Definitions of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF)

Definitions of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) The term English as a lingua franca (ELF) refers to the teaching, learning, and use of the English language as a common means of communication  (or contact language) for speakers of different native languages.Although most contemporary  linguists  regard English as a lingua franca (ELF) as a valuable means of international communication and a worthwhile object of study, some have challenged the idea that ELF is a distinct variety of English. Prescriptivists  (generally non-linguists) tend to dismiss ELF as  a kind of foreigner talk  or what has been disparagingly called BSEbad simple English.British linguist Jennifer Jenkins points out that ELF is not a new phenomenon. English, she says, has served as a lingua franca in the past, and continues to do so nowadays, in many of the countries that were colonized by the British from the late sixteenth century on (often known collectively as the Outer Circle following Kachru 1985), such as India and Singapore. . . . What is new a bout ELF, however, is the extent of its reach (English as a Lingua Franca in the International University, 2013).    Examples and Observations As well as being usedoften in a very simple formby tourists, ELF is prominent in international politics and diplomacy, international law, business, the media, and in tertiary education and scientific researchwhich Yamuna Kachru and Larry Smith (2008: 3) call ELFs mathetic functionso it is clearly not a reduced lingua franca in the terms original (Frankish) sense. Yet it usually differs from English as a native language (ENL), the language used by NESs [native English speakers]. Spoken ELF contains a huge amount of linguistic variation and non-standard forms (although formal written ELF tends to resemble ENL to a much greater extent).(Ian Mackenzie,  English as a Lingua Franca: Theorizing and Teaching English. Routledge, 2014)ELF in Local and International SettingsEnglish operates as a lingua franca at a number of different levels, including local, national, regional and international. Apparently paradoxically, the more localised the use of English as a lingua franca, the more varia tion it is likely to display. This can be explained by reference . . . to the identitycommunication continuum. When used in a local setting, ELF will display identity markers. Thus code-switching and the explicit [use] of nativised norms can be expected. When used for international communication, on the other hand, speakers will consciously avoid the use of local and nativised norms and expressions.(Andy Kirkpatrick,  World Englishes: Implications for International Communication and English Language Teaching. Cambridge University Press, 2007) Is ELF a Variety of English?Whether ELF should be called a variety of English at all is an open question, and one which cannot be answered as long as we do not have any good descriptions of it. It is well known that divisions between languages are arbitrary, and therefore those between varieties of a language have to be as well. Once descriptions are available of how speakers from different linguacultural backgrounds use ELF, this will make it possible to consider whether it would make sense to think of English as it is spoken by its non-native speakers as falling into different varieties, just as is the English spoken by its native speakers. . . . It is likely that ELF, like any other natural language, will turn out to vary, and to change over time. It does not make much sense, therefore, to talk about a monolithic variety as such: a variety can be treated as if it were a monolith, but this is a convenient fiction, for the process of variation itself never stops.(Barbara Seidlhofer, English as a Lingua Franca in the Expanding Circle: What It Isnt.  English in the World: Global Rules, Global Roles, ed. by  Rani Rubdy and Mario Saraceni.  Continuum, 2006) Two ApproachesSeeing as the movement to bring forth the conceptualization of English as a lingua franca is gaining momentum worldwide, and more specifically for Europe, it is imperative that an analysis is made of the implications of the two differing approaches . . .. One is the (traditional) idea that English is a lingua franca for a non-native speaker constituency which should pursue knowledge of the language as if it were a foreign language. The other, upheld by those who have bought into the world Englishes paradigm, is to see English as a lingua franca for interlocutors who use it with others in multicultural settings (and thus see English in its diversity as opposed to viewing English as a prescriptive entity defined by idealized inner-circle speakers). It should be made clear, moreover, that my own position here is that a lingua franca must be inclusive as opposed to exclusive. That is to say, it is imperative that our understanding of how English is used in Europe is integra ted with a vision of a communicatively viable use of the language internationally.(Marko Modiano, EIL, Native-Speakerism and the Failure of European ELT.  English as an International Language: Perspectives and Pedagogical Issues, ed. by  Farzad Sharifian. Multilingual Matters, 2009)

