Quinton Richards Essays (370 words) - Gender, Identity,

Quinton Richards Professor Jenkins Social Service Policies 11/20/2017 How changeable is Gender and Gender Identity? Gender identity is one's personal experience of one's own gender. Gender identity can correlate with assigned sex at birth, or can differ from it completely. All societies have a set of gender categories that can serve as the basis of the formation of a person's social identity in relation to other members of society. In most societies, there is a basic division between gender attributes assigned to males and females. a gender binary to which most people ad here and which includes expectations of masculinity and femininity in all aspects of sex and gender, biological sex, gender identity, and gender expression. In all societies, some individuals do not identify with some or all the aspects of gender that are assigned to their biological sex, some of those individuals are transgender, genderqueer or non-binary. There are some societies that have third gender categories. Core gender identity is usually formed by age three or after age three, it is extremely difficult to change and attempts to reassign it can result in gender dysphoria. Both biological and social factors have been suggested to influence its formation. One's innermost concept of self as male, female, a blend of both or neither or how individuals perceive themselves and what they call themselves. One's gender identity can be the same or different from their sex assigned at birth. To understand gender identity development and related issues, definitions must be emphasized for clarity. The topic of gender identity is often discussed merely in terms of dysfunction, and the diagnosis of gender identity disorder is a known phenomenon in both children and adults. However, physicians should remember that all individuals possess a gender identity and that the process of becoming aware of it is an important part of the psychosocial development of a child. In the realm of pediatrics, recognition of gender identity is a process rather than a milestone, and variance from societal norms can cause distress to both the child and the child's family. It is necessary to understand the varied pathways that lead to a mature and congruent gender role to fully assess a person's behavioral health.

The Role of Native Language Phonology in the Production of L2 Contrasts by Eckman and Iverson

The Role of Native Language Phonology in the Production of L2 Contrasts by Eckman and Iverson In their article, Eckman and Iverson (2013) present the research conducted to confirm or deny particular hypotheses regarding the acquisition of the contrast between English [s] and [ÊÆ'] among native speaking Koreans and Japanese. The authors provide adequate literature research and explain the background, clearly identify the topic and hypotheses, describe the study itself and discuss its findings; although the article does have some drawbacks, it is still a well-written one.Advertising We will write a custom book review sample on â€Å"The Role of Native Language Phonology in the Production of L2 Contrasts† by Eckman and Iverson specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Summary of the Article The study by Eckman and Iverson (2013) focuses on the way how the contrast between [s] and [ÊÆ'] (as in English words sip versus ship, for instance) is manifested in the native languages of the participants. Although in both languages, the pho nes [s] and [ÊÆ'] are present, and both in Korean and Japanese /s/ is pronounced as [ÊÆ'] before the high front vocoids, the significant difference can be observed. While this rule is allophonic in Korean ([s] and [ÊÆ'] are distinguished as the allophones of /s/), it is neutralizing in Japanese (the contrast between these two sounds is merged). In both languages, s-palatalization can be observed but it is manifested in different ways. Considering all of this, Eckman and Iverson (2013) state that Korean and Japanese are expected to have different paths in acquiring the contrast between [s] and [ÊÆ'], as well as make different types of mistakes. In other words, the mistakes and the way, in which every participant will acquire the contrast, are predictable due to the character of the same contrast in their native languages. The authors assume that Korean participants will apply the rule of perceiving [s] and [ÊÆ'] as allophones of /s/ to English words, which, as a consequence, wil l lead to errors. Japanese, on the contrary, will apply the rules of their own language, which result in other errors. As the authors conclude, Korean participants will make so-called NL transfer errors when /s/ is pronounced as [ÊÆ'] before high front vowels while Japanese participants will make hypercorrection errors when /s/ is pronounced as [s] even when it should be pronounced as [ÊÆ']. On the basis of these statements, hypotheses are created. To test those, the authors have chosen 49 learners of English, 23 of whom are Japanese and 26 of whom are Koreans. To gather data, the stimuli of 90 words and a program created in MATLAB have been used. The last one was needed to communicate with the participants: show a set of pictures and give commands, such as Wait or Speak, for example. The data was recorded at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and after that it was transmitted to the Ohio State University where the assistants who received it knew nothing about the hypotheses. In the end, the hypotheses turned out to be correct.Advertising Looking for book review on linguistics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Critique of the Article To start with, Eckman and Iverson (2013) clearly initiate the topic, tell why the study is important and prove that the same issue has not been addressed yet. Besides, the article has a precise structure and is organized conveniently. It is easy to navigate, even though the article is quite long. The introduction is not lengthy and contains all important ideas of the study, which are discussed briefly and laconically. The background part is rather important: it provides both good literature research showing what has already been done on this topic and explains particular characteristics of Korean and Japanese languages, which are needed for the study. It should be noticed that only relevant characteristics are provided, without any redundant information. The s tudy is described clearly and in details. No questions have arisen regarding the way in which the study was carried out or how the participants were chosen. Additionally, the level of language of the respondents is indicated. As for the research itself, it was conducted wisely. The authors’ aim was indeed to test hypotheses, not just confirm them. All data gathered during the study was transmitted to assistants who knew nothing about the hypotheses created by the authors. Hence, the final conclusion was drawn based on bare facts, without any bias. However, the study also has several drawbacks. First of all, specialized terminology usually is not identified, which is why an individual without more or less deep knowledge in the topic will need to conduct additional research to define unknown words and concepts. Secondly, while the research itself is described in details, the methodology is not clearly determined. The article does not tell about the research method or research d esign, for example. Finally, no limitations or constraints of the study are identified, as well as no directions for the further research are suggested. For example, knowing how the contrast between [s] and [ÊÆ'] is acquired among native speaking Koreans and Japanese, the authors could have suggested what other aspects of the same languages should be investigated or what other languages should be taken into account. Still, all of the drawbacks mentioned above are insignificant and do not deny the importance of the study conducted by Eckman and Iverson (2013). The article can serve as a strong base for further research and has already been cited in several related works.Advertising We will write a custom book review sample on â€Å"The Role of Native Language Phonology in the Production of L2 Contrasts† by Eckman and Iverson specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More References Eckman, F., Iverson, G. K. (2013). The Role of Native Lang uage Phonology in the Production of L2 Contrasts. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 35(1), 67-92.

