Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Definition and Examples of Colonial Lag in Language

Definition and Examples of Colonial Lag in Language In linguistics, colonial lag is the hypothesis that colonial varieties of a language  (such as American English) change less than the variety spoken in the mother country (British English). This hypothesis has been vigorously challenged ever since the term  colonial lag  was coined by  linguist Albert Marckwardt in his book  American English  (1958). For example, in an article in  The Cambridge History of the English Language,  Volume 6  (2001), Michael Montgomery concludes that in regard to American English, [t]he evidence cited for colonial lag is selective, often ambiguous or tendentious, and far from indicating that American English in any of its varieties is more archaic than innovative. Examples and Observations These post-colonial survivors of  earlier phases of mother-country culture, taken in conjunction with the retention of earlier linguistic features, have made what I should like to call a colonial lag. I mean to suggest by this term nothing more than that in a transplanted civilization, such as ours undeniably is, certain features which it possesses remain static over a period of time. Transplanting usually results in a time lag before the organism, be it a geranium or a brook trout, becomes adapted to its new environment. There is no reason why the same principle should not apply to a people, their language, and their culture. (Albert H. Marckwardt, American English. Oxford University Press,  1958) Colonial Lag in American English There was for a long time a popular belief that languages separated from their home countries, like a bud nipped from its stem, ceased to develop. This phenomenon was called colonial lag, and there were manyincluding, notably, Noah Websterwho argued in particular for its applicability to American English. But though the colonial languages in the New World might have been isolated from their homelands, these languages were not unaffected by their trip to the New World. Colonial lag is, as linguist David Crystal says, a considerable oversimplification. Language, even in isolation, continues to change. (Elizabeth Little,  Trip of the Tongue: Cross-Country Travels in Search of Americas Languages. Bloomsbury, 2012)With ongoing language changes, it is often argued that colonies follow the linguistic developments of the mother country with some delay because of the geographical distance. This conservatism is called colonial lag. In the case of American English it is witnessed, for instanc e, in changes that took place in the modal auxiliaries can and may. Can gained ground in uses previously associated with may earlier and more rapidly in England than in the American colonies (Kytà ¶ 1991).Colonial lag is not, however, in evidence with all linguistic changes. In the case of third-person singular present-tense suffixes, for instance, no such tendency can be observed. (Terttu Nevalainen, An Introduction to Early Modern English. Oxford University Press, 2006) Colonial Lag in New Zealand English Because of the fragmentation of transplanted speech communities, the children of colonial founding populations may lack well-defined peer groups and the models they provide; in such an event, the influence of the dialects of the parents generation would be stronger than in more typical linguistic situations. This is especially true of more isolated settlers children. As a result, the dialect that develops in such situations largely reflects the speech of the previous generation, thus lagging behind.[P]arental origin is often an important predictor of aspects of individuals speech. This provides some support for the notion of colonial lag. (Elizabeth Gordon, New Zealand English: Its Origins and Evolution. Cambridge University Press, 2004)[T]here are a number of grammatical features in the New Zealand archive which can be described as archaic in that we assume that they were more typical of mid-nineteenth-century English than of later periods. One reservation, however, is that a number of grammatical changes which have affected English in the British Isles in the last 200 years have started in the south of England and spread out from there, arriving later in the English north and southwestand then in Scotland and Ireland, if at allwith some considerable time lag. There are a number of conservative features on the ONZE tapes [Origins of  New Zealand  English project] which may therefore be either archaic, or English regional, or Scottish, or Irish, or all four. One such is the use of for-to infinitives, as in They had for to gather the crops. (Peter Trudgill,  New-Dialect Formation: The Inevitability of Colonial Englishes. Oxford University Press, 2004)

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Eastern Red Cedar - Tree Species Overview

