Thursday, December 26, 2019
President Trumpââ¬â¢S Foreign Policy Pursuit Unequivocally
President Trumpââ¬â¢s foreign policy pursuit unequivocally falls under branch method. Branch method differs from the root method in that it does not begin its policy implementation from the fundamentals each time. Branch method builds policy modifications from current situations. Because its bases are ongoing situations, it can hold comparatively less comprehensive analysis of various policies ââ¬â in other words, the limited analysis inhibits the government from important potential consequences/values, and possible alternatives. There are plenty of evidences that indicate President Trumpââ¬â¢s failure to consider unintended consequences. President Trump criticized Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbullââ¬â¢s refugee deal made with the United States. Presidentâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦Yet, Mr. Pence has expressed that the United States is in full support of the United Statesââ¬â¢ alliances with European countries. The articles also mention the dispute between the prime minister of Australia and President Trump. Once again, President Trumpââ¬â¢s hostility towards Australia did not accurately reflect the United Statesââ¬â¢ hope of maintaining the alliance between the two countries. This inconsistency does not add credence to the stability of the current United States government and its approach to foreign policy. In terms of pinpointing President Trumpââ¬â¢s actions within the deterrence or spiral model theory Jervis suggests, it is rather impossible to categorize the administration to one or another. Neither one adequately explains the motivations behind President Trumpââ¬â¢s actions and it is difficult to understand whether President Trumpââ¬â¢s inconsistency with others in the White House results from his belief in the U.S.ââ¬â¢ threatened security from these alliances or from innate aggressiveness inhabited by these countries. Based on what policies Trump executed so far, his pre-election campaigns, and the great turmoil in th e United Statesââ¬â¢ government, I would analyze that the true motives behind President Trumpââ¬â¢s actions primarily focus on sending domestic messages rather than international messages. Yet, it is important to recognize that these domestic-directed actions are interpreted by other states as international messages.
Wednesday, December 18, 2019
The United Methodist Church Of Mishawaka, Indiana
Coalbush United Methodist Church is in Mishawaka, Indiana. The Indiana Conference church development team selected Coalbush as a strategic location for potential growth. The church is located right off of the US 20 bypass on the south side of Mishawaka. The city is slowly moving out toward the country, which is how this church views itself: a country church. Mishawaka is not predicted to experience great growth in the next ten years with the make up of a household having little change either. The majority of the people are Anglo-American with little diversity. This is a somewhat traditional community where the majority of people report a sense of well-being. The average household income is approximately $60,000. The largest age group is between 35-55 years old. I was appointed to Coalbush beginning July 1, 2016. I have been observing and serving as I attempt to discover the unique context and setting for this local church in this season of their very long history. The church mission and passion has been stalled for the last few years. The Coalbush United Methodist Church entered a program about five years ago to help them evaluate their fruitfulness and effectiveness of the church. It was determined that too much time was spent in meetings and not enough time actually doing ministry. The church went through a three-year process of attempting to restructure and lessen the many other committees of the church. Missions, Outreach, Assimilation,
Monday, December 9, 2019
Business and Corporations Law Modern and Contract
Question: Describe about the Business and Corporations Law for Modern and Contract. Answer: 1. The aim is to find the presence of considerations for given situations and conclude that whether Jack has an enforceable agreement which is legally binding on Jane. (a) In this scenario, Jane is the offeror and Jack is the offeree. Jane is going overseas, hence she has offered her car to Jack, and Jack has agreed to take the car from Jane. This scenario is having both the elements to enact an agreement i.e. valid offer and acceptance. However, the question arises in this situation is to verify the presence of the consideration (Gibson Fraser, 2014). Jane the offeror has not revealed any consideration amount for the exchange of the Lotus Super 7 Sports car from Jack. Thus, this case is having lack of consideration. According to the contract law, any agreement will be termed as void, if it does not have valid consideration. It can be the price made by the offeror to the offeree. This consideration value must be paid by the offeree in the exchange of the offer. Any valid consideration can have the tendency to bind both the parties into the enforceable agreement (Taylor Taylor, 2015). The court has provided the decision in Placer Development Ltd. Commonwealth [(1969) 121 CLR 353], that in any case, when there is any uncertainty to determine the consideration amount, then the case does not have valid consideration and results in void agreement (Davenport Parker, 2014). It is also a critical feature that the offeror must inform the offeree about the consideration amount with any mode of communication, it can be direct or indirect. Also, the offeree cannot adopt any consideration amount without the confirmation from offeror. It is the prerequisite for the valid consideration that the consideration amount must be valid and lawful as per the civil law, besides the fact that it is regulatory value or non-regulatory value (Paterson, Robertson, Duke, 2015). In this situation, Jane has not asked for any value for her Lotus Super 7 Sports to Jack, this indicates the invalid consideration value. However, it also cannot considered from the above situation that Jane was going foreign, hence she offered her car to Jack at the current market price, because she has not cited any value for car, then Jack cannot adopt this car for any assumed consideration amount. Since, consideration cannot be any assumed value from offeree, irrespective of the fact that the offeror did not mention any value. In the present case scenario, the offeror has not asked for any consideration price from offeree and thus no enforceable agreement for Jack. It would in fact be referred to as gratuitous promise since Jane has no consideration in the promise made and such promises are non-enforceable. (b) In this situation, Jane the offeror has communicated a consideration amount to sell her Lotus Super 7 Sports car to Jack. This amount of the car is same as the market rate of the car i.e. $25,000 and this value of the car is acceptable by Jack. Hence, all the elements of any enforceable agreement are specified between the offeror and offeree i.e. valid offer, acceptance and consideration. It is not imperative that consideration have a numeric