Final: The Fear

The Fear

Whereas some children were afraid of the dark, spiders, monsters or even ghosts, I was not. And whereas most children never encountered their fear every moment of their lives, I did. Moreover, as most children gradually overcame their fears—mine persisted. I had and still have a fear of opening my mouth. In the days of my early youth, and even now in my adolescents, I would keep my mouth closed, not because I wanted to, but because I was afraid to open it. The fear of stuttering has gripped and changed the life of stutterers and mine forever. Opportunities have come and passed, which stutterers have been unable to grab a hold of because of this fear that has tied them to a pole. The psychological toll stuttering has on individuals is perhaps not measurable, but it is certainly present. For many, there has been a stigma associated with stuttering, and they have had to live their lives under the umbrella of it. Stutterers process information differently from non-stutterers, stutterers are complex as a population, and that is not to say that non-stutterers are not complex; stutterers as a population do not intrinsically feel nervous, shy or afraid, as what was commonly thought, instead stutterers possess the same confidence levels as non-stutterers; society plays a role in how stutterers view themselves and the negative image society portrays of the stutterer has many stutterers trying to hide their stuttering for fear of ridicule.

What Is Stuttering?
Here will be an attempt to describe what stuttering is. Stuttering is also referred to as stammering in Great Britain. Stuttering is a communication disorder, in which speech flow is disrupted by prolonged sounds, like, (wwwhy) or repetition sounds like, (li-li-like this). Stammering causes involuntary pauses or blocks in which the stammer is unable to crop up the sounds he or she wishes to produce (2). Along with these signs, stutterers may also exhibit strange facial and body movements when attempting to speak, such as rapid eye blinks, tremors of the lips and/or jaw or other struggles of the upper body. Certain situations, such as speaking on the telephone, or talking in front of a group increases the chances of stuttering for individuals who stutter, while, other situations such as singing, or speaking alone, often causes improvement in speech fluency (3). Below shall be an attempt to delineate the current held causes of stuttering.
There is no definite causation for stuttering. So far, research has been able pinpoint a variety of factors most likely to aid the development of stuttering. The truth is “the precise mechanisms causing stuttering [is] not understood”(3). Over the years, there have been many bizarre explanations. In 1928, Freud’s protege Isador Coriat suggested that the disorder stemmed from unresolved oral-erotic needs. Two decades later, Otto Fenichel claimed in his book, The Psychoanalytic Theory of Neurosis, that stuttering related to an anal-sadistic fixation (4). The theories provided in the earlier decades all seem absurd, yet those ideas were thought to be the causes of stuttering. However, in modern times, science has been able to locate a few reasons for stammering.

Causes of Stuttering?
First, genetics, about 60% of stammers have a family member who also stutters, however, scientists have not yet found a gene(s) that attribute to stuttering. According to Nicole Grinager Ambrose, Ehud Yairi and Nancy Cox study, “Genetic Aspects of Early Childhood Stuttering,” roughly 68% of children who stutter have relatives in their extended family that stutter. The research also goes on to suggest that approximately 39% of children who stutter have stutterers in their immediate families. While about 27% of stutterers have a parent, usually a father, who stammers. This study is a good mirror into stuttering and its genetic tendencies. Other research suggests that twins have a far higher rate of stuttering among themselves than siblings who grow up in the same family. “Other studies show that there is a clear genetic inheritance pattern spanning various generations” (5). The studies conclude to a strong claim that genetics play a big role in the acquisition of stuttering.
Second, and perhaps the most common causation of stuttering is in child development. It is found that children when in speech and language development are more likely to stutter than at any other point in their lives. This type of stuttering occurs when a child’s speech and language abilities are unable to meet their verbal demands. This form of stammering also occurs when a child searches for the correct word and cannot locate it. Childhood stuttering in most cases is outgrown it.
Third—neurophysiology—recent study shows that people who stutter process speech and language in different areas of the brain than those who do not stammer. In the case of neurogenic stuttering, “problems arise from signal problems/confusion between the brain and nerves or muscles” (3). The brain is unable to coordinate effectively in that precise moment in time all aspects of a stutterers speech motors and brain parts, which perfect speech. Because of the inability of the brain to control all areas of speech, some parts of communication are not carried across, causing stuttering. Neurogenic stuttering may also be the result of a stroke or some sort of brain injury (3).
Fourth, family dynamics play a role in stuttering. High expectations and fast paced lifestyles can contribute to stuttering (2). Other forms of stammering are labeled as psychogenic, or that which “comes from the mind, or mental activity of the brain such as thought and reasoning” (3). This form of stuttering is when emotional problems cause stuttering such as fear of meeting new people or speaking in public. This strand of stuttering was once thought to be the major cause of stuttering, but research has shown that this only accounts for a minority of stutterers. Indeed, stammers may develop emotional problems, but that is now considered to come from stuttering and not visa versa (3).

