The Spanish Language

The Spanish Language Spanish is part of the Indo-European family of Romance languages and is closely related to Italian and Portuguese. It is a major language with approximately 400 million native speakers worldwide. Spanish is spoken in Spain; South America (except Brazil and Guianas); Central America; Mexico; Cuba; Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic; Western Sahara; north Morocco; Equatorial Guinea; and some parts of America. (Swan, M. and Smith, B., 2001) In 2004, 71.3% of English Language Learners in Florida spoke Spanish. (MacDonald, V., 2004) II. Phonology (pronunciation) A. Native speakers of Spanish sometimes have a hard time producing initial consonant clusters without using an extra vowel at the beginning because there are no initial clusters in the Spanish language. For example, because there is no initial cluster of /sp/ in the Spanish language, native speakers would probably say, I espeak eSpanish. (Nasr, R.T., 1997) For the most part, all vowels have a shorter pronunciation in Spanish than in English. Spanish only has five pure vowels and their length, unlike English vowels, is not a distinctive feature. Typically, at least two English vowels share the phonetic space occupied by one Spanish vowel. This is seen in the difference between /i:/ and /I/ in English which correspond to the Spanish /i/, so meet and mitt, sheep and ship, etc. are easily confused. (Swan, M. and Smith, B., 2001) The letter /z/ does not exist in Spanish. English language learners use /s/ for /z/ therefore, lacy is said for both lacy and lazy, sip for both sip and zip, etc.. (Swan, M. and Smith, B., 2001) The Spanish language has a /b/ and /v/ allophone (two different versions of the same sound) and to an English speaking ear it sounds the same. The Spanish language adds friction to the /b/ sound which makes it sound similar to the /v/ sound. Therefore, the pronunciation of Por favor may sound like Por fabor. (B/V Confusion in Spanish, 2011) Spanish speakers also often pronounce a final d similar to an unvoiced th. Additional pronunciation problems at the end of words are d and t as well as thing/think and sometimes thing/thin or even ring and rim. This is because Spanish consonant sounds usually differ more by their position in a word than English consonants do. (Case, A., 2012) B. The sample recording I used was from a 34 year-old male from Veracruz, Mexico. He began learning English at the age of 29. In the sample recording, the use of an intrusive vowel at the beginning of initial consonant clusters was repeated. Words that were changed include: Stella eStella; spoons espoon; snow esnow; snack esnack; small esmall; snake esnake; station estation. C. For Spanish speaking students having the e before s-consonant cluster difficulty described above, create a passage for students to read aloud, in which each sentence starts with a word beginning in an s-consonant cluster. Prior to the students taking turns reading the passage aloud, help them practice for a minute by saying short words that start with an s-consonant cluster like spit, stick, and spell. Pronounce the words along with the student, exaggerating the beginning s sound. This will help to create a new muscle memory that doesnt leave room for students to include the beginning e sound. (How do you teach adult EL students English pronunciation?, n.d.) III. Morphology (word structure) A. Spanish EL students tend to make morphological errors in their speech when they over generalize a morpheme such as plural s. The Spanish speaker would say: The deers are brown, instead of, The deer are brown. Spanish EL students also often have confusion with pluralizing adjectives. This is because in Spanish adjectives and the nouns they modify must agree in number, while in English, plural nouns are not modified by adjectives in plural. For example, a statement in Spanish would be Carlos tiene los ojos azules., which translates to Carlos has got blues eyes. (Mingorance, Y, 2010) The Spanish language does not have contracted verb forms and this can be a problem for EL students. They have problems in understanding will or would in: Ill go to the store; theyd come with us and construe them to mean I go; they