Ethnicity and language Essay Example for Free

Ethnicity and language Essay 1. Ethnicity Ethnicity is not a clear-cut term. It usually describes someone’s racial or cultural background but has a whole host of other connotations connected with appearance, dress, food, lifestyle etc. The ethnic majority in a particular place are, not necessarily those with the largest numbers, but those with social and political power. It is also the case that often terms describing race are fairly meaningless. People from the ‘British race’ for example originate from many other cultures and countries, depending on how far back you trace their family trees. 2. Prejudiced language Language can be used to make certain ethnic groups appear to be outsiders, or different from the ethnic majority. Markedness It is often assumed that immigrants, and people from ethnic minorities, must fit in with the ways and traditions of the ethnic majority. When this happens, the ethnic identity of the majority begins to appear normal and invisible, whilst that of the minority appears, strange, worthy of mention and marked. We often find in the media that people’ ethnicity is only mentioned when they are not white. So, we hear things like â€Å"the murdered black teenager Steven Lawrence† even in instances where the description of ethnicity is irrelevant. Negative labelling People are often labelled according to their colour, race or ethnicity. The problem with such labels is firstly that they may stop us seeing other aspects of the person as we are focussed on the attribute that the label describes. The second problem is that very often these labels are associated with negative stereotypes. We often find that the most marginalized groups in our society have the largest numbers of offensive terms to describe them. In addition, the media runs relatively few stories about those from ethnic minorities, and those that are included tend to reinforce the negative stereotypes by being about crime or disorder. 3. Marking Ethnic Identity Language can also be used as a powerful marker of ethnic identity. The language that we speak, and how we speak it, shows the ethnic group to which we believe we belong and claim solidarity with. British Black English People of West Indian and African Caribbean origin in England use many different varieties depending on where about they live and how long their families have been in Britain. Those born in Britain usually speak a variety of English and also a variety of Jamaican Creole, known as Patois. Linguistic features of Patois ?Lexical items (lick (hit), kenge (weak), bex (angry) ?Use of [? ] and [? ] in place of [? ] and [? ] e. g. [t? n] for [ n] ?Plural forms without /s/ suffix (e. g. many cow) ?Verbs not marked for tense (walk in place of walked) ?Simplified pronouns ([mi] for I, me, my and [dem] for they, them and their) ?Use of ‘fi’ in place of ‘to’ before infinitives. African American Vernacular English In the USA, the distinct languages of people of African American origin disappeared centuries ago. Nevertheless, a distinct variety of English, called African American Vernacular English (AAVE), has developed which acts as a symbol of ethnicity. AAVE is most often heard in cities in the North of the states. Linguistic features of AAVE ?Absence of standard copula be (e. g. ‘she very nice’, ‘that my book’) ?Use of copula be to signal recurring actions (‘she be at school on weekdays’) ?Multiple negation (‘I don’t want none’)? Consonant cluster simplification (‘aks in place of asks’) ?Existential it (where standard English has ‘there’, ‘it’s a boy’ for ‘there’s a boy’) Maori English In New Zealand, it is not clear if a Maori dialect of English actually exists. What is certain is that the features listed below occur more often in the speech of Maoris than Pakeha (non-Polynesian New Zealanders, usually of European origin) Linguistic features of Maori English ?Use of [? ] and [? ] in place of [? ] and [? ] e. g. [t? n] for [ n] ?Use of vocabulary items such as kia ora (greeting) and kuia (old woman)? Vernacular verb forms (walk for walked) ?Present tense forms with /s/ ‘I sees you’, ‘we gets home’) 4. Social Networks Social networks can help us understand speech patterns as the language and variety we use is influenced by the people we spend time with. You can draw a simple social network by considering the four or five people you speak to most often and drawing lines from their names to yours on a map. If any of those people know each other independently of you, connect them with lines (preferably of a different colour) too. Then add their two or three best friends, and so on.e. g. Tom Richard Bob Barbara Sandy Dave Features of social networks Density Density refers to whether members of a person’s network are in touch with each other separately. In the example above, only Richard and Bob know each other independently of Tom so his network is not a dense one. Plexity Plexity refers to the type of transactions that we are involved in with other people. If, for example, Tom only ever plays squash with Barbara, the relationship would be considered a uniplex one. If however, Tom and Barbara lived, worked and socialised together it would be a multiplex one. Language and Networks The language or variety we use is influenced by the people we talk to and what we talk to them about. We may change the language or variety we are using depending on which part of our network we are currently interacting with. For example, we may be more formal at work than at home. This type of language/variety shift is probably more likely if our social network is not very dense and our relations tend to be uniplex. If our networks are dense and multiplex, the whole network is more likely to use the use the same language or variety.