Stuttering A Stigma in Society
Stuttering has become a stigma in society through time. Part of the shame stutterers face is the idea that stuttering is a mental disorder. Traditionally, people thought stuttering was solely psychogenic, meaning that it was thought to be a sign of someone’s unresolved psychological conflicts. Even the original meaning of “stuttering” places a strong stigma on the stutterer. “The terms stutterer and barbarian both refer to ‘those people who do not speak our language’…Barbarian, in fact, often suggests ‘a people whose language ‘we’ do not understand’ – those who speak mere gibberish, say, or those whose language is not ours. The Latin balbus (stammer) and its English cognates have much the same double meanings. The term stutter and barbarian both also refer to ‘those people who, although they do speak our language, do not speak it ‘ in our way”(9). In the past, stutterers in India were thought to possess a demon, and were forbidden from talking to children, in the fear that they, the stutterers, would spread it to the children. Stuttering has been condescended upon for a long time, and it is no wonder that people with it try very fervently to hide it and feel ashamed in speaking, for fear of showing it. This is enhanced by the media’s portrayal of the stutterer.
“Porky Pig is Warner Bothers’ most popular and longest-lived cartoon character, whose comedy is derived entirely from the torture of his stuttering. In a scene, Porky Pig records himself saying the Old MacDonald’s tune, and then he decides to replay it to himself. Upon hearing his stammering on the tape he smashes it against the playback machine in utter frustration”(9). It is household cartoon characters like Porky Pig that feed the false misconception that stuttering is a negative thing to possess. Because of these misconceptions stutterers when they can, attempt to hide the fact that they stutterer—and when they inevitably fail at this attempt, feelings of frustration, anger and nervousness are present.

Negative Emotional Impact: Stutterer Tries To Hide.
Stuttering has a significant negative emotional impact on the stutterer. Joseph Sheehan, a prominent researcher of stuttering, who stammers himself, created a famous analogy about stuttering. In his analogy, he compared stuttering to an iceberg, with the overt aspects of stuttering above the waterline, and the larger mass of negative emotions invisible below the surface (8). Feelings such as embarrassment, shame, frustration, fear, anger and guilt are present in all stutterers. “Those are the feelings that stutterers feel when they try to speak a simple sentence and cannot” (8). The effort on the part of the stutterer not to stutter causes increased stuttering. And this result, with time crystallizes into a negative self-concept and self-image. Here is a chart of Joseph Sheehan’s analogy.

Overt Stammering
obvious blocks and repetitions
Covert Aspects Of Stammering
may include hidden negative feelings e.g.
fear shame humiliation hiding embarrassment self hatred
which can lead to changes in behavior which hide stammering e.g.
avoidance of talking and/or avoidance of certain situations
avoidance of relationships - you may stammer as you open up and get to know people
changing words at last minute
not making phone calls
pretending to be someone who does not stammer

Some people's stammering is more underneath the iceberg so that others may not be aware you stammer at all


Some stutters manage to avoid outward symptoms by substituting symptoms and by feigning ignorance. Stutterers “can be so good at avoidance that co-workers and even spouse or family [members do not] know that the person stutters," writes Thomas David Kehoe, author of Stuttering: Science, Therapy and Practice (Casa Futura, 1997) "Even though their speech sounds fine, these 'covert' stutterers can be crippled by severe psychological fear and anxiety.
In a study done by Dr. Martin F. Schwartz, he had a stuttering population of 492 males and 133 females. The mean age for the males was 31.6 years, while the mean age for the women was 27.4. In his findings, he found out that 538 of his patients showed overt signs of stuttering. On the hand, 87 stutterers hid their stuttering; it was found that 62 females were covert stutterers, compared to only 25 males (11). So, although men are more likely to stutterer, women are far more likely to hide their stuttering than men.
Dr. Schwartz reported that covert stutterers were fatigued at the end of each day, as there was no such thing as a normal or “idle conversation” (11) because they were constantly searching and hunting for substitute words during conversations. They do this because they are trying to hide their stuttering from the world because of the stigma society places on it. Thus, each day is a struggle. Covert stutterers even do not mind coming across as stupid, but as long as they hide the fact that they stutter, they are fine with it. Covert stutterers try to hide the fact that they stutter even though it takes a great emotional and psychological toll on them, because they know that the world, even that of academia is not kind to those who stutterer, and it looks at them, the stutterer, as if there were something innately wrong about/with them.

Academia And World: Negative Stereotypes, Exclusion Of Stutterers.
Peter Reitzes, a speech-pathology master's student at New York University, discovered last year that one of the conditions of being assigned to a practicum was that his own speech needed to be absent of stuttering. "Communication skills must be free from any identifiable disorders," wrote the associate dean in a 1997 letter to Reitzes. "In general, speech must be free of sound and syllable repetitions, prolongations and block (6). And many young scholars who stutter do not go on to do graduate work, because they fear that they will fail their oral exams” (9). It is incidences like these, which drives many stutters from positions in academia and other public speaking positions.
Studies by Crow, Fowlie and Woods have found that many people possess negative stereotypes about stutterers. Some of these stereotypes are that stammers are generally quiet, introverted, self-derogatory, nervous, tense, afraid and anxious. During World War II this notion was played upon, “stutterers were rejected from the armed services because it was assumed that they were apt to break down under stress” (13). Society has not been kind to stutterers and it is because of this that many stutterers have thought that there is something wrong with them.