value in return to the offer, it can include any benefit interest, or devolving of rights in exchange of the offer (Harvey, 2009). Consideration for the offeror is expressed in terms of the return favour from the offeree. It is the amount for the offer that the offeree needs to pay to satisfy the offer. The amount of consideration made by the offeror i.e. $25,000 is a valid consideration amount for the car, and easily distinguish in the view of law. Thus, this case satiated all the conditions needed for the contract. Hence, Jack has an enforceable agreement with Jane. (C) In this situation, Jane the offeror has clearly mentioned the consideration amount for the sale of her Lotus Super 7 Sports car to Jack. This amount is legally valid under common law and termed as regulatory value. In the enactment of enforceable agreement, the intent and capacity of the parties are the imperative factors.. The main impact of the enforceable agreement is that both the parties are legally bound with regards to the obligations and rights as per the contract. There is not such importance in the equality of the consideration amount with the market real rate of the offer. This is called the adequacy of consideration (Gibson Fraser, 2014). Hence, the consideration must have some value more or less, is not the question in case of enforceable agreement. This adequacy of the consideration becomes imperative, when any unsuspicious conduct has offered between the parties. It is not essential that the consideration value is same as the specific monetary value. In Carlill v. Carbolic Smoke Ball Co case, it is necessary that the offeror should accept the consideration and same should be transferred from the offeree (Pendleton Vickery, 2005). The nature of the consideration can be explained with the example of the case Chappell v. Nestle, in which the offeror made the consideration of stipulated things. Even a mere peppercorn or an empty wrapper can also be treated as a valid consideration (Richard, 2003). Additionally, the consideration must be a real value or object and should be feasibly exchanged between the parties. In this case, offeror Jane has made a consideration amount of $2,500 beside the deed that the real rate of the car is $25,000. This stipulated amount has been accepted by Jack. Even though, this consideration amount is much lesser than the real amount of the car, but still a valid consideration is present. Therefore, all the essential conditions are satisfied in this case i.e. valid offer, consideration, and acceptance. Thus, Jack has an enforceable agreement with Jane. 2. Issue To comment on the possibility of success for North Ocean Tankers with regards to claim for $ 3 million recovery based on the applicable legal principles. Law One of the key requirements in the execution of a valid contract is that the parties should provide their free consent to assume the various contractual obligations. At times, when one of the parties do not find requisite consideration to be bound in a contractual relations, the offers by the other party may be turned down. In such cases, it is possible that the offeror may obtain a forced consent through the use of force, a situation which is termed as duress. The use of duress is quite common in bringing modifications to the contract clauses which essentially required consent from both parties and cannot be implemented unilaterally (Harvey, 2009), It is noteworthy that as per the common law, any contracts that are executed with the use of force (whether physical or economic) are voidable if the party subject to threat desires the same (Pathinayake, 2014). This view is derived from the verdict given by the honourable court in the Electrcity Generation Corporation t/as Verve Energy v. Woordside Energy Ltd. [2013] WA SCA 36 case. The court detected the presence of economic duress and thus concluded the voidable nature of the contract. The party subject to threat can claim duress as a valid defence and therefore demand losses from the other party due to the compliance with the unreasonable demands (Taylor Taylor, 2015). However, the scope of claim is limited to only that damage which is caused due to forced consent being given under the influence of threat (physical or economic) (Richard, 2003). Over the period of time, duress has emerged as a strong defence for parties who are forced into contractual relations. This has been especially enabled with the addition of economic threat to the purview of the already existing duress concept. This is significant since unlike the old days when threat were primarily physical and apparent, now the threats are implicit and through the usage of superior economic power so as to gain at the behalf of the interests of the other party. In order to conclusively establish the usage of economic duress, certain aspects need to be established in the court (Gibson Fraser, 2014). There needs to be evidence with regards to the economic power being used in bad faith with the intention of gaining agreement on an unfair term or promise. This threat leads plaintiff into a circumstance which demands that only possible option worth pursuing is acting in agreement with the demand. As the plaintiff provides consent to the term, condition or clause, there i s legal agreement between the parties which prevents the party from dishonouring the commitment given (Davenport Parker, 2014). If the presence of economic duress is established, the plaintiff gets the right to claim damages from the defendant citing duress (Harvey, 2009). However, a critical aspect in this regard is the time within which the plaintiff should file a claim with the court. Ideally, this needs to be carried out as soon as the delivery of the product or the service is done but in case of valid reasons, if it cannot be filed immediately, then the same should be done before the passage of reasonable time. The definitive authority with regards to define the reasonable time is the court which decides this timeframe based on the underlying case facts (Pendleton Vickery, 2005). A leading case in this regard is the North Ocean Shipping v Hyundai Construction (The Atlantic Baron)[1979] QB 705 case. The court agreed to the presence of economic duress based on the case facts and thereby applying the above theory, the claimant should have been successful. However, it was not so as the court indicated that the delay amounting to right months since the tanker delivery is clearly beyond reasonable time in the given case ((Pathinayake, 2014).. Owing to this huge delay, the claimant has indirectly indicated voluntary acceptance to the extra payment and hence cannot now claim it Application The given case facts indicate that a legal enforceable contract has been executed between North Ocean Tankers (Buyer) and a shipbuilder (Seller) with regards to tanker construction. During the building period, the buyer executes a charter for the tanker but there is request for payment of $ 3 million by the shipbuilder. The shipbuilder justified this on account of devaluation in USD but the contract did not had any provision for such a payment. The buyer denied making the payment even though subsequently it complied but only because the seller threatened to stop the work which