Organising Learning Essay Example for Free

Organising Learning Essay Furthermore, another area of concern for me is managing behaviour in the classroom. In my opinion, managing behaviour is a partnership between the teacher and the children. The teacher must be the authority figure in the classroom. I feel this is achieved once trust and respect is formed. Once routine is learned and the children know what is expected from them, a lot of pressure is taken off the teacher. In school, the children were constantly encouraged to put their hands up. If they called out the teacher would respond quickly and ask them to put their hand up. Therefore, I have found that unwanted behaviour should either be ignored or dealt with rapidly to reduce further problems. It is they teachers responsibility to decide how to handle a situation. The school has a behaviour policy which the whole school follows. I feel this is a valuable document and offers guidelines to handling challenging behaviour. The teacher uses smiley or sad faces on the board as a management strategy. In my whole school experience only saw three sad faces which was amazing. The Overall behaviour of the children was very good as the teacher used praise, smiley faces, well done points and stickers on a regular basis to encourage good behaviour. The children thought very highly of the teacher and tried hard to please her. I tried to use the teachers classroom management strategies as the children were familiar with them and the children responded to the in a positive wing the very lucky teaching the class as they showed a genuine interest in my lesson and behaved extremely well for me. I feel this was because I tried to make it interesting. I tried to pitch the lesson to their level so they could relate it to their experiences. Meeting the needs of individual children is a constant challenge. Some children may need individual help all the time and there are some children who have special educational needs. Therefore, there needs must be planned for and a lot of praise and encouragement is needed to reward their progress, so they dont feel excluded from the rest of the class. I believe this is extremely important; an effective teacher must be able to meet the individual needs of every child in the classroom. At university I particularly enjoy science and English lectures. The tutors are friendly and approachable which I feel is because they make sure we all understand the lesson. They quickly recognise if any students are struggling with their work and offer different methods of learning. I feel comfortable participating in these lessons as I feel quite confident in the subject. These tutors also give us the opportunity to discuss our thoughts and ideas with each other which I also think is an effective method of learning. I have also found that assessment is a vital part of teaching and this is an area of concern for me. It is especially vital to assess children at the end of each key stage to provide an individual report they can take with them, which highlight their strengths and possible growth points. Although a teacher will know what level their pupils are at, it is now important to have evidence to support their judgmentsDuring my school placement I observed the teacher assessing the children on a regular basis. Questioning the children is an effective method to establish what level the children are at, this is accomplished in an informal manner and the children are not pressured. The teacher built on the results of the assessment during teaching and addressed any misconceptions which the children may have. Another method of testing was seen at the end of each topic, the children answered questions on a worksheet which provided physical evidence to support the teachers judgment. Sometimes check-lists can be used for smaller groups during some activities which have been planned for assessment. I observed year one and year three and upper key stage two. I saw the same behaviour management in all the classes. Year six children were given more responsibility over their time management and behaviour as the expectations were shared with them from the beginning. Year six did not sit on the carpet, all teaching took place at their tables. It helped to see how the children progress and the NNS and NLS is a valuable document which tells teachers how to develop the childrens learning. I am concerned about becoming an effective teacher, and it is vital that all teachers should recognize their strengths and weaknesses. They should reflect on previous lessons and be able to set targets. I feel that teaching is an occupation where the teachers are also learning alongside the children. Sometimes lessons may not go as well as we anticipate or sometimes they may be better than previously thought. All this should be recorded by evaluating our progress after each day and building on our professional development. It is crucial to act upon areas which need improvement. In conclusion, I have highlighted my concerns of becoming an effective teacher. I have included possible ways to improve areas such as classroom management and behaviour. I have also included my school observations for examples of the teacher giving and receiving respect from the children. I have also included forms of assessment and self reflection which are crucial aspects of teaching. In my opinion, teaching is not simply a career, it becomes part of your life. A creative and stimulating teacher would gain great personal satisfaction from this profession and my school placement has confirmed my desires of becoming an effective classroom teacher. It is important for a teacher to be happy, organised and enthusiastic in school, knowing that they are making a difference to a childs future. Bibliography Collis, M. Lacey, P. (1996), Interactive Approaches To Teaching, London, David Fulton.  Dean, J. (2001), Organising Learning in the Primary Classroom, Third Edition, London, RoutledgeFalmer.  Edwards, D. Mercer, N. (1987), Common Knowledge, London, Methuen

The Syndetic And Asyndetic Coordinations English Language Essay

The Syndetic And Asyndetic Coordinations English Language Essay The concept of cohesion is a semantic one; it refers to relations of meaning that exist within a text, and that define it as text. Cohesion occurs where the interpretation of some element in the discourse is dependent on that of another. The one presupposes the other, in the sense that it cannot be effectively decoded except by recourse to it. When this happens, a relation of cohesion is set up, and the two elements, the presupposing and the presupposed, are thereby at least potentially integrated into a text. Carter defines cohesion as the demonstrable pattern of the texts integrity, the marks of its hanging together (245). Coordination is a part of the system of a language. As a tool of cohesion, coordination is a process used in a language to combine units to make other units.   It is part of the basic efficiency of language through which simple units like phrases and the simple sentence are re-cycled to make longer and perhaps more complex units.    Coordinationinvolves the linking of units, in coordination; the units are constituent of the same level. In relating coordination to cohesion in poetic texts, reference needs to be made to the structural definition of poems; As Bloom asserts: Poems are not things but only words that refer to other words and those words refer to still other words, and so on into the densely overpopulated world of literary language. Any poem is an inter-poem, and any reading of a poem is an inter-reading. [] You cannot write or teach or think or even read without imitation, and what you imitate is what another person has done, that persons writing or teaching or thinking or reading. Your relation to what informs that person is tradition. (107-108). Bloom is also of the view that: What makes possible reading and writing is not a single anterior action which serves as origin and moment of plenitude but an open series of acts, both identifiable and lost, which work together to constitute something like a language: discursive possibilities, systems of convention, clichà ©s and descriptive systems. (110) 1.1 RESEARCH PROBLEM Poetic text may appear as fragmented association of words on the page. Yet, it makes powerful impressions and has a huge communicative effect. What text-forming resources contribute to this apparent meaningfulness? And in what ways are these resources employed in poetic text? How does this knowledge illumine our understanding of text and texture? These problems are addressed in the present study. 1.2 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY The objectives of this study are as follows: To examine the language of the selected poems of ChicayaUtamsisBOW HARP. To provide a better understanding and appreciation of the elements of coordination as employed in the poems. As Leech Shortassert: The poet does interesting things with language in poetry; aesthetic effect cannot be separated from the creative manipulation of the linguistic code inherent in the language. (2) This study, hence, set out to analyze some six selectedpoems of TchikayaUtamsititled Bow Harp. 1.3 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY Since researches in this area of study have not been exhaustively conducted, it is hoped that this studymay have its own contribution as it applies to analysis ofcoordinations in poetic texts. 