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Interlanguage and Second Language Acquisition, 2008.
A case study analyzing interlanguage and how it affects second language acquisition among Chinese adolescents in China.
3,708 words (approx. 14.8 pages), 10 sources, APA, $ 102.95
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Abstract
This paper attempts to present a definition of interlanguage and then briefly discusses the components of interlanguage and how they affect second language acquisition (SLA). The paper provides some examples of how interlanguage possibly influences Chinese adolescent learners at Dalian Maple Leaf International High School (DMLIS) in China.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Interlanguage - What is it?
Hypothesis Testing
Beginnings of Interlanguage
Fossilization
Processes Involved in Interlanguage
Language Transfer
Over-generalization
Transfer of Training
Strategies of L2 Learning
Communication Strategies
Conclusion
From the Paper
"With regards to the learners at DMLIS, the aforementioned College English - Intensive Reading text reinforces errors being taught by some of the staff in the ESL Department. Learners are being given information (implicitly through the text and explicitly through instruction) that it is acceptable to begin sentences with the coordinating conjunctions, 'and', 'or', and 'but'. Within the College English - Intensive Reading text that is being used in the ESL department, there are 47 instances of coordinating conjunctions beginning a fragmentary dependent clause within 16 reading passages: an average of 3 per reading passage. Although there is the possibility of beginning a dependent clause with a coordinating conjunction to show emphasis of an idea, Swan (1980) specifies that conjunctions are "used to join clauses together..." (ibid: 152) and "...cannot be used with just one clause." (ibid: 154) In this instance, the instruction, supported by the text, is influencing the learners into accepting and acquiring incorrect grammar structures."
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An Exam Evaluation, 2008.
This paper critically evaluates the Dalian Maple Leaf EFL Exit Exam of July 2002.
4,475 words (approx. 17.9 pages), 7 sources, APA, $ 117.95
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Abstract
The paper relates that various styles of test methods and test items have been developed over the years in order to measure the levels of
knowledge that a learner has attained. The paper critically looks at an exam given at an International High School in China, the Dalian Maple Leaf International School Exit Exam. The paper assesses test items and questions with regard to their validity and reliability, offers suggestions on how the exam could be improved and presents a final assessment of the quality of this exam.
Outline:
Introduction
Dalian Maple Leaf International School
Dalian Maple Leaf International School Exit Exam - Part A
Dalian Maple Leaf International School Exit Exam - Part B
Exam Results
Test Method Facets with Relation to DMLIS Exit Exam
Purpose of the DMLIS Exit Exam
Conclusion
From the Paper
"Dalian Maple Leaf International School (DMLIS) is a privately owned and funded International High School with approximately 800 students in the coastal city of Dalian, Liaoning Province, China. As of this writing, DMLIS has the only agreement with another country of any school in China to provide a joint high school education to its students. The agreement is with the Provincial Government of British Columbia, Canada and specifies that for the sophomore, junior and senior grades of high school, the British Columbian curriculum will be taught in English with Chinese classes in Mandarin, Geography, History and Political Science. Upon successful completion of their senior year, a student would receive a joint Chinese-Canadian high school diploma that would be recognized at many post-secondary institutions in Canada. As many students at DMLIS are interested in post-secondary education abroad, this diploma has great appeal."
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The Speech Act Theory, 2008.
A research paper exploring indirect directives and politeness in Mandarin
Chinese and English.
3,147 words (approx. 12.6 pages), 8 sources, APA, $ 91.95
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Abstract
The paper shows how, in conversation, people cooperate in making utterances, thereby creating social communication in an effort to express meaning. The paper discusses what constitutes a request and reveals that much of the time, a speaker will make an indirect appeal for action, slightly obscuring the request within an indirect sentence. The paper then investigates and compares how indirect directives are expressed in the English and the Mandarin Chinese languages. The paper appends a pronunciation guide for Chinese tones, vowels and consonants.
Outline:
Introduction
Speech Act Theory
Speech Act Categories
Speech Act Categories in Chinese
Direct and Indirect Speech Acts
Grice's Cooperative Principle
Politeness Theory 'Face' and Its Effect in Indirect Directives
Examples of Co-Maintaining Face in Chinese Conversation
Levels of Politeness in Conversation
Conclusion
From the Paper
"In speaking people do more with words than share information, and when they do share information, an implicit meaning in an utterance is often expressed along with what the words in the utterance explicitly express. In an utterance, there can be three diverse levels of action that may be associated with the utterance. According to Austin, these levels include "the act of saying something, what one does in saying it, and what one does by saying it..." (Bach, K: internet) and are called locutionary, illocutionary and perlocutionary acts. Take, for example, the utterance, "There is a car coming." The locutionary act in that utterance is the act of informing a hearer that there is a car approaching. There is a lack of literal information regarding where exactly the vehicle is and exactly at what time it is due, but the sharing of the information occurs. The illocutionary act is what the utterance does, which in this case involves informing the hearer of a moving vehicle and advises him to look for the car. The perlocutionary act is the effect that the utterance has on the hearer, which in this utterance is that the hearer becomes vigilant and looks for the car. In the utterance itself, there isn't any explicit warning spoken to the hearer, but the implicit warning can be understood."
