Sunday, August 4, 2019
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee - The Death of Innocence :: Free Essay Writer
To Kill A Mockingbird: Death of Innocence A songbird's melody can evoke happiness in anyone, as can the smiling face of a child. The mockingbird sings for the sake of singing, and an innocent child possesses an innate joyfulness, as natural as instinct. Yet a mockingbird's song dies as easily as innocence. In the beginning of the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, Scout and Jem are portrayed as innocents, uncorrupted by our world of prejudice and racism. Their world is simple, sensible, a child's world. However, by the end of the novel, their world has expanded to enclose the irrational nature of humans. Jem and Scout's growing up is portrayed by a series of events that shatters their innocence as easily as a mockingbird can be silenced. One of the first chinks in their armor of naività © that protected them was social prejudice. This was introduced to them in the form of Aunt Alexandra. Scout was crushed when Aunt Alexandra sent Atticus to talk to the Scout and Jem. " 'you are not run-of-the-mill people, that you are the product of several generations gentle breeding...try to behave like the little lady and gentleman that you are' " (Lee 133). Scout was upset because he was essentially telling her not to be herself. Aunt Alexandra wanted to change Scout's personality to conform to society's ideas of what was right for a girl in those times. It seemed like Atticus had almost encouraged them to find their own way, despite the disapproval of many in town; overalls were allowed for Scout, a female, and they had free run of the surrounding few houses during the day. Although the incident with Atticus preaching Aunt Alexandra's ideas made Scout feel overwhelmed, Atticus resisted Aunt Alexandra by telling Scout to f! orget what Aunt Alexandra told him to say, which reassured Scout somewhat. Another way Aunt Alexandra introduced Jem and Scout to social prejudice was how she wouldn't let Scout play with Walter Cunningham. Because the Cunninghams were farmers that lived out of town, Aunt Alexandra regarded Walter to be socially inferior, and said she would only let him in the house on business. " 'Because he's trash, that's why you can't play with him (Lee 225).' " This exposure to social prejudice struck Scout harder, because this time around, Atticus couldn't say, forget it.
Saturday, August 3, 2019
Toni Morrison and bell hooks - Society and the Media :: Biography Biographies Essays
Toni Morrison and bell hooks - Society and the Media There is a lot of misrepresentation of the black society as a whole in the media. The reason that this is true is because the mostly white society accepts this and prolongs s this misrepresentation in the media. Toni Morrison and bell hooks share some of the same ideas on sexism, racism and conformity. This American society is made up of mostly whites. The whites have an extreme effect on how the stereotypes of today relate with media. Sexism is a current issue that happens everyday. It is supported with the stereotypes that area ready preconceived and we just go along with them. In hooks analysis of Lees movie she explores how Carolyn is the care take she is the mother so that is her job. As hooks says. "Sexist/racist stereotypes of gender identity in black experience are evident in the construction of these two characters. Although Carolyn is glamorous, beautiful in her afrocentric style, she is portrayed as a bitch goddess"(hooks 103). She is the dominate on in the house hold because it is considered to be her job as the female. The father does not do much of anything to support her. He is not responsible for actions because he is an, "artistic, non-patriarchal mindset; he cannot be held accountable."(hooks 104). This is because the society say that it is O.K. for the man to do this and it should be accepted. While Carolyn was near death Carolyn talks to her daughter and, "Troy is given instructions as to how she must assume the caretaker role. Contemporary feminist thinkers are calling attention to the girlhood... No one in the film is concerned about the loss of Troy's girlhood, though her brothers remain free to maintain their spirit of play"(bell 104). So instead of the mother asking the father she goes to her ten-year-old daughter and instructs her that she is now the caretaker compared to her older brothers or her father. This is confusing, wouldn't the oldest take care of the youngest. I guess not, I think this is a prime example of sexism. Taking her girlhood away, because it is a woman's job.