Stutterers Are Not Inherently Different
In 1952, Dahlstrom and Craven administered the “ Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory to a 100 stutterers enrolled in the University of Iowa Speech Clinic and compared their test performance with that of 100 university freshmen, a group of psychiatric patients, and a sample of college students who had applied for counseling because of personal problems. The test found that the stutterers did not differ significantly from the freshmen” (13). In this study, it is obvious that stutterers do not genetically possess a different set of emotional traits compared to non-stutterers. Indeed, the stutterer feels anxious when he does stutter in front of someone, but only when he or she stutters. Further studies were designed to prove this. The Thematic Appreciation Test (TAT) is a test that tests projective technique. In this test, the participants are asked to create a story of designed pictures, which the characters possess ambiguous age and gender orientation. These stories were supposed to show inferences of the patients psychological needs, attitudes and cravings. In this test, it was found that stutterers showed no difference compared to non-stutterers in terms of needs, reactions to frustration and unsatisfactory endings (13). From these tests, one can see that stutterers do not possess a weakened sense of emotions. It is also clear that stutterers are not apt to break down as what was otherwise thought.
Much of a stutterers fear stems from the fear of his or her listener’s reaction. And it must be stated that those fears to a certain extent are legitimate. Jim McClure, a Chicago public-relations consultant chimed in with, “I had the host of an upscale restaurant refuse to make a reservation because ‘we don't seat people with speech impediments’” (6). Jim McClure continued, "If you limp and use a cane, people open doors for you. If you use a hearing aid, they talk louder. But if you stutter, people think you are very dumb or psychologically disturbed or a homicidal maniac. That's had generations of us (stutters) chasing fluency" (6). However, a stutterers brain innately functions differently from a non-stutterers brain.
Different Brain Activity for Stutterers
Studies have shown that stutterers think differently from non-stutterers. A new study from Purdue Department of Audiology and Speech Sciences, “Phonologic Processing in Adults Who Stutter: Electrophysiological and Behavioral Evidence,” by Christine Weber-Fox, Rebecca M. C. Spencer and John E. Spruill attempted to find out if a stutterers mind even while not speaking thought differently from a non-stutterers. In a rhyming study, 22 people were tested. Half of the stutterers in the study saw a series of two words flash on a computer screen. “Their task was to identify which pairs of words rhymed without saying the word out loud. Some word groups were spelled alike but did not rhyme, such as "gown" and "own," and others did not look similar but did rhyme, such as "cone" and "own." The other variations were words that looked similar and did not rhyme, such as "gown" and "own," and words that did not look similar or rhyme, such as "cake" and "own." This method evaluated the adults' ability to translate sounds when not verbalizing them”(10).
The researches found that individuals who stuttered had similar brain activity response, accuracy and response times when it came to three of the four rhyming variations. E.g. words that looked alike and rhymed such as “thrown” and “own.” However, if the words looked alike, but didn’t rhyme, such as “gown” and “own,” then the responses were delayed to 420milliseconds. The other three variations of words all averaged about 350milliseconds among all participants, stutterers and non-stutterers (10).
Weber-Fox said, “We saw no difference in the fundamental processing when looking at words like gown and own. The difference was in the complexity of the language task. Also of note during this study was the increase in activity in the brain’s right hemisphere for participants who stuttered as they viewed rhyming words. This shows that individuals who stutter are using right hemisphere brain areas to a greater extent to accomplish the rhyming tasks than those who don't stutter” (10).

Conclusion
Unfortunately, there is no cure for stammering, although some have claimed to have found one. Most children grow out of it, but those who do not, are probably going to have it their entire lives. However, for those who will only get rid of their of stuttering when they die, it is important that they do not hide under a rock. March Shell, a Harvard Professor, who stutters says, “The most common symptom of stuttering is silence.” But, stutterers have to break free of that. Stutterers have to take up public eye roles such as Marilyn Monroe and Winston Churchhill (2) to name a few. Society ridicules the stutterer, but the stutterer has to overcome it. Society for its part has to cease to ridicule stutterers and treat them with more respect and dignity—but hopefully that will change, as science gets better and an understanding of stuttering is achieved. Stutterers have to realize that there is nothing wrong with stuttering, and that should start from society, which has to treat stutterers like equals, because there is nothing intrinsically wrong or bad about stuttering. I shall conclude with Anne H. Mavor’s words in her article “mouthpieace”, a stutterers speech to an audience, "I s-see words. I see lace-covered words that walk into the room. I see words b-built out of concrete that do not move. I see stacked dirty dishes of words. I see words that jog by wearing, new running suits. I see words of gossamer silk that drift across our minds. I see words waiting in line at the ladies room. I see words that curl up by the fire and whisper s-sweet nothings." I hold my hand out invitingly. "Come here little word. Come here. I won't hurt you. I want to be friends. Can we be friends?" (6) And that perhaps sums up the thoughts feelings and of a stutterer. They just want to be friends with words. They just want to play with words just like anybody else.