come, etc.. (Swan, M. and Smith, B., 2001) Spanish has high sound-to-spelling correspondence, so spelling in English is difficult for EL students. Spanish speakers often reduce double letters to single ones: aple, diferent, necesary, etc.. and since they do not distinguish English phoneme contrasts, words can be confused, like: hoping / hopping, this / these, etc.. (Swan, M. and Smith, B., 2001) In writing, Spanish EL students are likely to not use capital first letters for days of the week, months, or national adjectives since they are not used in the Spanish language. Examples of this would be and EL student writing: tuesday, february, or english. (Swan, M. and Smith, B., 2001) B. Instructional activities for Spanish EL students to teach them the proper use of contractions in the English language are very important and can be a challenge. Teachers should review the use of contractions and make sure that students understand the difference between general contractions, such as shes for she is as well as informal contractions like gonna for going to. Then explain the main exceptions to the rule like, you are unable to contract will not as willnt. It would be wont. Have students listen to audio recordings or a movie in English and have them write down all of the contractions they hear. Help students identify the words that are contracted and state the type of contractions used. (Latham, n.d.) IV. Syntax / Grammar (word order and sentence structure) In the Spanish language, subject-verb agreements do not always correspond to the statement. Due to this freer word order, EL students often put the emphasized word last in a sentence. For example: Yesterday played very well the children. 1. (Swan, M. and Smith, B., 2001) In Spanish, adjectives and nouns usually come after the head noun. An EL student may write I drive the car blue, instead of I drive the blue car. (Swan, M. and Smith, B., 2001) EL students often mix up the word order of questions such as Marta has cooked the food could be written as Cooked the food has Marta? This is because there is no set word order for questions in the Spanish language. (Swan, M. and Smith, B., 2001) EL students also commonly put a rising no at the end of questions or statements. This is done in the Spanish language to urge agreement to any positive statement. It is common for them to say or write sentences like: She has a job, no? or You are going home tomorrow, no? (Swan, M. and Smith, B., 2001) Double and even sometimes triple negatives are standard in the Spanish language as they are viewed as reinforcing, rather than contradicting each other. This leads to EL students making the common errors of sentences like: I dont have none or My son doesnt eat nothing. (Swan, M. and Smith, B., 2001) B. As they say, practice makes perfect. For Spanish EL students, I would recommend repeated practice of word order. This can be done through worksheets, interactive programs on SmartBoards where they can manually manipulate the word order by touch, or even with the words in a sentence written on separate cards where the student can line them up in the correct order. The more they practice the precise placement of words in the English language, the easier it will come to them. V. Conclusion A. As previously mentioned, Spanish EL students face many challenges in learning the English language. The biggest challenge facing them is not only learning basic interpersonal communication skills (BICS), but also cognitive academic language proficiency (CALP) so that they can proceed with content area learning. The longer it takes an EL student to master CALP, the further behind they will get in learning the required subjects in school, or if they are moved along in the school system, the less they will be able to retain and learn. B. The pedagogical value of understanding Spanish EL students predictable errors is that it provides educators with essential tools to help students learn. The more knowledgeable an educator is about the most common types of mistakes that EL students make, the more aware they are of the students actual comprehension levels, and the better able they are to provide differentiated instruction to ensure success of the EL students. (Rico, 2012)