Modernist Trends toward Abstraction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Modernist Trends toward Abstraction - Essay Example The main feature that characterizes the modern thought is an escapable tendency towards abstraction. The artists’ thoughts today are mainly focused on the modern trends towards abstraction that analyses the resultant universal idea and acts as a key facet to human thoughts. Therefore, the modern view and thoughts are mainly dominated by abstraction. The need of creating a new kind of art by artists was mainly to encompass the fundamental transformations that were taking place in technology, philosophy and science. At that period, most individual artists drew their theoretical arguments from more diverse sources that reflected the intellectual and social preoccupations in all aspects of the western culture. Some artists including Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, and Paul Cezanne practiced most of the modernized art trends such as Fauvism, western painting, Cubism and Post Impressionism that had a very great impact on the art in the twentieth century that led to the advent of the c entury’s abstraction. The heritage of these artists was essential to develop the modern art, the trend towards abstraction. The main reason why artists develop new trends in art is to ensure that the viewers have deep site and hope to reveal the truth concerning the abstract, artist’s approaches to reality that may be valid in the other areas as well. Artists mainly develop the work of art in order to present an article that reveals or portrays some message to the viewer. Paul Cezanne’s early works on art were mainly pictures, of violent and melodramatic subjects mainly made with thick but dark paints. He is exposed to the work of impressionist, lacked a good structure in the impressionist’s paintings, and therefore developed some ways of using color in order to render his image as a composition of planes. The efforts he made established a basis of the modernist trend towards abstraction making him to be regarded as the father of modern art. The example o f an article that Paul Cezanne decorated was a self-portrait in a Beret. This article was made between the year 1898 and 1900. It was made of oil on canvas in the Museum of fine arts in Boston. The movements or styles used in the article were impressionism and post expressionism. Paul Cezanne used thick paintings and shapes and presented the article with a course texture. The work can be classified as expressionism or post expressionist. The work can be seen as good and cool. Therefore, due to its good nature, it impresses various viewers and acts as a source of inspiration. In addition, the work emphasizes on the natural colors that look out to the natural world and reveals a profound feeling to the viewers. Paul Cezanne’s main goal or aim in his work was to produce something solid that can last for several years out of impressionism. He was aiming at producing a better work that reveals the natural world as it really is. The paintings are aimed at revealing the message or s ign that the artist was trying to disclose to the viewers. At first, the viewers of the first work of art under expressionism rejected the impressionist art due to its apparent relationship with the world. The abstract due to its scale and nonrepresentational imagery enables the viewers to have an easy interpretation and its social and intellectual origin had some important insight on the viewers. Â  Another artist that showed great efforts toward abstraction was