MLA

1. Neil Gordon, Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology, Volume 44, Issue 04, Apr 2002, pp 278-282
doi: 10.1017/S0012162201002067, Published online by Cambridge University Press 22 May 2002

2. "Frequently Asked Questions." The Stuttering Foundation. 21 Nov. 2007. 18 Nov. 2007 .

3. "Stutter." Nidcd.Nih.Gov. 18 Nov. 2007 .

4. "InfoStuttering." 12 Nov. 2007 .

5. http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=00003C9F-EFAB-1ECC-8E1C809EC588EF21

6. Mavor, Anne. "MouthPiece." 1 Apr. 1998. 19 Nov. 2007 .

7.Lexinenexus

8. "Interiosed Stammering." The British Stammering Association. June 2002. 15 Nov. 2007 .

9. Shell, Marc. Stutter. Cambridge: Harvard, 2005.

10. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research Vol.47 1244-1258 December 2004. doi:10.1044/1092-4388(2004/094)

11. Schwartz, Dr. Martin F. Stutter No More. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1991.

12. Bloodstein, Oliver. A Handbook on Stuttering. San Diego: Singular Group, INC, 1995

13. Bloodstein, Oliver. Stuttering: the Search for a Cause and Cure. Needham Heights: Allyn & Bacon, 1993.

Football/ Canadian Language

The thing about football is that it brings people from all over the world together. People speak different languages all over the world, yet when people watch football there is a common language understood by all. A bad referring decision requires no language, it is understood and reacted the same way. But the problem arises when a language in the context of outside football becomes isolated and not understood. In Canada, the second official language is French, but studies show that few people speak French in Canada besides Quebec and some French communities. This comes as no surprise to other people living outside Quebec, but it does come as a surprise to the inhabitants of the French speaking areas. One fifth of the Canadian population does not speak either French or English as a first language. French speakers represent 1/4 of the Canadian population, while Chinese speakers represent 3.3 percent of the population. In the census, it showed that nine out of ten Canadians speak either English or French in their homes. 67.7 percent of the country spoke English, while 1/5 spoke French, leaving 11.9 percent speaking an non-official language at home. This is a serious trend for the French speaking part of Canada. Because slowly but surely, because of immigration they are loosing their language. This might be part of the reason why the French speakers tried to break away from Canada, and still do, but although that will happen, it is sad to see a people become isolated in their own country. Schools do require that everyone learn French, but that is the thing, it is only enforced in schools. They do not speak French, but merely study it. Thus, the language is irrelevant in the English parts of the country, while English is relevant and useful in the French portion of the country. Well, we shall see over time what interesting changes and events happen to change this trend or continue it.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20071205.CENSUSLANGUAGE05/TPStory/National

Chinese impossibility

The article states that if we look at the "bottom of your shoes, tags on your shirt and pants, and even the towel you use everyday, and you may see the words 'Made in China.' " It claims that we cannot deny the increasing power and presence of China in our world, and it because of this power that motivates many people to learn Chinese. To help combat this, BYU offers a Chinese(Mandarin) bachelor and master programs to assist students. Studying Chinese is difficult, because of the lack of alphabets, and
Christensen said he strongly encourages Chinese major students to have a strong minor such as business, double majors, or go to graduate school. The thing with Chinese is that it is very difficult to learn. I have friends who are taking Mandarin Chinese right now and when I walk into their room the only thing they are doing is studying Chinese, as it takes that much time. All their other homework's assignments seem to be invalid, or not as difficult. And sometimes I sit in their rooms and feel sorry for them. As they try to pronounce the words/symbols so many times that it almost seems like a lost cause. And sometimes they fail at trying to do it so many times that a forlorn expression appears across their faces and I know it is my cue to leave their rooms and let them mourn in peace and quiet. So for those out their interested ins studying Chinese it is very difficult, but one has to remember the benefits. To learn Chinese will put you in good stead for the future. Because currently the Chinese economy is booming and down the line it could be thee Super Power in the world. With that premise and assumption, Chinese could certainly be a very beneficial economical asset. So pick up your Lord Confucious works, and start learning Chinese.

Hmm

English has expanded and survived because it has taken many foreign words and incorporated it into the language. But, as this article is trying to suggest, just because the English language is incorporating so new words does not mean it should throw the traditional rule book out of the window. Because the article states that if one were to throw out the rule book regarding new words then those words would only be applicable to that certain area. And thus would not be intelligible. The article goes on to mention that in the specific case of Hinglish, a mixture of Hindi and English, is only suitable in north India. And that robs it of its USP, as an international communicator. The article points out that in a globalized world, people need one language to be universal. In the UK and US - employees’ responses are so often in Hinglish or other forms of English that they confuse and annoy callers. The article goes on to state that to be understood in the English speaking world, that it is necessary for others to adopt the prevailing vocabulary, style and pronunciation that is used. For a language to be an effective global communication tool, it needs to be understood by many. And it has to conform to the rules.

This article is an interesting article. It really does strike a chord. Although, we are allowed to have our own dialects and languages - i venture to say, we must have a common language. For without a common language communication falls by the wayside. Indeed, all languages are special, but i am not saying do away with other languages, I am just saying, learn the "main one." And by that, I am referring to the language which is prevalent in the area or time you live in. Languages are how we communicate, and if we do not understand one another, then we might as well be talking to animals.

