The Daily Problems Of Foreign Language Learners English Language Essay

The Daily Problems Of Foreign Language Learners English Language Essay Language learning is a very complex process and foreign language learners face great number of problems daily, while they try different strategies and educational tools to master the foreign language in the best possible way. One of the areas which seems have made trouble for language learners is the pragmatic competence which has also drawn attention of those who are interested in language teaching to itself. [P]ragmatic competence . . . is understood as the knowledge of the linguistic resources available in a given language for realising particular illocutions, knowledge of the sequential aspects of speech acts, and finally, knowledge of the appropriate contextual use of the particular languages linguistic resources (Anne Barron, 2003 : 10). Pragmatic rules are essential for a successful interaction with other people for language learners and they should learn them the right way, otherwise it will lead to misunderstanding or total failure of conveying and receiving the message and the speaker will unintentionally be considered as rude or insensitive person. The research that here wants to be reviewed wants to find what are differences between kind of refusal strategies of EFL learners in situations that deals with pragmatic competence (Allami Naeimi, 2009). The Researchers found that cultural factors play great role in learners conceptualization and verbalization of the speech acts, even though the learners may have access to wide range of speech acts and realization strategies as native speakers do as well. Research Questions Three questions which were posed in the research are as follow (Allami Naeimi, 2009): 1. What are the most common semantic formulas used by Iranian learners at different pro ¬Ã‚ ciency levels with regard to the contextual variables of the status of interlocutors (higher, equal, or lower) and the eliciting acts (requests, invitations, offers, and suggestions)? 2. What are the areas of difference between Iranian EFL learners and American speakers with regard to the strategies employed to make refusals? 3. If Iranian EFL learners refusals are different from those of the American native speakers, does the L2 pro ¬Ã‚ ciency of the Iranian learners affect their possible pragmatic transfer or not? Theoretical framework Different studies have tried to show that if learners want to give appropriate speech act to a given speech event pragmatic competence has a major role in it. Fraser de ¬Ã‚ ned pragmatic competence as the knowledge of how an addressee determines what a speaker is saying and recognizes intended illocutionary force conveyed through subtle attitudes in the speakers utterance (Allami Naeimi, 2009: 2). Rintell is one of scholar who has worked deeper than the other scholars in field of speech acts and he believes that L2 learners utterances for some specific communications purposes are because of their pragmatic ability (2009: 2). In addition, L2 learners should have enough knowledge of L2 sociocultural limitations so that they would have acceptable pragmatic level. According to Wolfson choosing appropriate pragmatic strategies is crucial for speech act ability (2009: 2). Moreover, social class and culture have effect on choosing those strategies. The main theory which Allami and Naeim i have tried to focused on is that the different cultures and languages make different pragmatic competence in the minds of people and there is a good chance that learners L1 interfere with learners L2 pragmatic competence, even though their command of L2 can be very good. Methodology of Research There are three questions which were posed by researchers and they were mentioned earlier (Allami Naeimi, 2009: 2). Researchers used experimental research method in which independent variables were learners language proficiency (lower-intermediate, intermediate and upper-intermediate) status of interlocutors (lower, equal and higher) and types of eliciting acts (requests, invitations, offer and suggestions) and the dependent measures were the realization of the strategies. The researchers chose 30 participants which their native language is Persian and all of them were undergraduate males, within the age range of 16 and 29. The data used in the research was collected through a written Discourse Completion Test (DCT) which was in the form of a questionnaire presented some natural situations to which the respondents were expected to respond when making refusals. The reason why 30 participants were chose was that it has been claimed that in using the DCT for interlanguage speech act st udies, questionnaires with 30 subjects will serve as an appropriate guide (2009: 5). The participants were divided into three different groups of 10 upper-intermediate, 10 intermediate and 10 lower-intermediate students at a Language Institute in Yazd. In order to have a pertinent cross-linguistic examination of the speech act of refusal responses to the same DCT conducted by another American researcher were also analyzed. There were 37 Americans responses to the same DCT which was conducted by Kwon (2009: 5). The American participants in the research were between 18 and 22 years of age and they were all students from Boston. The DCT consisted of three requests, three invitations and three asks a favor of the other person. In each situation type were supposed to refuse a person of higher status, one to a person of equal status, and one to a person of lower status. There were a second group of participants who were asked to answer DCT which was translated into Persian and the purpose of designing this DCT was to compare semantic formulas used by Persian native speakers with those of the EFL learners. DCT was given to learners and they were asked not to think about the given situations thoroughly