How Scientists Determine Climates of the Past

How Scientists Determine Climates of the Past Paleoenvironmental reconstruction (also known as paleoclimate reconstruction) refers to the results and the investigations undertaken to determine what the climate and vegetation were like at a particular time and place in the past. Climate, including vegetation, temperature, and relative humidity, has varied considerably during the time since the earliest human habitation of planet earth, from both natural and cultural (human-made) causes. Climatologists primarily use paleoenvironmental data to understand how the environment of our world has changed and how modern societies need to prepare for the changes to come. Archaeologists use paleoenvironmental data to help understand the living conditions for the people who lived at an archaeological site. Climatologists benefit from the archaeological studies because they show how humans in the past learned how to adapt or failed to adapt to environmental change, and how they caused environmental changes or made them worse or better by their actions. Using Proxies The data that are collected and interpreted by paleoclimatologists are known as proxies, stand-ins for what cant be directly measured. We cant travel back in time to measure the temperature or humidity of a given day or year or century, and there are no written records of climatic changes that would give us those details older than a couple of hundred years. Instead, paleoclimate researchers rely on biological, chemical, and geological traces of past events that were influenced by the climate. The primary proxies used by climate researchers are plant and animal remains because the type of flora and fauna in a region indicates the climate: think of polar bears and palm trees as indicators of local climates. Identifiable traces of plants and animals range in size from whole trees to microscopic diatoms and chemical signatures. The most useful remains are those that are large enough to be identifiable to species; modern science has been able to identify objects as tiny as pollen grains and spores to plant species. Keys to Past Climates Proxy evidence can be biotic, geomorphic, geochemical, or geophysical; they can record environmental data that range in time from yearly, every ten years, every century, every millennium or even multi-millennia. Events such as tree growth and regional vegetation changes leave traces in soils and peat deposits, glacial ice and moraines, cave formations, and in the bottoms of lakes and oceans. Researchers rely on modern analogs; that is to say, they compare the findings from the past to those found in current climates around the world. However, there are periods in the very ancient past when the climate was completely different from what is currently being experienced on our planet. In general, those situations appear to be the result of climate conditions that had more extreme seasonal differences than any weve experienced today. It is particularly important to recognize that atmospheric carbon dioxide levels were lower in the past than those present today, so ecosystems with less  greenhouse gas  in the atmosphere likely behaved differently than they do today. Paleoenvironmental Data Sources There are several types of sources where paleoclimate researchers can find preserved records of past climates. Glaciers and Ice Sheets: Long-term bodies of ice, such as the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, have annual cycles which build new layers of ice each year like tree rings. Layers in the ice vary in texture and color during warmer and cooler parts of the year. Also, glaciers expand with increased precipitation and cooler weather and retract when warmer conditions prevail. Trapped in those layers laid down over thousands of years are dust particles and gases which were created by climatic disturbances such as volcanic eruptions, data which can be retrieved using ice cores.Ocean Bottoms: Sediments are deposited in the bottom of the oceans each year, and lifeforms such as foraminifera, ostracods, and diatoms die and are deposited with them. Those forms respond to ocean temperatures: for example, some are more prevalent during warmer periods.Estuaries and Coastlines: Estuaries preserve information about the height of former sea levels in long sequences of alternating layers of organic p eat when the sea level was low, and inorganic