Use it - then u might learn it.

Teacher of the year, Kate Fawthrop, believes that for students to learn language they simply must not learn it, but learn to use it. She believes in language immersion. When teaching French or Spanish, if she says something the children do not understand, she uses an English word. She says it is pointless to continue to talk if the children do not understand, because then they will never understand. She believes in letting the children speak the language they are learning as much as possible. In this new ploy, students are immediately drawn into the culture of the language they are learning. She plays native Spanish music before the start of Spanish class. The students then read books in the language they are learning. They do not read novels, but they read children's books and translate some of the lines. The children are also told to translate song lyrics into English, and it is this ploy that has helped many of them learn the new language.
I feel this is the best way for any teacher to teach another language. Because it is pointless to continue rambling on in lets say, French, when the students only understand Spanish and do not know what you are saying. If a student is lost, and you continue on the path that they are lost, of course they are going to continue to be lost. They will not get it eventually. And if they do, it will be because one of their friends who speaks the language will point out to them the meaning of the words. So, I am all for speaking English in Spanish class if it helps the students understand the material.

Mira

There is a change. For the first time we are going to have three presidential Republican candidates debating in a televised Spanish-language debate. Former Tennessee senator Fred Thompson, former New York City mayor, Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney, have decided to participate in this forum. McCain and Hunter accepted the previous invitation to do the Spanish-language debate, but because they were only initially only two it was canceled, but now it is on with other candidates springing to the fore. The first ever televised Spanish debate to be broad-casted in Spanish was done by 7 Democratic candidates, including Hilary Clinton and Obama, participated in this. The candidates will be asked the questions in Spanish, which will be translated into English, by their headphones, but their answers will be translated back into Spanish.

The Republicans did not refuse the invitation because they were afraid thye could have lost swing states such as Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado, which have fast growing Hispanic populations. Mitt Romney, seeing this is, wrote a letter to the Univision executives praising the contributions Hispanics have made to America. Romney stated, "I look forward to addressing Univision's audience and discussing my ideas to strengthen America through stronger families, a stronger economy and a stronger military.... these are the values that have attracted millions of Hispanics to the Republican Party, and I believe they will continue to do so in the future." Giuliani's and Thompson's campaigns also embraced Univision's invitation - "We think it will be a valuable opportunity to communicate with Hispanic voters in Florida and elsewhere, and expand the mayor's strong ties in the Hispanic community," Giuliani spokesman Elliott Bundy said. Thompson's campaign spokesman Jeff Sadosky said: "Sen. Thompson has been running a campaign that is appealing to all segments of the U.S., all Americans, and we feel he's got a message that is resonating in all communities. He's excited to participate in this forum.

The interesting thing about this forum is the fact that the candidates are showing that the Hispanic vote is very critical and are doing everything in their might to attain it. And there is no better way to reach out to a new-comer than by doing something that reminds him of home. It is like a new kid on the block from India. To make him feel at home, one has to offer to play cricket with him, a sport which is the country's past-time, such an invitation would warm his heart, and thus allow him to make the transition. And it is interesting to note the amount of Spanish speaking people coming into America, that the presidential debate has now started to be said in Spanish. Will there be a time when there are now translating ear phones to the candidates, who will simply be responding back in fluently in Spanish? Well, only time will tell.

Monkey see, Monkey do

In this article, we hear that NetSpeak has added new services which allows people to learn languages online for free. Kantalk, a website, is used as a device to improve peoples skills in spoken English. It allows people to communicate via e-mail, Skype, Youtube and others in order to improve their communicative skills. Kantalk allows people to engage in real-time conversations with others. It allows them to listen to the various accents and pronunciations, so that people can learn how to understand various forms of English. The site also allows video footage so that people can learn by seeing as well. The use of videos in the site allows people to listen to conversations, which they had not participated in, but wish to see and hear. The videos also are a good source and way of allowing the learner to test their listening and comprehension skills. Another site which is great for non-English speakers who wish to speak Enlgish is TalkEnglish. This site helps people practice spoken English as well. This site has lessons varying from "Travel English - to Interview English." Another helpful site for English and non-English speakers is BusinessEnglish. The site allows people to learn important business terms and words. What is amazing about these sites is that they are not solely exclusive to the learning of the English language. Instead, there are sites that also help native English speakers, learn languages such as French, Spanish and Russian. These sites are what the world needs to progress. People who are born and are only taught one language at home, or wish to learn eight or more languages could benefit greatly from these sites. It is a great site, and this summer I am going to be pracitsing my Russian skills online. So instead of "facebooking," I am going to be interacting with Russian speakers, and perhaps learn the language.




http://www.hindu.com/biz/2007/11/05/stories/2007110550081700.htm

Washoe dead...

