Twitter or not to Twitter free essay sample

In the 21st century, a specific ceremony has surfaced that, inside a course of just seven years, has set an everlasting stamp on mainstream society and surprised the world: tweeting. The host of this new practice? Twitter. Albeit proposed for far reaching social association, the most noticeable clients of this site are young people. This leaves numerous grown-ups oblivious to its abilities and creates the well known inquiry of whether it’s worth the problem of getting to know the site. While numerous youngsters contend that Twitter is the new person to person communication media site of today and that the vast majority ought to consider making a record, others contend that its utilization is good for nothing and inconsequential. One of these opposers is Robert W. Fortunate who is an individual from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and an author of innovation, society, and designing society. In his article â€Å"To Twitter Or Not To Twitter? † Lucky equals Twitter to silly woofing and shows almost no worry in his avoidance from the site. We will compose a custom exposition test on Twitter or not to Twitter or then again any comparative subject explicitly for you Don't WasteYour Time Recruit WRITER Just 13.90/page Fortunate likewise bars significant data all together for the perusers to choose for themselves whether it is to their greatest advantage to make a record, including: site subtleties, upsides and downsides, multifaceted nature, and mainstream applications for its utilization. His contention is likewise hampered by its clearly inclination position, reluctance to develop restricting perspectives and uncertain mockery. Fortunate sets up an inclination that is supported all through. He opens with a short prologue to the site and a little foundation data concerning its â€Å"digital natives,† I. e.today’s youth. He proceeds with an occasion that occurred at work one day when â€Å"a youthful speaker referenced that each morning he Twitters that he has quite recently woken up. † It is with this remark Lucky legitimizes the majority of his attestations about the site. He grasps its immaterial perspectives and neglects to announce conceivable positive results. This clear ly inclination position makes it hard to totally comprehend the full abilities of the site. Luckys powerlessness to perceive and react to contradicting sees influences the articles definitive position. For instance: the article advances with another case that happened at work when an alternate â€Å"young speaker criticized the entire crowd of industry pioneers. ‘I was told this was a meeting of officials, so I’m going to talk moderate and utilize huge slides,’ he started. ‘You are living in an air pocket. You come here to discover what children do. You folks are pencil pushers. You’re compelled to bring in cash. ’†It is with this charge Lucky controls the crowd into imagining this is the substance of the new social texture. Other than the undeniable point that the speaker’s remark was impolite and unpalatable, he expresses the hypothesis that Robert’s age is living in a â€Å"bubble† because of their numbness of person to person communication, but instead than at any rate attempting to adjust to this new society through the web, he proceeds with the shielding remark of, â€Å"we’re trying to something occurring around us, and we don’t truly comprehend the results. † The absence of gathered information, similar to the site’s upsides and downsides just as its unpredictability, leaves the feeling that the creator had far less inspiration to respond to his inquiry in any case. The convincing imperfection in Lucky’s article is his utilization of mockery as the mixture for his last attestation. In the wake of discussing work, he follows with two short sections in regards to two funnies that were distributed in a paper quite a long while separated, each making jokes about the web and web based life. Subsequently, he by implication responds to the inquiry â€Å"so is the systems administration wonder an extraordinary insurgency in social cognizance, or is this only a great deal of inconsequential, unending woofing? In the event that you get a message that I’ve simply stirred, you’ll comprehend what I’ve chose. † Lucky’s principle impression of Twitter is that it is simply â€Å"pointless, unremitting yelping. † While I concur with Luckys affirmation that Twitter has been the casualty to steady immaterial tweets in regards to what was eaten toward the beginning of the day, what brand of toothpaste was simply purchased from WalMart, and so forth , he misses the mark on meeting up with the locales real business benefits. The absence of information that numerous companies really make Twitter accounts so as to get messages and declarations across simpler to the open just further hardens the stand that Robert didn't consider restricting perspectives too well or even evaluate the framework in any case. So is it worth the issue of getting to know online networking locales like Twitter? Contingent upon how down to earth the utilization at first is picked to be, this framework can be seen as an enormous resource for interfacing with huge groups. It would be hard for someone to really decide for themselves if Twitter can be something to be thankful for or a terrible thing dependent on Lucky’s affirmations. His title of the article doesn't completely maintain the idea of the exposition and his contentions are invalid because of a clearly predisposition position, his reluctance to develop contradicting sees, and uncertain mockery.

