Applied linguistics

Ferdinand De Saussure was considered a linguistic prodigy who specialized in the teachings of structuralism and semiotics. He believed that we do not speak language, but language speaks us. Specifically, Saussure (1916) argued against the “default setting” that is nomenclature, stating “for some people a language, reduced to its essentials, is a nomenclature: a list of terms corresponding to a list of things” (p. 97). I am arguing in Saussure’s defense against nomenclature by highlighting his…

Amanda Wilson Professor Leightenheimer English 1102-01 23 October 2017 Role and Pathos: How Eugene Debs Creates Relatability Crafting and reciting a speech can be an incredibly difficult requirement. The main difference between these and, for example, an essay, is that enunciation and delivery can make or break a speech. With this addition also comes extra importance on understanding and reading the responses of your audience to gauge effectiveness. Speeches need to have a form of an emotional…

I was born in Egypt and lived there till I was 11. I thought that Egypt will be my only home, but I was wrong. My mother had to leave the country for financial reasons and went to Abu Dhabi. When I moved to Abu Dhabi, I experienced culture shock for the first time: hearing people speak in different dialects and languages, practice different religions, eat different foods, and have different values. I had some challenges at the beginning adapting to the new culture and people, because most of the…

I am bilingual. I state this based on Grosjean’s perspective that “the bilingual is not just someone who speaks two languages, but he possesses… communicative skills in two languages at different levels” (in Wei, 2007). In this paradigm of bilingualism (or multilingualism), being able to use English for communicative and academic purposes, being able to read academic texts in Italian and understanding general conversations in such language, being able to understand general ideas from…

Curly Hairstyle Along With a Short Haircut Very few styles may be suited for this type of hair structure. Surely curly hair type will give you a different image that is completely different from the straight hairstyle. The funniest thing is that the person, who has curly hair, wants to have straight hair, and a person with plain hair wants to have a curly hairstyle. Again, a short hairstyle doesn't match everybody. Body structure, hairstyle and dressing sense determine whether a curly…

Every piece of writing has an intended purpose. “Inventing the University”, written by David Bartholomae, was composed to address an issue, as well as resolve it. When Bartholomae says that a new student must “invent the university”, he is saying that they must adapt to a new way of life, in a whole new world. In the same way, students must adapt to a new, higher standard of writing. This is typically quite a feat, as high school levels of writing are much lower than that of a university. He…

The Art of Sign Language American Sign Language, or ASL, is just like every other language in the world. It has its own roots, grammar, and pronunciations. While some words in ASL are derived from the English language, it is not a mimed form of English. With its own distinct grammar and punctuations, American Sign Language is a complete and complex language, like many around the world. Can this language help more than it is intended for? American Sign Language has no set origin. Karen Nakamura…

As I am from Nepal and my native language is Nepali. We follow both British and American English system in Nepal. There is a slight difference between these two English systems (like a definition of a zombie and a vampire, which are similar but has a slight difference) which leads contradiction while writing a paper. As English is a foreign language we have different method of writing. We generally follow, informative writing rather than argumentative. I have trouble in differentiating…

including things like cause and effect relationships between ideas, a speaker’s use of space, word choice, and a sense of time based on verb tense. (p. 2) The speaker usually makes these choices automatically and subconsciously. In “Interpreters as Applied Linguists,” Winston (2017a) indicated that although the speaker may have subconscious preconceptions and prejudices, it is important that the interpreter remain objective. Winston (2017a) stated, “Prescriptive, judgmental discourse about…

I remember starting this creative writing class thinking I didn’t have any story to tell or share and wondered how I was going to pass the class, since I knew what I was getting myself into. I actually just hoped for the best. As class progressed and we read Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg book, I was hooked. It was such a magical book. Everytime I opened it, I was transported into a coveted world of writers, full with secrets only writers know and I felt welcomed to know those…