Language :: essays research papers

Language is an abstract concept which is acquired early in life by the vast majority of children through an intricate process. There are many different theories concerning the acquisition of language that have been considered, and these are constantly being refined, along with the technology which enables researchers to further investigate the process. Bilingualism has also been a complex area of interest which has elicited various theoretical viewpoints. There are various aspects which are true to every language. These include: phonology, semantics, syntax, and pragmatics. The phonology of a language includes a set of phonemes: the different sounds, and the rules governing the combination of these sounds which can be found within the language. The semantics involved in a language deals with the meanings of the sentences, words, and grammatical markers (morphemes) in the language. The syntax concerns the rules about organizing the morphemes into sentences, and pragmatics are the communication skills involved in the use of the language (Shaffer, 1999, p.352-353). These are merely the basics required for language acquisition. Knowledge of the nature of communication, in addition to the fashion in which the language is acquired are also integral. The acquisition of a language has instigated a controversy regarding the process through which it is acquired. The empiricist perspective, inspired by B. F. Skinner in 1957, states that children learn language by imitating caregivers who model and reinforce their speech (Shaffer, 1999, p.355). Also during the 1950's, Noam Chomsky hypothesized that languages are too complex to be learned by imitation (Shaffer, 1999, p.356 & Brownlee, 1998, p.48). Therefore, humans are born with a "language acquisition device" (Shaffer, 1999, p.356 & Brownlee, 1998, p.53) and a "universal grammar" (Brownlee, 1998, p.48) which predisposes them to the ability to learn languages and apply the grammatical rules to the languages which they hear. The large interest in the area of language has been elicited as a result of the intricacy of the acquisition process of a language, and the fact that all children appear to have the ability to acquire and understand such an abstract concept. The study of language, as the study of any subject, is an ongoing process, as illustrated by various researchers over the years. These studies have evolved form mere theoretical statements about language to involved studies which have caused the previous hypotheses to be rejected. This is largely due to the evolution of related technology which has facilitated research in the area.

Fahrenheit 451 Pg 113-129 Journal Essay

â€Å"What is there about fire that’s so lovely?†¦ It’s perpetual motion; the thing man wanted to invent but never did†¦ What is fire?†¦Its real beauty is that is destroys responsibility and consequences†¦clean quick, sure; nothing to rot later. Antibiotic, aesthetic, practical† (Bradbury 115). This section of reading is without argument dominated by fire and its effects. For the society in F 451, fire is the magic elixir for cleansing life of its hardships and enigmas. Montag uses fire to cleanse his life of the restraints that are holding him back from freedom. Before Chief Beatty sends Montag to burn his own house, he informs Montag that fire is the solution to everything. Beatty sends Montag into his home with a powerful weapon. This powerful weapon is simply an explanation. To the reader’s dismay, the explanation is later used against its dragoman. As Montag begins to enjoy burning his own house down, he begins to concur with Beatty that fire is the solution to anything and everything. Bradbury makes it evident that Montag enjoys burning his house by using descriptive accounts like â€Å"it was good to burn† (116) and â€Å"Fire was best for everything† (116). As he fires each shot of liquid fire, Montag is incinerating his past into ash. Fire plays a contradictory role in this reading. Montag uses fire as his liberator against his past, while at the same time violates its vast power. Since Montag‘s past has held him down for so long, he is feeling pleasure getting rid of it. To do so, he uses fire’s sheer dynamism to justify his problems, a lesson he derives from Chief Beatty. Montag’s cowering back to his old way of thinking shows the reader that he may not have changed as much as he believes he did. This is the case until he gets rid of the seconds thing that is holding him back from total edification. The barrage of quotes and explanations that Beatty radiates help prevent Montag from becoming completely contumacious and incorrigible against power. To eliminate the force that prevents him from being liberated, Montag uses fire to kill a pundit of fire. Ray Bradbury has filled F 451 with instances of irony, so unsurprisingly he uses a major one in the climax of the novel. Beatty uses fire to defend his mentality and the mentality of society, but ironically the bulwarking of fire leads to Beatty’s demise. In tonight’s reading, Montag successfully exterminates two of the three things that hold him back from outright emancipation. To eliminate Chief Beatty and his past, Montag uses fire. Up to this point, Montag uses fire as a tool for dissipation. In this section, however, Montag uses fire as a tool to free himself from the restraints of a vacant life. Bradbury depicts to the reader that Montag craves change by writing â€Å"burned the bedroom walls and cosmetics chest because he wanted to change everything† (116). The third and final obstacle that is holding Montag back from utter freedom is his own conscience. If he can learn to control his feelings and reasoning, Montag will be free once and for all.