Crysts, Blasts and Clasts - Large Particles in Rocks

Crysts, Blasts and Clasts - Large Particles in Rocks Crysts, impacts and clasts are three straightforward words identified with an extremely essential idea in topography: large particles in rocks. As a matter of fact, theyre bits of words-postfixes that merit thinking about. They can be a touch of confounding, however a decent geologistâ can disclose to you the contrast between all three.â Crysts The - cryst addition alludes to grains of a crystalline mineral. A - cryst can be a full fledged precious stone like your regular garnet, or it very well may be a sporadic grain that, despite the fact that its molecules are all in unbending request, has none of the level faces that mark a gem. The most significant - crysts are the ones that are a lot bigger than their neighbors; the general name for these is megacryst. As a down to earth matter, - cryst is utilized distinctly with volcanic rocks, albeit a gem in transformative rocks might be known as a metacryst. The most well-known - cryst youll find in the writing is the phenocryst. Phenocrysts sit in a groundmass of littler grains like raisins in cereal. Phenocrysts are the characterizing highlight of porphyritic surface; another approach to state it is that phenocrysts are what characterize a porphyry. Phenocrysts for the most part comprise of one of similar minerals found in the groundmass. (On the off chance that they were brought into the stone from somewhere else, they might be called xenocrysts.) If theyre perfect and strong inside, we may decipher them as being more seasoned, having solidified sooner than the remainder of the volcanic stone. In any case, some phenocrysts shaped by developing around and overwhelming different minerals (making a surface called poikilitic), so all things considered they werent the absolute first mineral to take shape. Phenocrysts that have full fledged gem faces are called euhedral (old papers may utilize the terms idiomorphic or automorphic). Phenocrysts with no precious stone countenances are called anhedral (or xenomorphic), and in the middle of phenocrysts are called subhedral (or hypidiomorphic or ​hypautomorphic). Impacts The - impact postfix alludes to grains of transformative minerals; all the more absolutely, - blastic implies a stone surface that mirrors the recrystallizing procedures of changeability. That is the reason we dont have a word megablast-both volcanic and changeable rocks are said to have megacrysts. The different - impacts are depicted uniquely in transformative rocks. Transformative nature produces mineral grains by pounding (clastic twisting) and pressing (plastic misshapening) just as recrystallization (blastic distortion), so its imperative to make the differentiation. A changeable stone made of - impacts of uniform size is called homeoblastic, yet in the event that megacrysts are likewise present it is called heteroblastic. The bigger ones are generally called porphyroblasts (despite the fact that porphyry is carefully a molten stone). So porphyroblasts are what might be compared to phenocrysts. Porphyroblasts might be loosened up and eradicated as changeability proceeds. Some enormous mineral grains may oppose for some time. These are normally called augen (the German for eyes), and augen gneiss is a very much perceived stone sort. Like - crysts, - impacts can show precious stone faces in various degrees, yet they are depicted with the words idioblastic, hypidioblastic and xenoblastic rather than euhedral or subhedral or anhedral. Grains acquired from a prior age of transformative nature are called paleoblasts; normally, neoblasts are their more youthful partner. Clasts The addition - clast alludes to grains of residue, that is, bits of previous rocks or minerals. Not at all like - crysts and - impacts, the word clast can remain solitary. Clastic rocks, at that point, are consistently sedimentary (one exemption: a clast that isn't yet cleared out in a transformative stone is known as a porphyroclast, which, confusingly, is likewise named a megacryst). Theres a profound differentiation drawn among clastic shakes between holoclastic rocks, similar to shale and sandstone, and pyroclastic rocks that structure around volcanoes. Clastic rocks are made of particles running in size from tiny to uncertainly enormous. The stones with noticeable clasts are called macroclastic. Extra-huge clasts are called phenoclasts-so phenoclasts, phenocrysts and porphyroblasts are cousins. Two sedimentary rocks have phenoclasts: combination and breccia. The thing that matters is that the phenoclasts in combination (spheroclasts) are made by scraped area while those in breccia (anguclasts) are made by crack. There is no furthest cutoff to what can be known as a ​clast, or megaclast. Breccias have the biggest megaclasts, up to many meters across and bigger. Megaclasts as large as mountains can be made by enormous avalanches (olistrostromes), push blaming (chaoses), subduction (mã ©langes) and supervolcano caldera arrangement (caldera breakdown breccias). Megaclasts are the place sedimentology meets tectonics.

