investigation articles- bilingle households

http://www.babycenter.com/0_raising-a-bilingual-child-the-top-five-myths_10340869.bc

This article disproves statements, for example, 'Growing up with more than one language confuses children.' It goes on to explain why it disagrees with the statements and backs it up with evidence and explanation. 
It disproves: 

Growing up with more than one language confuses children.

Raising a child to be bilingual leads to speech delays.

Bilingual children end up mixing the two languages.

 It's too late to raise your child bilingual.

Children are like sponges, and they'll become bilingual without effort and in no time.

http://www.omniglot.com/language/articles/bilingualkids1.htm

This article appears to be giving advice to parents wanting to teach their children two or more languages. Giving tips such as: Family agreement, Enthusiastic...yet realistic, The practical plan, Get together, Be patient. 

http://en.people.cn/102774/8399031.html

This article states the top 10 hardest languages to learn. 

http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/cultural-linguistic/fcp/docs/benefits-of-being-bilingual.pdf

This gives the advantages of being bilingual 

 http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/assets/0000/0804/FAQsonbilingualism.pdf

This article contains frequently asked questions about bilingualism 

Politeness-Brown & Levinson

Politeness

Brown & Levinson

People use politeness as a way of "known deception", in order to help preserve each other's face needs (avoid face threatening acts)

Example:

Will you have anything to eat?    (less polite)

Won't you have something to eat?    (more polite)

Will (negative polarity) -> Won't (positive polarity)  
    Why is this more polite?

Will sounds imminent, I'll do it if I have to (negative face)
Won't sounds like it's up to you, not a problem for me to get you food (positive face)
 

Anything (negative polarity) -> Something (positive polarity)
    Why is this more polite?

Anything sounds vague, forces you to name what you would like to eat (direct)
Something requires only 'yes' or 'no' answer- suggests that I will give you a list of things I am willing to make for you (indirect)

Politeness- something the speaker does to mitigate (make less severe) potential face-threatening acts  of the receiver

Politeness involves our efforts to save face of one another (both of us).

1. I want some beer. (bald on record:  direct)
2. Is it OK for me to have a beer?  (positive politeness:  somewhat direct)
3. I hope it's not too forward, but would it be possible for me to have a beer?  (negative politeness:  somewhat indirect)
4. It's so hot. It makes you really thirsty.  (off record:  indirect)

Brown and Levinson sum up human politeness behavior in four strategies, which correspond to these examples: bald on record, negative politeness, positive politeness, and off-record-indirect strategy.

1. The bald on-record strategy does nothing to minimize threats to the hearer's “face”
2. The positive politeness strategy shows you recognize that your hearer has a desire to be respected. It also confirms that the relationship is friendly and expresses group reciprocity.
3. The negative politeness strategy also recognizes the hearer's face. But it also recognizes that you are in some way imposing on them. Some other examples would be to say, “I don't want to bother you but...” or “I was wondering if...”
4. Off-record indirect strategies take some of the pressure off of you. You are trying to avoid the direct FTA of asking for a beer. Instead you would rather it be offered to you once your hearer sees that you want one.  (favored by many Eastern cultures more)

Grice's Maxims (summery)

Grice's Maxims( cooperative principle)

Grice says that when we communicate we assume, without realising it, that we, and the people we are talking to, will be "conversationally cooperative". This means we will cooperate to achieve mutual conversational ends. This conversational cooperation even works when we are not being cooperative socially. So, for example, we can be arguing with one another angrily and yet we will still cooperate quite a lot conversationally to achieve the argument. This conversational cooperation manifests itself, according to Grice, in a number of conversational MAXIMS, as he calls them, which we feel the need to follow. Here are the four maxims which Grice says we all try to stick to in conversation. 

The conversational maxims

Maxim of quantity (quantity of information)
  -Give the most helpful amount of information.

To not give too much information, not too little, but just right! 

Maxim of quality (quality of information)
  -Do not say what you believe to be false.

It may seem at first sight that it would be simpler for this maxim to be 'Tell the truth'. But it is often difficult to be sure about what is true, and so Grice formulates this maxim in a way that, although it looks more complicated, is actually easier to follow. Evidence of the strength of this maxim is that most people find it difficult to lie when asked a direct question, and we tend to believe what people tell us without thinking, especially if it is written down (presumably because writers normally have more time than speakers to consider carefully what they say).

Maxim of relation
  -Be relevant.

Note that if you join a conversation you can't just begin to talk about whatever you like. You have to connect what you want to say (make it relevant) to what is already being talked about. For example if everyone else is talking about their holidays and you want to talk about Spain, you'll need to connect the two topics together with a remark like 'I went on holiday to Spain last year . . .' Similarly, if, in an exam, you write an essay on a topic slightly different from the question asked you are likely to lose marks.