and they are just supposed to respond quickly. All of the respondents returned their papers within 20-30 minutes and the researcher were there all the time while the subjects were writing the answers. The Reponses were compared in terms of language forms with the 31 native speakers responses in Persian, and with 37 native speakers responses in English. Researchers in order to be analytically honest analyzed components of each speech act present in the responses; the produced refusals were parsed into strategies (2009: 6). Data Analysis Taxonomy of refusal developed by Beebe was the basis of coding all data in the research. Units used in analysis were semantic formulas. According to Cohen definition of semantic formula is a word, phrase, or sentence that meets a particular semantic criterion or strategy; any one or more of these can be used to perform the act in questions (Allami Naeimi, 2009: 6). Through this study new categories of semantic formulas were identified. Number of strategies in each refusal indicated complexity of speech act of refusal. The average number of semantic formulas used by the American respondents, Iranian Persian speakers and EFL learners were 4.00, 3.10 and 3.30 respectively. Regarding numbers which were gained it was shown that Americans use more semantic formulas, but variety of Iranians strategies were significantly more. Analyzing each of the semantic formulas in detail is a big task so researchers focused on similarities and differences among three groups of American native speakers, Iranian EFL learners and Persian native speakers answering the translated DCT. Another factor which was taken into consideration was the shift of frequencies of semantic formulas regarding the status of interlocutors. For higher status a boss, lower status an employee, a salesman, a student and a cleaning lady and for equal status a classmate and a friend were used. Arguments One of the things that researchers of this article are looking for is whether L1 might influence the L2 or not (Allami Naeimi, 2009: 15). Majority of EFL learners cannot have interaction with native speakers therefore they do not have good knowledge of semantic formulas or the way they should be used in different situations. Linguistic and cultural differences affect the way language is used by the language learners because the way people provide a speech act regarding a speech event is culture bound. Iranian learners are more sensitive about the status level of interlocutor and used different strategies, whereas Americans used a same pattern regardless of the status level. In other words, Iranians are more concerned with the face saving act rather than Americans. Americans are more specific and clear in their responses rather than Iranians. The researchers work result was along with positive correlation hypothesis which was suggested by Takahashi and Beebe, in which language profic iency has effect on pragmatic transfer (2009: 16). Article Results Some of interesting findings in the research were as follow: Iranian English learners were depending on their native culture-specific refusal strategies was the direct refusal Americans subjects were more concrete and specific when it came to refusing a high status person in comparison with Iranian participants in the study. The main goal of doing this research among Iranian EFL learners was because of lack attention to sociocultural and sociolinguistic factors. If EFL learners are not aware these factors it will lead to their misunderstanding of the concept in real-life situations when they are communicating with native speakers. The outcomes of this research supported that there is great difference between using speech acts in different cultures and languages. Teachers of second language should increase students knowledge level of target language pragmatic competence and how they should deal with different speech events in proper way. Conclusion The researchers have tried to go deep and find why EFL learners do not interact in the same way as native speakers do especially when it comes to speech acts which in this research refusal was the case. One of good points about this research is that in the procedure of it researchers tried to be as honest as possible by considering all the aspects in their data analysis. Another good point about this research was previous studies which were done in the same field by different researchers, therefore the researchers made a laid a good background and comparison in their task. However, there are some downsides in this research as well. One of the shortcomings in the research is lack elaboration for status of a person in the cultures of Iran and America. According to Foley à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ understanding of what kind of person they are vis-à  -vis the other interlocutor is embodied in their habitus. To the extent they rate of higher rank, the habitus will enact that proper demeanor in bodi ly and linguistic practices à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Foley, 1997: 260). If someone does not know exact definition of person within a culture and society then certainly he or she will not interact properly in that culture or society the person is a social concept made up of local notions of the ones rights and obligations, and hence varies crossculturally (Foley, 1997 : 263). Another problem was choosing only males as participant in this research. Woods believed that gender has a great role in conversations especially at work place the gender was the most significant factor determining speech behavior, more important than status. With respect to patterns of interruption, higher status people were more likely to interrupt successfully than lower status conversational partners, but men of lower status were still usually successful in interrupting a higher status female speaker (Foley, 1997 : 294).