1.4 SCOPE OF THE STUDY This research project is concerned with the analysis of BOW HARP which was originally written in French by TchicayaUtamsi and translated into English by Gerald Moore. The selection of the particular poems to be analyzed in this study is based on the recurrent themes they reflect and the belief that the poems manifest significantly the thematic concerns of the poet. The poems are selected and analyzed to discover how coordination is used in explicating certain message of the poet . The study endeavors to discuss the concept of coordination as it relates to cohesion. The present study focuses on the level of coordination and textual cohesion in the text. Hence, particular attention is given to the prominent coordinating features such as conjunctions, and, or, but. 1.5 METHODOLOGY OF THE STUDY The research examines coordination against the background of cohesion. The thematic function of the text forming resources is analyzed in the framework of conjunctions. The poetic texts are closely examined and used as a background to the analysis. Nevertheless, reference has been made to articles, journals and other scholarly books. THE POET TCHICAYA U TAMSI TchicayaUTamsi(1931-1988), the oldest of a generation of important Congolese writers, is one of the few whose reputation has reached beyond the confines of francophone Africa and France. While recognizing him as one of the leading contemporary African poets, critics and readers remain strangely reserved. Tchicayas writing defies classification. His intensely personal worldview and poetic expression create his own individual mythology, which sets him apart from all neat literary categories. His poetry is often described as hermetic. At the same time the poets obvious mastery of his medium precludes his being dismissed as obscure or unintelligible. At times Utamsis own words would seem to confirm his link with the surrealists. The surrealist poets highly individualistic message was dictated by his subconscious being, which he believed to be the echo of the universal consciousness. It was expressed by an arbitrary association of words which, at first reading, the poet often understood no better than the reader. Thisis very different from Utamsis dense and at times esoteric imagery, by which he expresses his profound and passionate identification with the suffering of Africa and, more particularly, of the Congo. Utamsis imagery is distinguishable from that of the surrealists because of its coherent scheme of reference and worldview. CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW 2.0. INTRODUCTION This chapter is devoted to throwing some light on the theoretical aspects of the research work. The term coordination is central to this study. Nevertheless, derivations of coordination as a branch of linguistic study, how it has been explained and used in other genres will be looked at in order to set-up a conceptual framework that would help to make things clear and lay the foundation for subsequent analysis. 2.1. The Concept in Focus 2.1.1 Coordination Haspelmath(2000) defines coordination as syntactic constructions in which two or more units of the same type are combined into larger units and still have the same semantic relations with other surrounding elements (1). Bloomfields similar definition of coordination contrasts it with subordination: Endocentric constructions are of two kinds, co-ordinative(or serial) and subordinative(or attributive). In the former type the resultant phrase belongs to the same form-class as two or more of the constituentsIn subordinative endocentric constructions, the resultant phrase belongs to the same form-class as one of the constituents, which we call the head. (195). Both of these definitions are syntactic, and emphasize the balanced syntactic relationship between coordinated items. In addition, both definitions state that the structure resulting from coordination is of the same type (semantic in Haspelmaths definition, syntactic in Bloomfields) as the coordinated items. Yuasa and sadock in agreement with the observation of Bloomfield further mention 5 criteria that confirms the presence of coordination: Reversibility: changing the order of the conjuncts does not affect the truth conditions. Application of the coordinate structure constraint: the constituents of one clause cannot be questioned separately. No backward anaphora: a pronoun in the first clause cannot co refer with a full NP in the second clause. Multiple conjuncts are possible. All the conjuncts are equally asserted. (87-111.) Halliday and Hasan (1976) describe coordination as an intrasentential structural device. However, they do acknowledge that sets of sentences similar to coordination do exist especially if they share parallel structure, and view coordination as a structure of the paratactic type (223) CathrineFabricius-Hansen and Ramm, W. (2005) describe coordination as being used as a means of clause combining and information packaging at discourse level and differs from a sentence sequence by explicitly instructing the reader to keep the two propositions together in discourse processing. For example in establishing a discourse structure, licensing the inference of certain discourse relations to hold between the conjuncts, while blocking others. As a means of constructing (more) complex (clause/VP) constituents from simpler ones of the same syntactic category, coordination can be compared to certain kinds of adjunction, i.e. syntactic subordination (175-213). Coordination has been viewed by various scholars as processes used by languages to combine units to make other units. Or as a part of the basic efficiency of language through which simple units like phrases and the simple sentence are re-cycled to make longer and perhaps more complex units. Dickens (2009) re-categorizes coordinators as existing in a semantic clinewith disjuncts. By this he means a scale of varying levels of coordination: whilecoordinators such as and establish an equivalent and non-adverbial relationship betweentwo clauses such that neither is subordinate to the other, disjuncts like sinceestablishsome degree of indirectness and an adverbial relationship between the clauses (42:1076-1136). 2.2. Types of Coordination Syndetic and Asyndetic coordination Haspelmath and Quirk et al define asyndetic and syndetic coordination as Coordinate constructions lacking overt coordinator (asyndetic coordination) or having some overt linking devices such as conjunctions; and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet.(syndetic coordination). a). Slowly and stealthily, he crept towards his victim.(Quirk et al:50) And Asyndetic coordination as when the relationship of coordination is not marked overtly; a). Slowly, stealthily, he crept towards his victim. .(Quirk et al:50) Though there exist a relatively fixed order for subclasses of adjectives in asyndetic coordination, but the order is said to be relatively free when a coordinator is present. 2.3 Asyndetic Coordination 2.3.1 Asyndeton Kane (1988) states that despite its formidable name asyndeton is nothing more than a different way of handling a list or a series, Asyndeton uses no conjunctions and separates the terms of the list with commas. It differs from the conventional treatment of lists and series, which is to use only commas between all items except the last two, these being joined by a conjunction. Asyndeton is linked to asyndetic coordination. Asyndeton produces a hurried rhythm in the sentence. Corbett (1971) cites Aristotles observation that asyndeton was especially appropriate for the conclusion of a discourse, because there, perhaps more than in other places in the discourse, we may want to produce the emotional reaction that can be stirred by, among other means, rhythm, (470). Asyndeton is the instance of conjoining constructions in which there are no coordinators (also referred to as juxtaposition); monosyndeton, in which there is one coordinator; and polysyndeton, in which more than one coordinator is used. 2.4. Syndetic Coordination 2.4.1 Polysyndeton Polysyndeton is regarded as a way of handling a list or a series, places a conjunction (and, or) after every term in the list (except, the last). It is said to differs from the conventional treatment of lists and series, which is to use only commas between all items except the last two, these being joined by a conjunction'(Kane:1988). Polysyndeton is linked to Syndetic coordination , as opposed to Asyndeton which is linked to Asyndetic coordination. 