Definition and Examples of Native Languages

In most cases, the term native language refers to the language that a person acquires in early childhood because it is spoken in the family and/or it is the language of the region where the child lives. Also known as a mother tongue, first language, or arterial language. A person who has more than one native language is regarded as bilingual or multilingual. Contemporary linguists and educators commonly use the term L1 to refer to a first or native language, and the term L2 to refer to a second language or a foreign language thats being studied. As David Crystal has observed, the term native language (like native speaker) has become a sensitive one in those parts of the world where native has developed demeaning connotations (Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics). The term is avoided by some specialists in World English and New Englishes. Examples and Observations [Leonard] Bloomfield (1933) defines a native language as one learned on ones mothers knee, and claims that no one is perfectly sure in a language that is acquired later. The first language a human being learns to speak is his native language; he is a native speaker of this language (1933: 43). This definition equates a native speaker with a mother tongue speaker. Bloomfields definition also assumes that age is the critical factor in language learning and that native speakers provide the best models, although he does say that, in rare instances, it is possible for a foreigner to speak as well as a native. . . .The assumptions behind all these terms are that a person will speak the language they learn first better than languages they learn later, and that a person who learns a language later cannot speak it as well as a person who has learned the language as their first language. But it is clearly not necessarily true that the language a person learns first is the one they will always be best at . . ..(Andy Kirkpatrick, World Englishes: Implications for International Communication and English Language Teaching. Cambridge University Press, 2007)​ Native Language Acquisition A native language is generally the first one a child is exposed to. Some early studies referred to the process of learning ones first or native language as First Language Acquisition or FLA, but because many, perhaps most, children in the world are exposed to more than one language almost from birth, a child may have more than one native language. As a consequence, specialists now prefer the term native language acquisition (NLA); it is more accurate and includes all sorts of childhood situations.(Fredric Field, Bilingualism in the USA: The Case of the Chicano-Latino Community. John Benjamins, 2011) Language Acquisition and Language Change Our native language is like a second skin, so much a part of us we resist the idea that it is constantly changing, constantly being renewed. Though we know intellectually that the English we speak today and the English of Shakespeares time are very different, we tend to think of them as the same--static rather than dynamic.(Casey Miller and Kate Swift, The Handbook of Nonsexist Writing, 2nd ed. iUniverse, 2000)Languages change because they are used by human beings, not machines. Human beings share common physiological and cognitive characteristics, but members of a speech community differ slightly in their knowledge and use of their shared language. Speakers of different regions, social classes, and generations use language differently in different situations (register variation). As children acquire their native language, they are exposed to this synchronic variation within their language. For example, speakers of any generation use more and less formal language depending on the sit uation. Parents (and other adults) tend to use more informal language to children. Children may acquire some informal features of the language in preference to their formal alternatives, and incremental changes in the language (tending toward greater informality) accumulate over generations. (This may help explain why each generation seems to feel that following generations are ruder and less eloquent, and are corrupting the language!) When a later generation acquires an innovation in the language introduced by a previous generation, the language changes.(Shaligram Shukla and Jeff Connor-Linton, Language Change. An Introduction to Language And Linguistics, ed. by Ralph W. Fasold and Jeff Connor-Linton. Cambridge University Press, 2006) Margaret Cho on Her Native Language It was hard for me to do the show [All-American Girl] because a lot of people didnt even understand the concept of Asian-American. I was on a morning show, and the host said, Awright, Margaret, were changing over to an ABC affiliate! So why dont you tell our viewers in your native language that were making that transition? So I looked at the camera and said, Um, theyre changing over to an ABC affiliate.(Margaret Cho, I Have Chosen to Stay and Fight. Penguin, 2006) Joanna Czechowska on Reclaiming a Native Language As a child growing up in Derby [England] in the 60s I spoke Polish beautifully, thanks to my grandmother. While my mother went out to work, my grandmother, who spoke no English, looked after me, teaching me to speak her native tongue. Babcia, as we called her, dressed in black with stout brown shoes, wore her grey hair in a bun, and carried a walking stick. But my love affair with Polish culture began to fade when I was five--the year Babcia died.My sisters and I continued to go to Polish school, but the language would not return. Despite the efforts of my father, even a family trip to Poland in 1965 could not bring it back. When six years later my father died too, at just 53, our Polish connection almost ceased to exist. I left Derby and went to university in London. I never spoke Polish, never ate Polish food nor visited Poland. My childhood was gone and almost forgotten.Then in 2004, more than 30 years later, things changed again. A new wave of Polish immigrants had arrived and I began to hear the language of my childhood all around me--every time I got on a bus. I saw Polish newspapers in the capital and Polish food for sale in the shops. The language sounded so familiar yet somehow distant--as if it were something I tried to grab but was always out of reach. I began to write a novel [The Black Madonna of Derby] about a fictional Polish family and, at the same time, decided to enroll at a Polish language school. Each week I went through half-remembered phrases, getting bogged down in the intricate grammar and impossible inflections. When my book was published, it put me back in touch with school friends who like me were second-generation Polish. And strangely, in my language classes, I still had my accent and I found words and phrases would sometimes come unbidden, long lost speech patterns making a sudden reappearance. I had found my childhood again. Source: Joanna Czechowska, After My Polish Grandmother Died, I Did Not Speak Her Native Language for 40 Years. The Guardian, July 15, 2009 Margaret Cho,  I Have Chosen to Stay and Fight. Penguin, 2006 Shaligram Shukla and Jeff Connor-Linton, Language Change.  An Introduction to Language And Linguistics, ed. by Ralph W. Fasold and Jeff Connor-Linton. Cambridge University Press, 2006 Casey Miller and Kate Swift,  The Handbook of Nonsexist Writing, 2nd ed. iUniverse, 2000 Fredric Field,  Bilingualism in the USA: The Case of the Chicano-Latino Community. John Benjamins, 2011 Andy Kirkpatrick,  World Englishes: Implications for International Communication and English Language Teaching. Cambridge University Press, 2007