My Personal Responsibility to Achieve College Success Essay

The definition for personal responsibility is to be accountable for the choices, words, and actions that you make. To practice personal responsibility in one’s education I think it is important to complete assignments on-time, study for tests, and actively participate in class. Becoming responsible for your academics is also very important and determines your future education and career. What is the relationship between personal responsibility and college success? Being personally responsible and achieving college success have many similarities. Even though personal responsibility does not always guarantee college success, they are associated because they share several similarities between them, both require taking charge of your current situations, performing to your best ability, and taking accountability for your mistakes and failures. Taking control of your situation is important and will determine your academic outcome. When you complete assignments on-time you are taking charge of your current situation. I have learned to effectively manage my time so that my assignments can be turned in before the due date. I also try to perform to my best ability and do whatever it takes to successfully complete assignments on-time no matter how difficult or time consuming they can be. Setting up short term goals allow me to become more accountable for my academics and will help me complete my long term goals as well. Performing to your best ability is imperative to obtaining college success. I always try to be the best that I can be by pushing myself to the limits and forcing myself to do whatever it takes to get the task completed. Studying for tests allows me to gain the most knowledge as possible and allows me to perform successfully in college. If you don’t try and make excuses for poor performance can lead to an unsuccessful academic experience. Preparing for tests and quizzes is necessary for both your learning experience as well as your grade. Maintaining a high grade point average is one of my academic goals and is something I will constantly be monitoring throughout my academic career. Actively participating in class and being responsible are important to your learning experience and success. Getting involved in discussions and asking questions are all a part of the learning process and can provide a wealth of knowledge. Asking questions when something is unclear is your responsibility. Everyone should be responsible and accountable for their own mistakes and failures. Being responsible is acknowledging that you are accountable for the choices in your life and that accepting that will determine the direction for your life. You also must have personal accountability. Personal accountability is the act of taking responsibility for your actions in the workplace or other situations. Rather than directing blame on others, individuals should seek to understand their own contribution towards the situation and how they could make the situation better. In conclusion, without personal responsibility you will not succeed academically. To be successful in life and in college you must be personally responsible for your choices, actions, and behaviors. Being successful means you need to take charge of your current situation, perform to your best ability and be accountable for your own mistakes and failures. Failing to accept personal responsibility result can result in negative consequences. When you have not accepted personal responsibility, you can run the risk of becoming overly dependent on others for recognition, approval, affirmation and acceptance. To practice personal responsibility in my education, I am working on learning self-management, preparing to learn strategies, and learning how to develop study skills. Being personally responsible is very important in all aspects of life and should always be a main priority.