Lost Sounds :: Free Descriptive Essay About A Place

Lost Sounds At first, it was a little awkward, but after I got accustomed to keeping my eyes closed in front of the whole class, I could relax and just listen. The many times I had previously visited the Everglades, it had never occurred to me that one very important aspect of the Everglades is the calming sounds it produces. I then remembered that many people come to the Everglades not to learn about it or enjoy its views, but to get away from the chaos of the city. With my eyes closed and my classmates quiet, I felt I was by myself. Nothing could come between me and the nature surrounding me. I heard a little bird in the distance, its chirp muffled by the leaves fiercely rustling in the wind; it reminded me of one of those CDs that people buy to relax or fall asleep. This â€Å"CD,† though, would never be heard again: in my mind I had captured the unique music made by nature at that precise moment. When I got home, I locked myself in the bathroom, turned the light off, and closed my eyes once more. I wanted to see if I could remember those sounds: I knew they would make me eager to return to class in two weeks. My experiment was a success. I can only imagine the feelings of the first explorers of the Everglades when they got to these majestic lands. Native Americans had already been living there for millennia when the Everglades was â€Å"discovered,† and had grown accustomed to the music it made. Yet, the new explorers probably had not seen or heard anything similar in their lives. When they closed their eyes, they would have heard nature yet untouched by the hands of humankind: hundreds, maybe even thousands, of birds calling each other, alligators bellowing under a cool shade, frogs imitating crickets and pigs, and, of course, the soft wind making waves on the sawgrass and then softly cooling their faces. It must have been glorious! Most of these things can still be heard today, but less frequently. As people hunted down animals, drained the Everglades, and developed cities, they took away many key elements of this ecosystem. Some, like the birds, are still struggling to achieve stable numbers of populatio n that would guarantee the survival of future generations of their species.