Positivity in Your Job Search Will Get You Farther Than You Think

Positivity in Your Job Search Will Get You Farther Than You Think Perhaps you’ll identify with me when I say I can’t stand hearing anyone complainâ€"except for myself. That said, even my tolerance for my own complaints has plummeted in the last few years. As soon as I start complaining in a conversation, I know I’ve made a big mistake. I leave the interaction feeling horrible, sure the person I was talking to will never want to talk to me again. Last week, while reading AJ Jacobs’ The Guinea Pig Diaries, I learned something new about the impact of my complaining or criticizing. I was shocked to discover a phenomenon that makes people really and truly think poorly of me when I speak poorly of others. You Are What You Speak It turns out that not only are complainers seen as negative, but that the characteristics they attribute to others are automatically attributed to them by their listener. So if I call someone racist, the person listening to me will unconsciously dub me a racist. If I call someone stupid or incompetent, I will be seen as stupid and incompetent. In contrast, if I talk about how nice, helpful, talented, and all-around awesome people are, listeners will associate all those positive characteristics with me. Since learning about this mind mechanism, I’ve become much more conscious of my speech. I now understand that by using negative language, I’m risking not only that people will have a generally negative feeling about me, but also that they will make specific negative judgments that I certainly don’t want attached to me. By using more positive words, I can consciously shape the way people think of me. I recently had a conversation with one of my executive clients, who had been given the runaround, then turned away by another resume writing company, because they don’t work with “Muslim terrorists.” I can assure you this man is one of the most generous and kind people you would ever want to meet. He did not have anything negative to say about that company, and he chose not to report them to the BBB or even tell LinkedIn to investigate their profiles. He figured he could stay positive, and let them dig their own graves. If they are putting out that negativity into the world, they themselves will be seen as negative. Positive Language in Your Job Search Also last week, I saw a resume that spoke of bringing together often “fractious” staff. The word “fractious” appeared twice in one resume! Guess what anyone reading that resume will think of the applicant? Yep… that he himself is the fractious one. His final resume will not include that word if I have anything to say about it. Instead, he will say that he fostered teamwork in a diverse, multi-cultural environment. That sounds much better doesn’t it? While it’s important in many cases to provide a “before and after” picture to highlight your accomplishments, putting people down will never serve you. You can talk about bringing negative profits to positive ones, but don’t let the negative adjectives spill over onto people.  (Learn more about creating compelling accomplishment bullets with my DIY resume books. Sign up here to get a free excerpt!) In job interviews as well, I can’t emphasize enough the importance of staying positive. I still remember an interview I gave when I was a manager in a legal department. The interviewee had an impressive background, but in her interview, almost every word out of her mouth was about the negative aspects of her prior employment. Needless to say, she didn’t get hired. If she had been more positive, we would have considered her. In Business Insider’s 29 Words You Should Never Say in a Job Interview, here’s what author Jacquelyn Smith says about some clearly damaging words you must avoid: Terrible, horrible, awful, hate, etc. You shouldnt use negative language during your interview â€" especially when youre talking about your current or previous boss or employer. Even if the interviewer invites you to,  dont, Hoover says. Its not classy, and it  will make you sound bitter and petty. It also shows that you could bad-mouth any boss or company in the future â€" and it could even be a test to see if you will say anything disparaging. That’s great advice, and now I understand that if you use words like these, you will actually be perceived as terrible, horrible, awful, hating person. While Ms. Smith doesnt suggest positive words to emphasize, I would offer “exciting,” “growthful,” “positive,” “amazing,” “collaborative,” “talented,” “friendly,” “smart,” “brilliant,” “creative,” “innovative,” and other adjectives that paint others â€" and, by default, you â€" in a favorable light. The Challenge, If You Choose to Accept It Eliminating negative language is not as easy as it sounds. I caught myself today talking to a very helpful man at the airport about how unhelpful a customer service person had been because she gave me directions to the hotel shuttle that didn’t help. “Wow,” I thought, “I’m addicted to complaining!” There was clearly no useful purpose in sharing that information with him, and now he probably thinks I’m negative and unhelpful. I sure have a lot more work to do on this positivity project! I’m grateful to have people like my client and others who inspire me to live and work “above the line.” They keep me honest and, well, I think they’re fantastic and awesome! Are you ready to start being more aware of your language so you can be perceived in a positive light yourself, in life, in business, and in your job search? Please share your thoughts and stories below.

