Definition and Examples of Linguistic Purism

Purism is a  pejorative term in linguistics for a zealous conservatism in regard to the use and development of a language. Also known as  language purism, linguistic purism, and discourse purism. A purist (or grammaticaster)  is someone who expresses a desire to eliminate certain undesirable features from a language, including grammatical errors, jargon, neologisms, colloquialisms, and words of foreign origin. The problem with defending the purity of the English language, says James Nicoll, is that English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We dont just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary (quoted by Elizabeth Winkler in Understanding Language, 2015). Examples and Observations Like other tabooing practices, language purism seeks to constrain the linguistic behavior of individuals by identifying certain elements in a language as bad. Typically, these are words and word usage that are believed to threaten the identity of the culture in question--what 18th-century grammarians referred to as the genius of the language. Authenticity has two faces: one is the struggle to arrest linguistic change and to protect it from foreign influences. But, as Deborah Cameron claims, the prescriptive endeavors of speakers are more complex and diverse than this. She prefers the expression verbal hygiene over prescription or purism for exactly this reason. According to Cameron, a sense of linguistic values makes verbal hygiene part of every speakers linguistic competence, as basic to language as vowels and consonants. (Keith Allan and Kate Burridge, Forbidden Words: Taboo and the Censoring of Language. Cambridge University Press, 2006) Purism in the 16th Century I am of this opinion that our own tung shold be written cleane and pure, unmixt and unmangeled with borowing of other tunges, wherein if we take not heed by tiim, ever borowing and never paying, she shall be fain to keep her house as bankrupt. (John Cheke, Regius Professor of Greek at Cambridge University ­, in a letter to Thomas Hoby, 1561)- Sir John Cheke (1514-1557) was so determined that the English tongue should be preserved pure, unmixt and unmangeled . . . that he produced a translation of the gospel of St. Matthew using only native words, forcing him to coin neologisms (new words) such as mooned lunatic, hundreder centurion, and crossed crucified. This policy recalls an Old English practice in which Latin words like discipulus were rendered using native formations like leorningcniht, or learning follower, rather than by borrowing the Latin word, as Modern English does with disciple. (Simon Horobin, How English Became English. Oxford University Press, 2016) Purism in the 19th Century A certain Captain Hamilton in 1833 demonstrates the invective the British directed at the language used in America. He claims that his denunciation is the natural feeling of an Englishman at finding the language of Shakespeare and Milton thus gratuitously degraded. Unless the present progress of change be arrested by an increase of taste and judgment in the more educated classes, there can be no doubt that, in another century, the dialect of the Americans will become utterly unintelligible to an English man . . .. Hamiltons vituperation exemplifies a purist view of language, which allows only one fixed, immutable, correct version [and] which sees difference and change as degradation.(Heidi Preschler, Language and Dialect, in Encyclopedia of American Literature, ed. by Steven Serafin. Continuum, 1999) Brander Matthews on Lost Causes in the Early 20th Century The purist used to insist that we should not say the house is being built, but rather the house is building. So far as one can judge from a survey of recent writing the purist has abandoned this combat; and nobody nowadays hesitates to ask, What is being done? The purist still objects to what he calls the Retained Object in such a sentence as he was given a new suit of clothes. Here again, the struggle is vain, for this usage is very old; it is well established in English; and whatever may be urged against it theoretically, it has the final advantage of convenience. The