DNA the Master Code for All Living Things

Bacteria, zebras, mosquitoes, anacondas, essentially all living things have one thing in common which makes them what they are. It is DNA. It is one of the greatest biological discoveries in the history of mankind. It is not only related to biology but is tied to the study of chemistry as well because of the convoluted molecular structure. DNA is short for the molecule deoxyribonucleic acid. RNA or ribonucleic acid is another nucleic acid derived from DNA and used as a template to make proteins, the product of the genetic code. In an article, â€Å"What is DNA? † written by James Randerson, DNA is described as, â€Å"†¦ he master code for life †¦ the instruction book that each organism uses to run its body and govern its behavior, a book that each creature hands on to its offspring, either in full or in part. † In other words it describes how at times not the whole book (DNA) is passed down from parent to progeny. A father and mother both contribute their DNA making the son similar but not identical to his father and mother. Also, because DNA stores all genetic information including diseases, which can be passed down from generation to generation. These diseases are the effect of a mutation in the DNA structure. In 1868, a Swiss physician and biologist extracted a phosphorus containing substance. He called it nuclein because he found it in the nuclei of several cells. He managed to extract this substance from discarded surgical bandages, specifically by examining the pus cells (pus cells are white blood cells). James Watson, an American geneticist, and Francis Crick, a British physicist studying in the University of Cambridge, began examining x-ray images made by Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins. In 1953, James and Francis constructed the first three-dimensional model of the DNA structure. The model showed all nitrogenous bases, pentoses (sugar), and phosphate groups. Several years later, James Watson, Francis Crick, and Maurice Wilkins received the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine. Before the three-dimensional model, Erwin Chargaff discovered a pattern between the base pairs. He discovered that the amount of adenine is the same amount of thymine. the same is true for the other base pair guanine and cytosine. Chargaff’s discovery led him to understand the basic pairing rules. You might wonder what makes our DNA different from the DNA of a sheep, sea urchin, or a turtle. Based on the studies of Chargaff and the rest of his colleagues at Columbia University, the four nitrogenous bases occur in different ratios in the DNAs of different organisms and that the bases have a numerical relationship. For example, The base composition (mol percentage) of Homo Sapiens is 30. 9 % adenine, 19. 9% guanine, 19. 8% cytosine, and 29. 4% thymine. This shows that Chargaff’s study was very helpful for James Watson and Francis Crick’s three-dimensional model of a DNA molecule. I chose to research DNA because it is a very interesting topic to discuss. It makes me who I am, my hair, eye, and skin color, my height and weight, overall health, metabolism, etc. I find both biology and chemistry my favorite subjects and DNA because it is a key molecuel that defines health. In the future I plan to become a M. D. (Medical Doctor). I will definitely have to be familiar with this molecule and what DNA sequences mean in case I needed to diagnose a patient with a certain genetic disease. By examining his or her genetic code I could determine possible diseases. I really enjoy any type of problem solving. I could utilize this knowledge to explore disease in my own family, specifically my dad’s side. From my grandfather to my own father and uncles, everyone has minor cardiovascular diseases caused by high cholesterol. I want to discover what mutation in my family’s DNA that causes this condition and develop treatments to improve their health. DNA molecules are located in the nucleus of a cell. When they are tightly packed together they are known as chromosomes. The structure of DNA is very complicated. DNA is a double helix molecule. The structure looks like a twisted ladder. A double helix is the molecular structure created from double-stranded molecules of nucleic acids held together by hy drogen bonding between nucleotides. Nucleotides contain three characteristic components: (1) a nitrogenous base, (2) a pentose (sugar), and (3) phosphate group. Four nitrogenous bases make up DNAs support of the double helix: adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C), and thymine (T). These bases are split into two groups. (A) and (G) are in the purine base group and (C) and (T) are in the pyrimidine base groups. In the structure of DNA base pairs are formed between the four bases. A base pair is when two nitrogenous bases (a purine to a pyrimidine or vice versa) are linked by weak hydrogen bonds. Adenine (A) and thymine (T) form a base pair and guanine (G) and cytosine C) form a base pair. In the structure of DNA (A) and (T) are held together by two hydrogen bonds, while (C) and (G) are held together by three hydrogen bonds. The next components of DNA form the backbone of the two spiraling strands. The backbones consist of alternating phosphate and pentose (sugar). Two kinds of pentoses are found in nucleic acids, deoxyribose and ribose. Deoxyribose is basically the same as ribose but it has one less oxygen atom in it’s structure. The phosphate group is connected to the pentose (deoxyribose or ribose) on the backbone of the DNA structure. They are both held together by covalent bonds. The pentose is also connected to the nitrogenous base. When a pentose (sugar) and a base combine it is called a nucleoside. An example of a nucleoside, is when the base thymine bonds with the pentose (sugar) deoxyribose, deoxythymidine forms. The nucleoside then combines with the phosphate to make the nucleoside a nucleotide. In the article â€Å"How DNA Works,† Craig Freudenrich explains how the â€Å"hydrogen bonds between phosphates cause the DNA strand to twist. The nitrogenous bases point inward on the ladder and form pairs with bases on the other side. This makes DNA look somewhat like a spiraling staircase. DNA functions to store the complete genetic information required to specify the structure of all the proteins of each species of organism, to program in time and space the orderly biosynthesis (the process of converting simple nutrients like: sugars, lipids, and amino acids into complex products like, proteins and vitamins) that make cell and tissue, and organs which determine the activities of an organism throughout its life cycle, and determine the distinctiveness of the given organism. DNA also has another function. It is meant to be replicated so copies can be passed down from cell to cell and generation to generation. The National Human Genome Research Institute describes the transfer occurs â€Å"In sexual reproduction, organisms inherit half of their nuclear DNA from the male parent and half from the female parent. However, organisms inherit all of their mitochondrial DNA from the mother. This occurs because only egg cells, and not sperm cells, keep their mitochondria during fertilization. To complete these instructions, DNA sequences are transcribed into messages made of RNA and ultimately translated into sequences of amino acids to produce proteins. DNA genetic information is composed of specific long sequences of A, T, G, and C. The process begins with the sequences being transferred to a single strand RNA molecule. RNA is only slightly different from DNA. The important difference between them is that one of the pyrimidine bases are not the same. Thymine is a principal pyrimidine in DNA, while uracil is a principal pyrimidine in RNA. The new RNA (mRNA) molecule is a messenger containing transcribed code from the DNA molecule. The mRNA travels out of the nucleus into the cytoplasm. According to The National Human Genome Research Institute, in the cytoplasm â€Å"the information contained in the mRNA molecule is translated into the â€Å"language† of amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins. This language tells the cell's protein-making machinery the precise order in which to link the amino acids to produce a specific protein. This is a major task because there are 20 types of amino acids, which can be placed in many different orders to form a wide variety of proteins. † Proteins do most of the work in our bodies; they move molecules in our bodies, they help us move by making our muscles, they help create our immune system that helps protect from any infections in our body or illnesses, and much more. DNA is one of the greatest discoveries my man. It was not discovered by a single human being but several. DNA is what makes a female human to give birth to a baby girl not to a baby giraffe or cub. DNA is passed down from generation to generation by sexual reproduction. Half of the father’s genes and half of the mother’s go to their son or daughter. Your DNA is not the same as your brother’s because sometimes you get more from your mom’s side or more from your dad’s side, it all depends. It is extraordinary how we are made from a string of DNA molecules that construct our body and make us who we are. DNA is now at a point where we use it for many reasons, not just for research. DNA forensics is one of the most practical ways of using DNA. Forensics is the application of many sciences to discover aspects about a crime. A government website describing DNA forensics, lists many examples of DNA uses for Forensic Identification. They include: â€Å"identification of potential suspects whose DNA may match evidence left at crime scenes; exoneration of persons wrongly accused of crimes; identification of crime and catastrophe victims; establishment of paternity and other family relationships; identification of endangered and protected species as an aid to wildlife officials (could be used for prosecuting poachers); detection of acteria and other organisms that may pollute air, water, soil, and food; Matching organ donors with recipients in transplant programs; determination of pedigree for seed or livestock breeds; and authentication of consumables such as caviar and wine. † It is great that DNA has been incorporated into forensics. Hopefully, in the near future, DNA technologies will be incorporated in a variety of ot her applications.