Eulogy of Mrytle WIlson

Wilson is more affected by Myrtle's death than he lets on. Therefore, I wrote this eulogy as Wilson for Myrtle to show the depth and complexity of their relationship. I tried to show Willow's feelings for Myrtle, rather than a ‘spiritless' man as depicted through the things he did for Myrtle. Including the things Myrtle did for Wilson shows his appreciation and love for her. Due to the lack of information In the novel, some of the content was crafted based on scenes In the novel and from my thoughts of their relationship.By Including the deep relationship between the couple, It allows the readers to better understand why Wilson killed Gatsby and himself. The vocabulary used is simple, as Wilson was uneducated. The use of constant repetition and similar sentence structure shows that Wilson was a simple man and that he did not know how to express himself clearly. It also emphasizes on the extent of his love and guilt. Short sentences are used to depict Willow's passive and shy na ture. There is a use of dramatic irony by showing how happy Wilson was when Myrtle spent the weekend with her friends, and when she wore nice dresses she ‘bought tit her savings'.Wilson is oblivious about the affair, unlike the audience. This shows how the American Dream Is flawed. Although Wilson worked hard and shower Myrtle with love, Myrtle still chose Tom. It also shows how materialistic people were back then. Myrtle chose Wilson merely on his appearance and now wants to be with Tom for his wealth. This eulogy is written in the first person perspective to show intimacy between the two. Instead of using a second person perspective to describe Myrtle, It shows Willow's deep attachment to his dead wife. 300 words) Good morning, I am George Wilson, Myrtle's husband. I would like to start off by thanking every single one of you for your presence today. Myrtle would be happy If she were still here. Myrtle, you are the love of my life. You entered my life on a fateful Friday 15 years ago, wearing a pink-laced dress, topped with a cream hat. You danced with such beauty, elegance and grace. However it wasn't your beauty that set you apart from the others. It was your bubbly and outgoing personality, your vitality that caught my eye.I knew that you were the one, I knew that I wanted to be yours, I knew that we courage to take the first step to talk to you. I wanted to look my best for you, I wanted you to notice me, I wanted you to like me. I worked very hard day and night at the garage. I was hoping to get a decent piece of clothing. The day of the gathering drew closer and closer. I still had yet to get enough money for a suit. I asked God continuously for help, and He answered my prayer. I was able to borrow a suit from a customer after begging him for it. The quality of the silk tie I bought came with a hefty price, but it was all worth it.I never once regretted all the hard work put in to get that suit, because it brought me a step closer to you, y dear. I remember the Joy on your face, that unspeakable Joy, when I proposed. I remember how your face turned crimson. I remember the 20 graceful steps you took down the aisle, towards me. You wore a hand crafted pristine white gown, fitted with laces and frills. It was exactly the one you told me about, the one you dreamed of since young. I remember how my heart skipped a beat when you stood beside me. I remember how your hands were gently holding on to mine. At that moment, I Just wanted to be yours.Seeing that pure Joy in your eyes when we were pronounced husband and fife was worth so much more than all the extra hours spent working, all the meals forgone, all the sweat and blood shed to make our wedding perfect. Nothing mattered more to me than you, Myrtle. I love you. Working at the gas station isn't an easy Job, but all was worth it. You always told me I work too much as compared to what I earned. But I know the little that I earn can one day bring you happiness. I know you want to get out of this place. I want to be the one leaving with you. Myrtle, you always looked forward to the weekends spent with your friends.Seeing oh smiling from ear to ear when you return brings me so much Joy. It means the world to see you happy. Although your friends have rich husbands and live in big houses, you never uttered a word of complaint. You never looked down on me. You never compared me to the others. You never leave my side. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for staying by my side. Thank you for being happy, so I would be happy too. I love you. Myrtle, you bring color to my dull life. You always wear colorful dresses. You always doll yourself up. You always try to look your best for me. I know you are aware hat I don't earn much.I know you never once asked me for money. I know you have always used your savings to get yourself what you want. You always think of me. You always share the burden with me. You always put my needs above yours. Thank you, my dear, for being so selfless. I wish I could be more like you. The last words you said were asking me to beat you. You are the apple of my eye, you are a precious gem to a peasant like me. Why would I want to hurt you? I love you, my coward. Yes, I am a coward. But that's because I Just wanted to be yours, to listen to what you say, to obey your every command. Myrtle, I love you.I always question myself why did you choose me, I am poor, I am not that good looking, I am useless. Despite all my shortcomings, you loved me Just the way I am, and you gave me all that I needed and wanted. I want to earn more. I want you to see the world. I want to spend more time with you. I want to shower you with love. I failed to do so. Now, it is too late. I'm sorry for not showing my love Just like how you showed yours. I'm sorry for not giving you the life you always wanted. I'm sorry for not showering you with clothes. I'm sorry for all the suffering you had to go through.I'm sorry for being overprotective at times. I'm sorry for being a coward. I'm sorry dear, I'm sorry, and I'll love you, for all eternity. Myrtle is not perfect, but I love her Just the way she is. She accepted me for who I am and forgave me for all my faults, and I will do the same. To all those Judging onlookers, Myrtle does not deserve to be criticized, for she is perfect to me, and that is all she needs to be. Myrtle dear, your imperfections are what I love most about you, and it is your imperfections that I will miss most. Goodbye and take care, my dear. I will always love you.