silts when the sea level rose. Lakes: Like oceans and estuaries, lakes also have annual basal deposits called varves. Varves hold a wide variety of organic remains, from entire archaeological sites to pollen grains and insects. They can hold information about environmental pollution such as acid rain, local iron mongering, or run-offs from eroded hills nearby.Caves: Caves are closed systems, where average annual temperatures are maintained year-round and with a high relative humidity. Mineral deposits within caves such as stalactites, stalagmites, and flowstones gradually form in thin layers of calcite, which trap chemical compositions from outside the cave. Caves can thus contain continuous, high-resolution records which can be dated using uranium-series dating.Terrestrial Soils: Soil deposits on land can also be a source of information, trapping animal and plant remains in colluvial deposits at the base of hills or alluvial deposits in valley terraces. Archaeological Studies of Climate Change Archaeologists have been interested in climate research since at least Grahame Clarks 1954 work at Star Carr. Many have worked with climate scientists to figure out the local conditions at the time of occupation. A trend identified by Sandweiss and Kelley (2012) suggests that climate researchers are beginning to turn to the archaeological record to assist with the reconstruction of paleoenvironments. Recent studies described in detail in Sandweiss and Kelley include: The interaction between humans and climatic data to determine the rate and extent of El Nià ±o and the human reaction to it over the last 12,000 years of people living in coastal Peru.Tell Leilan in northern Mesopotamia (Syria) deposits matched to ocean drilling cores in the Arabian Sea identified a previously-unknown volcanic eruption that took place between 2075-1675 BC, which in turn may have led to an abrupt aridification with the abandonment of the tell and may have led to the disintegration of the Akkadian empire.In the Penobscot valley of Maine in the northeastern United States, studies on sites dated to the early-middle Archaic (~9000-5000 years ago), helped establish a chronology of flood events in the region associated with falling or low lake levels.Shetland Island, Scotland, where Neolithic-aged sites are sand-inundated, a situation believed to be an indication of a period of storminess in the North Atlantic. Sources Allison AJ, and Niemi TM. 2010. Paleoenvironmental reconstruction of Holocene coastal sediments adjacent to archaeological ruins in Aqaba, Jordan. Geoarchaeology 25(5):602-625.Dark P. 2008. Paleoenvironmental reconstruction, methods. In: Pearsall DM, editor. Encyclopedia of Archaeology. New York: Academic Press. p 1787-1790.Edwards KJ, Schofield JE, and Mauquoy D. 2008. High resolution paleoenvironmental and chronological investigations of Norse landnm at Tasiusaq, Eastern Settlement, Greenland. Quaternary Research 69:1–15.Gocke M, Hambach U, Eckmeier E, Schwark L, Zà ¶ller L, Fuchs M, Là ¶scher M, and Wiesenberg GLB. 2014. Introducing an improved multi-proxy approach for paleoenvironmental reconstruction of loess–paleosol archives applied on the Late Pleistocene Nussloch sequence (SW Germany). Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 410:300-315.Lee-Thorp J, and Sponheimer M. 2015. Contribution of Stable Light Isotopes to Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction. I n: Henke W, and Tattersall I, editors. Handbook of Paleoanthropology. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p 441-464. Lyman RL. 2016. The mutual climatic range technique is (usually) not the area of sympatry technique when reconstructing paleoenvironments based on faunal remains. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 454:75-81.Rhode D, Haizhou M, Madsen DB, Brantingham PJ, Forman SL, and Olsen JW. 2010. Paleoenvironmental and archaeological investigations at Qinghai Lake, western China: Geomorphic and chronometric evidence of lake level history. Quaternary International 218(1–2):29-44.Sandweiss DH, and Kelley AR. 2012. Archaeological Contributions to Climate Change Research: The Archaeological Record as a Paleoclimatic and Paleoenvironmental Archive*. Annual Review of Anthropology 41(1):371-391.Shuman BN. 2013. Paleoclimate reconstruction - Approaches In: Elias SA, and Mock CJ, editors. Encyclopedia of Quaternary Science (Second Edition). Amsterdam: Elsevier. p 179-184.