Washoe, the first non-human to acquire sign language is dead. The animal learned sign language in Nevada. The monkey was born in Africa in 1965. Washoe is considered to be a very important scientific and research tool for scientists. Scientists were able to study his brain and draw conclusions from it. Washoe was able to dispute, most notably from Chomsky and Pinker, the claim that only humans possessed language skills. In the experiment, scientists, created an environment to that of a deaf infant, learning to communicate only by sign language. The experiment was a success, as Washoe, when he entered the bathroom was able to make signs for the various items he could not reach, like a toothbrush. Washoe was able on more than one occasion to use sign language to communicate "more" and "smell." This Chimps contribution to the way language works in our system is imperative. Yes, only humans can speak the way we do, due to our physical set-up, such as our vocal chords, and neck. But, that does not mean that animals cannot communicate with us. Since sign language is the closest thing, as of right now, to closing the gap, or rather, widening our understanding between science, language, and stereotypes. In an age of new ideas and the constant questioning of old ones, Chomsky and Pinker represent our old beliefs, and it is up to us to prove them wrong. And the best possible way is to teach animals sign language, or a language, which allows them to communicate with us, and visa versa. Image that, talking to your dog...

Boy Wonder

So, apparently this boy speaks ten different languages. Isn't he a selfish little boy. I do not deny his gifts, and I praise them, like, com'n, ten different languages, that is something special. Now, this is my point, why doesn't share one other language with me? Scientists could maneuver some way to implement his ten year old gifts into my eighteen year old brain. But, I am curious to know if his musical ability is really a reason for his ability to acquire multiple languages, or is it his age, and something I have been thinking about, his ability to learn languages as the reason for his ability to learn so many languages. It is very interesting though, that he learned most of his languages at school. And I think it is in that department that most of us have been short-changed our entire lives. The ability of a school to teach young children languages before it becomes very difficult to teach is very important. This boy could go on to become the world's greatest diplomat, or translator, a job, which he didn't acquire by himself per say, but by the good initiatives and intuitions of his parents and school. I guess I am going to send my children to Blue Coat School in Edgbaston, Birmingham. And perhaps they too could go on to become a member of the National Children's Orchestra. As a musician myself, that is very commendable and respectable.


http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5hDv8onLDp1TpwvcxjHD1UHXLrCFA

Newcastle United Football Club

With the influx of foreign players(investments) to the English game(soccer league), the language of football in the country has changed quite a bit, or has it? Many English sides, as well as various sides in Europe have players from many different backgrounds and nationalities. With all these players, the problem for managers and players alike is communication. Which language should be spoken, and when is it appropriate to speak which language to whom? That has been a big problem for a team like Arsenal, who have at least seven different nationalities in their starting eleven for a particular game. And the question becomes, although football is a language of its own, the players when telling their teammates to switch the play, or "man on" have to say it in a common language, otherwise their teammates are lost, and thus confusion is sprung on the field. In my high-school, although we have people from various nationalities, we all spoke English to each other on the field, as the "official language" of the team. It did not mean that English was the language of soccer, but rather everyone could understand English, and not all could speak Spanish, French or Portugese. The Newcastle United manager, Sam Allardyce, has a dilemma. He has many players from various nationalities, and not all these players speak English. Emre for instance, speaks Turkish, yet on the training ground and on the field, the official language is English. And it is the foreign players of the club, like Geremi, the captain, and speaker of French, Spanish and English, and Beye, who have accepted the policy, as the right way to go. Because, as Beye stated, they are in England, and it is only best to learn the language of the country.

Machine Translators = easy life...

Here we go again. Our attempt to bring "language" to machines. And yet again, we have failed. Indeed, it is one of those experiments where practice, work, and more practice is going to be beneficial, but, as of right now, nothing is happening. Sentences are going awry, and meanings are completely eschewed. The truth is without presenting a context for words, it is almost impossible to translate anything. Even for a human being, a statement not heard in its original context could mean a vastly different thing. And once we start to misunderstand each other, then the importance of language dwindles. For language's primary function is to communicate. It is the best communicate we have at our disposal. But, I must admit, if google or some other company, were to come up with a precise translator, of about 6 or more languages, then I am all for it. Now, I can get a passage from Greek class, scan it unto my computer, and simply click translate. You see, it is a win win situation. I do not have to spend long hours, hours which I could be sleeping or more importantly watch soccer games, translating Greek. Is it bad? No. And it is simple, I see this as the new version of the calculator. Why do math by long hand, when the calculator is there??

http://blogs.zdnet.com/Google/?p=778
http://blog.searchenginewatch.com/blog/071023-115310

"Caveman speak"

Apparently scientists have found DNA evidence that perhaps Neanderthals might have possessed the ability to speak. That is certainly very interesting and casts a very different light on the individuals we have considered unintelligent for a long time. And it also brings up a very interesting point, that we assign intelligence and perhaps value to things that speak. When someone is mute, or cannot speak a language correctly, it is our first reaction to think of that person as less intelligent - when in reality, that person simply cannot speak the language. An example of this, although not entirely equivalent to the last statement is George Bush. He is deemed unintelligent not for his policies per say, but by his speech mannerisms. In the same way, our perception of cavemen, as unintelligent creatures, takes a dramatic hit for the worse, as new findings state that they could possible talk. It is also very interesting, when one thinks about it, is that the use of the word "barbarian." It is a word used to denounce someone as being primitive and rather insulting. Yet, when one looks at how the word was formed, we see something interesting. It was used to describe someone, whom someone could not understand, eg. "blah blah blah", and thus the term barbaric was coined. It was initially used by Greeks to define non-Greeks. And it is interesting that even over the centuries a tremendous amount of emphasis was placed between speaking and intelligence. A great speaker is usually defined as very intelligent, although, he could be very dumb. So I am very curious, if we find one dog, that could speak intelligently, would that dog attain more rights than a mute?

http://www.firstscience.com/home/perspectives/editorials/could-neanderthals-speak_38144.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/10/20/nbrute120.xml
http://www.hindu.com/2007/10/22/stories/2007102255892000.htm

The Irish battle...