Friday, August 2, 2019
The Kite Runner Redemption
What is the worst thing you have done to a friend or family member? Have you lied to them? Stolen from them? After the dreadful deed, did they forgive you? More importantly, did you forgive yourself? Regret and redemption are very important themes in the book The Kite Runner. Having regret for something can affect your whole life, as seen with the character, Amir. Through the development of Amir and his childhood friend, Hassan, Amir has to live with his regret and hope for redemption for the rest of his life. From the beginning of the story The Kite Runner, it is apparent that Amir did something wrong from the very first page. Amir says, ââ¬Å"Standing in the kitchen with the receiver to my ear, I knew it wasnââ¬â¢t just Rahim Khan on the line. It was my past of unatoned sins. â⬠(1). The reader understands that Amir had done something wrong in the winter of 1975. Later, we figure out what this ââ¬Å"somethingâ⬠was; he watched Hassan get raped. It was after Amir had just won his kite race and Hassan had gone to fetch the winning kite. He then came across the bullies of the neighborhood: Assef, Kamal, and Wali. Assef tried to take the kite, but like a loyal friend, Hassan would not let him. Assef then let Hassan keep the kite, but only to pay the price of being raped. Amir stood behind a wall and watched it all happen without saying one word. This is probably one of the most important scenes in the whole book; Amirââ¬â¢s actions from this shaped how he grew up and lived the rest of his life with regret. After Amir watched Hassan get raped, nothing was the same. He was filled with guilt and regret. He felt like a coward. ââ¬Å"I ran because I was a coward. I was afraid of Assef and what he would do to me. I was afraid of getting hurt. â⬠(77). He could not turn and help his friend because he was scared, and he wanted the approval of his father for once; he thought bringing home the kite would win Baba over. Little did he know that he ruined the rest of his life by doing this. Amir was filled with such regret that he had to get rid of Hassan one way or another. He could not stand the secret that he had from that night and wanted the pain to go away. Amir changed his and Hassanââ¬â¢s relationship that night. Even after Amir framed Hassan and got him to leave, Amirââ¬â¢s guilt did not go away and he was forever regretting all the decisions he had been making up to this point. Amir and Baba ended up going to America to try to get away from their past and get the redemption they both were longing for. After living life in America, Amir received a phone call from his old friend, Rahim Khan. Rahim Khan had been looking for some redemption of his own because he had been keeping a secret from Amir his whole life; Hassan was actually Babaââ¬â¢s son and Amirââ¬â¢s half brother. Hassan had died and Rahim wanted Amir to retrieve Hassanââ¬â¢s son, Sohrab. Amir still carried around the guilt from the winter of 1975 and decided this was his chance to redeem himself. As Rahim Khan said, ââ¬Å"There was a way to be good again. â⬠(2). This was Amirââ¬â¢s way to be good again. Amir had been looking for redemption his whole life. Retrieving Sohrab would rid himself of this. Amir also outstepped his coward personality when he was faced to a battle with Assef. This part of the book was one of the other most important scenes. Amir came out with Sohrab and he finally got the redemption that he was seeking for since the day he watched Hassan get raped. Throughout the book there were many examples of redemption. It mostly occurred in Amir as we saw his relationship with Hassan grow throughout the book. Amir had such guilt that he had to drive Hassan away; this proved how much of a coward he really was. After that day, he always carried around the guilt of betraying his friend and finally absolved himself by finding his redemption when retrieving Sohrab. Even though his decision of being a coward affected his life miserably, it still shaped him into the man that he was at the end of the book. Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. New York: Riverhead Books, 2003.