Social Injustice in the novel Of Mice and Men Essay

Im going to talk about the social injustice which had taken place on most of the characters in the novel Of Mice and Men. In the plot of Of Mice and Men, all of the ranch workers got very little amount of money although they worked for long hours. They had only one free day and stayed in one room which was not large enough. Generally, they were all in a lower status than their boss, they didnt have a family or anyone to depend on. In addition to these, they had also suffered from the attitudes of Curley (who was the son of the boss) towards them, and they couldnt do anything about it. Steinbeck used a very simple language with a detailed description to express the social injustice in their lives, so that everyone could†¦show more content†¦Nearly all the characters thought that he was worthless. He has expressed his ideas and feelings about this incident by saying Cause Im black. They play cards in there, but I cant play. Because Im black. They say I stink. Well, I tell you, you all of you stink to me (at Page 68). They had treated him as if he was an animal and didnt respect him at all. They had never listened to his ideas and always made fun of him. John Steinbeck tried to show his readers that using racism among people (like Crooks), human beings could be discriminated. He also used repetition of certain phrases and stereotyping terms like nigger to increase the tension on the subject. Thirdly, Candy, who was an old man, was also a victim of social injustice. He lost his arm while he was working and after that everybody started to treat him as if he had been useless. They didnt let him own a dog and they killed it without considering the negative effect of this incident on Candy. He explained his loneliness by using these words: When they can me here, I wisht somebodyd shoot me. But they wont do nothing like that. I wont have no place to go, an I cant get no more jobs. (Page 60). This time, Steinbeck preferred to use longer sentences to make the incident more emotional and to a ttract the attention of his readers on this part of the novel. IShow MoreRelatedOf Mice and Men2269 Words   |  10 PagesOf Mice and Men John Steinbeck World Literature Mrs. Finke December 7, 2012 Of Mice and Men: A Classic for the Ages Thesis: Despite some impurity Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck should be considered as a classic due to its honesty, truth, loveliness, justice and of good report. I. Introduction II. Impurity A. Swearing B. Violence C. Economic poverty D. Psychological corruption III. Honesty A. Steinbeck’sRead MoreOf Mice and Men1242 Words   |  5 PagesOf Mice and Men Thomas Hobbes in his Leviathan states that, in the state of nature mans life is nasty, brutish and short. In depression era America, no greater truth could be said. There were millions unemployed, largely unskilled and living on the margins of society. The lowest of the low were the migrant labourers travelling from place to place trying to scratch a living. They often had to travel illegally by freight car with all its consequent dangers. Their life expectancy was low, crimeRead MoreThe Portrayal of Society in Of Mice and Men and The Outsider Essay1430 Words   |  6 Pages World literature; self taught language Hungarian: After reading the two books for my world literature, of mice and men and the outsider I decided I will compare the two books on the topic choice; portrayal of society in the literature studied. This includes points such as: Meursault and Lenny not being accepted in society for who they are because they are different then others; another point would be there is a lot of violence within societies. The rest will be presented further on in my essayRead MoreThe Theme Of Adversity In Of Mice And Men1350 Words   |  6 Pagessocieties. The theme of adversity and how it affects characters discussed in class can be seen clearly within the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, and the graphic novel of Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. The fictional novella Of Mice and Men - based in 1930’s California during the Depression - demonstrates the struggles of adversity distinctly through the characters of Curley’s Wife and Crooks, and the non-fictional story of Persepolis – a story narrating the author’s childhood during theRead MoreOf Mice And Men By John Steinbeck1747 Words   |  7 Pages Of Mice and Men is a tragedy And The Pearl is a parable. Author s Name John Steinbeck -Title of Work #1: Of Mice and Men -Genre: Tragedy -Evidence of Genre (explain what makes the work an example of the genre): Tragedy is a branch of literature that uses a serious and dignified style the sad or unfortunate events encountered or caused by a heroic individual. In Of Mice and Men George and Lennie face a lot of tragic events. -Complete Summary of Work: Of Mice and Men is theRead MorePrejudice By John Steinbeck And The Great Depression2000 Words   |  8 PagesIn both Lee and Steinbeck’s novels, prejudice is a key theme portrayed in a variety of different forms and is used as a way to degrade and discriminate the innocent characters. Lee’s title quotation ‘mockingbird’ represents those who are victims of prejudice, which is a large amount of characters as the novel is set in 1930 America, where the only properly respected people were white, mentally stable males. This is also shown by