The Historical Significance of Dantes Divine Comedy Essay

Outline the historical significance of Dantes `Divine Comedy Dantes `Divine Comedy, the account of his journey through hell, purgatory and heaven is one of the worlds great poems, and a prime example of a most splendidly realized integration of life with art. More than being merely great poetry, or a chronicle of contemporary events, which it also is, the `Comedy is a study of human nature by a man quite experienced with it. The main argument I will make in this essay is that Dantes `Comedy is chiefly a work of historical significance because in it lies the essence of human life across all boundaries of time and place. I feel that such a reading is justified, nay invited, by Dante himself when he says; Oh you who have sane†¦show more content†¦In such discussion I only met with further obfuscation and confusion. Rather this initial difficulty can be overcome with some ease by consulting a letter Dante retrospectively wrote to his patron, Can Grande, where he offers the following guide in reading the whole `Comedy: ...The subject then of the whole work, taken in the literal sense only, is the state of souls after death pure and simple. If however the work be regarded from the allegorical point of view the subject is man according as by his merits or demerits in the existence of his freewill he is deserving of reward or punishment by justice . Dante is stating that the description of spirits which he meets in the other world carries implications about the moral significance of the type of behaviour which they exemplify. This is an important point and if we lose sight of it we lose sight of the poem and of what makes it historically significant. Indeed, I will argue that it i s this underlying moral significance which makes the `Comedy a work of the middle ages but a work for all time. Judging contemporary characters, through lyrical poetry, in consultation with the classics on a question that transcends his own time and place I feel qualifies the comedy as a work of great historical significance. However let us not digress untimely, rather I will now examine the contemporary experience which DantesShow MoreRelatedThe Divine Comedy1705 Words   |  7 PagesCommedia, or more commonly known as The Divine Comedy remains a poetic masterpiece depicting truth and sin. The Divine Comedy, through the journey into the three hells, expresses a universal truth of good versus evil. 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A work in terza rima that details a descent through Nine Circles of Hell, The Inferno encompasses temporal, literary, and political bridges and chasms that link Dantes inspired Centaur work between the autobiographical and the fictive, the mundane and the divine and, from a contemporary viewpointRead MoreCauses Of Success Of Renaissance And Western Europe2108 Words   |  9 Pagescontribution was his poem called The Divine Comedy that he wrote in the later stages of his life. Divine Comedy is considered to be one of the best masterpieces of literature to date even though it was written centuries ago. To avoid confusion, comedy during those times was not like modern comedy. It is a â€Å"story that starts humbly with adversity but ends in prosperity† (Fletcher 60). It took Dante twelve years to complete the poem. 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Because our modern novelistic tradition of structure has led us to expect our plots to be arranged climactically, we tend to find this kind of geometric construction artificial and surprising, even though the practice was fairly common in medievalRead MoreEudora Welty a Worn Path12166 Words   |  49 Pagesthe publisher. For complete copyright information on these eNotes please visit: http://www.enotes.com/worn−path/copyright Table of Contents 1. A Worn Path: Introduction 2. Eudora Welty Biography 3. Summary 4. Characters 5. Themes 6. Style 7. Historical Context 8. Critical Overview 9. Essays and Criticism 10. Compare and Contrast 11. Topics for Further Study 12. Media Adaptations 13. What Do I Read Next? 14. Bibliography and Further Reading 15. Copyright Introduction Eudora Weltys A Worn