Thursday, August 1, 2019
Mechanistic versus Organic Organisational Structures Essay
With this in mind, organizations turn to management to combat the budding problem, through organizing. Organizing involves the structuring of the resources of the organization in order to achieve its objectives. This structuring includes: *Dividing tasks into jobs (Adam Smith 1700ââ¬â¢s). *Assigning jobs. *Clustering of jobs into units, departments etc. to form the shape of the organization. *Delegating authority and establishing a chain of command. However, we cannot see the management function of organizing as the sole function of the manager, in order to combat these changes (individuals and groups in organizations will inevitably contribute to organizing the organization by the way they ââ¬Å"doâ⬠or ââ¬Å"donââ¬â¢t doâ⬠activities). Organizing involves the way people impose meanings, interpret actions and make responses to things, when they cannot make sense of these things; people reinterpret them according to their own views and often try to impose them on others. Therefore, the organizational structure is strengthened, throughà various means for example performance appraisal, different pay rates etc. In light of this, they are many factors to consider for organizations to design the type of structure which best suits the way they wish to achieve their goals. What design is finally agreed upon depends on a number of decisions such as: *Do we want/need to decentralize decision making. *Are they needs to deal with problems such as the effect of structure on communications; staff/line conflict especially the tension between employees and experts and line managers; centralization versus decentralization etc. This leads to the most important question, which design options should be considered, but before considering however, there are a number of variables which need to be taken into account with design options such as strategy, size, technology and the environment surrounding the organization before any decisions can be made. Although these differences between organizations or enormous, they are many similarities that enable them to be classified into models. Two of these extreme models are mechanistic and organic which was developed by Tom Burns & G M Stalker in there study of electronics firms in the United Kingdom. Mechanistic and organic management systems are at opposite ends of the range of design systems that organizations adopt, firms can move along this range from one end to the other, or occupy positions in between (boundaryless organization) depending on the nature of there work, and changing circumstances. The kinds of practices organizations choose along the range vary according to whether the environment is stable, and the technological conditions are well understood (when mechanistic management is appropriate), or whether the environment is highly unpredictable, with rapid technological change and boundless market opportunities, (when organic management is appropriate). However, my focus is on the organic design structure, organic structures have a flat or horizontal structure with only one or two levels of management where the employeeââ¬â¢s knowledge or expertise in their area is shared in the organization. This teamwork atmosphere allows knowledge to be shared in the organization which plays an important role in the day to day running of the business. Clearly in organizations where the structure is horizontal, all employees contribute and have a share of knowledge and expertise within the organization. The insight on this was as a result of the Burns and Stalkerââ¬â¢s study, where they provided the clearest analysis on the organic design system, they stated it had: *Work organized in a way to avoid specifying individual tasks *Communication, patterns which are: 1) Unending and detailed which are at the helm of the decision making process. 2) Completely free and informal 3) Vertical and horizontal as needed to get the job done. *An informal and constantly changing pattern of authority as roles of the organization tries to reshape itself to address new problems and tackle any unforeseen possibilities. *Responsibility of employees to the whole task confronting the organization. *Authority is invested in the employees with the appropriate knowledge, skill and expertise. This type of structure features a decentralized approach to management. Decentralization is where there is a delegation of authority to lower levels of the organization, where more emphasis is placed on employee skills and capability and the atmosphere is a more comfortable and amiable for the employees to work. However, where the actual decision making should be done by the higher levels of management depends upon the organization and the circumstances surrounding the problem that has arisen. The organic design structure also gives rise to the divisional approach where departments are grouped together to attain the specific goals of the organization whether it be a specific product or service provided by the organization. This approach is based mainly in large corporations who provide products or services for different markets or geographical locations and each department must be self sufficient. With this approach managers would not be delayed in their decision making process by the higher levels of management, the head office just acts as a support system and focuses more on strategic planning for the organization Although they are several additives which can be derived from the divisional approach there are also obstacles that can arise as well. While this approach tends to be flexible and adaptable to changes surrounding the organization, since management has the freedom in there decision making process without unnecessary consultation with higher levels of management, this freedom sometimes tends to lead to repetition of time, efforts and energies on a hopeless project. Consequently, the adoption of the organic management structure for the organization means that the old classical management techniques of job descriptions, job grading, and methods used to identify the completion of tasks will be no more. It will be where managers set broad goals, which they support by providing resources to those with the knowledge, abilities, experience and skills to achieve them. The employees become the experts while on the other hand managers become the facilitators to provide the right conditions and remove barriers which effect performance. It must be made clear, those organizations that are met with the natural uncertainty of the environment, must respond in ways to match this uncertainty, rather than trying to reduce it. This means that rather than adopting the traditional approach where management is viewed as the controlling of subordinates in the mechanistic designà which can only function effectively under a stable environment. They mustà adopt the organic design structure which is not one of controlling and systemizing, but one of facilitating and nurturing of employees to produce to the best of their abilities in order to achieve the organizations goals and objectives when these changes occur. The mechanistic design is without a doubt, not the right model regardless of how many tools, steps and measures are classified for managing in this way. Clearly, when goals of the organization are unclear and the methods for achieving them uncertain, managing in the new innovative way (organic style) can only prove to be productive for the organization. BIBLIOGRAPHY Daft, R. L., Marcic, D. ( 1995 ). Understanding Management. Second Edition. The Dryden Press. Daft, R. L., Marcic, D. ( 2001 ). Understanding Management. Third Edition. Harcourt. Mintzberg, H, (1979). The Structuring of Organizations. Prentice Hall . Clearly our deeply embedded ideas (culture) about the management of activities need to include more emphasis on the building of relationships and the development of communication (organic design) rather than using the traditional approach where management is viewed as the controlling of subordinates (mechanistic design). Without a doubt this is not the right model regardless of how many tools, steps and measures are classified for managing in this way.
