Power Of The Written Word (Part I )- Need of Expression
November 29th, 2009
As human brain developed so did the feelings and desire to express them. The need led to development of the language. From howls and moans to the meaningful words today humans have made a great achievement. Same applies to writing too.
What started as signs is a full fledged script now. (There are many of them but that is not the issue here)
For a moment imagine a world without a language. You cannot. It is impossible. Without language we would be missing much of the pleasure that we enjoy. Without language we would be deprived of any information and its development thereof.
Language is very essential aspect of our lives.
Take for example the books. They have imparted us an endless knowledge generation after generation. A knowledge that has further led to more knowledge in every sphere of life.
Take example of our daily communications. From sweet goodbyes to lullabies, from scribbled reminders to notes for the day, from the casual exchange of greetings to marvelous speeches wonders of the language are countless.
Written language is the hallmark of the literate world. A parameter that differentiates it from and puts it at a higher pedestal than illiterate world. Yes! Unfortunately there are few parts of the world which are deprived of this beautiful aspect of the language.
It is the written language that has helped us to shape this world the way it is. Shaping of mind begins in the early school years and continues throughout the life. As we move further we can almost differentiate people on the basis of proficiency this aspect of the language.
There are experts and there are not so experts.
Whatever you do, wherever you are in the life the command over the written word puts you in distinct advantage.
Internet is no exception.
In our real life there are alternative methods to compensate for your lack of command. There is component of speech. Then there are gestures. But on internet written word is the sole medium of communication. Now a days a bit of help is available from graphics, audio and video files but the written word is still undisputed king and would remain so in the coming times.
Just have look at any website. There is no face that speaks to you. It is the writing that speaks. The only communication is through the written material. Everything that you need to convey to the visitor of your website is via written language. That is the big truth in itself.
After books it is the webpage that is harnessing the power of the written word. To tap this fully one must use their words wisely.
Internet is said to be a paradise for those who are proficient in written language. It could not be said in better words.
In next article we will discuss how to use words wisely to bring out results.
Till then .
Author is successful writer and internet marketer. You are invited to join his free article directory http://www.authorcontent.com and contribute your creative work. Author can be reached at support@authorcontent.com.
Show Me the Bunny: Language Acquisition
November 3rd, 2009
Some children are really funny about experimenting with speech. Nonetheless, the first intelligible words bring such a feeling of elation to a parent. Come on, Sweetie. Show Mumma the bunny. Without saying a word, my little girl points to a plush rabbit.
Ever since I read in a parents’ newsletter that kids my younger daughter’s age should have a vocabulary, I’ve been trying to persuade her to speak words instead of relying on gesturing, pointing, and high-pitched squealing to make her needs and wants known. While a mild speech delay might be understandable for bilingual babies who are trying to sort out the mechanics of two languages, mine has only one language to learn. Apart from her experiencing frequent ear infections at an early age, I have to wonder, what’s up?
Bear. Ball. Blocks. I repeat words to her over and over, thinking that somehow, this might pass on whatever information she needs to be able to form the words herself. Bee. Ba-by. Ga-a-a? She asks, using the same intonation with which I recite the alphabet to her. She spends the rest of the afternoon touching my mouth while I’m talking to her.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, while eighteen months is the age at which a toddler should be able to say her own name, it isn’t until early in the second year of life that a toddler will seem to understand what’s being said to her, because this is the age at which kids develop language and comprehension skills.
It’s a huge leap in a child’s development, and will probably alter existing parent-child communication. Now would be a good time to discontinue the kind of language I’ve grown accustomed to conducting conversations in (”piggies” instead of “toes,” “yummies” instead of each meal’s correct name).
By the end of her second year, a toddler should have about fifty spoken words, and should begin using two-word sentences. To my dismay, mine only ventures to pronounce a word’s second syllable when it sounds exactly like the first; transposes some sounds (cup becomes “pa;” rip becomes “pi”), and approximates others (hello is “ha WOW”). Far from being on her way to constructing two-word sentences, she doesn’t try saying her name. Duck. Ga-a. I place her hand on my cheek and try again. Duck. She shortens her ga-a to match the abbreviated sound I’m making. Ga. I’ll bet she’s a little perfectionist, refusing to say much until she can speak correctly.