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"Dictionary of the English Language", 2008.
This paper reveals the history of Samuel Johnson's "Dictionary of the English Language."
2,420 words (approx. 9.7 pages), 6 sources, MLA, $ 73.95
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Abstract
The paper describes how Samuel Johnson created the most influential dictionary in the history of the English language. The paper illustrates how Johnson beat all odds, including financial constraints, illness and the death of his wife, to create this important piece of literature. The paper shows how, not only does the dictionary offer a glimpse into 18th century British life, it is also an autobiography of sorts of Johnson himself.
From the Paper
"Samuel Johnson created, singlehandedly, the most influential dictionary in the history of the English language. The Dictionary of the English Language was published in 1775, and took nine years to complete. Although the Dictionary would now be considered obsolete, it was the most reliable dictionary until the appearance of Noah Webster's American dictionary at the end of the nineteenth century. The Dictionary is unique in many aspects, but most notably in that it was the first to feature illustrative quotations--and there are thousands of them (Millward 240). What is perhaps more intriguing than the dictionary itself is the story behind its creation and its creator."
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Critical Thinking and Language, 2008.
This paper discusses the role language diversity plays in the critical thinking process.
752 words (approx. 3.0 pages), 3 sources, APA, $ 26.95
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Abstract
The paper explains how language diversity is a necessity in the critical thinking process, in expressing thoughts and in implementing the power of persuasion. The paper discusses how language barriers are not as much of a problem as they may appear to be. The paper concludes that it is necessary and important for people to be able to efficiently communicate with one another.
From the Paper
"Critical thinking is defined as the process of solving complex real world problems, and generating multiple (or creative) solutions to the problem (Brighton). When gathering information to form the best possible solution, a number of people might be involved through the process. It is important that the gap be bridged together during this time. When a very foreign accent is presented, most would assume the individual has difficulty in understanding, hearing, or writing the English language (Thiederman). Thiederman's advice is to be optimistic, slow down, and avoid using slang. In these situations most foreigners are able to understand English very well, but have a hard time pronouncing the English language. With this being said, the critical thinking process must not be swayed by the language barrier. Critical thinking can definitely be affected by language, but according to Thiederman is not always as much of a problem as people assume. Language diversity is definitely affected in the critical thinking process, even if it could be eliminated. Not only does language diversity play a role in the critical thinking process, it affects the way in which diverse people express their thoughts."
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Second Language Acquisition, 2005.
An overview of two theories on second language acquisition.
3,392 words (approx. 13.6 pages), 13 sources, APA, $ 96.95
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Abstract
With the increase of channels of communications in the twentieth century, the need to acquire one second language or more has grown rapidly. This has opened the way to new linguistic theories concerning second language acquisition. This paper focuses on the contrastive analysis hypothesis, which aims at providing an explanation of errors by exploring the relation between two linguistic systems and more specifically by attempting a comparison between them. It also examines the error analysis hypothesis, which tries to provide researchers with an in-depth knowledge of foreign language deviations. The paper attempts to establish the purposes of these theories and their fundamental aspects, and then describes the criticisms of these theories and discusses their accuracy.
From the Paper
"The Contrastive analysis hypothesis emerged in the 1940's with Charles Fries, one of the leading applied linguists of the day. His idea was that "The most efficient materials are those that are based upon a scientific description of the language to be learned, carefully compared with a parallel description of the native language of the learner."(Fries 1945, as reported in Lanlin Zhang). Robert Lado, Fries' colleague at the University of Michigan, also worked on this idea in his book Linguistics across Cultures which marks the real beginning of modern applied linguistics. In his book, as reported in Lanlin Zhang (2005), he claims that "we can predict and describe the patterns that will cause difficulty in learning, and those that will not cause difficulty, by comparing systematically the language and culture to be learned with the native language and culture of the student". Wardhaugh (1970)(Cf: Lanlin Zhang) later termed this claim as the "Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis" (CAH). "
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Politeness in Speech, 2005.
This paper explores linguistic politeness and how it determines patterns of language use.
3,263 words (approx. 13.1 pages), 5 sources, APA, $ 93.95
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Abstract
The paper reveals the linguistic definition of politeness and shows how politeness is an integral part of speech. The paper discusses how the use of politeness is determined by three main sociological factors: distance, power and cultural rate of impositions. Finally, the paper demonstrates how language is transformed by politeness in practice.