2.5 Monosyndetic and Bisyndetic Coordination Coordinations may either have a single coordinator (monosyndetic) or two coordinators (bisyndetic). Haspelmath (2000) proffers some relevant constituency tests for monosyndetic coordination: (i) Intonation: In certain cases, English and forms an intonation group with the following phrase, not with the preceding phrase. (ii) Pauses: In English, it is much more natural to pause before and than after and. (iii) Discontinuous order: In special circumstances, the coordinands may be separated by other material, as when a coordinand is added as an afterthought. In English, the coordinator must be next to the second coordinand (e.g. My uncle will come tomorrow, or my aunt). Not my uncle or will come tomorrow, my aunt. (iv) (Morpho)phonological alternations: When the coordinator or one of thecoordinand undergoes (morpho)phonological alternations in the construction, this is evidence that they form a constituent together. (121) 2.6. The Nature of Coordination 2.6.1 Contrastive Coordination 2.6.2 Conjunction and Disjunction Haspelmath (2000) states that many languages distinguish between normal coordination such as A and B, X or Y, which may also be referred to as conjunctionand what might be called contrastive coordination: both A and B, either X or Y. The semantic difference he views is that in contrastive coordination, it is emphasized that each coordinand belongs to the coordination and each of them is considered separately. Hence, it creates opposing notion of meaning inherent in the text because two things cannot be separately similar. And like conjunction, Haspelmath (2000) regard disjunction markers as often polyfunctional. Dickens (2009) states that Disjuncts display some coordinator-like properties, so they are grouped on a continuum with coordinators (1089). Halliday and Hassan (1976) see conjunction as a cohesive device that relates sentences. Conjunctive elements they state: are cohesive not in themselves but indirectly, by virtue of their specific meanings; they are not primarily devices for reaching out into the preceding text, but express certain meanings which presuppose the presence of other components in the discourse (226). As similarly described by Bloor and Bloor (1995). Halliday and Hasan (1976) indicate that conjunctive relations are not tied to any particular sequence in the expression. Nevertheless, they argue that amongst the cohesion forming devices within text, conjunction is seen as the least directly identifiable relation. Conjunction they assume act as semantic cohesive tie within text in four categories: Additive, adversative, causal and temporal. Additive conjunction acts to structurally coordinate or link by adding to the presupposed item and are signaled through and, also, too, furthermore, additionally, etc. Additive conjunction may also act to negate the presupposed item and is signaled by nor, andnot, either, neither, etc. Adversative conjunctions act to indicate contrary to expectation (250) and are signaled by yet, though, only, but, in fact, rather, etc. Causal conjunction expresses result, reason and purpose and is signaled by so, then, for, because. Adversative coordination seems always binary; it must consist of two coordinands, so is described as causal and then is described as temporal (227). Halliday and Hassan acknowledge that conjunction is derived from coordination, they argue that Conjunction à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ is not simply coordination extended so as to operate between sentences, noting that one difference between coordinate and and conjunctive and is that coordinate and can link any number of items, whereas conjunctive and links pairs of sentences.   They view conjunctions as expressing one or other of a small number of very general relations (238). In the same vein Halliday and Matthiessen (1999) in relation to its cohesive function state that In conjunction, the various logical-semantic relations of expansion that construe clause complex structures à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ are deployed instead as a source of cohesion. They argue that among other resources which construe clauses and clause complexes into longer stretches of discourse without the formality of further grammatical structure are conjunction and lexical cohesion (530-31). Halliday and Matthiessen (1999) in extending the notion of language resources as tools of broadening and reaching out into meaning view that specific kinds of expansion or projection can be construed as either paratactic or hypotactic, insisting that some level of partial association exist, where some form of combinations are favored, while others are disfavored. They explain another kind of expansion in terms of conjunctive relations employing such conjunctions as and, or, but, instead, besides; as an additive, alternative, replacement, reservation, contrast. A third kind occurs with the use of adverbs functioning as conjunctions marking either the enhancing clause or correspondingly the one being enhanced (520-1). Scott Drellishak (2004) in his thesis: A Survey of Coordination Strategies in the Worlds Languages quotes Gleitman (1965) as viewing conjunction as one of many syntactic processes that serve the purpose of indicating contrast or reducing repetition ; conjoined sentence that does not indicate contrast or reduce repetition is described as not serving any purpose. (268) 2.7. Phrasal Coordination If two expressions have different semantic roles it will not be possible to coordinate them. Although it is sometimes said that the coordinands must belong to the same phrasal category; for instance, (tea) NP or (in a NigerianRestaurant) PP is said to be ungrammatical because it consists of an NP and a PP. However, coordination of different phrasal categories is often possible when both have the same semantic role. Also in phrasal coordination, the order of conjoined words can be influenced by the tendency for the shorter word to come first and within phrasal coordination, there can be ellipsis of the determiner (Quirk et al: 610). 2.8. Clausal Coordination When two or more clauses are coordinated, certain clause constituents are often ellipted from all but one of the clauses. More often than not, the effect of ellipsis is no more than to suggest a closer connection between the content of the clauses but sometimes the effect is to indicate that there is a combined process rather than two separate processes. And and or as clause linkers are restricted to initial position. Coordinated clauses with and and or are sequentially fixed in relation to the previous clause and cannot be transposed without producing ungrammaticality in sentence structure (Quirk et al: 553), a clause containing a conjunct may be linked to a preceding clause by one of the coordinating conjunctions (and, or, but) but not all the conjuncts admit each coordinator (Quirk et al:552-553). 2.9. Taxis in coordination The term taxis in English grammar means arrangement of units of ideas, thought, sentence constituents, structures that are grammatical constructs. In English grammar, taxis is categorized into two broad parts: I). Parataxis II). Hypotaxis Parataxis refers to the organization of clausal units on a parallel level employing coordinating conjunctions as the case may be. The center point of coordination is considered to be parataxis. The elements placed side by side does not exhibit a dependency relation and exists in no specified order of occurrence. Lakoff (1971) and Martin (1983) view Parataxis as the hallmark of coordination. Most often, the equality of the clauses is said to be clear both grammatically and semantically. Different units can be joined with Coordination at any level. The conjoined units, elements thus linked exhibit same semantic and syntactic category. This instance of conjoining equal grammatical structures (coordination) form our focus in this study and deviates from Hypotaxis which is the organization of constituents on a dependency relation with the use of subordinating conjunctions; it forms the basis of subordination in English grammar. 2.10. Symmetric and asymmetric coordination Coordinate constructions are said to have symmetrical properties such that conjuncts are paratactically construed, that a conjunct is not subordinated to another conjunct, that conjuncts have the same syntactic and semantic function ; on the other hand they have asymmetric properties such as command relationship between the first and the second conjuncts. This case is referred to as balanced and unbalanced case of coordination. 2.11. Approaches to Coordination Analysis and Coordination in Different Genres In poetic texts, the study of coordination is quite sparse and limited. For instance Miller (2007) explores biblical Hebrew poetry and the relationship of coordination to verbal gapping is what forms her point of focus. She comes up with the findings that asyndetic coordination is the hallmark of biblical Hebrew poetry and especially early poetry (41-60). Millers corpus contains 123 lines from the book of Isiah. Svetlana Petrova Michael Solf (2008) explore rhetorical relations and verb placement in the early Germanic languages. It presents a diachronic study about the distinction between coordination and subordination in discourse; it focuses on Old High German and on other early Germanic languages. Petrova and Solf consider other kinds of data, mostly from declaratives, in support of the claim that verb placement serves certain discourse functions in early Germanic languages. They come up with the finding that Verb fronting seems to have a clear functional purpose, as it is used to mark episode boundaries in Old High German. The study goes further in identifying some correlations between verb placement and discourse-structuring phenomenon in Old English, Old Saxon, and Old Norse, with similar discourse-structuring functions. A cross -linguistic approach is adopted in the study as opposed to functional approach in analysis. Ash Asudeh and Richard Crouch (2002) examine Coordination and Parallelism in Glue Semantics exploring points of convergence and divergence between approach to coordination and similar Categorial Grammar (CG) approaches. The research discusses parallelism in connection with the Coordinate Structure Constraint. The paper presents an account of the semantics of coordination, framed within the theory of Glue Semantics. The goal of a GLUE derivation as explicated in the study is to consume all the lexical premises to produce a single conclusion; stating the meaning of the sentence. Further asserting that Semantic ambiguity results when there are alternative derivations from the same set of premises. This study shares common interest with the present one as both relates coordination to instances of cohesion. While this study argues for glue approach to coordination the present study differs on the ground of functional approach of analysis. David Bell (2007) examines both the