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/politics/article3064773.ece
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/opinion/article3067784.ece
http://www.oceanfm.ie/onair/donegalnews.php?articleid=000001937

A culture is fighting to keep its language alive. It is one of the most unfortunate events and affairs one can watch. And to make matters worse, it is not as though they are trying to keep the language alive solely for the of keeping their heritage. But, some individuals are looking to keep the language alive solely for political reasons. It is a very unfortunate event unfolding in Northern Ireland. Northern Irish political figure, Minister Edwin Poots, faced a major row as he began to announce his intentions of scrapping the proposed Irish language legislation. The main opponents to the scrapping of the bill are the "SDLP." They insist that Irish children should learn the Irish language. Indeed, those individuals who claim to speak Irish, do not speak it at home, and instead speak English. So the question becomes the usefulness of the language. Many parents who want their children to learn the language, send them to Gaelic schools, but that is just about it. They want them to learn their language, but not be caught up in the politics of it. They want them to remember their heritage, but know that they have to speak English, for that is the current language of academia and science. Most of the Northern Irish people fluently speak English. What the world needs is not to pass legislation to keep a language alive or kill it, but to let history and nature take its course. Some things may die out, and some things may live, it is the survival of the fittest.

Belligerent society, warlike language

The blog writer comes up with a very interesting point. The English language has developed so many synonyms for the word and term "war" and "fight" that it is almost scary. The article reports that the long list of synonoms that popped up when she typed in fight, says a lot about what has made human beings human. And in her last line, the author states, - but there are more words that pop up for love in our language than war. It is interesting that the author does not differentiate between the English language and other languages. For English the language and the experience itself is different to that many languages that a comparison needs to be developed in order to see whether belligerence is a thing naturally associated with us. In the example of the word snow, us - English speakers, only have one word for it, while some tribes who live in the snow possess more than 50 words for snow. It is not that the entire human race is belligerent, but the English culture as being belligerent. For when one thinks about it, it is the English conquered the world - bringing with them their language and customs.

http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2007/10/language-as-hum.html

In this case, the author points to the fact the people who are trying to ban the use of Gaelic, do in fact possess Gaelic surnames. And thus, should stop using their last names. Well, I think this is a ridiculous claim by the author. I do not think that Gaelic should be prohibited from speach, but the reasons the writer gives are a bit ridiculous. There is no way those men could choose their last names. It is not they who picked it, but their parents. And last names will forever stay in a family, unless they do not have sons of their own.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/letters/article3056741.ece

Catalona/Barcelona

Being a huge soccer fan, a Manchester united soccer at that, I have taken to watching many soccer matches in England and abroad. And have come across something I did not know existed, until watching Barcelona play. The internal fighting in Spain between Spanish - Spain and Catalonia. Indeed, Barcelona Football club, which is also referred to as, "The Catalonian Giants," have been representing their people for a long time. A footballer at Barcelona "forced" the President of the Club to put into every player's contract clause that they had to learn Catalonian. The player was an activist, but I did not know how serious he was, until he refused to join the Spanish national team, but instead play for the amateur Catalonia rebel side. But, before he refused to play for the national team, he had initially refused to train at Real Madrid, where the national team traditionally practiced. But besides those incidents I never knew how serious the division was within Spain about the Catalonia issue. Now, the Catalonian's are having a special show at hte Frankfurt Book Fair, and they have barred the Spanish media from entering. The books on display speak about the battle the Catalonian's have faced to save their language, after it was banned twice from Spain in 1714 and 1939. I read this and was shocked and appalled at the Spanish government's attempt to ban the language, in essence an attempt to destroy the culture of the people. In South Africa the same thing was done, but not throughout the country, but in the schools. Forcing children to learn in Afrikaans, resulting in the Soweto uprising, where students demonstrated for their right to learn in their own languages and resulting in some students loosing their lives. It is an unfortunate thing in this world that we do look down upon the smaller languages, and immediately reduce the people who speak them to "nothingness." It is a fault we humans have, and a fault we have to work on.