Steinbeck who uses the hopelessness of the Great Depression to put acrossRead MoreThe Need For Justice Essay949 Words   |  4 PagesThe clash between good and evil perpetually permeates humanity. Balance of these forces through equality and tranquility is a goal sought after to amend injustice. Impartiality creates balance within a society. In addition, fairness through the application of law is a cornerstone of countless civilizations. The members of civilizations taught moralities through the tenets of religion heavily influence their integrity. The many manifestations and interpretations of righteousness confirm the eternalRead MoreIs The American Dream Only A Myth? Essay1254 Words   |  6 PagesOne’s race, sexual orientation, social status, gender and even health all determine the chance a person has to achieve this American Dream. This is not to say that the dream of success and money is unattainable for certain people within these minority groups, but that it is just incredibly difficult to achieve when one is faced with certain obstacles that privileged Americans do not have to overcome. This struggle is very apparent in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, Barbara Kingsolver’s, The BeanRead MoreThe American Dream in John Steinbecks Of Mice and Men Essay1430 Words   |  6 PagesOf Mice and Men is based on 1930s America during the Great Depression. The American dream was no more, and the land of opportunity had become the land of misfortune. It was during this time that many farmers best hope for a new life lay in California. The American Dream is the idea of an individual overcoming all obstacles and beating all odds to one day be successful. This subject is the predominant theme in John Steinbeck’s novel. This is a novel of defeated hope and the harsh realityRead MoreOf Mice and Men Research Paper1918 Words   |  8 PagesDiego Gomez Period 2 10/20/2011 Segregation by Unjust Social Norms in Of Mice and Men In John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men characters in the novel are segregated by sex, race, age, physical and mental disabilities. John Steinbeck portrays the intolerance and bigotry of 1930’s America through the separation of his characters based on their handicaps. Lennie, Candy, Candy’s dog, Curley’s wife and Crooks all face social pressure from the other characters on the ranch based on their intelligence

Definition and Examples of Pronoun Agreement

Ethnicity, Culture And Identity - 1362 Words

Ethnicity, culture and identity are all anthropological topics that effect everyone in the world on a regular and constant basis. These matters are continually being discussed, analysed and debated within our society, issues arise from these matters and anthropologists are strive to understand the changes happening around us. The definitions of each of these words are controversial as everyone interprets them differently. Ethnicity refers to ‘The fact or state of belonging to a social group that has a common national or cultural tradition’, culture refers to the patterns of social organisations, economy, and beliefs that are learned and shared by members of a social group.’ and identity is a person s conception and expression of their own and others individuality or group affiliations. However, these definitions are often confused and even merged into one. Culture is something that doesn t not have a specific definition, however we see it around us in many different forms. Culture is traditional knowledge that that is passed down through generations, however ‘culture is flexible and fluid’ but is generally quite stable (Podolefsky, Brown and Lacy, 2012). From war and violence to fashion and appearance, culture shows us the many different and beautiful ways of life around the world. Angela Vandenbroek has said that; ‘Culture has come most often to be a heuristic term used to help anthropologists discuss the symbols, meanings, institutions, systems and behaviours ofShow MoreRelatedBecoming Mexican American: Ethnicity, Culture, And Identity1553 Words   |  7 PagesBecoming Mexican American: Ethnicity, Culture, and Identity in Chicano Los Angeles, 1900-1945 The immigration story of the United States includes groups of individuals from many different countries, one such group was that of the U.S.’s southern neighbor Mexico. In the book, Becoming Mexican American: Ethnicity, Culture, and Identity in Chicano Los Angeles, 1900-1945, George J. Sà ¡nchez writes about the Mexican immigrants’ experience migrating to California and settling there, particularly in theRead MoreA Number Of Literatures That Discusses Important Concepts And Themes Of The Research Project914 Words   |  4 Pagesresearch project. The research project demonstrates the concept of ethnicity and ethnicity in Nigeria. It explores the features of pluralistic democratic state, analysing definition of democracy; construction of pluralism and understanding of pluralistic democracy in Nigeria. Furthermore, it examines the comprehension of identity conflict; construction of national identity and the dynamics of identity conflict. 