Essays and Research Papers on Linguistics

This 14 page report discusses the reading program “Hooked on Phonics” that is used to help children in learning to read and write. Proponents of the program believe that it is vitally important to understand that a great number of the children who appear to be unable to understand a concept or a set of directions are actually having ...

This 3 page paper briefly outlines the differences between these two cultural perspectives. By defining what Monochronic And Polychronic attitudes are and how time is perceived by these different style cultures the paper explains the differences. The bibliography cites 2 sources.

This 5 page paper discusses the Geordic accent found in the Tyneside and Northeastern part of England. Both pro and con are given on the question of this dialect's likely future. Examples of the dialect given. Origins and possible roots discussed. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

7 pages in length. The evolution of human language is a great mystery. Its structure is different from that of any other type of communication on the planet, yet its definitive origin is still unknown beyond intelligent guesses. However, linguists continue to pursue the hidden secrets behind the evolution of language, as ...

A 5 page paper which discusses Mark Twain's "Pudd'nhead Wilson" as it involves the character of Roxana and her use of dialect. The ideas of Bakhtin, as they relate to dialect, are also discussed as they relate to Twain's writing and Roxana. Bibliography lists 8 additional sources.

This 11 page paper covers the aspects of making a good speech and the defining characteristics of the good speaker. Troubleshooting techniques are given as well as extensive discussion of visual aides. Bibliography lists 1 source.

5 pages in length. George Orwell is not at all happy with the way in which the English language is utilized in contemporary society. According to the author, whose article entitled Politics and the English Language points out myriad speech problems, proper English has fallen by the wayside in not so delicate a ...

A 9 page discussion of some of the unspoken rules which govern conversation. Observes that both the words which are spoken and subtleties such as facial expression and context allow participants to interpret and respond to the verbal offerings of others. Identifies the objective of discourse analysis as the determination of precisely how ...

A 6 page paper which discusses infant awareness as it is proposed by Locke with theories of blank slates and the theories of Chomsky who believed that infants are born with a sense of awareness. The paper argues that Chomsky is accurate in his theories. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

This 4 page report discusses how a child acquires language and then applies that understanding to the processes of learning to read. The processes associated with acquiring language involves a number of considerations that range from what a child hears, how his or her parents interacts with him/her, even historical context plays a role in the child’s language development. ...

5 pages in length. The English language is spoken by nearly four hundred fifty six million people worldwide, yet the five hundred thousand words that make up the language are all borrowed or adapted from myriad other languages. Contributors include Native American, Arabic, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Latin, Russian, Scandinavian and ...

This 5 page report discusses verbal reinforcement and choice people make between using the words “good” and “we.” The primary focus of the report is the fact that the context in which a particular verbal interaction occurs is the greatest predictor of verbal interactions and outcomes. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

6 pages in length. The writer discusses several issues related to referents, including referents and symbols vs. inherent meaning; the role of mind in distinguishing symbols from referents; inferred referents; perceptual referents; the dynamic character of referents; conceptual referents; non-public (subjective) referents; memory referents; multiplicity of dates; non-physicality of some referents; and the effect ...

This 10 page paper provides an overview of the use of code-switching data, and determines the extent that grammatical constraints proposed by Poplack and others work. This paper considers whether it is possible to identify trigger words and how code-switching fits into Carol Myers-Scotton's Matrix Language Frame (MLF) model. Bibliography lists 8 sources. ...

5 pages in length. Foreign speakers to the English language are faced with quite a daunting task when it comes to silent letters, words that have no phonetic properties and every other unusual nuance incorporated into the language; when faced with consonant elisions, such as "gonna" instead of "going to," "wanna" instead of "want ...

A 5 page paper which discusses how speech and language therapy is used for infants. This process involves the use of cards and pictures and other techniques of approach. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

10 pages. English as a second language is difficult to learn. Through good teachers and various study methods however, students can learn to use and distinguish synonyms that are not interchangeable in all contexts. The importance of learning as many vocabulary words as possible is important as the depth and breadth of ...

This paper provides a "literature review" about web sites and article discussing the topics of creole, pidgin and lingua francas. The paper itself notes that, although there is not much information available about the aformentioned topics, linguists are starting to become interested in these versions of language. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

5 pages. A better acoustic signal (a better speech-to-noise-ratio) is important in educational settings for children with minimal to profound hearing losses. This paper will explain this concept and the fact that it is important that schools use such systems for the hearing impaired student. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

5 pages in length. The writer discusses the special languages utilized by La Eme, the Mexican Mafia. Bibliography lists 1 source.

This 5 page report discusses the learning processes and variability factors associated with children who have cochlear implants. Children with the implants now have a far greater range of possibilities available to them but training and a focused education program are still key components in the communication and learning process for such children. Bibliography lists ...

This 6 page report discusses the common use of Italian words as a part of the English language. Many words of Italian origin have been incorporated into the English language over the years. Some of these include gondola, cameo, arsenal, regatta, fresco, studio, vendetta, broccoli, motto, piano, opera, grotto, violin, volcano, basilica, stucco, terra-cotta, umbrella, ...

A 5 page discussion of the importance of effective communication in resolving conflict between parents and teens. The author contends that one’s ability to express relevant information is no more important, however, than the ability to absorb information. Information is absorbed in a variety of ways. One of the most important of ...

7 pages in length. American Linguistics Professor Noam Chomsky argues that there is a subject matter-specific language learning faculty innately present in every individual that allows for people to grasp and utilize words. That his theory supports the claim that there are syntactic substantive parameters in language for the purpose of structuring arguments ...

A 12 page research paper on Optimality Theory (OT), which is considered to be the leading linguistic theory of the 1990s. However, the writer argues that OT has considerable problems and is not a better model of phonology, only a different one. Bibliography lists 7 sources.