the buyer could ill afford. The buyer got the tanker delivered on time but made a claim on the $ 3 million payment only after nine months. It is apparent from the case fact that the seller acted in bad faith and used economic power by threatening to not fulfil the contractual obligations. The buyer on account of the charter could not delay the delivery and hence agreed for the payment. It is clear that if it hadnt been for the threat from the seller, the payment of $ 3 million would not have been made by North Ocean Tankers. By agreeing to the demand, they had to make the payment which they did. Hence, economic duress is undoubtedly established but the long delay after delivery seemed unjustified and belong reasonable time. The same would also be indicated by the verdict in the North Ocean Shipping v Hyundai Construction (The Atlantic Baron)[1979] case. Thus, the buyer would not find any success in the recovery of the payment to the tune of $ 3 million as the long delay has made the modified contract legally valid. Conclusion North Ocean Tankers will not be able to recover the payment made to the buyer to the tune of $ 3 million on account of the delay beyond the reasonable time available to claim damages in cases involving duress. References Davenport, S Parker, D 2014, Business and Law in Australia, 2nd eds., LexisNexis Publications, Sydney Gibson, A Fraser, D 2014. Business Law, 8th eds., Pearson Publications, Sydney Harvey, C. 2009, Foundations of Australian law. 3rd eds., Tilde University Press, Prahran, Victoria Pendleton, W Vickery, N 2005. Australian business law: principles and applications, 5th eds., Pearson Publications, Sydney Paterson, J, Robertson, A Duke, A 2015, Principles of Contract Law, 5th eds., Thomson Reuters, Sydney Pathinayake, A 2014, Commercial and Corporations Law, 2nd eds., Thomson-Reuters, Sydney Richard S 2003, The Modern Law of Contract, 5th eds., Cavendish, London Taylor, R Taylor, D 2015, Contract Law, 5th eds., Oxford University Press, London
Monday, December 2, 2019
The Benefits of Being Bilingual in a Global Society
Thesis statement The realities of todayââ¬â¢s living are being marked by an increasing role of information, as the foremost factor that defines the very essence of post-industrial social interactions. After all, due to exponential progress in the field of informational technologies, which had taken place during the course of latest decades, it now became a commonplace practice to transfer huge amounts of information from one corner of the globe to another, within a matter of an instant.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Benefits of Being Bilingual in a Global Society specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As it was pointed out by Clark (2010, p. 1): ââ¬Å"We live in an ever-changing, evolving, constantly shifting world, where socially construed boundaries are becoming more obscured while simultaneously making visible the spaces, dimensions, and strategies of being and becoming multiple people in multiple placesâ ⬠. In its turn, this results in producing the phenomenon of ââ¬Ëoverlapping identitiesââ¬â¢ ââ¬â unlike what it used to be the case even as recent as fifty years ago; nowadays, more and more people begin to assess the subtleties of their individuality from essentially cosmopolitical perspective.[1] Therefore, it comes as not a particular surprise that, as time goes on, the issue of bilingualism continues to grow increasingly embedded into the very core of a number of todayââ¬â¢s socio-political discourses. The reason for this is simple ââ¬â in highly globalized world, oneââ¬â¢s ability to speak more than one language automatically increases the extent of his or her existential competitiveness. What it means is that, there are many fully objective reasons to expect that, in very near future, the number of bilingual individuals will increase dramatically. And, it represents the matter of crucial importance for educators to be able to adopt a proper perspective onto the very essence of bilingualism/multilingualism, as it will increase their ability to design teaching strategies in a manner fully consistent with earlier mentioned process of Earth becoming ââ¬Ëborderlessââ¬â¢, in allegorical sense of this word.[2] In this paper, I will aim to discuss theoretical aspects of bilingualism and to show how the practical implementation of bilingualism-inducing strategies in academic environment may result in substantial enhancement of teaching processââ¬â¢s effectiveness. While elaborating on paperââ¬â¢s subject matter, I will also aim to promote an idea that the very tendency for more and more people to grow increasingly bilingual, which defines the social implications of Globalization, has been dialectically predetermined. What it means is that nowadays, becoming bilingual had effectively ceased to be an option for individuals who seek to attain social prominence.Advertising Looking for essay on linguistics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Rationale-driven considerations for second language acquisition Given the fact that the qualitative subtleties of just about any socio-historical phenomena are being defined by the dialectical essence of associated causes and effects, it will only be logical to suggest that there are fully objective motivations behind the process of people becoming increasingly bilingual/multilingual. In her book, Baker (2001) provides us with the insight on what accounts for these motivations. According to the author, the rationale for second language acquisition can be generalized as consisting of three mutually supplementing sub-elements: ideological, international and individual. Ideological rationale is being largely related to the fact that, ever since seventies, the policy of multiculturalism in Western countries had attained governmentally endorsed status. In its turn, this resulted in transforming the demographic pattern of Wes t-bound immigrants. Whereas; before the institutionalization of multiculturalism, it were predominantly White people immigrating to such English-speaking countries as U.S., Canada and Australia; nowadays, the bulk of newly arrived immigrants to these countries consist of those, commonly referred to as ââ¬Ërepresentatives of racial minoritiesââ¬â¢.