Eastern Red Cedar - Tree Species Overview Eastern red cedar or Juniperus virginiana is not a true cedar. It is a juniper and the most widely distributed native conifer in the eastern United States. Redcedar (red and cedar can be spelled together or separate) is found in every U.S. state east of the 100th meridian, which is a geographic vertical map  line separating east and west North America. This hardy tree is considered a pioneer tree species and often among the first trees to occupy cleared areas, where its seeds are spread by cedar waxwings and other birds that enjoy the fleshy, bluish seed cones. Fence lines attract the birds and red cedar trees become the new wild hedge. The Eastern Red Cedar Tree Range The red cedar range extends from southeastern Canada down to the Gulf of Mexico. To the west, native red cedar tree range only occurs east of the Great Plains but has been successfully spread toward the west by natural regeneration from planted trees. In the absence of fire, eastern red cedar thrives and may eventually dominate mid-western prairie or forest vegetation. Pure stands of eastern redcedar are scattered throughout the primary range of the species. Most of these stands are on abandoned farm lands or drier upland sites. Fire is destructive to the tree and often controlled or eliminated from a landscape with the use of controlled burning. The Hardy Eastern Red Cedar The dense but attractive foliage growth makes eastern redcedar a favorite for windbreaks, screens, and wildlife-cover for large yards and landscapes. Red cedars high salt-tolerance makes it ideal for seaside locations. Still, it is not recommended as a street tree where winter roads are salted because it can obstruct the view of traffic. This tree does well in poor, compacted soils and is a good tree for land reclamation. It does well in areas that experience drought during the year. Identification of Eastern Red Cedar The evergreen red cedar is a small to medium tree that rarely exceeds 50 feet in height. Redcedar is single-trunked and the only native juniper that is upright and columnar. The bark has shedding thin strips, the seed cones are berry-like and glaucous (blueish), the leaves are scale-like and pressed tightly against twigs. One other way to identify a red cedar is the presence  cedar-apple rust and bagworms that commonly infest/infect eastern red cedars. Uses of Eastern Red Cedar Red cedar wood is highly valued as a wood for the fine-grained, decay resistant wood used to panel closets and split for fence posts. Other uses include making pails, making lead pencils and making cedar chests. Speaking of chests, the volatile cedrine camphor oil has been proven to kill larvae of moths that feed on wool. Redcedar makes a lovely Christmas tree and comes with that perfect smell of the season. Selling it as a Christmas tree may not work where red cedar is not a preferred even though affordable Christmas tree. Eastern Red Cedar Trees Plant Easily Eastern redcedar can be planted in full sun or partial shade. Red cedar will easily grow in a variety of soils, including clay, but will not do well when roots are constantly moist or wet. Do not over water redcedar but do water seedlings until established, then leave the tree alone. Red cedars are difficult to transplant due to a coarse root system except when quite small. Still, when properly planted from nursery stock it will perform well with no care and can handle acid, alkaline soil and coastal soils. Usually, insects and diseases are not a problem if planted in open sun.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Problem of Human Trafficking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Problem of Human Trafficking - Essay Example Various countries have their own human traffic control authorities and disciplines which ensure mitigation of human trafficking within its borders and across. Internationally efforts are being made to counteract this turbulence; however the need is for a more effective joint venture across the platform internationally. The parent organizations need to join hands against the nuisance. This can be made possible through expansion of human intelligence, more effective borders surveillance systems and signing of accords that allows actions across the borders. United Nations General Assembly in 2000 passed a resolution in the form of Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish Human Trafficking in Person, which is seen as a positive step towards the culmination of human trafficking (Gupta 2006). However, the job is far from being accomplished and more needs to be done internationally, in order to make the world a better and safe place for many who fall victims to it every year. Having highli ghted the issue of human trafficking, it must not be deducted that all kinds of immigrations are illegal and non conducive. Immigration and migrants are natural phenomena and is a need of many countries. It allows exchange of people, and many a times, a particular country’s economy heavily relies on the working of immigrants since they provide low rate labor (Zheng 2010). One of the five truth commissions: The truth commission that got established was for the purpose of humanitarian efforts for restoring peace and punishing the guilty. This took place in 1983 when the civilian President took over in Argentina and took a step forward to investigate the wrong doings conducted by the military junta of the predecessor regime who had once forcefully overthrown the elected government back then. During the military rule oppression was quite common in practice and as many as thirty thousand people went missing, while others are harassed in various ways. They visited the places that w ere used for torture and as prisons along with all other evidences that were left and could help in the investigation process. High level official investigation was conducted in this regard which lasted over an extensive long nine months and the entire findings were named as â€Å"Never Again†. As a result of this, trial was conducted and the once mighty military rulers were brought to justice through this effort launched by the then President of Argentina. The movement went very well amongst the folks and people supported this entire process (Robben,2007). Justice: Justice is the pivot towards the balanced operations of any society. It is the fact of equality, humanity, unbiased attitude of individuals and organizations. Justice could be either in form of motivation of as institution. The former is an individual effort, while the latter pertains to the society and judicial setup. Legal system is defined as one that constitutes all the essentials which make up for a system th at would suffice the needs of a society. Any crime committed or any offense is dealt according to the legal system of a particular society and country (Orme, 2007). Political Justice pertains to the legal and social judicial norms practiced in the helm of political activities, which primarily embodies the