Wednesday, July 31, 2019
Research Problem Statement
INTERNATIONAL ANTI-SMOKING CAMPAIGNERS THREATENING THE FUTURE OF THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY IN MALAWI. Tobacco is Malawiââ¬â¢s green gold. Tobacco earns about 60% of Malawiââ¬â¢s forex thereby qualifying to be the major contributor to Malawiââ¬â¢s economy. For the past few years, the tobacco marketing season has been characterized by high rejection rates at the auction floors, a great number of bales returning with no sales, and low average prices.The 2011 tobacco marketing season proved to be the worst with burley average price falling by 41% from US$1. 90/kg in 2010 to US$1. 13/kg in 2011. The total average price on the auction floors was 33% lower as compared to the 2010 average price (US$1. 86/kg to US$1. 24/kg). International Tobacco Growersââ¬â¢ Association (ITGA) Tobacco Courier: Quarterly Publication No. 52 December 2011 ââ¬â www. tobaccoleaf. org. Although the average price for all tobacco types improved in the 2012 marketing season from US$1. 4/kg in 2011 to US$2. 22/kg in 2012, the volumes of the crop dropped significantly from 208 million kgs in 2011 to 79. 6 million kgs in 2012 representing a drop of about 62%. ââ¬â TCC 2012 Tobacco Sales Summary. This could be as a result of the impact the poor prices had on tobacco farmers in the previous season and also the uncertainty surrounding the future of tobacco production due to international treaties like the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO-FTCT).In November, 2010, the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO-FCTC) CoP4 through their Working Committees on various Articles of FCTC, approved in principle to regulate flavouring ingredients which they believe increases the attractiveness of tobacco products. The Conference also recommended the restriction or total banning of additives or flavourings used in the manufacturing of tobacco products. Internet Source: www. tobaccoleaf. org. (21. 08. 2012).A number of other recommen dations were also discussed which when adopted would mean doom for the tobacco industry. Malawi is one of the countries to be affected if WHO-FTCTââ¬â¢s measures are adopted. Malawi should therefore lobby for international support in ensuring that recommendations and guidelines by the WHO-FCTC are not implemented without considering Malawiââ¬â¢s concerns since tobacco production remains the backbone of Malawiââ¬â¢s economy and a livelihoods for most Malawians in the rural areas.