[3] And, due to characteristics of these peopleââ¬â¢s visual appearance, their assimilationist anxieties emerge being much stronger, as compared to what it used to be the case with assimilationist anxieties, on the part European immigrants, for example. This is the reason why an acquisition of host-countryââ¬â¢s official language (e.g. English) represents the matter of crucial importance for these people ââ¬â by becoming proficient in such a language, ethnic immigrants prove their ability to assimilate into host-society, and consequentially to become such societyââ¬â¢s productive members. There is another aspect to this à ¢â¬â even though that it now became a commonplace practice to associate the concept of European colonialism with the notion of ââ¬Ëoppressionââ¬â¢, the native people from former European colonies continue to subconsciously associate this concept with the notion of ââ¬Ëprogressââ¬â¢. According to De Mejia (2002, p. 4): ââ¬Å"An interest in the use of international languages is often associated with positions of social prestige in societies which have a colonial historyâ⬠¦Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Benefits of Being Bilingual in a Global Society specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In these countries the use of world languages (especially English) is considered by many of the governing elite as vital to the modernization of the economy and to the development of science and technologyâ⬠. Apparently, as time goes on, more and more people consider oneââ¬â¢s proficiency in a second la nguage being utterly prestigious ââ¬â pure and simple. The international rationale behind acquisition of a second language is being concerned with the fact that, as compared to what it is usually the case with monolingual individuals; the bilingual ones are being put in advantageous position, especially when it comes to indulging in commercial activities. One does not have to be particularly smart, in order to be able to realize why ââ¬â a particular individualââ¬â¢s proficiency in second language implies the increased extent of his or her exposure to information. And, as it was rightly noted by Baker (2001, p. 112): ââ¬Å"Languages provide access to information and hence powerâ⬠¦ For the business person and the bureaucrat, for the scholar and the sports person, access to multilingual international information opens doors to new knowledge, new skills and new understandingâ⬠. Given the fact that, as it was being mentioned earlier, the realities of todayââ¬â¢s post-industrial living are closely associated with essentially instant transfers of information on world-wide scale, those who can understand and speak more than one language are being more likely to take advantage of a number of rapidly emerging professional and commercial opportunities. The individual motivation behind peopleââ¬â¢s decision to seek fluency in foreign languages has to do with the fact that such fluency results in increasing the extent of a concerned personââ¬â¢s cultural awareness. After all, it is only the people that have succeeded in familiarizing themselves with foreign cultures, which can be considered educated, in full sense of this word. And, within the context of such a familiarization, oneââ¬â¢s proficiency in at least one foreign language will come as a great asset. Yet, what it is being even more important is that individualââ¬â¢s acquisition of a second language usually results in enhancing the workings of his or her intellect. According to Ramirez (1985, p. 195): ââ¬Å"Bilingualism could be an advantage in abstract thinking (conceptualizing things and events in relation to their general properties rather than relying on their linguistic symbols) and in encouraging mental flexibilityâ⬠. As compared to their monolingual counterparts, bilingual individuals appear being much more intellectually flexible, as the fact that they can express their thoughts in foreign language naturally predisposes them towards recognizing the validity of a number of moral, ethical and religious notions as being only relative to the affiliated circumstances.Advertising Looking for essay on linguistics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The context of an earlier provided conceptualization as to what accounts for rationale in acquisition of a second language, implies that it is very important for teachers to be able to choose in favor of a proper set of bilingualism-inducing incentives, meant to apply in every individual case. After all, without being sufficiently motivated to indulge in studying of a second language, it is very unlikely that students will be able to succeed in it. As it was rightly suggested by Dornyei (1998, p. 117): ââ¬Å"Motivation provides the primary impetus to initiate learning in the L2 and later the driving force to sustain the long and often tedious learning processâ⬠¦ Without sufficient motivation, even individuals with the most remarkable abilities cannot accomplish long-term goalsâ⬠. And, given the fact that bilingualism-inducing motivations can be generally categorized as ââ¬Ëintegrativeââ¬â¢ (concerned with addressing learnerââ¬â¢s assimilationist anxieties) and â⠬Ëinstrumentalââ¬â¢[4] (concerned with convincing learner that becoming bilingual will increase the extent of his or her existential competitiveness), teachers must be capable of properly identifying what will account for circumstantial appropriateness of exposing learners to either set of motivations. For example, it would prove very unlikely for practically minded students to think of attaining ââ¬Ëcultural awarenessââ¬â¢ as strong enough motivation to proceed with their studies. Alternatively, it will also be very unlikely for assimilation-seeking learners to be motivated to indulge in studying of a second language, because their eventual bilingualism would increase their efficiency as stock-traders, for example. Theories of bilingualism One of the foremost aspects of bilingualism-related discourses is the fact that there is still much uncertainty as to structuralist subtleties of how bilingual individuals perceive surrounding reality, in linguistic sense of this word, which stems out of conceptual incompatibility between the applied analytical methodologies. As it was pointed out by Hamers and Blanc (1991, p. 1): ââ¬Å"One of the major problems of an interdisciplinary approach (to bilingualism) is the integration of the macro- and the micro-levels of analysisâ⬠. Nevertheless, as of today, bilingualismââ¬â¢s neurological mechanics are being usually assessed within the context of Balance, Iceberg and Threshold theories.[5] The proponents of Balance theory, such as Macnamara (1966), and Albert and Obler (1978), suggest that, due to the main principle of brainââ¬â¢s neurological functioning (people can only concentrate on doing one thing at the time), bilingualsââ¬â¢ increased proficiency in second language necessarily accounts for their reduced proficiency in native language. In their book, Appel and Muysken (2005, p. 104) have outlined the conceptual premise behind Balance theory with perfect clarity: ââ¬Å"If an individual learns more than one language, knowing one language rest nets the possibilities for learning other languages. More proficiency in one language implies fewer skills in the other onesâ⬠. The empirical observations of immigrantsââ¬â¢ linguistic behavior seems to support the validity of Balance theoryââ¬â¢s provisions ââ¬â after all, it does not represent much of a secret that, after having spent a considerable time living amidst foreign linguistic environment, people tend to ââ¬Ëenrichââ¬â¢ their native languages with newly learned foreign words, as being the most semantically suitable. This particular theoryââ¬â¢s drawback appears to be the fact that, up to date, no evidence has been found as to brainââ¬â¢s limited capacity to memorize linguistic idioms. The proponents of Iceberg theory (analogy), such as Cummins (1980), point out to the fact that the manner in how bilingual people go about expressing their thoughts in both languages reflects the inner working of t heir psyche. What it means is if, letââ¬â¢s say a particular person has been known to experience difficulties, while