2.2 Concept of Ethnicity Ethnicity has its origin and has been used variously in addressing andRead MoreThe Choice: Ethnic Identity1020 Words   |  5 Pagespublic school, lives within an entirely American culture, and embraces it. He is aware that he comes from a different familial background and is of a different nationality than his parents, but he has made the choice to identify himself with the ethnicity that he has grown to love. He believes that his ethnic identity entirely up to him. A Thai boy choosing the ethnicity of an American child as his own goes against the widespread belief that ethnicity is in our DNA, and there is nothing wrong withRead MoreWhat Does Ethnicity Affect A Person s Identity?1735 Words   |  7 Pagesthe United State, people are often defined by their ethnicity and background rather than their characteristics. It is often difficult to look past a person’s ethnicity because many people make these assumptions in their head before even knowing the person. This issue leads to the question to what extent ethnicity affects a person’s identity in the United States. I believe that ethnic background plays a big role in determining a person’s identity in the United States, these assumptions create phenomenonRead MoreCultural Identity In Unashamed By Lecrae741 Words   |  3 PagesLit Review Essay Cultural identity is the foundation in which identification is used to express his or her role in society. The distinction of cultural identity among a society affects a person’s role by pertaining to art and literature, as well as social organization element of culture. These examples of culture, refer to people all around the world. In the Story, Left behind, a native American student attending school is judged based on his ethnicity. In Unashamed by Lecrae, Lecrae uses musicRead MoreEssay On Ethnicity And Multiculturalism1359 Words   |  6 Pagesrather than following another’s. Ethnicity on the other hand has a solid definition. From the Oxford Concise Dictionary of Sociology, â€Å"Ethnicity defines individuals who consider themselves, or are considered by others, to share common characteristics which differentiate them from the other collectives in a society within which they develop distinct cultural behavior.† (Marshall, 1994) Ethnicity in a sense is the idea and understanding of one’s self. So how does ethnicity and multiculturalism relate toRead MoreThe Changing Literature And Identities Of Third World Culture Essay1146 Words   |  5 PagesThe changing literature and identities of third world culture due to American colonization is shown throughout the collected literature in Rotten English edited by Dohra Ahmad. Through the use of vernacular English, the passages express the unique signatures of different cultures by showing the way the words are said through everyday communication rather than how they are meant to be written in proper English as well as the cultural identities faced by third world cultures. Decades of forced standardRead More The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fist Fight In Heaven Essay665 Words   |  3 PagesDefining exactly what shapes ethnic identity in the United States is the hardest question I can imagine being asked. As a child born in the United States, I find this question so difficult because I hav e been exposed to a large variety of cultures within the small boundaries of my own family. This makes it very difficult to determine one, or even a few characteristics that define ethnic identity. In the case of many of these novels, the task of defining ethnic identity is not so complicated. The listRead MoreThe Poston Biracial Identity Development Model1742 Words   |  7 PagesPersonally I feel that I identify myself within the Poston Biracial Identity Development Model. This model is focused for individuals that identify with multiple racial or ethnic groups. The stages of this model are the personal identity stage, choice of group categorization stage, enmeshment/denial stage, appreciation stage, and the integration stage. The personal identity stage is when an individual is independent of race or ethnicity. When I was in elementary school probably around 5 or 6 years oldRead MoreHawaii And The Mixing Of Peoples By Steve Olson Essay1108 Words   |  5 Pagestelling one fr om another and one way we use is using culture. The difference between other culture is it ideas and moral values. Culture plays an important role in many people lives. Although being part of a multi-cultural society helps understands one’s self and it also helps understand one another cultural view of our world. Many people identity are also created by our belief. My ethnicity isn’t the only thing that defines who I am. It’s also my culture, my environment and my personality who define me

Differences Between Phonetics and Phonology free essay sample

The difference between phonetics and phonology, by definition, is that phonetics is the field of language study concerned with the physical properties of sounds, and it has three subfields. Articulatory phonetics explores how the human vocal apparatus produces sounds. Acoustic phonetics studies the sound waves produced by the human vocal apparatus. Auditory phonetics examines how speech sounds are perceived by the human ear. Phonology, on the other hand, is concerned not with the physical properties of sounds, but rather with how they function in a particular language. Therefore, this paper discusses the main difference between phonetics and phonology. To begin with, the letter k is both aspirated and unaspirated in different languages as it has been noticed in the following example, it illustrates the difference between phonetics and phonology. In the English language, when the