English Essay Example Pdf - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 6 Words: 1859 Downloads: 3 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Linguistics Essay Type Essay any type Did you like this example? Discuss whether the use of English in non-ENL countries can be seen as a neutral, a harmful or a beneficial activity. English, which is often referred to as the language of the planet is spoken by more than 750 million people worldwide. This global phenomenon, if not spoken by millions as a mother tongue is spoken by many as a second language or taught in educational institutions as a foreign language. The diversity of its speakers has sparked considerable amount of interest, along with the types of English used in many countries. Alongside an immense number of speakers of a single language come the various types of speaker: those whos English is a mother tongue, those of whom whose English is a second language, and those for whom it is a foreign language. This analysis attempts to establish whether the use of English in non native speaking countries have adverse or positive effects. Only a few centuries ago did English exist as a form of dialects spoken by the lower middle classes in the province of Britain. Dominated by the prestige languages of Latin and French, the language of the pre-English period (-c AD 450) was Celtic, a language spoken by those living in Britain and surrounding areas. When the Romans first invaded Britain, a number of Celtic speaking peoples inhabited Britain, even though Latin was the official language of the province. According to the source Women in Roman Britain, By the end of the first century AD the increasingly cosmopolitan flavour of the urban population will have resulted in many languages being heard in Britain with the consequence that a knowledge of Latin would have been essential for efficient communication between people who could have originated as far afield as Scotland, Africa or Turkey (Allason-Jones, 1989, p174). Residents who would have migrated from such countries inevitably needed a mutual form of communication in order to keep activities such as trade going. During the pre-English period, the vast number of occurring mixed and interracial marriages would have resulted in the inevitable introduction of f oreign languages into Britain. This thus establishes Britain as a multilingual community, having contact with other parts of the world. Since Latin, a language which had been a lingua franca in Britain had by this time, been challenged by the increasing number of inhabitants speaking English, it had to leave in order to find a new position, since people were still using it but were also using Celtic. At this time, Latin, which wasnt an official language of Britain had now been established as a language of communication by those residing in England and those migrating to England, and was now seen as a useful source of promoting and providing the existence of beneficial activities such as administration and trade. The use of Latin had by then been the dominant language of government and administration. How the use of such a universal and phenomenal language such as English had been established can only be discovered if its origins are traced. The earliest piece of writing in English is said to be a carving found in Norwich dating from AD 400. This runic script is said to resemble the Latin or Greek alphabet, and was used in various Germanic languages, bought to England by those residing in mainland Europe. *The influence of Latin on the English Language is very high, even though Latin is a somewhat archaic language, only now taught in prestige schools such as Eton College. 1066 was a year of deterioration not just in terms of radical political changes but in major linguistics. Often viewed as a milestone on the road to civilization, it also played a major part in the development of Modern English. During this precarious time when the entire Normandy dynasty had been gained by the King of France, regular contacts with the French court bought with it colossal changes in the main method of communication. This conflict brought about a period of close contact and often bitter rivalry between the English and the French which in some respects has lasted into the present century. Ideas about Englishness often reflect whatever is considered to be not French (p121). The consequence of this invasion has caused the English Language to contain many derivations of French, referred to as the language of honour, chivalry and justice. During the period of the French invasion many English residents knew very little, if not, any of the English language. Other linguistic changes which inevitably rose as a result of the Norman Conquest concerned the language of Law. This would have been written in Britains prestigious language, Latin, which was at the time highly associated with the aristocracy. This resulted in English being a minority written language. Put in simpler terms, the Norman Conquest occurred at the detriment of the English Language used in Britain, which was almost reduced to a minor language or even a mere dialect spoken within England. Other effects of the Norman Conquest on the English Language included the voc abulary. Many French words were adopted into the English Language which explains the vast majority French lexicon in the English vocabulary we are used to today. Baldwin, who in his speech thinly veils his distaste for the French language adopted into English quoted (that the) salvation for Britain (and indeed for the whole world) lay not in French-derived polysyllables such as proletariat but in monosyllables such as faith. Hope love and work (Crowley, 1989 p255). Here, he not only (possibly subconsciously) describes English as being a somewhat simple and basic language, but he compares it to French, a language which exhibits power and prestige. In line with the effects of French lexicon within the English language, centurys later English provinces, namely Canada now have both English and French as an official language. The French language, in Quebec especially remains under threat, even though it is used to teach in schools its significance is deteriorating and the consta nt debate whether to use it in schools or whether English taught in schools can have detrimental effects; if