The Face Of Insanity Or Pure Evil - 1860 Words

Medea: The Face of Insanity or Pure Evil In Medea by Euripides, an unfortunate tragedy arose from devastating circumstances, centralizing around intense grief and rage. In the center of the horrific situation was Medea, who was the daughter of King Aeetes. She was the former wife of Jason until he decided to abandon his family and duties as the head of the household by marrying Glauce, the Princess of Corinth. She murdered her children, Glauce, and Creon, the King of Corinth to satiate her overwhelming lust for blood and revenge. Undeniably, Medea is the epitome of the phrase, â€Å"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.† Her burning desire for vengeance and destruction extended far beyond intense passion. Thus, leading to the question: â€Å"Is Medea, simply, the face of insanity or pure evil?† Although her actions were horrific and barbaric enough to be considered an ailment of insanity, the reality was that she was the devil incarnate considering she strategically formulated a plan to achieve her demented agenda. Evidently, Medea was not insane and did not commit the murder out of insanity, but pure evil, which is fully crystal clear from her deranged actions and thoughts. Medea is the poster child of an individual that is clearly evil. Even prior to the murders, she displayed signs of pure wickedness and evil. For instance, Medea instigated the murder of King Pelias by encouraging and manipulating his daughters to engage in patricide. Medea tricked Pelias’ daughters intoShow MoreRelatedInsanity in Macbeth1208 Words   |  5 PagesShakespeare’s Macbeth, a few of the characters face insanity. This insanity begins with their desire for power and sovereignty. 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