in one of two ways, as root compounds or synthetically. Whichever way they are...» Document abstract
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3 word format
Language : english
linguistics
school essay
date published
17/12/2007
review : not yet assessed
level : Advanced
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SummaryThe ability to compound words in the English language has always been a very productive method of adding new words to the lexicon. Compound words are generally formed in one of two ways, as root compounds or synthetically. Whichever way they are formed, the rightmost constituent is always the grammatical head of the compound in English. Synthetic compounds are those with a grammatical head that is derived from a verb plus an affix, for example truck driver (drive + er) or truck driving (drive + ing). A root compound is one that is made by combining two or more free morphemes: for example tree house. The noun house is modified by the noun tree resulting in the root compound tree house, a type of house found in a tree.
«Every time a person opens his or her mouth to speak that person is speaking not only a language but a dialect of that language as well. It is a common misconception that only certain people whose pronunciations vary from what is considered Standard...» Document abstract
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Language : english
linguistics
research papers
date published
07/12/2007
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level : Advanced
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SummaryEvery time a person opens his or her mouth to speak that person is speaking not only a language but a dialect of that language as well. It is a common misconception that only certain people whose pronunciations vary from what is considered Standard American English, speak a dialect. In fact, there are so many different dialects of American English today that it has been said looking at the different varieties is like looking at varieties of the American climate, “how many we find depends on how closely we look.” 1
In this paper I would like to take a closer look at one of the common uses of a dialect, namely, the use of a dialect as a form of identity. I would also like to examine factors that could potentially alter whether or not a person continues to use a dialect in this manner. I have previously done some research on the Finnish influenced dialect of English found in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (2002) and its use as a form of identity and I see many similarities with William Labov's findings regarding dialect as a form of identity on Martha's Vineyard (1962, 1972). However, I have also uncovered some more recent research that indicates this use of the dialect is phasing out on Martha's Vineyard (Josey 2002). This did not appear to be the case in the Upper Peninsula. I will propose that this variation is a result of the differences in population growth and economic structure between the Upper Peninsula and Martha's Vineyard.
In this paper I would like to take a closer look at one of the common uses of a dialect, namely, the use of a dialect as a form of identity. I would also like to examine factors that could potentially alter whether or not a person continues to use a dialect in this manner. I have previously done some research on the Finnish influenced dialect of English found in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (2002) and its use as a form of identity and I see many similarities with William Labov's findings regarding dialect as a form of identity on Martha's Vineyard (1962, 1972). However, I have also uncovered some more recent research that indicates this use of the dialect is phasing out on Martha's Vineyard (Josey 2002). This did not appear to be the case in the Upper Peninsula. I will propose that this variation is a result of the differences in population growth and economic structure between the Upper Peninsula and Martha's Vineyard.
Similarities and Differences in Men’s and Women’s Cooperative Speaking Styles: An Analysis of Book Club Discussions
«Some of the most frequently referred to but potentially erroneous stereotypes regarding gendered speaking style differences involve dichotomies. Men are competitive – women are cooperative. Men focus on impersonal topics – women focus on personal...» Document abstract
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11 word format
Language : english
linguistics
research papers
date published
07/12/2007
review : not yet assessed
level : Advanced
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SummarySome of the most frequently referred to but potentially erroneous stereotypes regarding gendered speaking style differences involve dichotomies. Men are competitive – women are cooperative. Men focus on impersonal topics – women focus on personal topics. Men’s speech is to report – women’s speech is for rapport. The problem with these stereotypes is that language styles are not mutually exclusive to individual genders. Much of the past language and gender research has been based on analyzing these perceived dichotomies in an effort to challenge or corroborate the stereotypes. This research has shown that language styles are not exclusive to gender and more importantly it has brought to light the fact that language and gender cannot be studied in isolation from other social factors. The bulk of the past language and gender research has focused on language use in mixed-sex groups, such as Deborah Tannen’s well-known work on male-female miscommunication. While there are some studies of language use in same-sex groups, they are not nearly as plentiful and this is an important environment to examine because when gendered language is studied only in mixed-sex groups there is an inherent increase in the involvement of other social factors.
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