purist also tells us that we should say come to see me and try to do it, and not come and see me and try and do it. Here once more the purist is setting up a personal standard without any warrant. He may use whichever of these forms he likes best, and we on our part have the same permission, with a strong preference for the older and more idiomatic of them. (Brander Matthews, Parts of Speech: Essays on English, 1901)D espite the exacerbated protests of the upholders of authority and tradition, a living language makes new words as these may be needed; it bestows novel meanings upon old words; it borrows words from foreign tongues; it modifies its usages to gain directness and to achieve speed. Often these novelties are abhorrent; yet they may win acceptance if they approve themselves to the majority. . . .To fix a living language finally is an idle dream, and if it could be brought about it would be a dire calamity.(Brander Matthews, What Is Pure English? 1921) Todays Peevers Language peevers write for one another. They are not really writing for the larger public; they do not expect to be heeded by the larger public, and it would not be desirable if they were. Their identities are predicated on the belief that they are an elect, purists holding up the flickering candle of civilization amid the rabble. They write for one another to reinforce this status. If everyone wrote as they prescribe, their distinction would vanish.Actually, there is a small additional audience of aspirants to the club: English majors, journalists, teachers pets in whose minds a handful of shibboleths lodge, to be applied mechanically and unintelligently thereafter. But the great unwashed public pays no attention and does not care, except to the extent that they have been schooled to feel vaguely uneasy about the way they speak and write.(John E. McIntyre, Secrets of the Peevers. The Baltimore Sun, May 14, 2014) The Grammaticaster Tradition Grammaticaster is a  pejorative  term for a  grammarian, especially one whos concerned with petty matters of  usage. - Ð Ã µ tells thee true, my noble neophyte; my little  grammaticaster, he does: it shall never put thee to thy mathematics, metaphysics, philosophy, and I know not what supposed sufficiencies; if thou canst but have the patience to plod enough, talk, and make a noise enough, be impudent enough, and tis enough.(Captain Pantilius Tucca in  The Poetaster, by Ben Jonson, 1601)- Nor have I much troubled their phrase and expression. I have not vexed their language with the doubts, the remarks, and eternal triflings of the French  grammaticasters.(Thomas Rhymer,  The Tragedies of the Last Age, 1677)- Such idiots, despite the rise of scientific pedagogy, have not died out in the world. I believe that our schools are full of them, both in pantaloons and in skirts. There are fanatics who love and venerate  spelling  as a tom-cat loves and venerates catnip. There are  grammatomaniacs; schoolmarms who would rather  parse  than eat; specialists in an  objective case  that doesnt exist in English; strange beings, otherwise sane and even intelligent and comely, who suffer under a  split infinitive  as you or I would suffer under gastro-enteritis.(H.L. Mencken, The Educational Process.  The Smart Set, 1922)  - Purist  is the most persistent of the many terms used to describe those people who concern themselves with correct English or correct grammar. Among other  epithets,  we find   tidier-up, precisian, schoolmarm,  grammaticaster, word-worrier, prescriptivist, purifier, logic-chopper  (H.W. Fowlers word),  grammatical moralizer  (Otto Jespersens term for H.W. Fowler),  usageaster, usagist, usager,  and  linguistic Emily Post. All of these seem at least faintly pejorative, some more than faintly so. The concern with the improvement, correction, and perfection of the existing language goes back to the 18th century, when the first influential grammars of English were written. There was current at that time a notion that a perfect language existed, at least in theory, and that reformation of the imperfect way existing language was used would lead to that perfection. (Merriam-Websters Dictionary of English Usage, 1994)