Because I Could Not Stop for Death and I Heard A Fly Buzz...

Death is a controversial and sensitive subject. When discussing death, several questions come to mind about what happens in our afterlife, such as: where do you go and what do you see? Emily Dickinson is a poet who explores her curiosity of death and the afterlife through her creative writing ability. She displays different views on death by writing two contrasting poems: one of a softer side and another of a more ridged and scary side. When looking at dissimilar observations of death it can be seen how private and special it is; it is also understood that death is inevitable so coping with it can be taken in different ways. Emily Dickinson’s poems â€Å"Because I Could Not Stop for Death† and â€Å"I Heard A Fly Buzz When I Died† show both†¦show more content†¦These words help the poem illustrate a pleasing and peaceful experience of departing from this world by comparing it to a setting sun. The transition to her new world was gentle and kind. â€Å"I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died† is more ridged and scary when it comes to explaining death. The narrator is looking at death from the afterlife while seeing the more frightening side of death. This poem’s setting stays entirely in the room. In the beginning of the poem, the fly is disturbing the â€Å"stillness in the room† (Belasco 1331). The stillness in the room means she is dying alone with no family or friends. The start of the poem explains how there was no peace in the death by comparing it to a â€Å"storm.† It can be felt that the speaker is waiting for her death as they can hear the fly buzz like when you hear a clock tick as you wait for time to pass. Since the character has to wait for her departure, it shows she is experiencing a slow death. The fly buzzing plays an important role because it shows the advancement of death. Dickinson shows the progression of death by enhancing the last sense noticed before death when she focuses on h earing the smallest details in her surroundings. As the narrator is nearing her death, she can hear things that the normal average individual wouldnt notice. The fly distracts the narrator’s final moments and upsets her peaceful death. The earthly fly in the end stands between the narrator and the calm spiritual aspect of death. In theShow MoreRelatedEssay about Two Viewpoints of Death in Emily Dickinsons Poetry642 Words   |  3 PagesTwo of Emily Dickinson’s poems, â€Å"I heard a Fly buzz-when I died† and â€Å"Because I could not stop for Death† are both written about life’s stopping point, death. Although the poems are written by the same poet, both poems view death in a different manner. Between the two poems, one views death as having an everlasting life while the other anticipates everlasting life, only to realize it does not exist. While both poems are about death, both poems also illustrate that the outcome of death is a mysteriousRea d More Analysis of I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died and Because I Could Not Stop for Death by Emily Dickinson593 Words   |  3 PagesAnalysis of I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died and Because I Could Not Stop for Death by Emily Dickinson Emily Dickinson wrote many poems in her lifetime. She writes two of my favorite poems. They are: ?I heard a Fly buzz when I died? and ?Because I could not stop for Death?. They both have similarities and differences from each other. There are similarities in these two poems such as the theme and the observentness of the narrator. Both of the poems themes involve death. In ?I heard a FlyRead MoreDeath s Shocking Truth By Emily Dickinson864 Words   |  4 Pages Emily Dickinson wrote two poems â€Å"I heard a buzz when- I died† and â€Å"Because I could not stop for death†. In these two poems, Emily Dickinson, describes two very different death experiences. While doing so Dickinson describes what she believes death to be. The poem â€Å"I Heard a buzz when I died,† takes a rough route to death with an even rougher shock. The other poem â€Å"Because I could not stop for death,† takes a gentler route to death with a not so gentle shock. However out of these poems, â€Å"I heardRead More Comparing and Contrasting Dickinson’s Poems, Because I Could Not Stop for Death and I Heard a Fly Buzz- When I Died833 Words   |  4 PagesDickinson’s Poems, Because I Could Not Sto p for Death and I Heard a Fly Buzz - When I Died Emily Elizabeth Dickinson was born on 10th December, 1830, in the town of Amherst, Massachusetts. As a young child, she showed a bright intelligence, and was able to create many recognizable writings. Many close friends and relatives in Emily’s life were taken away from her by death. Living a life of simplicity and aloofness, she wrote poetry of great power: questioning the nature of immortality and death. AlthoughRead More The Nature of Death in Emily Dickinsons Poems Essay2263 Words   |  10 PagesEmily Dickinson once said, â€Å"Dying is a wild night and a new road.† Some people welcome death with open arms while others cower in fear when confronted in the arms of death. Through the use of ambiguity, metaphors, personification and paradoxes Emily Dickinson still gives readers a sense of vagueness on how she feels about dying. Emily Dickinson inventively expresses the nature of death in the poems, â€Å"I felt a Funeral, in my Brain (280)†, â€Å"I Heard a fly Buzz—When I Died—(465)â€Å" and â€Å"Because I couldRead MoreEmily Dickinson s Poem, Because I Could Not Stop For Death854 Words   |  4 Pages Death is everywhere. From the insect you killed this morning to the family member you lose recently, there is no force stronger than death. Emily Dickinson, a 19th century writer, indulges that fact but also goes beyond it in her work. Dickinson revisits the theme of death in her poetry. Through her work, she shows readers her fascination with death the emotions associated with it. In â€Å"I heard a Fly buzz—when I died† and â€Å"I’ve seen a Dying Eye†, Dickinson shows us a very intimate view of a personRead MoreMortailty and Eternity in Emily Dickinson Poems Essay1541 Words   |  7 PagesEmily Dickinson is the epitome of the modern poet. Her poetry breaks from the traditional style with dashes to separate ideas. Dickinson, also, challenged the religious belief of her time. Growing up a s a Puritan in Massachusetts, Emily Dickinson knew the bible, yet as an adult, she questioned that belief. Many of her poems seem focused on death; death of the body, death of the soul, death of the mind. Why was she so intrigued with death? The poems that embody this theme are: â€Å"Success is countedRead MoreAn Analysis of I Heard a Fly Buzz- When I Died and Jilting of Granny Weatherall1714 Words   |  7 Pagesprimarily to a future life after death but a transformation in this life of both ourselves and this world† (Peters, 845). Salvation is not only something that can be found after death; people can finds salvation at any point by deciding to make a transformation in their lives to better themselves as well as the world around them. However, most humans seek salvation to find solace in the critical moment of their death; individuals find comfort in the belief of life after death or an eternal sole. SeveralRead More Death in Emily Dickinsons Because I Could Not Stop for Death and I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died965 Words   |  4 PagesDeath in Emily Dickinsons Because I Could Not Stop for Death and I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died Emily Dickinsons two poems, Because I Could Not Stop For Death and I Heard A Fly Buzz-When I Died, revolve around one central theme, death. Though the two do centralize around the theme of death they both have slightly different messages or beliefs about what is to come after death. By discussing both of the poems and interpreting their meanings, the reader can gain a fuller understanding ofRead More Death in Emily Dickinsons Because I Could Not Stop for Death, I Heard A Fly Buzz-When I Died, and I Felt A Funeral In My Brain1449 Words   |  6 PagesDeath in Emily Dickinsons Because I Could Not Stop for Death, I Heard A Fly Buzz-When I Died, and I Felt A Funeral In My Brain Emily Dickinsons poems Because I Could Not Stop for Death, I Heard A Fly Buzz-When I Died, and I Felt A Funeral In My Brain all deal with one of lifes few certainties, death. Dickinsons intense curiosity towards mortality was present in much of her work, and is her legacy as a poet. Because I could Not Stop for Death is one of Emily Dickinsons