frequency and function of SIA (sentence initial and) and SIB (sentence initial but) in academic writing and its importance in understanding language in literary texts. While coordinator and is more frequent in academic prose than but, SIA is much less frequent than SIB. Collected data show a marked difference in the use of SIA and SIB across different genres of academic writing with SIA and SIB being far more prevalent in the humanities journals. Furthermore, the study shows that SIA, when compared with other additive connectives such as moreover, furthermore, in addition, etc., is the most frequently occurring additive marker in academic writing, while SIB is the second most preferred connective after however. With regard to function, the study goes on to argue that both SIA and SIB in academic writing function in three very similar ways: (i) to mark off a discourse unit by indicating the last item on a list; (ii) to indicate the development of an argument; and (iii) to indicate a discontinuity or shift with a previous discourse unit. This is in line with Halliday and Hassans (1975) view as regard the function of SIA and SIB. The study further asserts that whereas the most common function of SIA is that of indicating the last item on a list, the most common use of SIB is in the development of arguments. It argues that SIA and SIB perform special functions than the alternatives of asyndetic or zero coordination, the use of discourse markers that share their broad semantic function: Moreover, furthermore, in addition, and however, respectively, or intrasentential coordination cannot perform. The study proffers that the features allow SIA and SIB to preface a wider range of lexico-grammatical units such as interrogatives, stance adverbs and other discourse connectives and to create a tighter cohesive fit. It comments that it is these special features of cohesion which are held to explain the occurrence of SIA and SIB in academic writing. The focus here is on the use of SIA and SIB in academic discourse, it excluded occurrences of SIA and SIB in academic writing from other modes such as in transcripts of conversations, in quotes from fiction or in poetic texts which is the sole focus of the present research. Halliday and Hasan (1975) on SIA as part of their larger discussion of conjunction as one cohesive device in the concept of cohesion describes coordination as an intrasentential structural device while conjunction is seen as a cohesive device that relates sentences. In their examination of conjuncts, SIA is described as signaling an additive relationship between sentences while but is described as an adversative. Halliday and Hasan note that one difference between coordinate and, and conjunctive and, is that coordinate and can link any number of items, whereas conjunctive and links pairs of sentences (235). Halliday and Hasan distinguish a further use of SIA, which they suggest comes closest to its structural function as a coordinator, they call it next in a series' (236). They suggest that another example would be a series of points all contributing to one general argument. In this function, Halliday and Hasan argue that And retains some of the retrospective or retrojective effect, i.e. projecting backwards that and has as a coordinator (236). Here, SIA is viewed as signaling not the last item on a list but rather the continuation of an ongoing list of items. The study explicates that however, apart from the cases cited above where cohesive And operates similarly to coordinator and, the typical context for SIA is one where there is a total, or almost total shift in the participants from one sentence to the next, and yet the two sentences are very definitely part of a text (235). Another common context in narrative fiction for this shift is at the boundary of dialogue and narrative. What have been shown here is that SIA and SIB provide special features of cohesion that alternative forms of coordination do not. Schiffrin (1986, 1987, 2006) examines utterance and turn-initial and in conversation. She argues that and has two roles in talk: An ideational role where it coordinates idea units what she calls a discourse coordinator role, and an interactional or pragmatic or discourse marker role where it continues a speakers action, i.e. marking the speakers upcoming utterance as a continuation of the content and structure of an interaction, and these two functions most often occur simultaneously (1987: 128). As a marker of functionally differentiated idea units, the presence of and signals that the speaker identifies an upcoming unit as structurally coordinated or equivalent to a prior unit. In this way, and can differentiate among other things in narrative, support and position in arguments and explanations, and can also differentiate discourse topics. However, Schiffrin stresses that identifying the nature of these units depends on textual information beyond and itself (1987: 141). In Summary Halliday and Hasan (1976), and Schiffrin (1986, 1987, 2006),see SIA as bracketing discourse units, continuing discourse units, or signaling a shift between discourse units; and what determines the discourse function of these signaled discourse units is constructed by the interaction of the linguistic properties of and with the discourse context in which it occurs. Sotirova (2004), using the works of D.H. Lawrence, has argued that SIA, as well as other connectives, are used by Lawrence to signal perspectival shifts in free indirect style (227). Huttar (2002) has examined the use of both discourse-initial and (DIA) and SIA in poetry. Huttar argues that DIA is often used to establish an imagined context already in progress or imagined prior events from which the present utterance is understood to continue. An extremely common form of DIA is that of a question addressed in response to an implied interlocutors statement and often expressing surprise at the previous implied statement. Cotter (2003) on the other hand examines the use of SIA and SIB in newspapers over a one hundred year period. She used a 100,000-word corpus of newspaper articles a mixture of local and national syndicated articles, general news, and feature articles published between 1900 and 1995. Over this period, she noted an increasing occurrence of SIA/B and concurrent decline in temporal connectives. Among other factors, Cotter argues that these connectives help to create local and global coherence in news narratives, introduce new speakers and ideas, and link a series of short paragraphs. Cotter sees this increasing use of SIA/B as indicative of a historical shift from more text-centered to more reader-centered prose. Dorgeloh (2004) looked at SIA in a corpus of British English made up of LOB (Lancaster-Oslo/Bergen, 1961) and FLOB (Freiburg Lancaster-Oslo/Bergen, 1991). She indicates a decline in the use of SIA in both academic and newspaper writing. From her analysis she concludes that in written Modern English, SIA, where it does occur, marks functional shifts on a more global level of discourse (1777). From the literature reviewed, it becomes evident that there is prevalence in the use of additive and in academic discourse, prose, conversation, literary texts, newspapers, and in the humanities and social science fields generally. In frequency and function additive and is reckoned to be the most frequently occurring, followed by but; in poetic texts functionally, Huttar argues that and is often used to establish an imagined context already in progress or imagined prior events from which the present utterance is understood to continue while Halliday and Hasan (1976), and Schiffrin (1986, 1987, 2006),regard and as bracketing discourse units, continuing discourse units, or signaling a shift between discourse units. The subsequent analysis consider to what extent the frequency and functional assertions are based. This research departs from much of the previous studies, by presenting a functional linguistic analysis which was proffered by Halliday et al. Earlier researches often focus on the

Examining The Friendship Of A Single Soul English Literature Essay

Examining The Friendship Of A Single Soul English Literature Essay To the query, what is a friend? Aristotles response was a single soul dwelling in two bodies.' These friends are the ones who most likely know us better than we know ourselves, and whose names are forever branded on our heart (Parrott Parrott, 1998). Consider for a moment, which of these people are in your life; your friendship with them didnt happen in the blink of an eye. Over time we gradually begin to let these people see who we really are, and our friendship begins to grow into something memorable. Friends are what have enriched my life. Oh, I have loved my family, but its not the same. Friends have brought me more of the world; theyve added spice and variety (Apter Josselson, 1998). We are born into our family, but one amazing thing about our life is that we have the ability to choose our friends. There are some common characteristics that span across all types of friendships: rules shape the friendship, can last a lifetime and typically consist of people in the same age rang e (Floyd, 2009). How are cross-sex friendships similar to same-sex friendships? How are they different? Using major motion pictures that depict this remarkable bond between friends, we realize the qualities these friendships possess that make them similar and yet how different they really are. Similarities Notice that when Aristotle was asked, what is a friend? he didnt respond a single soul dwelling in two female bodies, or two male bodies, or even a male and a female body, its a