students who are taught both languages becomes proficient in only one of the official languages, the quality of their written or spoken English or French is likely to decline. In France however, since English has no official status, it is exempt from the pressures Canada faces to exert the significance of learning both languages in schools. As French is taught as a foreign language in England, English is likewise taught as a foreign language in French schools, in order that no-one lacks the knowledge of a language vital for international communication, and therefore increase the number of people proficient in either official language. An example of the use of English in countries where English is not a native language being a beneficial, almost crucial activity lies within the necessities of air traffic control. Granted, there are many standard Englishs, each one being exclusive to its respective country, however if one peculiar, even creolized version remains misunderstood in such a situation, the results could be dire. In such circumstances, even though the existence of many standardized Englishs could create confusion, a vast knowledge of a universal Standard English is crucial. The development of English pidgins and creoles in effect also gives way to confusion as it clouds out the need for a politically correct language. The slave trade had an inevitably immense effect on the development of English, as it paved the way for the use of vernaculars such as Black English and black pidgins and creoles. These dialects, in effect are not understood by many and if such a language is seeped into schools it could become deeply ingrained within a students vocabulary, thus hindering a students ability to speak, and even understand politically correct English. It is thus necessary to question the term politically correct language? Double negatives to the native speaker of English, is seen almost as a taboo in English writing. Its use not only portrays the writer or speaker as uneducated, but the use of such insolent English by a native speaker would regard such a person as illiterate. Other definitions of political correctness refer to the use of non sexist or racist language, language used in such a way which is not seen to favour a certain age group, class distinction or creed. According to the English born sociolinguist Anthea Fraser Gupta, political correctness as exemplified by the deliberate use of non-sexist language is quite unusual. In fact, it is so rare that I and other colleagues have had the experience of having our non sexist original changed into a sexist printed version by editors. (Gupta, 1994, p2). For example, if an adult male calls another adult male boy because he is in a position of authority, this could be seen as highly demeaning, as this perfectly reflects the days of the slave tr ade when taskmasters referred to their slaves as boy, alongside other demeaning terms such as dog and nigger. When I asked a university student if being called boy by one who came from a country where such terms were unheard of, his reaction was one of dismay, not to mention being highly insulted. Such deviations from social norms could prove to cause conflict, as this type of English usage in countries such as Angola, France and similar non ENL lands may prove to be a difficulty. In countries such as China where English has no official status, there has been an increased amount of interest in the English Language. In 1959, everyone was carrying a book of the thoughts of Chairman Mao; today, everyone is carrying a book of elementary English (p31) This unprecedented growth in the interest of the English language in a country titled the undisputed home of technology, science and rapid invention makes it a harmful activity in terms of linguistics but a beneficial one in ter ms of world trade, production and communication. An influx Chinese people wanting to learn English poses the question: How good is the quality of English used in such non ENL countries? In the Chinese product catalogue IBI Household, the descriptions used to describe its respective goods in small captions are written in English which is considered to be very poor to ENL speakers; for example, a product called Space Creator, an organizer used to store household goods is said to be The plastic organizer will help you to storage wisely, instead of This plastic organizer will help you to store your items wisely; Another example being a Car Air Ozonizer which Remove smoke, eliminate air particulate from this compact air ozonizer. These items are described in a childlike manner, not to mention that they hardly make sense. As a result, if such habits become ingrained in an English learners vocabulary, they may become incomprehensible to someone whose first language is English bu t more importantly, it may become very difficult to root these habits out. This is thus an example of how the use of the English in non ENL countries can be seen as a harmful activity its only reason for its use is likely to be that of English is seen as fashionable. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "English Essay Example Pdf" essay for you Create order

Gender Inequality And The Status Of Women Within Canada

Gender Inequality and the Status of Women within Canada It was only after several years of working as an executive that I realized that I had been born with a natural aptitude for an executive role. Prior to this realization, I had perceived myself as someone who had ‘fluked’ into the job—it was my father’s business and he had passed away, the company needed a president and I was executor of the estate. Despite the fact that I was asked to stay on as Marketing Director by the two lawyers who bought the company, I still failed to recognize that they retained me because I showed an aptitude for the role. 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Original Writing Coursework on Prince Escalus Free Essays