A little opposition

Earlier in my blog, I had spoken about the globilization of the world and of the English language. I had come with the view point that since the world was quickly "uniting" that it would be wrong for others not to learn the language of science and business and academia, that being English. But, there has being another point, which an article dutifully pointed out, which I knew but still do not quite believe or perhaps understand. In the article it was stated that since the world was quickly becoming a place where everyone and everything where becoming interconnected, that it would only be right and healthy to indeed start learning other languages. The languages he put forth were European languages, such as French, Spanish, German and Italian. In that opinion, children in school should be forced to take a language all the way throughout high school. And in taking the language the text of the language should be in the text of the language they are studying, and not in English. And the reason for this idea, was put forth that as people who speak English, we seem to expect everyone else to learn our language, but not so much us to learn their languages. The article stated that without learning languages, as English speakers continued to keep narrow minds and never really understand those around us. Well, I agree with this statement, but I do not think because one only speaks English that one is narrow minded in the foreign events. But, it certainly was a different perspective to mine, and I wanted you, my readers, to see another view point.

unforgiveable

I feel that it is a great dis-service if adults, holding very passionate and narrow-minded views about their home tongue, move into a different culture and do not teach their children the language of that culture. I feel it is the equivalent of depriving your child of an education. Indeed, when one does not know the language of the land, educational opportunities as well as economic and social opportunities fall by the wayside. And for any parent to allow opportunities slip by for their children is in my mind: ridiculous, unfair and selfish. Yes, I am not saying that your mother tongue is not relevant or important - and no one is saying, solely teach one's child the "foreign" tongue. However, I am saying that one should allow and actually force their children to learn the foreign language, to give them a footing in that society. I just read an article today, where the Poles had schools set up to teach their children to speak English in the United Kingdom. And the Scottish people living in Polish communities went to schools which taught them Polish, so that they could learn the language of the "area" within they were situated in. Indeed, that is how it should be, for if one is solely intent on sticking to their language, they do miss a great deal of opportunity - not just that of learning a new language and opening another path of one's brain - but - social, economic and educational opportunities made available in the foreign language all disappear, and that to me, is just unforgivable.

The world's only language...

In business and economics we often hear the word "globalization" passed around. And with the inevitable advancements of technology the world is becoming a smaller place. Never before has access to distant parts of the world being more accessible, as it is now in the twenty first century. The United States and Great Britain, specifically referring to England, have spread their culture and language around the world. With the United States being the only world super power right now, and a place full economic opportunity, many individuals from all over the world have fought and struggled to get into America.
Although, English may not have been their first language, they come to America with the knowledge that to survive and compete, and take advantage of all that America has to offer, that they have to be able to comprehend and speak English. By no means am I saying that English is the "best" language in the world, but it is currently the most important. We can see this idea by simply looking at the United Nations, where the official language was once French, but now has changed to English.
It is very rare to go anywhere in the world and not meet someone who does not speak English. English is becoming the world's language. The Guardian stated that there are about 750,000 English words, while only 200,000 German words and relatively speaking only 100,000 French words. I feel this attributes to the sponge like nature of the English language. The ability of the language to adapt 'foreign' words into it like: egg, horse, window and etc, which are not traditional Anglo-Saxon words, but old Norse words. As well as street words and cliches, such as "less is more" and "cool." With the sponge like nature of the English language compelled by the irreversibly trend of globalization the English language is soon going to be the only language spoken in the world. Now, that last statement might be a bit over the top, but there is some truth to it.
We can see this unfolding in the languages spoken in the workplace. The BBC wrote an article about a firm in the United Kingdom, which had banned Welsh being spoken at the work place. Such things are not rare, but quite common. And is indeed, the fact that the English language and culture - the attire of the suit, jeans etc, is no longer going to solely be an Englishman's 'thing,' but that of the world.

Places I've been

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Why I'm doing this...what is there for me to gain?

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I have always wanted to belong to a place, a people, a culture; but so far, I have been alienated. I was born in Ghana and at the very tender age of two, sat on a plane and flew south, to South Africa. I spent the first few years of my life in the Transkei, where the predominant language was Xhosa - a language renowned for the "click" sound in its language. I took to this language, as well as to English, the language my mother spoke to me at home.
But something was amiss, my mother spoke a different language to me and that to our "helper" from Ghana. I did not understand it. It was the language of secrets, enthusiasm, joy and solitude. However, in this language she was a different person. It was as if she had two spirits, one which was ecstatic and genial, and the other serious and cautious. And these two spirits seemed to interchange with the language she spoke. As the years passed, I began to learn the language of my mothers' genial and happy nature - Twi.
Later on, we moved to Pretoria, where English and Afrikaans become the dominate languages. I lost my ability to speak Xhosa. But I had always spoken English and naturally gravitated towards it, and those who spoke the language.
Unfortunately, I left everything that was familiar and comfortable and moved to America, where I had to learn a new language, since apparently mine wasn't "English." Every time I opened my mouth, the voice which exited betrayed me.
I could not claim to be from anywhere, because I could neither speak the language, or speak it with the "correct" accent. I was lost, and still am. When I claim to be from my birth country, I am disowned, and ridiculed, simply because I cannot speak the language, Twi, though I can understand it fluently. I was born there. My parents are from there - yet, because I cannot speak the language I have been isolated - almost exiled.
In South Africa, I could never claim to be from there, although I grew up there - I knew I was a foreigner, and would always be such. And such is my life - a wonderer forever wondering. Yet, perhaps by taking Psych 17N(Language & Society) I might cease to be a wonderer wondering, but a being with a home.