operating with highly abstract categories in his or her native language, this will also be the case with such individual trying to do the same, while utilizing second language. In other words, according to the proponents of this theory, the acquisition of second language cannot produce detrimental effects onto a particular individual, for as long as the rate of his or her IQ appears adequately high. The advocates of Threshold theory, such as Skutnabb-Kangas and Toukomaa (1976) and Clarkson (1992), are not sharing such point of view on the essence of bilingualism. According to them, the process of a particular person attaining proficiency in second language is being rather linearly defined. Whereas; it is very unlikely for children-bilingualists to be utterly comfortable with expressing intellectually refined thoughts in both languages (due to their age-related unde rdevelopment), as time goes on, these individuals will continue to grow ever-more proficient in one language, at first, and eventually ââ¬â in both languages. This explains why, regardless of what was their age when they started to learn foreign language, most highly educated people have absolutely legitimate reasons to think of themselves as such that are being fully proficient in at least two languages. However, just as it is being the case with Balance theory, Threshold theory features a number of shortcomings. For example, its proponents do not specify as to what should be considered a criteria, when it comes to measuring individualââ¬â¢s bilinguistic proficiency. Also, this theory does not take into consideration the specifics of bilingual peopleââ¬â¢s ethno-cultural affiliation. And yet, as it will be shown in this paperââ¬â¢s following sub-chapter, the particulars of bilingualistsââ¬â¢ physiological/genetic makeup directly affect the degree of their linguistic expressionsââ¬â¢ comprehensiveness. Ability vs. aptitude As we are being well aware of, peopleââ¬â¢s ability to learn foreign languages differs rather dramatically. Whereas; some individuals do not seem to experience any problems whatsoever, while acquiring second language, for others, learning a few basic foreign phrases appears to be the limit. How can it be explained? As of today, there are two qualitatively different approaches to tackle the subject matter, concerned with the concept of ââ¬Ëabilityââ¬â¢, on one hand, and with the concept of ââ¬Ëaptitudeââ¬â¢, on another. For example, according to Oller and Perkins (1978, p. 417), studentsââ¬â¢ likelihood to succeed in acquiring second language is being correlative with the rate of their Intellectual Quotidian(IQ): ââ¬Å"It appears that some of the variance in verbal intelligence is common to variance in first and second language proficiency, some of which in turn may be common to the kinds of non-random so urces of variance in self-reported dataâ⬠. In its turn, this explains why individuals who score high, while IQ-tested, often exhibit a particular talent in becoming proficient foreign-language speakers. Nevertheless, given the fact that the very concept of IQ-testing is now being widely criticized, on the account of its ââ¬Ëeuro-centrismââ¬â¢,[6] it comes as not a particular surprise that recent decades saw the emergence of qualitatively new approach towards addressing the issue linguistic proficiency, commonly referred to as ââ¬Ëaptitudalââ¬â¢ or ââ¬Ëemotionally-intelligentââ¬â¢. The proponents of this approach, such as Skehan (1998), argue that it is namely the fact that bilingualism-enhancing tasks, to which students are being commonly subjected in Western academia, can be best referred to as ââ¬Ëemotionally exhaustingââ¬â¢, which in turn explains some studentsââ¬â¢ lack of progress in becoming proficient bilingualists. To put it plainly ââ¬â m any ethnic studentsââ¬â¢ linguistic failure should not be thought of as ââ¬Ëthing in itselfââ¬â¢, but rather as the consequence of educatorsââ¬â¢ failure to adhere to the principles of multicultural tolerance, while dealing with ââ¬Ëethnically uniqueââ¬â¢ learners. The objective analysis, however, leaves few doubts as to the full appropriateness of a suggestion that the rate of oneââ¬â¢s IQ does in fact reflect his or her capacity for learning foreign (particularly Western) languages. After all, individualââ¬â¢s ability to score high, while IQ-tested, extrapolates his or her ability to operate with utterly abstract mental categories. And, it does not represent much of a secret to linguists that English language alone features close to hundred thousand of highly abstract idioms. Therefore, in order for just about anyone to succeed in learning English, as a second language, he or she would need to have an understanding of how abstract terms relate to emanations of surrounding reality. Unfortunately, this does not always seem to be the case among people endowed with primitive/rural mentality, who immigrate to Western countries from the Third World. In his book, Bruhl (1928, p. 120) was able to define the qualitative essence of primitive perception of surrounding reality with utter precision: ââ¬Å"Identity appears in their (nativesââ¬â¢) collective representationsâ⬠¦ as a moving assemblage or totality of mystic actions and reactions, within which individual does not subjectualize but objectualize itselfâ⬠. Whereas, non-Westerners are being more capable of perceiving existential challenges through the lenses of utilitarian practicality, as compared what it is the case with native-born Westerners, their ability to define dialectical relationship between causes and effects appears significantly undermined ââ¬â and yet, this is the foremost precondition that ensures success in learning Western languages. As it was shown in Bru hlââ¬â¢s book, after having been asked to exclude semantically unrelated word out of wordily sequence axe ââ¬â hammer ââ¬â saw ââ¬â log, indigenous people in Brazil, South-East Asia, Africa and Australia were experiencing a particularly hard time ââ¬â in their eyes, the earlier mentioned sequence made a perfectly good sense as it was (due to what they perceived as these notionsââ¬â¢ ââ¬Ëusefulnessââ¬â¢). The fact that words axe, hammer and saw could be categorized as ââ¬Ëinstrumentsââ¬â¢, on one hand, and that the word log could be categorized as ââ¬Ëmaterialââ¬â¢, on another, never even occurred to these people. Therefore, the fact that the foremost psychological characteristic of non-Whites has traditionally been their strive to ââ¬Ëblendââ¬â¢ with the environment, rather than opposing it, as it is being the case with most Whites, created objective prerequisites for them to experience particularly hard time, when it comes to gaining pr oficiency in Western languages that feature a fair amount of abstractizations. There is even more to the issue. As it was shown by Vanhanen and Lynn (2002, p. 194), the rate of oneââ¬â¢s IQ is being predetermined by genetic rather than by environmental factors: ââ¬Å"There is a positive correlation between brain size and intelligence so the race difference in brain size suggests a genetic basis for the difference in intelligenceâ⬠¦Black infants reared by White middle class adoptive parents in the United States show no improvement in intelligence, contrary to the prediction