As I was walking through the dark, shadowed streets of Legnago, I noticed something strange about the man standing against the wall. He was dressed in an all black doublet covered in gold embroidery partially hidden by his fur lined cloak. There was something odd yet so familiar about him but I just couldn’t get my hand on it. We will write a custom essay sample on Original Writing Coursework on Prince Escalus or any similar topic only for you Order Now No matter how hard I tried the thought kept on eating away at me. I walked past him and recognized him as Frederick, one of the Partisans, our rival family for the past 10 years. It began with a little argument about who got the last piece of fruit from a vendor in the street. Over the years this developed into a feud with the several meetings that they had between them in the streets. Words were spoken, fists had been blazing with rage, but nothing had been done to stop this. He had a history of a hot-headed temper that no-one would have liked to set off so I carried on my journey home. I was nearly home when I heard a noise behind me. But it was only a strayed cat that had just knocked over the bin. Then I heard a different noise from behind but I ignored it that time. I had a feeling that I was being followed. Soon, I could hear footsteps which were rapidly increasing. In a matter of moments the person was on my heels. I turned around and saw that the mysterious person was Frederick. He had drawn his sword with a devilish grin on his face. I evaded his first attack and drew out my sword quick enough to parry the second. Some of his attacks tore my doublet and my shirt. Some were more serious and wounded me. I saw an opening in his attacks and struck him down to the ground. This was my opportunity to escape and I took it. Struggling to the door, with no strength left in me, I collapsed right at the doorstep. Luckily my parents were waiting for me to return and they heard the noise outside. They were shocked when they saw me and they helped me inside. First they got me fresh clothes and got me cleaned up before they said anything. â€Å"What happened to you?† said Lady Torrington. Then I explained to my parents how I saw one of the Partisans and how we fought each other until I fled. They were furious and they went on and on about how atrocious the Partisans were and how they had the nerve to attack their son. All I wanted was for the family feud to end so that our families could have peaceful and normal lives. I tried many times in the past to encourage them to stop this ridiculous feud. My parents loved me but sometimes I felt that they just ignored what I said. After a full night rest I regained my vigour, so I set out to see my friend Lucentio. Lucentio was a courteous, friendly and pleasant person, but his parents were a whole different story. They used to beat him and they didn’t care for him at all. I was playing in the street when I saw him huddled up outside a shop. My first instinct was to just ignore him but my heart told me better. I walked up to him, asked him what was wrong and comforted him. We’ve been friends ever since. He wasn’t the sort of person that would get into fights. In fact, even if it had nothing to do with him he would try and stop it. On the way to his house, I saw a big crowd gathered together in the street and I was curious to see what it was about. I pushed and shoved my way through to the front of the crowd. The expression of my face went blank. My good friend Lucentio was lying on the hard, concrete ground desperately struggling for words. â€Å"Who did this to you Lucentio†, I asked impatiently. He didn’t answer straight away but he got there in the end. â€Å"It†¦was†¦Fred†¦er†¦.rick†, he replied. â€Å"How did he know Lucentio was my friend? Had he been spying on me?† I thought to myself. These were his last words before he stopped moving and died. I swore to avenge the death of my friend and that I would get Frederick back for what he did to Lucentio. I went looking for Frederick but I had no luck at all in finding him. He was probably keeping a low profile so as not to attract any attention. I asked the local people if they had seen a man dressed in a black doublet and a fur lined cloak but they had no information to provide me with. This had me so frustrated that I was about to give up my search when I came to a poorly dressed man on the street that I recognized. He was the very same vendor from ten years ago. I didn’t think he would know, but I asked him anyway. It was just my luck that he saw him walk past a few minutes ago and he pointed me in his direction. I thanked him and I was on my way. It wasn’t long before I found him wandering through one of the alleyways. I shouted at him to stop but as soon as he turned around and saw my face he ran away quickly. But, he didn’t get far. I caught up to him and got my breath back. When he didn’t expect it, I pulled out my sword and slashed at him, but I missed. This enraged me even more than I already was. He also drew his sword and tried blocking my attacks but I kept on slicing at him wildly. I was out of control. But then, he got the better of me and I was forced to the ground. I was crawling backwards and desperately trying to get up but with no success. All the while Frederick was advancing on me ready to strike. He thrust his sword toward me and I stuck my sword out in front of me with my eyes closed, fearing for the worst. I opened my eyes and nothing had happened to me. I was completely fine but Frederick on the other hand was lying on the ground motionless in a pool of blood. My sword had pierced him through his heart and he had died almost immediately. â€Å"What have I done†, I was thinking, â€Å"I’ve been a complete fool not to realise that all this thirst for revenge has driven me mad and caused me to kill another human being.† I knew that I couldn’t keep on standing there gazing at the motionless Frederick otherwise I would be caught. So I left and went home contemplating about what just happened. There was nothing left for me there in Legnago except the consequences I would have to face. This family feud caused me to cross the line and commit a felony which was not worth it at all. I couldn’t stay there anymore I thought to myself. I didn’t want to be a part of this feud any longer than I already had been. I had to run away. But where could I go? Then it struck me that I could go to Verona to live with my relatives. I wanted to forget whatever had happened but I even knew that the guilt will stay with me forever. Nevertheless I packed up all my important belongings and I set off on my journey to Verona, a fresh start. How to cite Original Writing Coursework on Prince Escalus, Papers