Tuesday, July 30, 2019
Analysis of a Dream Deferred by Langston Hughes Essay
This poem by Langston Hughes is a very complicated. In it the speaker paints a picture of what might happen to someoneââ¬â¢s dream if it is postponed too long. This idea is the overall theme of the poem and it is what unifies and connects each line to the poem as a whole. There are also indirect references that this is not only the dream of an individual, but an entire raceââ¬â¢s struggle to achieve peace and liberation. This poem consists of a series of answers to the question, ââ¬Å"What happens to a dream deferred?â⬠All of the lines following this first question are presented as different similes. The first line of this poem is the most crucial because it develops and sets the direction for the poem itself. It makes the reader think about what happens to a dream when you put it aside for an uncertain amount of time. It is not referring to the dreams someone might have when they are asleep, but rather the goals they have set out for themselves and wish to accomplish. The poem does not choose or assign a dream to the individual or group, but leaves it up to the reader to decide what they feel is important to them. There are two levels of interpretation that can be seen at this point in time. There is the dream of the individual person and what they wish to achieve themselves. There is also the dream of an entire race and what they hope to achieve as a group. The word ââ¬Å"deferredâ⬠was a wonderful way to articulate the idea of a postponed and possibly overdue dream. This line is followed by a series of rhetorical questions that indirectly answer themselves. The speaker firmly states the idea that delaying any dream could lead to damaging effects. Each line describes what these destructive effects and to what end it could lead. The second line asks if the dream dries up ââ¬Å"Like a raisin in the sun.â⬠This metaphor of a dream as a raisin forces the reader to think about the changes that might occur to a dream if it is left alone too long. Does it dry up and wither away? Even though a raisin is already dried, if it is left out in the sun for an extended period of time it would become hard and tough which would make it much harder to enjoy. Thus, if aà dream is left to wither or is unused it could shrivel away to something that is no longer useful or capable of being enjoyed. Someoneââ¬â¢s aptitude would surely grow stiff and dry up if it was not allowed to be used. This line creates the allusion that if you donââ¬â¢t achieve your dreams they could dry out and leave you feeling unnourished. As the poem progresses the images and comparisons made evoke more emotion from the reader. The poem suggests that if the dream does not dry up it could ââ¬Å"fester like a sore- / And then run.â⬠This creates an image and reminds the reader about the pain that is felt when you are injured. This line means that the dream could become irritating like a fresh sore that you wish would dry up so it can heal, but instead lingers and runs. The uncompleted dreams effects could become frustrating and the external wound would be a constant reminder of the things you have not yet attained. The line ââ¬Å"fester like a sore-â⬠creates a tender image and illustrates the exasperating and slow healing process the body must undergo in order to recover properly. This question alludes that when you donââ¬â¢t accomplish your dreams it can be like a sore that never completely heals and always appears fresh. The damaging effects of not completing your dreams becomes more explicit as the poem progresses. The speaker asks if the dream deferred stinks ââ¬Å"like rotten meat.â⬠It reinforces the previous grotesque question and the idea that if you leave a dream out too long it will eventually begin to fester and rot like meat. The idea that a dream has the potential to become rotten is an interesting concept. The dream could begin to rot in the personââ¬â¢s mind or heart, which would cause them to become sick. This line could also be an indirect reference to the lynching that occurred during the speakerââ¬â¢s era. It could be referring to the rancid smell of the dangling lifeless bodies. This reinforces the idea that the speaker is talking about the struggle of an entire race and how important it is to rise up as a group to accomplish your dreams because if anything is left alone too long it will eventually begin to decay. At this point the poem begins to talk about the lighter, but still negative effects of not completing a dream. The speaker implies that if the dream does not begin to rot it could ââ¬Å"crust and sugar over- / Like a syrupy sweet.â⬠This line compares not accomplishing a dream or goal to a sugary substance. If eitherà of these is exposed for too long it would begin to form a rigid and stale crust along the surface. This hard crust would make the substance more difficult to use and could make the dream more difficult to achieve. A dream that is hard and separated is much harder to achieve, and this could lead to feelings of depression. These feelings would make the dream appear more complex and create a bigger struggle for the person to obtain their goals. The other image this line depicts is a scab crusting over. Everyone has or will have some sort of injury that will result in a scab sometime in their life. This is a powerful image that connects the reader to the image the speaker is trying to portray. Although a scab is not typically thought of as something sweet it eventually crusts over ââ¬Å"like a syrupy sweetâ⬠and becomes solid. Even though these two images are not typically compared, it reinforces the crusty and hard image this line is trying to convey. This question insinuates that you should savor and protect your dreams so they do not become old, sour, and stiff. They should be preserved properly so that they remain obtainable. In the second stanza the speaker proposes the idea that if the dream does not crust over ââ¬Å"Maybe it just sags- / Like a heavy load.