of environmental theoryâ⬠. In its turn, this explains the phenomenon of ââ¬Ëebonicsââ¬â¢, commonly referred to as ââ¬ËBlack-English languageââ¬â¢, which features an acute absence of even slight traces of an abstract terminology. Therefore, it will only be logical to conclude that there exists a correlation between the particulars of oneââ¬â¢s racial affiliation and his or her likelihood to succeed in becoming bilingual individual, in traditional context of this word. And, although the earlier articulated line of argumentation is being of rather theoretical essence, I believe that it does provide certain insights as to how proper and improper bilingualism-inducing academic techniques may be distinguished from each other. Learning strategies As it was suggested in paperââ¬â¢s earlier parts, there are good reasons to believe that the qualitative aspects of peopleââ¬â¢s physiological and consequentially psychological constitution, do affect their chances of becoming affiliated with bilingualism, as an integral element of their existential mode. Therefore, it will only be logical to hypothesize that, when it comes to designing educational strategies, meant to facilitate studentsââ¬â¢ proficiency in foreign languages, these aspects must be taken into consideration. The validity of this suggestion can be well illustrated in regards to the fact that it now became a legitimate practice among teachers, to classify students along the lines of what defines the inner characteristics of their cognitive apparatus, before subjecting them to a particular learning strategy. According to Carrell and Monroe (1994), the individuals that indulge in liberal studying (e.g. learners of foreign languages), can be categorized as extroverts (sensing, feeling, interacting), on one hand, and as introverts (judging, thinking, abstracting), on another. The insights, contained in their article, directly relate to the subject of this paperââ¬â¢s discussion, as the successful implementation of two qualitatively different linguistic input-related strategies, which are being commonly referred to as ââ¬Ëstructuralistââ¬â¢ and ââ¬Ëmeaningfulââ¬â¢, cannot be ensured without teachers taking into account the specifics of learnersââ¬â¢ psychological predisposition. According to the advocates of structuralist approach to language-teaching, such as Skinner (1 957), the process of students attaining proficiency in foreign language is being mainly concerned with memorization. This is the reason why the practitioners of this approach have traditionally been known for their tendency to place a particular emphasis onto drill and repetition, as success-ensuring keys to bilingualism. Ever since early seventies, however, an entirely new approach to teaching foreign languages was becoming increasingly popular ââ¬â a so-called ââ¬Ëmeaningfulââ¬â¢ one. According to one of the most prominent advocates of such an approach Dell Hymes (1996, p. 33), in order for students to be able to succeed in memorizing foreign words, they must be seeing them as such that convey an easy-to-recognize social meaning: ââ¬Å"The linguistic features that enter into speech styles are not only the ââ¬Ëreferentially-basedââ¬â¢ features usually dealt with in linguistics today, but also the ââ¬Ëstylisticââ¬â¢ features that are complementary to them, and inseparable from them in social communicationâ⬠. What it means is that the second language should not be taught to students outside of what they perceive as such languageââ¬â¢s practicality. As it was noted by Baker in earlier quoted book: ââ¬Å"We use a language for a specific purpose. Language is a means rather than a structural end. Effective language does not mean grammatical accuracy nor articulate fluency, but the competence lo communicate meaning effectivelyâ⬠(p. 119). Therefore, it comes as not a surprise that both approaches to teaching foreign languages differ rather dramatically in how their practitioners go about reaching their professional objectives. Whereas; ââ¬Ëstructuralistââ¬â¢ methodology places heavy emphasis onto utilization of audiolingual techniques, as the instrument of increasing the extent of studentsââ¬â¢ proficiency in second language, the ââ¬Ëmeaningfulââ¬â¢ one relies mainly upon the contextual appropriateness of deployed teaching strategies ââ¬â hence, its strong affiliation with the concept of interactive socialization. Given the fact that, as we have pointed out earlier, just about all the students can be categorized as introverts and extroverts, it will only be natural to expect the extrovertly-minded ones to be able to benefit from being exposed to specifically ââ¬Ëmeaningfulââ¬â¢ method of acquiring linguistic skills in foreign language. The reason for this is simple ââ¬â being naturally predisposed towards socialization with others, these students will be much more likely to become bilingual, once they are being provided with an opportunity to practice their newly acquired linguistic skills in the environment where the possession of these skills might prove crucial, in social sense of this word. Alternatively, students known for their tendency to indulge in social withdrawal, will be more likely to benefit from being provided with an opportunity to study second language in the ma nner that would allow them to introvertedly reflect upon what they are being taught. Nevertheless, this does not mean that they may be able to attain a full proficiency in second language, without being required to practice the acquired linguistic skills. This is the reason why, as of today, it is specifically ââ¬Ëmeaningfulââ¬â¢ strategies for studying foreign languages that continue to grow increasingly popular with both: teachers and learners. Apparently, as time goes on, more and more educators become aware of a simple fact that the actual value of just about any language cannot be assessed outside of what represents its utilitarian significance. As Grosjean (1982, p. 8) had put it: ââ¬Å"Language does not exist in itself but has a use for the overall behavior which is meaningful in a given culture. Functions of language are universal but the linguistic forms vary across languages and culturesâ⬠. Because, due to the process of Globalization the world becomes increasi ngly ââ¬Ëflatââ¬â¢ and ââ¬Ëborderlessââ¬â¢, it does not represent much of a challenge to predict that, in very near future, the ââ¬Ëmeaningfulââ¬â¢ language-teaching strategy will probably attain the only legitimate academic status ââ¬â the dialectically predetermined laws of history created objective preconditions for this to happen. The role of parental involvement The discourse, regarding the role that parental involvement plays in the process of children becoming accustomed to the ways of bilingualism, initially revolved around the issue of what can be considered such involvementââ¬â¢s drawbacks. After all, as it appears from the number of studies, conducted prior to the time when Western societies became subjected to the ideological oppression of political correctness, it is quite inappropriate to think that, given their love towards their children, parents are being simply in no position to undermine the effectiveness of the process of children attaini ng proficiency in second language. For