From the Paper
"Everyone knows what politeness is. From our very childhood, we are constantly told phrases such as "be polite" and we are faced with the issue of addressing people in a decent way, using either their nicknames, first names or their titles plus last names, etc. and in some foreign languages distinguishing between the formal second person personal pronoun and the familiar one (e.g. tu/vous in French). When our neighbour tells us "beautiful day, isn't it?" it would never occur to us to reply "no, in fact I totally disagree with you. Haven't you seen these clouds? It is undoubtedly going to rain". Why if it is true? It is simply because it is a basic matter of politeness that we are also used to calling good manners. In fact, politeness is really part of our everyday life and speech."
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Standard and Non-Standard Language, 2007.
An analysis of the issues surrounding the use of standard and non-standard language varieties in education.
1,908 words (approx. 7.6 pages), 11 sources, APA, $ 60.95
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Abstract
The paper attempts to determine the place of standard and non-standard varieties of English in education. It examines how the study of language attitudes has a long history that has expanded across several decades and social scientific disciplines and how it recognises that language is a powerful social force that does more than convey intended referential information. The paper also looks at how a "standard" English has developed over the years and how it has been dictated by association with the social group with the highest degree of power, wealth and prestige.
From the Paper
"By the 16th century a specific form of English used mainly by the government, and among the most educated, had surfaced and the standardisation of its written form was later encouraged by the development of the printing press. Regional dialects which possessed their own distinctive grammar, vocabulary and accent, continued to be spoken by all classes of society until their rapid decline in the 19th century. The main reason for this decline was related to issues such as geographical mobility, the spread of education, and the mass-readership press. Meanwhile, a standard form of accent, now known as 'received pronunciation' (RP) had emerged and by around 1900 this form, or one very close to it and containing only a few small markers of one's local accent, had come to be widely recognised as the form indicative of 'educatedness' (Honey, 1983)."
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Identify and Assess Learners' Needs, 2007.
This paper studies two individuals and examines their learning needs and styles.
1,657 words (approx. 6.6 pages), 8 sources, APA, $ 53.95
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Abstract
In this article, the writer analyzes two pupils and looks at their different learning needs. Through a series of questions, the writer looks in depth at the learner's background and learning needs and styles of the respective individuals. The writer notes that when looking at language as a social instrument it is necessary to consider the different social groups and what a person's speech can reveal about their circumstances and individuality and the way that communicative events accomplish their objectives. The writer concludes that assessing learners' styles is central to ensuring individuals may learn quickly and efficiently. The paper is written from a personal point of view.
Outline:
How Information is Gathered, Equal Opportunities and Potential Disabilities
Impact of Literacy and Numeracy on Learners
Methods used to Obtain the Information
What are we trying to achieve?
What do you find easy?
What do you find difficult?
Do you have any learning difficulties that you are aware of?
How the Information is used to Develop the Group's Learning
From the Paper
"There are a number of common misconceptions related to number associated difficulties. Family attitudes and peer group pressure can be negative simply because some see it as socially acceptable to have low numeracy skills. Being that numeracy is also often viewed as difficult or boring; it may be assumed that those with difficulties are simply being lazy or idle."
"Limited number attainment can however, seriously restrict individuals within the community. They may experience difficulties such as telling the time, calculating prices and handling change and estimating and measuring such things as car speeds.Those with limited number attainment may also find it hard to remember telephone numbers or use telephone books for example."
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Franz Kafka's "Jaeger Gracchus", 2005.
This paper translates segments and interprets the original German text of Franz Kafka's "Jaeger Gracchus" ("Texte Zum Jager Gracchus Thema").
1,780 words (approx. 7.1 pages), 3 sources, MLA, $ 57.95
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Abstract
This paper explain that, in deciding how to interpret Franz Kafka's "Texte Zum Jager Gracchus Thema", the most obvious clue appears in the title in word 'Gracchus', which has the same meaning as the Czech word 'Kavka', 'jackdaw'. The author suggests that at least some elements in the Jager Gracchus character are autobiographical. The paper points out that, in the cited quotation in German, that Kafka appears to be expressing his awareness of both the attraction and the dangers of searching his wound, or in other words, scrutinizing himself. The author stresses that, in "Texte Zum Jager Gracchus Thema", Kafka explores the existential concerns of the Jewish people who have lost their link with faith and thus also God. The paper includes many quotations in German.
From the Paper
"The dilemma here is clearly that of Kafka; while he has a job, he is the Burgermeister, responsible for the angst of the Jager Gracchus who is neither living nor dead as a result of the lack of commitment on Burgermeister's part. The Jager Gracchus knows that the Burgermeister cannot remain in Riva, ''Es gibt hier nur zwei ... Du bist auf" He would be taking the wrong turn himself if he pretended that he could remain in this hedonistic, sensual (woman breast feeding baby, people doing normal stuff) paradise of Riva. He can't."
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