â⬠This suggests that not following through with your dreams could weigh you down, which would be another damaging effect. It implies that maybe your dream sags, like when a person is carrying something heavy, causing them to move at a sluggish pace. This unhurried pace could lead to clumsiness, which could cause the load to appear heavier than it really is. The word ââ¬Å"Maybeâ⬠reinforces that this line is not a question, but rather a suggestion. This suggestion implies that the dream could become hard to bear due to the mental uncertainty that could lead people to ask ââ¬Å"what ifâ⬠questions. Asking these questions is often a form of self-sabotage because they can never be answered. The development from line to line becomes more intense and graphic as the poem progresses. The last line asks the reader if none of these previous affects have happened, would the dream just ââ¬Å"explode.â⬠This word creates an image of a bomb that could cause a great deal of destruction. This idea is the most devastating effect of not accomplishing your dream because not many things are salvageable after an explosion and it is usually used as a last resort. This suggests the idea that if a dream is postponed too long it would eventually turn into a bomb. This explosion could potentially cause more damage to the person than ifà they had attempted to accomplish the dream and failed, due to the fact that it could never be pieced back together. After a dream has been shattered it is no longer achievable. This line is more powerful than the others because it has a deeper message behind it. I think it is a threat on the level of the whole race. If a dream is deferred too long, then it could explode into violence. If this occurred, it would do an unspeakable amount of damage to the righteous cause and make the whole race appear barbaric. It could also cause an individual or an entire race to lose hope and ââ¬Å"explodeâ⬠with grief causing them to fall apart and feel helpless. These feelings could make someone feel that suicide is the only escape or might lead them to become more aggressive towards others. These two ideas are by far the most damaging affects that could happen if you donââ¬â¢t strive to accomplish your goals and dreams. This poem is very intricately woven and pieced together. The speaker uses comparisons in every line to reinforce and emphasize the main theme of the poem. The indirect references added to the overall complexity of the poem. Each line highlights and unifies the poem because every line relates back to the detrimental effects of what could happen if a dream is deferred. What happens to a dream deferred?
Code-switching: The Effects for Students and Teachers
Introduction In the current global economic climate, the ability to speak English has become an important business tool. English has essentially become the ââ¬Å"universal second languageâ⬠of the international labour market, and the socio-economic significance of this cannot be overstated (Light, 2007: 9). It is now commonplace for many universities across the world to teach courses in English as well the native language of their country. One of the most apparent consequences of this has been the widespread use of code-switching, where multiple languages are spoken in everyday communication. As such, code-switching is often seen as a social as well as a linguistic medium. This paper will attempt to demonstrate the causes and effects of code-switching in bilingual classes. The Definition of Code-switching Code-switching involves the use of multiple languages, where speakers of additional languages incorporate alternate linguistic elements into their source language. As such, two or more languages may be spoken alternately during a conversation. Chan et al (2009) usefully describe code-switching as ââ¬Å"the intra-sentential switching of two different languages in a spoken utteranceâ⬠(Chan et al, 2009: 281). The Causes and Effects of Using of Code-switching in an Academic Context The academic use of code-switching involves a more complex and random effect than can be fully explained by a students ability to speak in a certain language. Recent (debatable) research has identified reasons behind the occurrence of code-switching and the extent to which the process of learning has been affected. A large number of situations are considered to be causes of code-switching, one of which is linked to gaps in studentsââ¬â¢ linguistic ability. As a result, students may engage in code-switching in order to overcome linguistic shortcomings; however this cause may be considered a weak justification. In other cases, a lack of one or more words in either language may lead to code-switching. That is to say, bilinguals make clear that they code-switch when they cannot find the correct expression or term. Often the target language simply does not have the exact word needed in order to maintain a discussion smoothly, and code-switching is necessary. In addition, code-switching can have a positive impact in an academic context. An important teaching skill is the ability to transfer knowledge to students in a clear and efficient manner, and so code-switching can be a useful tool in the classroom for both teachers and students (Bista, 2010: 1). Code-switching may also be used to emphasize a point, or to add more force to a phrase. On a psychological level, learners often