example, according to Brown and Hanlon (1970), most immigrant-parents in America tend to pay very little attention to whether their young ones utter English sentences in grammatically and stylistically proper way. Partially, this can be explained by the fact that these parents themselves possess rather inadequate skills in the language of a host-country. However, there is also another aspect to the problem ââ¬â as both authors have shown, it represents a commonplace practice among immigrant-parents to be mainly concerned with what their children say, as opposed to being concerned with how they say it. The idea that parents (especially newly arrived immigrants) appear rather poor equipped, when it comes to providing their children with linguistic guidance, is also being explored by Oââ¬â¢Grady (1997, p. 259): ââ¬Å"A rarely noted point about parental feedback ââ¬â direct or indirect, deliberate or incidental ââ¬â is that it focus es on relatively peripheral, language-particular aspects of the childââ¬â¢s grammarâ⬠¦ It is hard to even imagine a situation in which a parent would have the opportunity to provide feedback that would help a child discover the existence of syntactic categoriesâ⬠. Apparently, the factor of parental love plays rather negative role within the context of children and adolescents growing bilingual, in academic rather than in street-spoken sense of this word. Nevertheless, as it was shown by Lanza (1997, p. 256) there is a certain beneficence to how even the most indulgent parents address their childrenââ¬â¢s emerging bilingualism, because by exchanging bilingual remarks with their young ones, parents simultaneously provide them with the insight on what accounts for contextual suitability of language-switching: ââ¬Å"The parent who initiates a code-switch with his or her child signals the appropriateness of language mixing and hence socializes the child into code-switchin gâ⬠. After all, the process of childrenââ¬â¢s upbringing is not being concerned with parents exercising a strict control over how they react to lifeââ¬â¢s challenges, but with endowing children with a number of behavioral stereotypes. The memorized behavior-related information, received from parents, is not simply being stored in childââ¬â¢s brain, but continues to spawn ever-newer forms of tacit knowledge, reflected in childââ¬â¢s apparent ability to understand so much more then he or she could have possibly known from indulging in experiential interaction with surrounding realities. As the result, childrenââ¬â¢s ability to extrapolate earlier obtained knowledge onto an unfamiliar ââ¬Ëstrangenessââ¬â¢ allows them to choose in favor of a proper act, while being confronted by formally unknown, but subconsciously recognizable situations. Thus, parentsââ¬â¢ involvement into their childrenââ¬â¢s bilingual upbringing is best conceptualized as ââ¬Ëdouble -sided-medalââ¬â¢: on one hand, such involvement often results in slowing down the pace of children growing bilingually proficient, but on another, it simultaneously results in increasing the extent of childrenââ¬â¢s bilingual adaptability ââ¬â whatever the ironically it might sound. Recommendations, based upon personal experiences The experiences of becoming bilingual, on the part of some of my immigrant-friends, can be compared to the experiences of an individual, who despite being utterly unaware of how to swim, has nevertheless been thrown into the river and told to whether swim or die. By the time they had found themselves in the midst of English speaking environment, they could barely speak the language at all. Nevertheless, it has only taken them as little as few months to become fully proficient in English. The reason for this is simple ââ¬â after having arrived to U.K., they had made a conscious point in trying not to socialize with compatriots from the old co untry. Therefore, I consider myself being in position to come up with at least three advices as to what will facilitate the process of a particular individual attaining proficiency in second language: The prolonged social interaction with native-born language carriers ââ¬â In order for just about anyone to be able to get a good grip of a foreign language, he or she must never cease being exposed to the contextual aspects of such languageââ¬â¢s practical utilization. This suggestion is being fully consistent with the conceptual essence of a ââ¬Ëmeaningfulââ¬â¢ approach to linguistic learning, which emphasizes the crucial importance of establishing provisions for the learners to perceive newly obtained linguistic information as such that interrelate with the very essence of their psychological anxieties. After all, as psychologists are being well aware of, it is only the emotionally charged experiences, which people tend to memorize the most. The continuous memorization o f words and semantic idioms ââ¬â No matter how strongly may a particular person be willing to socialize with languageââ¬â¢s native-born carriers, this person not be able to advance too far with becoming an efficient bilingualist, unless he or she is being disciplined enough to apply a continuous effort into expanding its linguistic vocabulary. By striving to memorize as many words as possible on daily basis, the learner will not only be able to expand its vocabulary, which in itself is the important prerequisite of bilingualism, but also to attune the workings of its cognitive apparatus. As it was noted by De Groot and Kroll (1997, p. 106): ââ¬Å"L2 learning is demanding; individuals with low-working memory capacity may encounter processing failures more frequently than those with high capacity, with the effect that learning is diminished (and with it, perhaps, motivation and commitment)â⬠. It is fully understandable, of course, that nowadays people are being encouraged to think of the very notion of discipline as necessarily euro-centric, and therefore ââ¬Ëevilââ¬â¢. Oneââ¬â¢s endowment with the sense of discipline, however, does not make it less of an asset, especially when the studying of a second language is being concerned. The stimulation of learnerââ¬â¢s sense of aesthetic finesse ââ¬â As my personal experiences indicate, peopleââ¬â¢s endowment with artistic sensitivity (such as oneââ¬â¢s love of music), often reflects upon their ability to succeed rather spectacularly in learning second language. And, there is an absolutely rational explanation to this phenomenon. The so-called Wernicke region in brainââ¬â¢s left hemisphere is responsible for both: decoding the semantic meaning of verbally articulated idioms and defining the subtleties of oneââ¬â¢s artistic taste.