Maxim of manner

-Put what you say in the clearest, briefest, and most orderly manner.

Good evidence for this maxim is what you get penalised for when you write essays. If your are vague or ambiguous (i.e. not clear) you can lose marks; if you are over-wordy you can lose marks (readers don't like having to read extra words when they don't have to); if you do not present what you say in the most sensible order for your argument you can lose marks. And although you don't lose marks in conversation, you can lose friends if you do not abide by these maxims.

http://www.englishlanguageexpert.com/english-language-articles/the-impact-of-technology-on-the-english-language/

The impact of technology on the English language

by PAUL PARRY on JULY 28, 2010

Here are some statistics for you:

• More people currently have a mobile phone capable of accessing the internet than have a PC with net access (source: Mobile Top Level Domain, the organisation charged with overseeing the ‘.mobi’ domain name registration)
• Sending text messages is now almost as common as talking on mobile phones
• Only 12% of mobile users never use their phone for texting (and virtually half of these people are over 65).
• 70% of 15-24 year-olds say they ‘could not live’ without their mobile phone
• There are an estimated 110 million-150 million blogs in existence (although many of these are abandoned soon after they are established)

Technology’s role in our lives is astonishing. Its effect on the way we communicate has changed the English language forever.

To be more specific, the way we speak today is, by and large, the way we spoke before the internet became what it is, albeit with an enriched vocabulary. Conventions of telephone conversations have, to my mind, changed little: we still use the same methods – if not words – to greet and sign off, for example.

What is hugely different, however, is the way we write today. That is the area where technology has had the biggest impact.

Email altered the structure of the letter as a communicative tool. It brought with it a whole new etiquette, as well as new conventions and new abbreviations, such as IMO (in my opinion), FWIW (for what it’s worth), IIRC (if I remember correctly) and FYI (for your information).

And it introduced the idea that WORDS IN UPPER CASE MEAN WE ARE SHOUTING, while lower case writing is the accepted form.

But email English is nothing compared to the impact upon language driven by mobile phone users. The rate and extent of change this has had is truly astounding.

The way we write our text messages is now so widely accepted that it has infiltrated mainstream advertising. Here are two examples I can think of immediately:

Virgin Media, the British company, ran a campaign several months ago for its provision of broadband (or Brdbnd, as it called it) and, a little more locally to me, a council campaign advised us: ‘Dnt B Wstfl’.

And then we have the meteoric rise of blogging. There are now well over 100million blogs worldwide. Add to that the even-more-baffling growth of the key social networking websites – MySpace, Bebo, Facebook – and we start to see the whole picture. The watch-words today are ‘user-generated content’ (UGC).

So, to sum up…email + texting + blogging + social networking sites = people writing more how they speak and less like they used to write. And, essentially, less like they had to write – either for a boss, a parent or a teacher.

Also, let’s remember one of the basic driving elements in this transition: the screen size of mobile phones is small and, therefore, text messaging was always, by default, short. And short, inevitably, becomes shorter.

People frequently writing the same things would reduce the length of those words and phrases so that the meaning remained intact while the effort required to communicate – and the amount of screen space used – were both minimised.

So why have I written numerous ebooks, articles and tips offering help for better writing and detailing the intricacies of English grammar?

Because while mainstream, digital communication alters language use, it does not eradicate the traditional; it merely sits alongside convention. And there are plenty of people who are still interested in English as we have known it since before the 1990s, when mobiles and Messrs Page and Brin (Google’s founders) came to prominence.

And of course, if there were no rules in the first place, where would we be now? Gd only knws.

Short story- This wasn't by coincidence.

Melanie Small: This wasn’t by coincidence.

This wasn’t by coincidence. Someone had led Elaina, this poor, fragile, girl here. She lies still, in a bed of poppies in the middle of nowhere… drenched in her own blood. It’s a shame really, such a pretty girl. Well, she was anyway. As a forensic investigator, I’m pretty used to all the blood and gore and honestly I don’t mind it. And I have to say that this murder wasn’t just any murder; it was a beautiful one. Her hair, so carefully shaved off, while the flesh covering her precious skull has been carved into a broken heart. The blood, which only hours ago trickled down her forehead, is now dry and has coated her dull face with a deep, rich velvet colour. The overpowering sweet scent of her rubicund nectar engulfs me as I lean towards the savaged girl. Her “innocent” body, which has been torn from her clothes, is full of deep, clean-cut wounds. What looks like love bites are scattered all over her torso and thighs. I tell the rest of the team that behind this murder…is love. Besides, love bites are beautiful because they’re the only type of bruise, which is a result of love rather than harm. Her body is the frame and her skin is the canvas. Her lifeless skin is now splattered with colours: amber, black, bottle green, burgundy, caramel and my favourite of colours, magenta. A dagger has been planted into her broken heart. Elaina’s artist is clever, leaving no trace of DNA, evidence or witnesses. He knew what he was doing. This wasn’t by coincidence. A gust of wind rustles my lab coat and a photo flies out. Chris, a member of the forensic team, picks up the photo hidden in my inner-pocket.