Wal-Mart Scandal Free Essays

New York Times reporter David Barstow uncovered a shocking story against retail giant, Wal-Mart. His investigation started after Wal-Mart shut down its internal investigation over the possible bribery of Mexican officials. Wal-Mart used these bribes to accelerate growth in their Mexican zoning areas. We will write a custom essay sample on Wal-Mart Scandal or any similar topic only for you Order Now These allegations surfaced when a Hispanic lawyer contacted Wal-Mart headquarters in Bentonville Arkansas. This lawyer had inside information on Wal-Mart’s bribes, as he represented them in their acts. He was used as a middle man for Wal-Mart’s payoffs to these officials. Wal-Mart took action in defending its image. In 2005 the company launched an internal investigation that dug into the operations of Wal-Mart de Mexico. The reports put together obvious signs that the company had, in fact been bribing the city officials to open up zoning areas and to swiftly create building permits. These bribes reported to total above $24 million. Wal-Mart’s lead investigator had this to say after the investigation was conducted, â€Å"There is reasonable suspicion to believe that Mexican and USA laws have been violated. When Wal-Mart’s leaders were faced with the decision to continue the investigation, they gave it to Wal-Mart de Mexico to investigate; it was shut down. Wal-Mart didn’t notify Mexican or American law enforcement with the information and none of these wrong doings were brought to the public eye until the publication of Barstow’s article. Wal-Mart would obviously face critical examination by the public if the allegations we re true; reasoning behind closing the investigation. Wal-Mart told the justice department that the investigation was unnecessary and the cases were minor where they did occur. The Time’s had a view in their investigation as they found substantial evidence supporting the bribes taking place. It’s believed that these bribes were the jump start Wal-Mart needed to gain its huge standing in Mexican society. 1 in 5 Wal-Mart’s are located in Mexico. The Times interviewed Sergio Cicero Zapata, who resigned from Wal-Mart de Mexico in 2004. Cicero told them of personal instances of him giving lawyers envelopes of money to pay off government officials. Cicero said that he had done these deals for years while working for Wal-Mart. Along with the information they received from Mr. Cicero, the times also found government documents with evidence of payoffs. These documents showed that within days of the money being given to the lawyers the permits were granted. The Times have published new stories exposing the company further with deeper information that they have gained through their investigation. Some of the information includes: * Wal-Mart pays $341,000 to officials in Mexico City to build a Sam’s club. The building was put in a densely populated area, and was done without a construction license, or an environmental permit or and urban impact assessment, or a traffic permit. Wal-Mart bribes officials to build â€Å"a vast refrigerated distribution center in an environmentally fragile flood basin north of Mexico City in an area where electricity is so scarce that many smaller developers turned away. † The bribe for this case was $765,000. * A zoning situation in Teotihuacan caused Wal-Mart to make a payment of $52,000 to enable them to build a s tore near a famous pyramid site. The citizens were enraged by the location of the store but the protests were ignored and the Wal-Mart was built. The mayor of Teotihuacan spent $77,000 buying and renovating a ranch the next year. Unexpected on a $47,000 yearly salary. * There have also been reports of Wal-Mart building on ancient ruin sites. They have been obtaining the permits to do so illegally. Now that the statements have been made public, Wal-Mart de Mexico has been under investigation by the U. S. and Mexican governments. The leadership is questionable within both Wal-Mart and Wal-Mart de Mexico. The high members of Wal-Mart de Mexico made a choice to shut down the investigation to cover up their tracks. The consequences of being discovered breaking the law to this extreme would put a huge chip on all of the Wal-Mart leaders’ shoulders. The growth of their business is also at stake. Apparently these bribes played a major role in the expansion of Wal-Marts across Mexico. The leaders located in Arkansas will more than likely be held accountable for irresponsible actions as well. If the allegations are true they could be found out for knowing about the illegal bribes. Ethical issues do not look good for leaders; it can dramatically impact the way the company is viewed. The actions of Wal-Mart making deals in Mexico could greatly affect the way the company is viewed and its overall standing to the public. With the investigation still ongoing it has yet to be clear what leaders at Wal-Mart are tied to the bribes in Mexico but it is undoubted by the New York Times that there are several people accountable for the actions. It is also possible that Wal-Mart has been doing this in other countries as well, but will only be confirmed when and if the government can obtain the information they need to prove wrong doing against Wal-Mart. Works Cited City. David Barstow; Alejandra Xanic Von Bertrab And James C. Mckinley Jr. Contributed Reporting From Mexico. â€Å"Vast Mexico Bribery Case Hushed Up by Wal-Mart After Top-Level Struggle. †Ã‚  The New York Times. 22 Apr. 2012. The New York Times. 04 Mar. 2013 http://www. nytimes. com/2012/04/22/business/at-wal-mart-in-mexico-a-bribe-inquiry-silenced. html. Radcliffe, Dana. â€Å"Leadership Lessons From Wa l-Mart’s Bribery Scandal. †Ã‚  The Huffington Post. 16 July 2012. TheHuffingtonPost. com. 04 Mar. 2013 http://www. huffingtonpost. com/dana-radcliffe/leadership-lessons-from-w_b_1672032. html. How to cite Wal-Mart Scandal, Essay examples