single soul in two bodies. Friendship has no limits; there is no rule that says we can or cannot have friends of the same or opposite sex. Regardless of how many friends we have, same-sex or cross-sex, they all share the same purpose. Each and every relationship provides comfort during difficult times, outlets for expression of fear, feelings and fantasies, companionship, acceptance, and greater self-knowledge (Monsour, 2002). In the movie The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Bridget, Tibby, Lena, and Carmen define friendship as it occurs between girls/women. We were there for the things we couldnt face alone, or the ones we didnt want to face at all. Together, it was as if we formed one single, complete person (Ephron Brashares, 2005). Despite the obstacles that the girls face, their love and support for each other keeps their friendship strong. We know now that no matter how far we traveled on our own separate paths, somehow we would always find our way back to each other; and with that, we could get through anything. To us, who we were, who we are, and who well be. To the sisterhood, this moment, and the rest of our lives together and apart (Ephron Brashares, 2005). Although the girls have their own obstacles to deal with, they overcome them individually because of the unique bond that is their friendship. Likewise, the movie 8 Seconds tells the incredible true story of World Champion Bull Rider Lane Frost. The film not only documents Lanes rise to fame, but also displays Lanes friendship with fellow bull riders, Tuff Hedeman and Cody Lambert. Some people believe that men are incapable of having intimate friendships like women with other men (Derlega, 1992). Floyd (2009) states that equal levels of closeness are apparent in same-sex friendships regardless of sex. While doing an interview with George Michael, Lane says this about friend and fellow rider, Tuff Hedeman: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦me and my traveling partner Tuff Hedeman have been trading places all year. Sometimes hes in first, next week Im in first. If he wins, Ill be so happy for him, Ill forget about myself losing (Merrick, 1994). Lane, Tuff, and Cody arent just traveling buddies; they support each other no matter what, despite the fact that they compete against each other. After Lanes tragic death in 1989, Tuff realized how much Lane believed in him, and how amazing the friendship truly was. Back in the spring, Lane said, this is your year. that Id win the championship; [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] now its only a week away and I really think that I got a chance. I never had anybody believe that much in me (Merrick, 1994). Tuff Hedeman won the World Championship that year, just as Lane had predicted, and Tuff rode an extra eight seconds in memory of Lane. Harry Burns and Sally Albright are two iconic best friends. Harry: The first time we met, we hated each other [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] the third time we met, we became friends. Sally: We were friends for a long time (Ephron N. , 1989). Can men and women be friends, without sex getting in the way? This question was presented in the 1989 movie, When Harry Met Sally. Despite the fact that Harry and Sally end up together at the conclusion of the film, the friendship they have is more than that of any ordinary couple involved in a sexual relationship. Making a cross-gender relationship work does not solely depend on recognizing our differences. Its a matter of appreciating those differences as well (Parrott Parrott, 1998). Harry and Sally have a friendship very similar to what two women or two men might have; they are each others confidantes, support systems, and are committed to making their friendship work. After looking at three different films depicting friendships, the similarities between same-sex (female), same-sex (male), and cross-sex friendships become apparent. The social support given by same-sex friends can also be observed in cross-sex friendships (Monsour, 2002). Samuel Taylor Coleridge said, friendship is a sheltering tree, regardless of sex, it is obvious that all of these friendships are exactly that; a sheltering tree for everyone involved in the friendship. Differences We cant just look at the similarities between friendships, because lets face it, men and women are very different. The basic rules of friendship are similar, but the way we go about accomplishing them isnt always the same. Migliaccio (2009) says that a mans friendship is more than simply a product of being a man [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] the form of intimacy men experience is called closeness in the doing, also known as shared activity. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦women and men value different aspects of their respective friendships, women place greater emphasis on conversational and emotional expressiveness, whereas mens friendships focus on shared activities and interests (Floyd, 2009). A stereotypical girls night might consist of dinner, some drinks, and conversations about friends, love, life, and the future. On the other hand, a guys night could be a game of poker or a night at the gym playing a pick-up game of basketball. Within female friendship we satisfy our psychological hunger to explore different thoughts and feelings [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] they build one anothers confidence or tear it down (Apter Josselson, 1998). Despite having to spend the summer away from each other, the girls in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants keep their friendship strong by writing letters to each other as if they were still together. In a letter that Lena writes Carmen, she expresses how afraid she actually is to fall in love. Hes right, Car. I am afraid. Theres a part of me that wants to let him in but then I feel myself put this wall up and I dont understand why. Maybe thats what strikes me most about Kostas: that despite everything hes suffered he can still look at life in the most uncomplicated way. Ive never known that kind of faith. It makes me so sad that people like Kostas and Bridget who have lost everything can still be open to lovewhile I, who have lost nothing, am not. (Ephron Brashares, 2005) Bridget, Tibby, Lena, and Carmen are able to express their emotions, fears, and feelings through a letter and a pair of secondhand jeans. Wear them, theyll make you brave (Ephron Brashares, 2005). The psychological hunger to examine ones ambitions, and emotions is satisfied by female friendships, there is no need to perform femininity such as men perform masculinity in their friendships. A womans friendship inevitably shapes and changes who the woman is (Apter Josselson, 1998). Unlike women, men stereotypically dont share all the intimate details that go on in their lives. As stated earlier, men generally emphasize the activities and interests they share with their friends. Lane Frost, Tuff Hedeman, and Cody Lambert, obviously have a friendship consisting of shared activity. First of all, they compete together in bull riding competitions; and when they arent, they spend their nights out at the bars shooting a game of pool. Although the guys still support each other, the emotional connection that typically is apparent with women is sometimes nonexistent. After a bull steps on Lanes groin, Tuff tells Lane he needs to cowboy up, Ive got two words for you Lane, Cowboy Up (Merrick, 1994). The idea that masculinity is a major part in friendships between two or more men is evident in 8 Seconds. The interaction between male friends is not simply because we are men, but a part of performing masculinity in society (Migliaccio, 2009). Lane, Tuff, and Cody, perform mas culinity by expressing boldness, strength, and resiliency. Its guts and love and glory, one mortals chance at fame. His legacy is rodeo, and cowboy is his name (Merrick, 1994). When Harry met Sally, a life long friendship began. The obvious difference in their friendship was the exact thing Sally denied sex, and eventually love. At the end of the film, Harry races to meet Sally in order to tell her exactly how he feels: I love that you get cold when its 71 degrees out. I love that it takes you an hour and a half to order a sandwich. I love that you get a little crinkle above your nose when youre looking at me like Im nuts. I love that after I spend the day with you, I can still smell your perfume on my clothes. And I love that you are the last person I want to talk to before I go to sleep at night (Ephron N. , 1989). One substantial difference between same-sex friends and cross-sex friends is the possibility for two cross-sex friends to fall in love. Another is that cross-sex friends are able to encourage the opposite sex friend to engage in opportunities that are usually associated with the opposed gender; such as men engaging in emotional expressions and women participating in shared activity (Floyd, 2009). Conclusion Quoting Frederick Buechner, Friends are people you make part of your life just because you feel like it. Basically your friends are not your friends for any particular reason. They are your friends for no particular reason. No one has the power to choose our friends except us, therefore it doesnt matter what sex our friends are. After viewing three movies where different types of friendships are exhibited, the similarities and differences between each type of friendship is very distinct. These distinct qualities that make our friendships alike or not, have the power to change the roles of our friends. Who are your best friends? Does it matter what their sex is?