All About Wireless Electricity

Wireless electricity is quite literally the transmission of electrical energy without wires. People often compare the wireless transmission of electrical energy as being similar to the wireless transmission of information, for example, radio, cell phones, or wi-fi internet. The major difference is that with radio or microwave transmissions, the technology focuses on recovering just the information, and not all the energy that you originally transmitted. When working with the transport of energy you want to be as efficient as possible, near or at 100 percent. Wireless electricity is a relatively new area of technology but one that is rapidly being developed. You may already be using the technology without being aware of it, for example, a cordless electric toothbrush which recharges in a cradle or the new charger pads that you can use to charge your cell phone. However, both of those examples while technically wireless do not involve any significant amount of distance, the toothbrush sits in the charging cradle and the cell phone lies on the charging pad. Developing methods of efficiently and safely transmitting energy at a distance has been the challenge. How Wireless Electricity Works There are two important terms to explain how wireless electricity works in, for example, an electric toothbrush, it works by inductive coupling and electromagnetism. According to the Wireless Power Consortium, Wireless charging, also known as inductive charging, is based on a few simple principles. The technology requires two coils: a transmitter and a receiver. An alternating current is passed through the transmitter coil, generating a magnetic field. This, in turn, induces a voltage in the receiver coil; this can be used to power a mobile device or charge a battery. To explain further, whenever you direct an electrical current through a wire there is a natural phenomenon that occurs, that a circular magnetic field is created around the wire. And if you loop/coil that wire that wires magnetic field gets stronger. If you take a second coil of wire that does not have an electrical current passing through it, and place that coil within the magnetic field of the first coil, the electric current from the first coil will travel through the magnetic field and started running through the second coil, thats inductive coupling. In an electric toothbrush, the charger is connected to a wall outlet that sends an electric current to a coiled wire inside the charger creating a magnetic field. There is a second coil inside of the toothbrush, when you place the toothbrush inside of its cradle to be charged the electric current passes through the magnetic field and sends electricity to the coil inside the toothbrush, that coil is connected to a battery which gets charged. History Wireless power transmission as an alternative to transmission line power distribution (our current system of electric power distribution) was first proposed and demonstrated by Nikola Tesla. In 1899, Tesla demonstrated wireless power transmission by powering a field of fluorescent lamps located twenty-five miles from their power source without using wires. As impressive and forward thinking as Teslas work was, at that time is was actually cheaper to build copper transmission lines rather than build the type of power generators that Teslas experiments required. Tesla ran out of research funding and at that time a practical and cost efficient method of wireless power distribution could not be developed. WiTricity Corporation While Tesla was the first person to demonstrate the practical possibilities of wireless power in 1899, today, commercially there is little more than electric toothbrushes and charger mats available, and in both technologies, the toothbrush, phone, and other small devices need to be extremely close to their chargers. However, an MIT team of researchers led by Marin Soljacic invented in 2005 a method of wireless energy transmission for household use that is practical at much greater distances. WiTricity Corp. was founded in 2007 to commercialize the new technology for wireless electricity.

Management And Leadership Essay - 1113 Words

Management and Leadership Some might argue that there is not much difference between management and leadership. While a good manager can also be a good leader and visa versa, this does not always hold true. A leader is someone who people naturally follow through their own choice, whereas a manager must be obeyed. A manager may only have obtained his position of authority through time and loyalty given to the company, not as a result of his leadership qualities. A leader may have no organizational skills, but his vision unites people behind him.(1) I believe an individual can go to school, get a good education and can be taught to be a good manager, but there is more to being a good leader. Being a leader, I believe, is an inherent†¦show more content†¦Managers are also the first line of contact when issues arise that concern their employees. When employees have issues, most companies prefer for them to speak to their manager first to find a resolution. On the other hand, if upper management has an i ssue with employees, they will usually go through the managers for a resolution. As for leadership, it is more of a following, a persons ability to motivate and inspire their employees. A manager may work for a company for 15 years be very dedicated and for that he/she are promoted to a management position. In that management position their employees must, to a certain degree, follow their directives, whereas leaders are inspirational and people, employees and work groups choose to follow them. Manager, to be effective, must be well organized and efficient being very mindful of company policies and procedures. Leaders, on the other hand, are more of a lose type of individual with tremendous ability to influence and give his or her company a since of direction. Leaders of todays companies are given the roles and responsibilities of creating; as well as maintaining a healthy organizational work environment. 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