A statical review and analysis of the effects of Coca and Tea Intake Essay

A statical review and analysis of the effects of Coca and Tea Intake on Blood Pressure - Essay Example major steps: (1) Selection of studies; (2) The statistical procedures carried out to ensure that there was no publication bias and data heterogeneity was actually; (3) The actual data comparison on the effect of coffee and tea intervention on blood pressure. Selection of studies. Prospective articles for the meta-analysis were selected from the results of searches performed on major electronic medical databases (SCOPUS, EMBASE, and MEDLINE), the Science Citation Index, and the Cochrane Controlled Trials Registry. Matches were found using the search items â€Å"chocolate,† â€Å"cocoa,† â€Å"tea,† â€Å"blood pressure,† â€Å"cardiovascular,† â€Å"endothelium† and â€Å"hypertension.† From the search, 3106 articles were screened for relevance, but only 454 were retrieved for assessment. From these, 409 studies were screened out because neither tea nor coffee was reported to have an effect on blood pressure. More studies were excluded because they were only observational, have incomplete randomization or outcome, treatment was shorter than 7 days, and used only supplements. Finally, only ten papers were included: five studied the effects of coffee and the other five studied effects of tea on blood pressure. All were randomized controlled trials on at least 10 adults. Data was extracted from the papers independently by two investigators, and then an eleven point Jadad scale was used to evaluate the trials. Jadads scale is a five questions scale, originally used to assess the quality of clinical trials. It asks about randomization, double –blinding, description of withdrawals from the study, description of the blinding and randomization (Clark, Castro and Filho). The interrater coefficients of agreement (kappa-ÃŽ º) were 0.94 for data extraction, and 0.89 for the quality of the trials. Participants were determined to be unblinded to the interventions. The changes in the systolic and diastolic blood pressures in cocoa, tea or control groups were presented as

According to Primo Levi's Survival in Auschwitz. How did Auschwitz Essay

According to Primo Levi's Survival in Auschwitz. How did Auschwitz systematically dehumanize the prisoners - Essay Example Firstly, in order to understand the scope of such a question, it is necessary to consider the very nature of humanity as the prisoners grasped the concept from the outset of their internment. With respect to the way that the prisoners were transported to the sites, one can clearly see a very obvious overtone of bestial contempt. Firstly, the prisoners were separated from their belongings as they were organized and herded just like animals into train cars that were oftentimes originally purposed for meat transportation. Once the individuals had arrived at the concentration camp however, the horro of their experience had unfortunately just begun. A further way that humanity was taken, specifically discussed by Primo Levi, was the manner in which the prisoners were immediately faced with the fact that in order to survive, key elements of their own interpretations of morality, justice, and â€Å"good† and â€Å"evil† must be adjusted. Although this seems like a small thing, this shift of the understanding of humanity and how prisoners were forced to relate with one another as a function of their captivity worked to redefine the way that these prisoners viewed their own humanity as a function of the peculiar type of life that the inhabitants of these horrible camps had to endure. In other words, mere survival required that the prisoner purge all manifestations of justice, purity, selflessness, and kindness that may have typified that approach that they took to life prior to being acquainted with the horrors of Auschwitz (Levi 86). To build upon this theme of lost humanity, Levi discusses the way in which the harsh conditions of concentration camp life demanded that the individual prisoner focus almost solely on their own survival as an all-encompassing world view and defense mechanism. As discussed previously in this essay, this type

Religious Differences in the Early New England Colonies Essay Example for Free

Religious Differences in the Early New England Colonies Essay New England Colonies were established by people who were exile because of their religious beliefs, Most were known as separist. Most wanted to escapes and break free from the Anglican Church which was also known as the Church of England. They wanted the freedom to worship God in their own way. Yet, they however did not want to extend the freedom to everyone. Those who wanted to â€Å"purify† the Church of England were known as the puritans. They believe the Church of England was too similar to the Catholics in structure and ceremony. The puritans specially were intolerant to those who did not believe in their beliefs. The puritans were known as the non separists, the separists were people who wanted to completely break free from the Church of England. Also there was a group called the Antinomians in which Anne Hutchinson and her supporters opposed to the rule of law. The Quakers whom believed that they did not need to learn from ministry, since one person’s interpretation of the scripture was as valid as anyone else’s. It was religions such as these and others that caused different people to break free and go to different parts of the New World so that they can be free to practice their beliefs, In the new world most were able to practice their own beliefs while yet some were exiled, driven out, or accepted into their colonies. Regardless of which, religion was the common factor for people leaving the old world and forming New England Colonies in the New World.