“Elaina, you broke my heart first. So I broke yours in return.”

This definitely wasn’t by coincidence.

On top of the word- travel writing piece.

Melanie Small: On top of the world

After hours of ascending, I reach the top. As I step out from the shade, a heat wave hits me as the sun slowly scorches my skin. I look around at the transparent atmosphere; everything is so clear and crisp.

Sweat pours from my body and evaporates in seconds leaving behind a sticky glaze all over my skin. I shut my eyes tight as I listen to the sounds of the howling wind whistling straight through me. The overpowering sound of the waves crashing against the rocks fills my ears, while I can smell the sea’s salty scent. For me, heaven is here. It’s bliss.

My feet are solidly fixed to the earthy ground, for if I move, there’s a steep fall where I’ll be turned into fish food. From up here, everything looks so still, so peaceful, and it’s only when I look closely at the details I notice how alive nature really is. The fluffy froth from the waves looks like white horses racing, overtaking each other, while the birds perform to me overhead, dancing around the wispy clouds sing their songs for me to hear. It’s funny how perspectives change from up here, far in the distance – what looks like a blue dot- is actually a towering skyscraper.

I am a nature goddess right now. I feel like I can see, feel, smell, taste everything. The sea has left its mark everywhere; because of its salty spray I can feel the sticky salt stick to my skin while I can taste its perfume on the tip of my tongue.

Being here, I can really appreciate what’s around me. 

Monologue- Something I know he'd approve of

Something I know he’d approve of.

Being married to a woman for 40 years and being a vicar were certainly not my intentions.

                                                                                              

You see, as a young man I always aspired to be an actor. I just had the “schoolboy good looks” and in all honesty, I was very good at it. You’re probably asking yourself, “How on earth did he end up being a vicar?” Well, it’s one of those predictable stories.

I started off as an actor in a small theatre. Theatre was just right for me as it allowed me to dance- another passion of mine. I loved the glitter, the lights, the music and the adrenalin. Although I was surrounded by young, beautiful girls, I never really bothered with them. Can’t explain why. I just didn’t.

After a long tiring day I would relax by sitting in the dressing rooms, a young woman would come in- every evening without fail. She’d be cleaning, ever so slowly. I’d just sit there and watch her. I remember the way she would wrap the cloth around her almost-closed hand as she glided it up and down the bottle of hairspray. She’d look at me in the eye and almost smile- just slightly curl her lips. Being a virgin at the time, I was intrigued.

And guess that that beautiful tease of a woman was? My wife. My old crone of a wife. My passion for theatre soon stopped after we got married. In fact, all my passion stopped. Why did I get myself into marrying her? To this day I’m still asking myself that question. The thing about Susan is that she’d love to play; she’d tease me endlessly. I wouldn’t say I was particularly attracted to her, I was more curious.  But being a young man in the thirties was different to nowadays. Mother and father were awfully traditional being strongly religious and all, “Geoffrey when are you going to stop dancing around and find yourself and wife and a proper job?”

Father was embarrassed by me. I’ll always remember how he used to make up stories that I had a girlfriend to his church friends- to this day I’ll never know why. Almost feels like he was trying to prove something to them. Anyhow, he died at an early age and I suppose I felt bad. Felt as though I was never good enough. That’s when I decided to quit my job and as well as marrying Susan.

Did it all for my father, found a wife and became a vicar- something I know he’d approve of. I hate being asked whether I really believe in god, because in reality, I don’t. But with my acting talents I cover I up well- if I do say so myself.  Although, I prefer male company, most of the people I work with are women. Why do women constantly talk about sex? It’s over-rated. I must admit that the whole teasing and talking about sex is fun, exciting, compelling. It lures me in, but then the sex itself is rather stiff. Doesn’t flow and just doesn’t feel right. Thinking about it, it’s never felt right. Is it Susan or is it just simply me? Being truthful, I don’t love her. I know she hasn’t but I know I wouldn’t mind for her to see other men. My god this sounds bad, I suppose you think I’m an awful person. I’m not really. I’m just doing a job that I hate with a woman I don’t love. In fact, I’ve never met a woman I’ve loved. I never met a woman I’ve been particularly drawn to either I suppose. But to avoid going back to the house, I work as much as I can, try to have as much fun as a vicar can have- sound impossible, doesnt' it?