The Impact of Working Parents on Managing Their Family free essay sample

Based on our observation, there are more than 70% of parents in Malaysian are working or employed. Socio-economic conditions in Malaysia have contributed to the need for dual incomes for families. Economically, â€Å"the number of two parent families below the poverty line would increase if they were to become single income families. Socially, it was the norm, in the past, for women to stay at home having a more expressive role in the family; taking care of the children and providing emotional support for the family. Presently, women feel that their traditional roles as child bearers and homemakers must be supplemented with a sense of achievement outside the home. In light of the fact that the majority of two parent families have also become dual wage earning families, it is important to examine the effects of such a phenomenon on society in general and on child rearing in particular. Children acquire their goals, values and norms based on the way that they view or identify with their parents as well as from the quality and amount of care, love and guidance given to them by their parents. We will write a custom essay sample on The Impact of Working Parents on Managing Their Family or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Parents who work present a different image to their children than parents who do not work. In addition, wage earners, including parents, must (in most cases), be absent from the home during the day. When considering these modifications to the family dynamics, there is considerable basis for proof that the positive effects outweigh the negative effects experienced by offspring in families were both parents are employed. The working parent occupies an important exemplary role within the family. Working parents often command considerable respect from their children, because they demonstrate the worthy characteristics of industriousness, social compatibility, self reliance, maturity, intelligence and responsibility. Because children identify with their parents, the feedback from such positive influences tends to be positive as well because many of these positive characteristics are imparted upon them. A child who observes the competent coping abilities of a working parent learns in turn, how to cope with life’s problems. At first this may translate into an improved sense of self-reliance and independence for the child as well as an improvement in the ability to be socially compatible. As the child grows, it can further render a child more emotionally mature and hence more competent in dealing with responsibility and task completion such as is needed for school work and extracurricular activities. In general, the working parent provides a very positive role model for the child in a family where both parents are employed. Attitudes of working parents pertaining to achievement, responsibility and independence affect both male and female offspring. There seems to be more beneficial effects felt by daughters of working women than by sons, however, this neither implies nor concludes that males do not receive some positive effects due to maternal employment. This tendency may result from the fact that in the mother’s absence, a daughter is often left to cope with caring for her. This promotes her independence and self-reliance. At the same time, the daughter may also be left with the job of looking after a younger sibling, helping to promote her sense of responsibility. Adequate child care is a necessity for parents who both work. It is often complicated to balance both the parent’s and child’s needs when using child care. However, it may be possible to satisfy the demands of both if forethought and prudence are applied. Many cultures worldwide realize that a child’s nurturing can be acquired from a variety of sources including both adults and older children. Children can be as comfortable with grandparents, neighbors, professional child care attendants, and babysitters as they are with their own mothers. In fact, a variety of sources for nurturing not only provide the child with a variety of role models, such as in the case of grandparents, but it also provides them the ability to compare these role models and to choose the appropriate characteristics which they will adopt as their own. In the end, the responsibility of choosing the proper type of child care lies with the working parents. Proper research of the day care facilities and employees should include an investigation into the availability of superior care in a quality program where rearing beliefs and practices mirror those of the parents. When both parents feel confident in their day care choices, they will view them as supportive influences rather than intrusive ones. This positive attitude will provide the child with positive feedback because when parents feel good about their lives and decisions, they communicate their satisfaction to their children in the form of positive feelings. These positive feelings are then internalized by the children. Parents who work alter several traditional methods of parenting. The aspects of parenting which are most affected are quality, quantity and content. When considering content, a major point is the preparation of the child for a society in which those children will be adults. Working parents are in a good position to prepare their children for that type of lifestyle. Healthy family dynamics including team work, sharing, and responsibility, are more easily adopted when they are already familiar. As far as quality of parenting, it has been observed that women who are highly satisfied with their roles whether they work or not, display higher levels of warmth and acceptance than do dissatisfied mothers and these positive feelings are reflected in their relationships with their siblings. Other than that, when considering quantity of time spent on parenting when both parents work. In fact, mothers who were better educated and employed outside the home spent more time with their children even at the expense of their own leisure and sleep time. Employed mothers spend about the same time reading to, playing with and otherwise paying attention to their children as do mothers who stay at home. Parental roles have been modified to meet these changes. Today, the family’s most important task is to provide emotional security in a vast and impersonal world. Working parents often possess the skills necessary for responding adequately and creatively to the increased stress placed on children to succeed in such an environment. Parents, who work must, out of necessity, are adept at providing fresh, innovative and effective modes of parenting even when time with the child is limited. The debate as to whether or not both parents should work or not is really not significant anymore. Both parents are working and will continue to do so and children are not being raised today in the same way as they were in the past. The next generation of parents will be more confident than their predecessors and they and their children will probably never experience the dichotomous feelings that today’s parents have about the dual income family and its effects on child rearing. Working outside the home and being a good parent at the same time is possible and in both of these tasks there is much to value and treasure. As a conclusion, there are some bad and good impact of working parent to their family and children. It is depend on us how to manage the family properly.