THE ELEMENT OF SATIRE WITH RESPECT TO CHAUCER?S ?CANTERBURY TALES? :: essays research papers fc

THESIS: THE ELEMENT OF SATIRE WITH RESPECT TO CHAUCER’S â€Å"CANTERBURY TALES† It is human nature to laugh when an event goes wrong or to make a mockery of an all too serious person. But what if authors had the power to use this instinct within humans to drive a point across? In fact they do and they call this literary tool†¦satire. Many authors have used this tool as a backbone in their writings; others have only managed to throw in elements of satire here and there. However, there was one author who had mastered this literary tool, and who could use it to the extremes. He had the ability to use it as playfully and lightheartedly as if to just tease. But, in an instant, he could use it to denigrate a person and ruin all that was left of their self-dignity. His name was Geoffrey Chaucer and his weapon of choice, satire. Satire is one of the most effective ways of writing. It allows the writer to use his imagination to the fullest and be as malicious as he deems necessary, yet not cause the reader to leave in disgust (Highet 242). Satire is a form of literature that readers expect to find some form of profound ideas. However, with satire comes a variation of the truth. While satire is grounded in truth, it is a tainted form. Distorted by the writer as a way of expressing an idea (Highet 234). It is not quite certain where the origins of satire started, but most believe that it was the Romans to first coin the term satire (Highet 24). Satura, meaning dish of mixed ingredients (HTTP://WWW.GALENET.COM/SERVLET/DC). Two men that could be credited with the title of â€Å"The Grandfathers of Satire† are the Roman poets Horace and Lucilius who wrote volumes of poetry, which included their own views on world politics, social fads, and the characters of their friends (Highet 24). Now, one must ask oneself why would an author choose to write in satire? Possibly it was personal grudges (Highet 238). Or another reason may be to state an ideal. In this case, the satire is not just to belittle a particular idea, but also to send a warning as an example (Highet 243). Other reasons for a satirist include, their personal feeling of inferiority or the desire to better society (Highet 240-241). Chaucer was as straightforward as a man can get (Wagenknecht 72). He saw the world as a down to earth fellow who was regarded as â€Å"sweet† (Wagenknecht 141).

Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meeting Reaction Paper Essay