I’m afraid if she catches on to my disappointment with her progress, she’ll stop trying altogether. So I’m quietly making an appointment for her to see an audiologist. As I wait on hold, I tell myself that this is probably nothing.
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Zoe McNamara writes for http://www.little-turnips.com
Compelling Reasons to Study Spanish
December 13th, 2008
Today I would like to write about a recurrent question I get in my website from many different users worldwide. They hear time and again of the importance of speaking Spanish fluently to be prepared. What they should they be prepared for? Many already know the answer to this, namely businessmen, men of vision and professionals in specific fields. However, some users still do not see why they should learn to speak Spanish.
And it may be true. Some people may not think of this language as so important to their immediate reality right now. After all, they get by using their native language or maybe a second language and they are quite successful in their lives and careers even without knowing how to say “hello” in Spanish. I fully understand their feeling. When I was a child, back home in Argentina, for many people, learning English was regarded as something “important” for the future, but not “essential” or requiring immediate attention.
Around 30 years ago, many of my friends’s parents had that idea and decided not to send their young children to learn the language. After all, they would say, “everyone speaks Spanish here. And English, well, it’s okay if you are planning to travel but that is not in our minds for a long, long time. It may never happen.”
And they were right at that moment, they did NOT need it for their immediate communicative purposes. However, in less than 3 decades the global picture has changed dramatically. Globalization has become parts of our lives; English has become the lingua-franca of the moment, followed closely by Spanish.
Most of my childhood friends graduated from pretigious universities, got very good jobs and have been quite successful so far. However, the fact that many of them did not have a good command of English has closed many doors right in front of their faces, caused lots of frustration to them and prevented them from reaching hierarchical positions within their companies for a very long time_many still haven’t and have had to put up with seeing some peers as qualified as they are rise faster in the company just for having an outstanding command of the English language Some of them could not progress professionally until they decided to take the bull by its horns and start to study the language.
Nowadays it is impossible to imagine worldwide communications and business transactions without English, just as it was over 30 years ago (in Argentina and many other countries) for many people to envision a world in which English would be not a commodity but a necessity. The mere idea of it would seem ludicrous.
At present, again, we are surrounded by world facts and trends that are just screaming in front of our faces, just as it was the case with my friends’s parents over 30 years ago. The cold facts clearly show that English as a language for international communications is followed closely by Spanish, and choosing not to consider this fact could be something we may regret in the not so distant future.
“When there is smoke, there is fire,” they say. Let’s see some facts that will hopefully show you why learning Spanish is important for you TODAY.
* Over 500 million people speak Spanish - How many doors could this fact alone open to you? How many more employment options?
* At the end of the 19th century, 60 million people were Spanish speakers. Today, nearly 500 million people across the world speak Spanish!
* Spanish is the second most used language in international communication.
* The Hispanic population in the USA has grown by 60% in just one decade.
* Latin American countries are showing strong economic growth,making them potentially major commercial partners.
* Estimates indicate that by the year 2015 the United States of America will be the largest Spanish speaking country in the world!
* The 39 million Hispanics currently living in the USA represent 12.5% of the total population. Estimates also indicate that by the year 2010 the hispanic population in the US will be the largest minority group.
As we have seen, Spanish is not only an interesting and culturally rich language to learn, it is THE language to learn.
It is always wise to plan ahead in order not to miss or see how opportunities pass by without being able to do anything about it.
“When there is smoke, there is fire.” Will you be ready to tackle the fire when it reaches your area? The answer is up to you!
Julio Foppoli is a teacher of English as a Second Language, teacher of Spanish as a Second Language. He is also the creator and owner of http://www.esaudio.net/Spanish, an online educational website with a technological edge, specialized in the teaching of Spanish as second language via audio-conference to native speakers of English from all over the world.
The website offers free listening comprehension activities with Spanish from all of the Spanish speaking world.