Civil Disobedience Essay example -- Papers Thoreau Laws Morals Essays

Civil Disobedience Works Cited Not Included I believe that civil disobedience is justified as a method of trying to change the law. I think that civil disobedience is an expression of one's viewpoints. If someone is willing to break a law for what they believe in, more power to them! Civil disobedience is defined as, "the refusal to obey the demands or commands of a government or occupying power, without resorting to violence or active measures of opposition" (Webster's Dictionary). This refusal usually takes the form of passive resistance. Its usual purpose is to force concessions from the government or occupying power. Civil disobedience has been a major tactic and philosophy of nationalist movements in Africa and India, in the civil rights movement of U.S. blacks, and of labor and anti-war movements in many countries. People practicing civil disobedience break a law because they consider it unjust and hope to call attention to it. In his essay, "Civil Disobedience," American author Henry David Thoreau set forth the b asic tenets of civil disobedience for the first time. The independence of India in the 1930's was largely a result of the nonviolent resistance by Mohandas Gandhi to the British colonial laws. In the United States, the nonmilitant efforts of Martin Luther King, Jr., helped bring about civil rights legislation. There are numerous examples that illustrate how civil disobedience is justified. In late 1955 Rosa Parks, a leading member of the local branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was jailed for refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger. I don't blame Parks at all for what she did. The African American people had to take a stand on some issue... ...because it is not right to ban a piece of literature no matter how unethical it is. These laws limit human freedom and hinder spontaneity. I think there are always times when disobeying a law is morally justified. "They are sometimes unfair and repressive; common sense, social custom, and religion already provide enough guidance; and morality can never be legislated" (Kessler 154). Thoreau argued that any given law is not as high or not above what you believe in or what your conscious tells you is right. "We all have a moral duty to obey our consciences" (Kessler 154). I believe it is very clear how I stand on the subject of civil disobedience. After researching this topic and formulating my own opinions I have learned a great deal about my morals and myself. It simply shocks me when I think of the accomplishments of people like King, Gandhi, and Thoreau.

Managing a Culturally Diverse Workforce Essay -- Business Management

In today’s ever changing and highly integrated world, corporations have a growing need to hire and maintain an exceedingly diverse and multicultural workforce. With increasing globalization, multinational corporations have a great advantage as they have an opportunity to work in different cultures and take advantage of a diverse pool of skills. However, there is a major cost of working in a different culture. Various issues arise when managing a culturally diverse workforce and the management needs to tackle the problems effectively. It is important to have an idea of different cultures as it helps in improving the efficiency and productivity of the employees. However, there are many issues when we are conducting cross-cultural analysis. These issues arise because of our lack of understanding of other cultures and at times, we are ignorant about our own culture. This can result in confusion about other cultures and we fail to understand that completely. This is a very serious issue that needs to be identified and resolved, as it is results in serious distortions about the cultures we are trying to understand. The paper will highlight various theoretical and practical cross-cultural management issues and will include various recommendations to solve these problems. CROSS-CULTURAL MANAGEMENT ISSUES The term culture is versatile and can be explained as a broad idea or concept. It is difficult to explain the term with a single definition, however, It can be defined as a set of values which define a way of life for the individuals and the society. It explains what is good or bad and right or wrong in a particular society. Thus, culture is a value system, which provides the ways of perceiving people, thinking patterns and the socia... ...ndations, which are helpful in solving these issues. Though sophisticated stereotyping and schemas are a helpful tool in understanding a culture but they are not sufficient. We need certain advanced tools to understand a culture completely. One of the most essential elements is attributional knowledge along with factual and conceptual understanding. This simply means that one should have an understanding to give credit when credit is due i.e. a person should have a clear understanding that any characteristic can be applied to anyone in a particular situation. This can be done through practice and by using a step by step model of cultural understanding. A detailed description of the Cultural Sense Making Model has been provided. By having a thorough understanding of our own culture and by considering context, we can have a better understanding of a different culture.

Cultural Awareness Essay

The world as humans know it is getting smaller and smaller due to globalization and technological improvements. The two has made it possible for people from various cultural, racial, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds to communicate, work together and travel from one country to another half a world away easily. When people meet, they also bring their cultural background with them. This makes it essential for people to have cultural awareness and understand cultural diversity. Cultural awareness is the recognition and acceptance that people are all shaped by each one’s own unique and specific cultural backgrounds (Centre for Cultural Diversity in Ageing [CCDA], 2006). Cultural awareness is the sensitivity and respect for cultural diversity or the fact that people from various cultures have different values, beliefs and traditions. Different histories and traditions result in culturally-prescribed particulars on how people should perceive and relate with other people. A person is culturally aware when he or she celebrates the world’s colorful cultural richness and assortment instead of discriminating against other cultures, especially against minorities. Cultural awareness is being able to see through the lens of another culture and the openness to understand another culture instead of simply labeling it weird or â€Å"wrong† in view of one’s own culture. Having cultural awareness is essential in facing the technology-dependent world’s unseen cultural challenges. One technological development that has been very beneficial for people is the Internet. Through the Internet, people can communicate and share information regardless of time and distance. It has even allowed for the existence of virtual classrooms or online education wherein one can share classes without any physical meeting. Technology has brought people closer; however, the fact the no one can see and determine the race or background of other people lays a hidden trap. Without knowing that they are talking to someone from another cultural background, people can easily alienate others and be called a racist because of their insensitivity to another. Being culturally aware, having the capacity to understand and appreciate the rich cultural diversity, is thus essential for the success of this computer-mediated communication because it increases one’s sensitivity to the non-physical and non-vocal communication styles of people. Cultural awareness keeps one from making generalizations and informs one about appropriate communication styles (CCDA, 2006). Finally, cultural awareness generally promotes an atmosphere of respect for everyone regardless of culture. References Centre for Cultural Diversity in Ageing. (2006). Cultural awareness. Retrieved March 13, 2009 from http://www. culturaldiversity. com. au/Default. aspx? tabid=81

Pervasive Developmental Disorders Essay