The Narcotics Anonymous meeting which I attended was named 7 Days of NA which was located on 1212 North Wolfe Street at an organization called Dee’s Place. Just as the Alcoholic Anonymous meeting previously attended, the location appeared to be in a covert and quiet place to hold a support group. We entered through the rear entrance, which seemed to be staged that way to secure participants identity. As before at the last support group I attended, I searched around the room to see again, a 12 steps guide posted on the wall, a relatively thick NA ‘Basic Text’ textbook on the desk of the facilitator and this time there were more participants in attendance. There were approximately 20 woman and men in attendance, predominantly African Americans and two Caucasian women, however a majority of the attendees were women. All of which we either their due to being court ordered or there for the regular daily attendance. Before I was able to sit in my chair I was approached by a group of women, who appeared to be regular attendees, who greeted me with hugs and welcomed me to the meeting. After attending the AA support group, I felt as though I already knew what to expect and how to effectively receive the stories of how some of the individuals overcame substance abuse addiction. The meeting began with the facilitator reciting the Serenity Prayer, then she asked if anyone was new to the meeting. Again I was nervous and uncertain how to respond so I looked around but did not stand up because I did not want to be acknowledged. They then made announcements, where I then witnessed three people receive key chains for being 1 week clean. Though to some being one week clean may not pose much significance, however to the individual who sustained their sobriety for that period of time, it was proven that it was an enormous step for the individual. To me I believe the use of the key chain is a great aspect in motivating the individual to continue making progress towards their goals.  I observed that when each person who had the floor recounted their stories of addiction, ever yone appeared to have much admiration for the person sharing their story. I observed that before sharing their story they started with an introductory statement saying â€Å"Hi, my name is Janet, and I am an addict† and much like AA after each individual recounted their stories they thanked the group for having them while the grouped responded â€Å"Thanks for sharing†. This group, like AA appeared as though they were a unified family. Everyone listened to what each other had to say with no interruptions, no biases, and all appeared to be in support of one another. After listening to several stories of individuals suffering from addiction of various illicit substances to include mainly heroin, crack-cocaine and benzodiazepines, I was in awe as to how early some individuals began abusing drugs. Some of the participants started using drugs as young as 12 years old while some have been abusing drugs for as long as 20 years. However many participants identified as being clean for several years to include one woman who was clean for 15 + years, wh ich made me reflect on how strong these individuals must be to overcome such a powerful disease such as addiction. I noticed that though they have been clean for so long, they still dedicate themselves to attend NA meetings to assist in maintaining their sobriety. According to Gossop, Steward and Marsden (2007), it has been proven that attendance in 12 step self help groups including AA and NA meetings shows increased abstinence, improved psychological health outcomes and improved substance use outcomes. Expressing their stories of addiction to the group, for myself may appear to be seemingly hard and embarrassing but with a group of such empathetic and supportive members, recanting their stories came with ease. Once again I was asked if I would like to share my story, however this time I was more prepared and quickly and respectfully declined the opportunity to share a story with the group. Many participants engaged the group with stories of overcoming addiction or being sexually molested by family members as reasons behind their addiction. However all of their stories were compelling and empowering to the group of individuals who have seemed to endure some of the same sentiments as their fellow group mate. It appeared as if the individuals in the group even though that were court ordered appeared to be extremely engaged and very involved during the meetings. It seemed as though most who attended found peace and solice from  the group during the NA meetings. As it stated by Krentzman, Robinson, Moore, et.al (2010), client’s state that their top two reasons for attending NA meetings were to promote recovery/ sobriety and to find support acceptance and friendships. One thing that I learned from the NA group that just as in AA, family support deems to be an important function on the perseverance of an addict and that the participation and involvement of family is detrimental in the treatment process for the addicts. In several of our readings many of the passages discussed the effects of family systems support as it pertains to substance abusers chemical addiction. The passages described the family system as being a detrimental part of the treatment process as well as for the trea tment of the family as well. According to past studies, family involvement has aided clients in sustaining abstinence from drugs/alcohol and studies also show that those individuals with extensive family involvement in therapy reported higher numbers of clients being abstinent after six months as well as a much better family relationship (Crnkovic & Delcampo, 1998). After listening to all the stories of both feelings of defeat and success, the environment felt so warm and opened. Everyone made each other feel like no matter how long someone has been addicted or whether someone has fallen victim to relapse, they were still a part of the family and they were there to aid that individual in getting through their demise. Everyone motivated and supported each other to succeed. At the close of the meeting, everyone stood in a circle while everyone embraced and recited the Serenity prayer again. I believe that NA is an extremely important aspect of the treatment and intervention process of addiction, because it allows the individual to open up to those who have similar issues and who can emphathize and relate to what that person may be going through because they have or are in the same predicament. Longitudinal studies has proven that having an affiliation with NA has a greater likelihood of sustaining abstinence, improved social functioning and self efficiacy (Humphreys, Wings, McCarty , et al., 2004). As it relates to social work, advocating for self help groups such as Narcotics Anonymous are detrimental to the treatment process of addiction. These groups provide, advocacy, support and education to their clients which are all essential in supporting addicts in their treatment recovery. Working with these individuals requires empathy, understanding and comprehension of the disease  model of addiction, to be an advocate for not only clients facing addiction, but for the surrounding urban communities which are consumed with the drug abuse epidemic daily. References Crnkovic, A., & DelCampo, R.L. (1998). A systems approach to the treatment of chemical addiction. Contemporary Family Therapy: An International Journal, 20(1), 25-36. Gossop, M., Stewart, D., & Marsden, J. (2008). Attendance at Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, frequency of attendance and substance use outcomes after residential treatment for drug dependence: a 5†year follow†up study. Addiction, 103(1), 119-125. Humphreys, K., Wing, S., McCarty, D., Chappel, J., Gallant, L., Haberle, B., †¦ & Weiss, R. (2004). Self- help organizations for alcohol and drug problems: Toward evidence-based practice and policy. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 26(3), 151-158. Krentzman, A. R., Robinson, E. A., Moore, B. C., Kelly, J. F., Laudet, A. B., White, W. L., †¦ & Strobbe, S. (2011). How alcoholics anonymous (AA) and narcotics anonymous (NA) work: Cross- disciplinary perspectives. Alcoholism treatment quarterly, 29(1), 75-84.