code-switch when they feel tired or angry. For example when the speaker is in a good mood, the appropriate word or expression in their second language is easily identified. However if the speaker is distracted in any way, they may find it difficult to grasp the correct word. In a purely linguistic capacity, code-switching may be used to compliment a statement, where it can particularly reinforce an intention or meaning of the speaker. Although sometimes viewed as linguistic incompetence this is not always the case. Code-switching will often occur when the speaker wishes to compensate for a lack of a verbal equivalent in the second language. Baker (2007) describes this well: ââ¬Å"Words or phrases in two languages may not correspond exactly, and the bilingual may switch to one language to express a concept that has no equivalent in the culture of the other languageâ⬠(Baker, 2007:108). There are also personal and social reasons for code-switching in that oneââ¬â¢s choice of words can represent an expression of their personality. Allatson (2007) suggests factors that can lead to code-switching as location, class, gender and age. In addition the relationship between the speakers; the formal or informal nature of the conversation and the social status of the speakers can also be factors (Allatson, 2007: 73). Another social explanation is that speakers tend to code switch to attract attention. In Saudi Arabia, for example, code-switching is often used among teenagers to draw the attention of their colleagues. Furthermore they switch from Arabic to English to show that they are confident about themselves. In general, code-switching effects are widely perceived as negative. Namely, there is a tendency to view code-switching as barrier to learning and as being disruptive to the learning environment. Accordingly, the practice has been considered as a sign of linguistic deficiency. Li (2008) notes that despite code-switching being commonplace in both the speech and writing of multilingual societies (often with English as the second language), it is usually frowned upon by multilingual speakers within these societies. (Li, 2008: 76). In an academic context, studies by Arrifin and Husin (2011) have observed that learners with a greater linguistic ability often see code-switching as and obstacle to becoming fluent in a second language. Their findings indicated that students with a degree of competence in English found it difficult to make progress in an environment of code-switching (Arrifin et al, 2011: 221). Other studies have reached similar conclusions. Bista (2010) conducted a study in the US which found that code-switching not only had a negative impact on the linguistic learning ability of students, but also highlighted lack of ability in the second language as a primary cause of code-switching (Bista, 2010: 1). Others have a different view however, in particular that code-switching may be perceived as ââ¬Ëlinguistic resourcefulnessââ¬â¢. Baker (2007) argues that users of code-switching show impressive cognitive, linguistic, and social skills. In his view code-switchers may be preserving the meaning of their original statement by overcoming the lack of a suitable word in the second language (Baker, 2007: 56-57). Surveys of a number of English language students have reported that they view code-switching as having a considerable influence on the learning process. From their perspective, code-switching assists in understanding the more complex linguistic elements of the second language. It may also help in the translation from their first language to the target one. Conclusion It may apparently be concluded that the impression of code-switching as a barrier to learning seems to be the prevalent view amongst both learners and teachers, and that any positive effects of code-switching are not yet widely recognised. As a consequence of this, it would be reasonable to assume that the attitude of both teachers and students towards code-switching may have been somewhat influenced by this common viewpoint. In the near future however, signs are that code-switching may possibly be seen as a tool for learning. In that event, some restrictions on the use of code-switching must be established by teachers in the classroom, and learners should code-switch only when there is an in urgent case. Eventually, it might yet become a beneficial tool for both learners and teachers. References Allatson, P., 2007. Key terms in Latino/a cultural and literary studies, Oxford: Blackwell. Baker, C., 2007. A Parentsââ¬â¢ and Teachersââ¬â¢ Guide to Bilingualism, Clevedon: MPG Books. Light, I., 2007. ââ¬ËGlobal Entrepreneurship and Transnationalismââ¬â¢. In Ed. L. Paul Dana. Handbook of Research on Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurship: a Co-evolutionary View on Resource Management, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing. pp.3-15. Arrifin, K. and M. Susanti Husin, 2011. ââ¬ËCode-switching and Code-mixing of English and Bahasa Malaysia in Content-Based Classrooms: Frequency and Attitudesââ¬â¢. The Linguistics Journal, June, pp.220-47. Bista, K., 2010. ââ¬ËFactors of Code Switching among Bilingual English Students In the University Classroom: A Surveyââ¬â¢. English for Specific Purposes World, Volume 9, pp.1-19. Chan, J. Y. C., H. Cao, P. C. Ching, T. Lee, 2009. ââ¬ËAutomatic Recognition of Cantonese-English Code-Mixing Speechââ¬â¢. Computational Linguistics and Chinese Language Processes, September, pp.281-304. Li, D. C. S., 2008. ââ¬ËUnderstanding Mixed Code and Classroom Code-Switching: Myths and Realitiesââ¬â¢. New Horizons in Education, December, pp.75-87.
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