[7] Therefore, just as it is being possible for musically gifted individuals to subconsciously spot inconsistency in melodyââ¬â¢s timbre or pitch, i t is being possible for linguistically gifted individuals to subconsciously sense what will account for contextual, grammatical or stylistic appropriateness/inappropriateness of utilization of a particular word or phrase in representational matrix of a second language. What it means is there are objective reasons to expect that peopleââ¬â¢s commitment to indulging in artistic pursuits is going to positively affect their chances of attaining bilingual proficiency. Conclusion As it was being hypnotized in the Introduction, there are a number of reasons to think that in very near future, the bilingualism will become the norm of life for just about anyone on this planet. The validity of such an idea is being confirmed by the linear subtleties of historical progress. Apparently, the issue of bilingualism should not be discussed in terms of being simply a fashionable trend, but rather in terms of being an indication of the fact that, it is only the matter of time, before the conceptual matrix of Western educational practices will undergo a dramatic transformation. Therefore, there can be very little doubt as to the sheer beneficence of acquiring second language, regardless of who happened to be a concerned party. At the same time, as it appears from an earlier conducted research, the bulk of bilingualism-inducing strategies, currently deployed in Western academic curriculum, are best defined as unnecessarily overcomplicated. In part, this can be explained by the very essence of todayââ¬â¢s socio-political and educational discourses, deeply embedded in dogmas of political correctness. This is exactly the reason why most educators and social scientists that participate in bilingualism-related discourse, deliberately try to avoid mentioning any links between the rate of peopleââ¬â¢s IQ and their ability to succeed in becoming bilingual. And yet, as it was pointed out earlier, such links do in fact exist. Denying their existence would be the same as denying the fact that Earth revolves around the Sun. Therefore, it will only be logical to conclude this paper by suggesting that the future research, regarding the same subject matter, should mainly focus on exploring the qualitative nature of peopleââ¬â¢s predisposition towards acquiring bilingual skills, which often appears being biologically motivated. I believe that the line of argumentation, utilized throughout the paper, and earlier articulated concluding remarks, are being fully consistent with paperââ¬â¢s initial thesis. References Albert, ML Obler, LK 1978, The bilingual brain: Neuropsychological and neurolinguistic aspects of bilingualism, Academic Press, New York. Appel, R Muysken, P 2005, Language contact and bilingualism, Amsterdam University Press, Amsterdam. Baker, C 2001, Foundations of bilingual education and bilingualism, Multilingual Matters Limited, Clevedon. Battro A 2004, ââ¬ËFour digital skills, globalization, and education,ââ¬â¢ in Globalization: Culture and Education in the New Millennium, eds. Suà ¡rez-Orozco M Baolian Qin-Hilliard D. University of California Press, Berkeley. Bialystok, E 2001, Bilingualism in development: Language, literacy, and cognition, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Brown R Hanlon C 1970, ââ¬ËDerivational complexity and order of acquisition in child speechââ¬â¢, In JR Hayes, ed. Cognition and the Development of Language, Wiley, New York. Bruhl, L 1928, The soul of the primitive, George Allen Unwin Ltd, London. Carrell, P Monroe, L 1993, ââ¬ËLearning styles and compositionââ¬â¢, The Modern Language Journal, vol. 77, no. 2, pp. 148-162. Clark, JB 2010, Multilingualism, citizenship and identity: Voices of youth and symbolic investments in an urban, globalized world, Continuum International Publishing, London. Clarkson, PC 1992, ââ¬ËLanguage and mathematics: A comparison of bilingual and monolingual students of mathematicsââ¬â¢, Educational Studies in Mathematics, vol. 23, pp. 417â â¬â429. Cummins, J 1980, ââ¬ËThe entry and exit fallacy in bilingual educationââ¬â¢, NABE Journal, vol.4, no. 3, pp. 25-59. De Groot A Kroll JF 1997, Tutorials in bilingualism: Psycholinguistic perspectives, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah. De Mejia, AM 2002, Power, prestige, and bilingualism: International perspectives on elite bilingual education, Multilingual Matters Limited, Clevedon. Dà ¶rnyei, Z 1998, ââ¬ËMotivation in second and foreign language learningââ¬â¢, Language Teaching, vol. 31, pp. 117-135. Gardner, R 2002, ââ¬ËSocial psychological perspective on second language acquisition,ââ¬â¢ in The Oxford Handbook of Applied Linguistics, ed. Kaplan, R. Oxford University Press, New York. Hamers, J Blanc, M 1991, Bilinguality and bilingualism, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. Hymes, D 1996, Ethnography, linguistics, narrative inequality: Toward an understanding of voice,Taylor Francis, London. Isbister J 1996, The immigration debate: Remaking Am erica, Kumarian Press, West Hartford. Lanza, E 1997, Language mixing in infant bilingualism: A sociolinguistic perspective, Clarendon Press, Oxford. Loritz, D 2002, How the brain evolved language, Oxford University Press, New York. Lynn, R Vanhanen, T 2002, IQ and the wealth of nations, Greenwood Publishing Group, Westport. MacNamara, J et al. 1968, ââ¬ËLanguage switching in bilinguals as a function of stimulus and response uncertaintyââ¬â¢, Journal of Experimental Psychology, vol. 78, pp. 208-215. Mensh, H Mensh, E 1991, The IQ mythology: Class, race, gender, and inequality, Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale. Oââ¬â¢Grady, W 1997, Syntactic development, University of Chicago Press, Chicago. Ohmae, K 2005, Next global Stage: Challenges and opportunities in our borderless world, Wharton School Publishing, Upper Saddle River. Oller, JW Perkins, K 1978, ââ¬ËA further comment on language proficiency as a source of variance in certain affective measuresââ¬â¢ , Language Learning, vol. 28, pp. 417- 423. Ramirez, AG 1985, Bilingualism through schooling: Cross-cultural education for minority and majority students, State University of New York Press, New York. Skinner, BF 1957, Verbal behavior, Appleton-Century-Crofts, New York. Skutnabb-Kangas, T Toukomaa, P 1976, Teaching migrant children mother tongue and learning the language of the host country in the context of the socio-cultural situation of the migrant family, Tukiuksia Research Reports, Tampere. Footnotes Antonio Battro, ââ¬ËFour digital skills, globalization, and education,â⬠in Globalization: Culture and Education in the New Millennium, eds. Marcelo Suà ¡rez-Orozco and Desirà ©e Baolian Qin-Hilliard (Berkeley : University of California Press, 2004), 91 Ohmae Kenichi, Next global stage: Challenges and opportunities in our borderless world (Upper Saddle River: Wharton School Publishing, 2005), 5. John Isbister, The immigration debate: Remaking America (West Hartford, CT: Kumarian Press, 1996), 1. Robert Gardner, ââ¬ËSocial psychological perspective on second language acquisition,ââ¬â¢ in The Oxford Handbook of Applied Linguistics, ed. Robert Kaplan (New York: Oxford University Press, 2002), 164. Colin Baker, Foundations of bilingual education and bilingualism (Clevedon: Multilingual Matters Limited, 2001), 163-169. Harry Mensh, and Elaine Mensh, The IQ mythology: Class, race, gender, and inequality (Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press, 1991), 30. Donald Loritz, How the brain evolved language (New York: Oxford University Press, 2002), 7. This essay on The Benefits of Being Bilingual in a Global Society was written and submitted by user Rosemary Leach to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.
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