Stargirl Character Analysis Essay Example

Stargirl Character Analysis Paper Stargirl is a very eccentric character. We see that she acts very different compared to the other students. We see this at the basket ball match when she cheers the both teams. Even if the opponents score she cheers for them too. All the students conform and are not used to someone standing out of the crowd. People do not appreciate her for who she is. Her differences do not gain her any favors but make her life worse as others dont understand. She also act weirdly and this also makes her a target. Leo mentions that Stargirl cheered whenever the ball went into the basket, regardless which team shot it. He also mentions that she cheered anyone, anywhere, anytime. This shows how eccentric Stargirl is. She is very different and others dont appreciate her kind thoughts. She act like this because of her different background. Stargirls eccentric ways are looked down upon because everyone conforms. They do not see eccentric people as their own and thus she has a rough time alone. Stargirl is very extraordinary. We see this when she comes to mica high school or the first time. She wears different clothes that seem out of fashion, she sings happy birthday to everyone, Stargirl also has a pet rat named Cinnamon, she also plays the ukulele. People see her unusual behavior as a bad thing. She stands out from the crowd and is a constant target. Leo mentions that she wore and off white dress white ruffles and looked like it could have belong to Her grandmother. He also saysshe began to strum her uke, it was happy birthday. This shows her extraordinary side. She is different is nearly every aspect and is understood only by Leo who is the only one that appreciates her Different ways. Stargirl has extraordinary hobbies, fashion, actions and personality. Many people do not appreciate this but she enjoys being special. We will write a custom essay sample on Stargirl Character Analysis specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Stargirl Character Analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Stargirl Character Analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Stargirl is very empathetic. She cares for everyone and is very kind. She is very emotional and doesnt like anyone being

Racism in Things Fall Apart Essays

Racism in Things Fall Apart Essays Racism in Things Fall Apart Paper Racism in Things Fall Apart Paper Essay Topic: Things Fall apart Racism has existed throughout human history. It is the belief that all members of each race share biologically transmitted traits that many people consider important. it is also distinguished as being inferior or superior to another race, or races. Race and ethnicity is created by society. Our society is defined by having a certain set of physical characteristics in order to be a member of a given race. Originally all humans in the world belonged to one of the other of these pure races. The United States is a country that is as racially and ethnically diverse as any in the world. The members of the U.S. society consider racial differences more important than people of many other countries. In the United States since its early history, Native Americans, Africans and Europeans were considered to belong to different races. The importance and meanings of race differ from place to place, and also change over time. The novel â€Å"Things Fall Apart,† written by a nigerian author; Chinua Achebe, tells the story of a Nigerian tribe being colonized by the British. This novel largely serves as a response to racist stereotypes of Africans. Throughout the book, the Igbo people are colonized and their culture is then taken over by the british. Okonkwo, in the story, was very well known throughout the 9 villages. He brought honor to the village. Unfortunately, Okonkwo killed himself at the end of the book, which made things â€Å"fall apart.† He wanted to keep himself tied to his religion and his beliefs, and not forget his culture. Committing suicide was a way for him to rebel against the norm of the Christian society. Okonkwo would see himself and his tribe as failing. He thought his tribe became weak, and will no longer be able to fight its enemies. And so, he killed himself because he would rather die than live in a world ruled by white men. The village was not ready to adapt to the changes that were coming, which was the most difficult adjustment

Revenue cycle management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Revenue cycle management - Essay Example In addition, he has to explain to these employees of the need to move to the integrated system so that the process is effective for the hospital. One key area that he needs to address is scheduling with accuracy. The details of the employees in the new system will have to be obtained accurately in order to save time that would be otherwise wasted in tracing such information. It will also assist in storing accurate preadmission details which will enhance future diagnosis. The second step is the verification of benefits in advance. Going with the procedure to be conducted, it is necessary to verify insurance information and the validity of cover of a patient (Townsend & Coleman, 2014). If the payments are self made, then it may be important to ask for them before surgeries so as to cut on bad debts and avoid belated cancellations in the event that it is difficult to make the payments. Establishing a plan for all the outstanding balances will assist in cash management. Anywhere Hospital will stay afloat of excess balances and ensure that all amounts are collected timely. The revenue collection schedule will have to be maintained for the shift to the integrated revenue collection system to be

Minard Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Minard - Assignment Example In the graphical image by Minard, he uses six organizational patterns in Technical Communication. The six organizational patterns shown in the figurative map of Napoleons disastrous Russian campaign of 1812-1813 include the army size. The army size is ideally the number of individuals in the army at any particular stage during the inversion. Secondly is the location. In the image, there is the location depiction at every stage, showing the reduction progression of the army men. The third organizational pattern shown is that of the direction of the army’s movement. The direction of the army’s movement is clearly shown as the movement progressed from the Niemen River to Moscow. Other organizational patterns included temperature variance, which also contributed significantly towards the reduction in the number of soldiers as they would not tolerate the low icing temperatures. The various challenges faced, also shown as an organizational pattern in the figure. It mainly identifies the various obstacles that contributed towards the reduction in the number of army men. These included diseases. The last of the organizational pattern observable is unity. The image shows that despite the numerous challenges that were faced by the army men, a majority of them remained unity in forging ahead with the