sound k, usually spelled c, occurs at the beginning of a word, as in the word cut, it is pronounced with aspiration, that is, a puff of breath (Durkim, 1995). However, when this sound occurs at the end of a word, as in tuck, there is no aspiration. Phonetically, the aspirated k and unaspirated k are different sounds, but in English these different sounds never distinguish one word from another, and English speakers are usually unaware of the phonetic distinction until it is pointed out to them. Thus English makes no phonological distinction between the aspirated and unaspirated k. The Hindi language, on the other hand, uses this sound difference to distinguish words such as kal (time), which has an unaspirated k, and khal (skin), in which kh represents the aspirated k. Therefore, in Hindi the distinction between the aspirated and unaspirated k is both phonetic and phonological. The other point is that phonetics is strictly about audible sounds and the things that happen in somebody’s mouth, throat, nasal and sinus cavities, and lungs to make those sounds. It has nothing to do with meaning. It is only a description. For example, in order to produce the word bed, you start out with your lips together. Then, air from one’s lungs is forced over the vocal chords, which begin to vibrate and make some kind of noise. The air then escapes through the lips as they part suddenly, which results in a /b/ sound. Therefore, keeping one’s lips open, the middle of the tongue comes up so that the sides meet at the back teeth while the tip of the tongue stays down. All the while, air from the lungs rushes out, and the vocal chords vibrate. Then comes the /e/ sound. Finally, the tip of the tongue comes up to the hard palate just behind the teeth. This stops the flow of air and results in a /d/ sound as long as those vocal chords are still going. As literate, adult speakers of the English language, do not need a physical description of everything required to make those three sounds. They simply understand what to do in order to make them. Similarly, according to Richards (1985:126), those who study phonetics simply understand that when they see /k? t/, it is a description of how most Americans pronounce the word cat. It has nothing to do with a furry house pet. In fact, if there were a word in any other language pronounced the same way, the phonetic spelling would be the same regardless of meaning. In addition, it is not about meaning. It is strictly physical. Phonology, on the other hand, is both physical and meaningful. It explores the differences between sounds that change the meaning of an utterance. For example, the word bet is very similar to the word bed in terms of the physical manifestation of sounds. The only difference is that at the end of bet, the vocal chords stop vibrating so that sound is a result only of the placement of the tongue behind the teeth and the flow of air. However, the meanings of the two words are not related in the least. What a vast difference a muscle makes! This is the biggest distinction between phonetics and phonology, although phonologists analyse a lot more than just the obvious differences. They also examine variations on single letter pronunciations, words in which multiple variations can exist versus those in which variations are considered incorrect, and the phonological grammar of languages. Phonology should be carefully distinguished from phonetics. As already alluded, phonetics concerns with the physical production, acoustic transmission and perception of the sounds of speech, phonology describes the way sounds function within a given language or across languages to encode meaning. In other words, phonetics is a type of descriptive linguistics whereas phonology is a type of theoretical linguistics. It should be noted, however, that this distinction was not always made in linguistics, particularly before the development of the modern concept of phoneme in the mid 20th century. Some subfields of modern phonology have a crossover with phonetics in the interface with descriptive disciplines such as psycholinguistics and speech perception, resulting in specific areas like Articulatory phonology or laboratory phonology. In conclusion, phonetics deals with the production of speech sounds by humans, often without prior knowledge of the language being spoken. Phonology is about patterns of sounds, especially different patterns of sounds in different languages, or within each language, different patterns of sounds in different positions in words, just to mention a few. Phonetics is strictly physical while phonology also pays attention to the function or meaning of a sound. Phonetics makes a pretty general description of sounds and can be used to describe sounds in any language. On the contrary, phonology makes very detailed descriptions of sounds, so each language has its own unique set of symbols that is why two languages cannot use all of the exact same sounds. It should be noted, however, that these two terms are sometimes used interchangeably. It does seem that they reflect alternative ways in which relationships between phonetics and phonology have been considered in the past. Ideally, phonetics and phonology can complement each other on different levels of analysis, but the demarcation lines between them are often somewhat arbitrary. Therefore, one should be very careful when it comes to their distinctions.