The Producers free essay sample

â€Å"The Producers† This past Sunday afternoon I went to see the 12 Tony Award winning Broadway production of the â€Å"The Producers† in the Atwood Concert Hall in downtown Anchorage. I found that the production exceeded my expectations. Being a huge fan of Broadway musicals, I am usually quick to say that a musical I have recently seen was a great experience, but â€Å"The Producers† was an extremely phenomenal musical. According to a â€Å"Play† section article of the Anchorages December 7, 2007 newspaper written by Sarah Henning, â€Å"The Producersâ€Å" follows a â€Å"hysterical heap of physical comedy, innuendo and political incorrectness.† This is a statement about the show that I completely agree with. The production contains all three of those aspects in many different, hysterical ways. I have many favorite parts in this show. First, I really loved the dancing chickens along with their crazy and stereotypical German caretaker and play write. I also really enjoyed the stereotypically flamboyant gay director, Roger De Bris, accompanied by his extremely exaggerated gay and lesbian entourage. We will write a custom essay sample on The Producers or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Another part of the show that I really enjoyed was the accounting office scene with Leo Bloom, his co-workers, and his strict taskmaster boss. I really liked how Bloom came to the realization that becoming a producer was the right profession for him, by being persuaded by his aggravating boss, boring job, future partner, Max Bialystock, and the imaginative follies girls. The scene that I liked the least would have to be the jail scene where Bialystock was teaching his fellow prisoners song and dance routines. Other than that one scene, I really enjoyed the whole show so much. We were extremely fortunate for the production to come to Anchorage. I recommend this musical to anyone who enjoys slapstick comedy inside the plot and the songs, but people who are still old enough to be in the presence of sexual commentary and a bit of profanity. â€Å"The Producers† was a phenomenal musical that really exceeded my expectations and fuels my dream to someday be seen in a Broadway production.