The pervasive developmental disorders (PDDs) represent a spectrum of difficulties in socialization, communication, and behavior. Autism is the best recognized and most frequently occurring form of a group of the PDDs. Because most of the research in areas related to communication has been done on autism, we will focus here on this particular PDD. However, we should be aware that autism is probably not the most common disorder on this spectrum. Other types of PDDs include Rett’s Disorder, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, Asperger’s Disorder, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, or PDDNOS (Twachtman-Cullen 1998). This work will also discuss the distinctive features of Asperger’s syndrome, which is believed to be genetically related to autism. Much of what can be said about certain features of autism and PDDNOS applies to other forms of non-autistic PDD. The goal of this research is to provide a framework for understanding cognitive development in children with PDDs. The study will cover criteria for early PDDs diagnosis. The best-known type of PDDs is autistic disorder (variously called autism or infantile autism). The symptoms of autistic disorder typically increase gradually through the child’s second year, reach a peak between 2 and 4 years of age, and then show some improvement. Young children with greater cognitive ability who receive very early intensive intervention may show dramatic improvement at this age, whereas those who are more impaired will make more modest changes. Persons with autistic disorder exhibit major deficits in their ability to relate to others. The child with autistic disorder often appears content to dwell in a separate world, showing little empathic interest in parents or siblings. Unlike the normally developing baby, the child with autistic disorder may not raise his arms to be picked up or may stiffen in protest when his parents try to cuddle him. The children’s lack of social interest may make some of these babies seem like â€Å"easy babies† because they do not seek parental attention, and appear content to remain in their cribs, watching a mobile or staring at their hands. As they get older, such lack of demandingness is recognized for the relative indifference it actually reflects. The child with autistic disorder may not seek others for comfort when she is hurt or upset, finding little consolation in the gentle words and hugs that are so important to other children. Not only do the children not ask for comfort, they typically are quite indifferent to other people’s distress and do not seem to share their joy. A sibling’s tears or a parent’s happiness may elicit no response from the child with autistic disorder. Children with autistic disorder show little interest in the domestic imitation that most children enjoy. For example, unlike the normally developing child, the child with autistic disorder usually does not use his miniature mower to cut the grass like mommy or pretend to shave while he watches daddy. This lack of interest in imitation interferes with one of the primary channels for learning by young children: their ability to model adult behaviors and master them through role play. Social play is one of the primary activities of childhood. A few simple toys can create the backdrop for long hours of companionship. The child with autistic disorder does not know how to join this kind of play, sometimes completely ignoring other children, or perhaps standing on the sidelines, not comprehending how to become part of the group. Not surprisingly, given the range of social deficits they exhibit, children with autistic disorder are very impaired in their ability to make childhood friends. Within the communication domain, impairments are present in a number of linguistic and nonverbal areas, the most fundamental of which are pragmatics and semantics (i. . , the social usage and explicit or implicit meaning of language and gestures). Although linguistic capability varies greatly across the spectrum (from a total absence of speech to highly sophisticated and erudite language), significant impairments in pragmatics and semantics are universal among individuals with PDDs. They communicate primarily to express needs, desires, and preferences, rather than to convey sincere interest in others, or to share exp eriences, excitement, and feelings. Even among those possessing highly sophisticated and complex language, compliments, words of empathy, and expressions of joy in the good fortune of others are very rare. There is little reciprocity, mutuality, or shared purpose in discussions. In addition, speech and gestural forms of communication are poorly integrated, often resulting in awkward and uncomfortable social interactions. Implicit, subtle, and indirect communications are neither used nor perceived. Expressive communication tends to be explicit, direct, and concrete. During discussions, persons with autism often fail to prepare their speaking partners for conversational transitions, new topics, or personal associations. This can result in digressive, circumstantial, and tangential comments and discussions. It would appear as though persons with autism assume that others are implicitly aware of their experiences, viewpoints, attitudes, and thoughts. The fashion in which these deficits are manifest is influenced by age, overall cognitive level, temperament, and the presence of sensory or physical limitations. In toddlers, for example, impaired pragmatics may be manifested by significant limitations in reciprocal eye contact, responsive smiling, joint attention (mutual sharing of interests and excitement), and social imitative play. In addition, socially directed facial expressions, instrumental and emphatic gestures, and modulation of speech prosody (intonation, cadence, and rate) are rarely used to complement speech, communicate feelings and attitudes, or moderate social discourse. Among preschool children, impairments in symbolic functioning (e. g. , language) are accompanied by serious limitations in pretense (e. g. ymbolic, imaginative, creative, and interactive play). Pragmatic impairments among adolescents with Asperger’s syndrome may be manifested by one-sided, pedantic discussions, with no attempt to involve speaking partners by acknowledging and integrating their experiences, ideas, and viewpoints into conversations. Sincere attempts by others to engage in reciprocal conversations may be met with a lack of acknowledgment, annoyance, and disinterest. Comments or questions that are â€Å"snuck in† by the listener may be experienced as rude interruptions, prompting the directive, â€Å"Wait! I’m not done talking yet† (Bernabei, Camaioni & Levi 1998). The result is a monologue or lecture that often includes abrupt changes of topic and the introduction of unexplained personal associations. This lack of conversational reciprocity suggests that persons with AS and high-functioning autism inherently assume that the listener is implicitly aware of their own experiences, viewpoints, and intent. Because the relaying of factual and concrete information is the primary goal of â€Å"social† dialog among those with ASD, the communication of subtle attitudes, viewpoints, and emotions (particularly secondary emotions, such as embarrassment, guilt, and envy) are largely irrelevant and superfluous. Therefore, emphatic gestures, informative facial expressions, and vocal modulation lack essential meaning for them. The result is that persons with autism generally disregard nonverbal cues and fail to incorporate them into their own discussions. Because this component of social communication often conveys essential information regarding feelings, attitudes, and opinions, an inability to identify, interpret, and produce nonverbal cues can have a highly detrimental effect on social interactions and relationships. Given these impairments, it is not surprising that verbal and nonverbal aspects of communication are poorly integrated, and that subtlety and nuance are rarely conveyed. Figurative and inferential language is another area of communication that is impaired in autism, largely due to a combination of deficits in abstract and conceptual thought, social reciprocity, and appreciation of the subtleties of social communication. Persons with ASD are highly literal and concrete in their language and thought processing, typically failing to understand metaphor, irony, sarcasm, and facetiousness. As a result, comments are often misinterpreted and discussions misunderstood. In addition, in an effort to remain true to the facts, comments and questions are often presented in an overly direct, straightforward, and â€Å"brutally honest† manner, lacking appropriate tact and sensitivity (Szatmari, Jones, Fisman, Tuff, Bartolucci, Mahoney 1995). This can cause embarrassment and distress for the listener and confusion for the speaker with AS. Both may become angry and resentful; the listener, because of emotional distress and perceived mistreatment; the speaker, because of the seemingly unjustifiable overreaction and a negative attitude displayed by the listener. From the perspective of the person with AS, the listener responded in a rude and ungrateful manner to comments that were intended to be informative, useful, and corrective. The emotional distress, embarrassment, and attack on self-esteem experienced by the listener are relatively foreign to the individual with autism. Interestingly, principles, rules, and codes of behavior can be interpreted in a highly concrete and rigid manner. This can result in insensitive and hurtful comments and behavior, because exceptions to the rule, adjustments to unexpected social contingencies, and appreciation for the spirit (not simply the letter) of the law are relatively foreign to those with autism. There is little awareness that rigid adherence to unavoidably flawed rules can result in a situation that is antithetical to the underlying intent of the rule itself. One of the dinning features of autism and Asperger’s syndrome is that of rigidity and inflexibility in response to minor change and transition in the environment and daily routines. This insistence on sameness and invariance can be highly impairing, because the precipitants of these reactions often are of little social significance and do not disturb the smooth functioning of the social world. It is as though persons with autism depend on these inanimate markers of space and time because the social priorities that typically direct schedules and routines have little meaning and significance for them. Asperger’s Syndrome has been associated with cognitive strength since Hans Asperger first described the disorder in the 1940s. When he wrote of children who sounded like â€Å"little professors,† Dr. Asperger (1944/1991) was describing not only their pedantic tone but also their cognitive abilities. The assumption of adequate cognitive skill was reiterated when the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) stated that individuals with Asperger’s Syndrome show â€Å"no clinically significant delay in cognitive development† (Willey 2001). Asperger’s syndrome (AS) was added as a new â€Å"official† diagnosis when DSMIV and ICD-10 were published. In the past, children with AS were sometimes referred to as having schizoid personality, or schizotypal personality, and PDD, NOS. It is now recognized as distinct from autism. AS differs from autism in a number of key ways: first, children with AS may not be detected as early because they may have no delays in language, or only mild delays. In fact, it is usually not until parents notice that their child’s use of language is unusual, or their child’s play is also unusual, that concern sets in. Unlike autism, where the vast majority of children also experience some degree of mental retardation, children (and adults) with AS are rarely mentally retarded although many have low-average intelligence. Children with AS are sometimes described as â€Å"active, but odd† – not avoiding others the way autistic children often do, but relating in a more narrow way, usually centering activity around their own needs and peculiar interests. In fact, having one or more areas of narrow, encompassing interest is highly characteristic of those with AS. Parents often ask whether AS is the same thing as â€Å"high-functioning autism. Research studies have addressed this question, and the answer is â€Å"no† (Fombonne, Simmons, Ford, Meltzer & Goodman 2001). One main difference is that children with AS tend to have fairly comparable verbal and nonverbal levels of intelligence, while higher functioning (that is, less cognitively impaired) autistic children tend to have nonverbal IQs that are markedly higher than their verbal IQs. Another key feature of AS is the presence of intense, preoccupying interests that generally are unusual in nature and highly restricted and narrow in scope and breadth. An impressive store of factual knowledge is accrued on relatively esoteric topics; however, this knowledge is rarely utilized for functional, socially meaningful purposes. Rather, factual knowledge is pursued for its own intrinsic value to the AS individual. In addition, children and adults with AS tend to be physically awkward, uncoordinated, and poor in judging visual-spatial perspective (often failing to maintain comfortable interpersonal space during social interactions). With regard to neuropsychological functioning, verbal abilities are generally much better developed than are nonverbal abilities (e. . , perceptualmotor, visual-spatial). In a majority of cases impairments are present in executive functions, including working memory, organization, and cognitive-set flexibility. Although children with AS are thought to show no general cognitive delay, there is actually a great deal of variability in the specific abilities of individuals. In spite of mass media suggestions that individuals with AS grow up to be scientists or software engineers, we do not yet have data to support this connection. For most children, the PDDs last a lifetime. Although early intervention for many young children with autistic disorder, Aspereger’s disorder, and PDDNOS has produced major developmental changes, the technology has not yet reached the point where the majority of children make the degree of change that allows them to blend imperceptibly into their peer group. As a result, although most children with PDDs benefit in important ways from treatment, many still become adults with PDDs or some significant residuals of PDDs. There are no details of what causes PDDs. There appears to be a genetic contribution to at least some kinds of autistic disorder. For example, Fragile X syndrome is a chromosomal disorder than long has been linked to mental retardation and more recently has been shown to be related to autistic disorder. This disorder gets its name from a narrowing near the end of the long arm of the X chromosome that sometimes makes the tip fragile. Fragile X syndrome shows an X-linked (sex gene-linked) recessive pattern of inheritance. As a result, this disorder typically is transmitted to boys by their mothers. Fragile X syndrome accounts for a small but significant number of boys diagnosed with autistic disorder. General support for the notion that the symptoms of autistic disorder reflect underlying physiological dysfunction comes from research showing that autistic disorder occurs more often than would be predicted by chance among children whose mothers had German measles during pregnancy, that these children experienced a higher than expected rate of problems during pregnancy or birth, and that they are at greater risk for seizures than other children. Findings such as these raise important questions about where in the brain abnormalities may occur and how these neurochemical, biochemical, or neurological factors may be linked specifically to the development of the language, social, affective, and behavioral symptoms that characterize autistic disorder and the other PDDs. The process of accurate diagnosis and classification is an essential endeavor in medicine, because it is key to ensuring validity and reliability, enabling etiological research, and identifying effective methods of treatment. Although ASDs are not medical illnesses in the classical sense, they do result from neurodevelopmental abnormalities that affect social, communicative, and behavioral functioning in fundamental ways. The autism is not a unitary condition with a single etiology, pathogenesis, clinical presentation, and treatment approach; rather, it is a group of related conditions that share many clinical features and underlying social-communicative impairments. The fundamental purpose of arriving at an accurate diagnosis is to promote meaningful research that will eventually lead to effective treatment and an ultimate cure. Accurate diagnosis also enables investigators, clinicians, educators, and parents to communicate clearly, effectively, and efficiently. Ideally, a valid and reliable diagnosis should convey a great deal of information about developmental strengths and weaknesses, short- and long-term prognosis, and treatments that are most likely to be effective. Both basic and applied research endeavors are enhanced by improvements in diagnosis and classification. During recent years, efforts have been made to identify ASD as early in life as possible, in order to begin implementing educational and treatment interventions; providing families with education, support, and community resources; and reducing the stress and anxiety families experience as a result of incorrect or misleading diagnoses. The importance of an early diagnosis is supported by findings of improved linguistic, cognitive, and adaptive functioning as a result of intensive early intervention. Studies have begun to appear in the research literature assessing the reliability and stability of autism diagnoses made during the early preschool years. Experienced clinical investigators have demonstrated that an accurate diagnosis of autism can be made in the second and third years of life. However, accuracy depends on the completion of a comprehensive, interdisciplinary assessment, one that includes the use of standardized diagnostic instruments in conjunction with clinical expertise. Nonetheless, even among experienced clinicians and investigators, false positive and false negative diagnoses are sometimes made. Investigators have begun to examine clinical variables that may be predictive of treatment response and general prognosis. For example, Handleman & Harris (2001) found that preschool children with autism who exhibited low baseline levels of social avoidance experienced significantly more social and linguistic progress than did their high-avoidance counterparts following 6 months of intensive incidental teaching and pivotal response training (provided in an inclusive setting). A complementary strategy for assessing the validity of AS is to examine the pattern of associated symptomatology. In this regard, a recent study investigated emotional and behavioral disturbance (psychopathology) in 4 to 18-year-olds with HFA and AS. The Developmental Behavior Checklist (DBC), an informant-based instrument completed by parents and teachers, was used to assess psychopathology. The DBC contains the following six subscales: disruptive, self-absorbed, communication disturbance, anxiety, antisocial, and autistic relating. Children and adolescents with AS exhibited high levels of psychopathology, particularly disruptive behavior, anxiety, and problems with social relationships. The best documented approach to the treatment of people with PDDs is a form of behavior therapy called applied behavior analysis. Since the mid-1960s, when Ivar Lovaas and his colleagues demonstrated that children with autism responded to carefully planned applied behavior analytic techniques, there has been extensive research on the use of these methods to treat the PDDs, especially for autistic disorder, Asperger’s disorder, and PDDNOS (Durand 1990). Three decades of research have contributed to the development of a substantial array of specific behavioral treatment techniques and of documentation to support the efficacy of these methods in treatment of PDDs. This research also has demonstrated the essential role that parents can play in the treatment of their children by providing consistency of intervention between home and school, or even in some cases as the child’s primary therapist.