Women Rule the World

History has ample evidence to show that quite a few women wielded the greatest power, leaving a legacy of their own and unleashing a revolution in their trail, but at the same time, they paid such a dear price for their power which is long believed to be the exclusive domain of male. Nerfititi, a co-regent of Egyptian pharaoh, could not escape the fate of death after removing the existence of the belief in priests and successfully starting to construct a new capital of Egypt together with her husband.Even days after her demise, her tomb was plundered and her body was smashed with the right hand holding the scepter, the symbol of utmost power in Egyptian kingdom, mutilated away from her corpse. Vo Tac Thien, the queen of China, in her reign, made an incredible record of contributions to her nation while standing up against waves of protests from traditionalists. It seems when it comes to holding the highest rank, women are biased, albeit their manifest talent and patriotism.Any cruel action they exercised, whether for their ends- as some believe- or the sake of the entire nation, was seen as unacceptable whereas such acts were easily forgotten if committed by men. Further evidence of this prejudice is well seen in the lives of Islamic women who are deprived of the right to have their own identity cards and inherit almost to none of the asset from the bequest of both their parents and spouses. They are born with masks and unveiling these â€Å"sacred amulets† is considered a sacrilege to their faith, rendering their lives in darkness, however.But despite all of this, Islamic women are found to be surprisingly enlighteners with an increasing number working as scientists, researchers and culturists. Such telling bodies of evidence hold the answer itself: when it comes to true power, women cannot be ignored. If given more freedom, why wouldn’t they rule the world as men? Let’s discuss, Seamap guys, to acknowledge the power of our WOMEN. Written by Pham Thi Le Na 1. What are key factors to become a good leader? 2. What are basic differences in the way men and women lead? What are their strengths and weaknesses? 3. Which are countries where women hold important positions in the overnment? Are these nations having any edge over others which exclude women from this opportunity? What’s about Vietnam? Is it a level-playing field for women nowadays? Why or why not? 4. What makes women have fewer chances to rise to power? As being a person of strong power, how can you make sure men and women have equal chance of being recruited to high positions? 5. Debate: What makes you believe women should rule the world? What makes you believe men should rule the world? Compare and contrast to defend you point. Envision the picture where women purely rule the world or men purely rule the world.

The Freedom of Information Act

Prior to the enactment of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) in 1966, any person seeking non-public information from a U.S. federal  government agency had to first prove they had a legal need to know in order to view related government records. James Madison would not have liked that. A popular Government without popular information or the means of acquiring it, is but a Prologue to a Farce or a Tragedy or perhaps both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance, and a people who mean to be their own Governors, must arm themselves with the power knowledge gives. -- James Madison Under the FOIA, the American people are assumed to have a right to know about their government and the government is required to prove a compelling reason in order to keep information secret. In other words, the FOIA establishes the presumption that records of the U.S. Government must be made accessible to the people. Also note that most state and local governments have adopted laws similar in intent and function to the FOIA.As soon as he took office in January 2009, President Obama issued an executive order directing the government agencies to approach FOIA requests with a presumption in favor of disclosure.The Government should not keep information confidential merely because public officials might be embarrassed by disclosure  because errors and failures might be revealed, or because of speculative or abstract fears, wrote Obama, stating that his administration would be dedicated to an unprecedented level of openness in Government.This guide is a simple explanation of how to use the FOIA to request information from the U.S. government agencies. But, please be aware that the FOIA and litigation involved with it can become extremely complex. Thousands of court decisions have been made regarding the FOIA and anyone requiring more detailed information about the FOIA should contact an attorney with experience in governmental affairs. Before Requesting Information Under the FOIA Look for it on the Internet. An incredible amount of information is now available on thousands of government websites, with volumes more being added every day. So before going to all the trouble of writing and sending an FOIA request, just log on visit the agencys website or run some searches. What Agencies are Covered by the FOIA? The FOIA applies to documents in the possession of executive branch agencies including: Cabinet agenciesMilitary branchesGovernment corporationsIndependent regulatory agenciesOther executive branch offices commissions The FOIA does NOT apply to: Any elected official of the US GovernmentOfficers of the federal Judicial Branch Private citizensPrivate companies or associationsGovernment contractors Government grant holdersState or local governments (most state and local governments have laws similar to the FOIA) While elected officials are exempt all daily actions of the United States Congress are published in the Congressional Record. In addition most state and many local governments have adopted laws similar to the FOIA What May and May Not be Requested Under the FOIA? You may, by mail, request and receive copies of any records in the possession of an agency except those covered by the following nine exemptions: Classified defense and foreign policy informationInformation prohibited from disclosure under other lawsInternal agency rules and practicesTrade secrets and confidential business practicesInter or intra-agency communications protected under lawInformation involving matters of personal privacyCertain information regarding law enforcementInformation on supervision of financial institutionsGeological information on wells In addition, especially sensitive information concerning law enforcement and national security issues may occasionally be withheld.Agencies are free to (and sometimes do) disclose information even though the records are exempted under the provisions above.Agencies may also disclose only parts of information while withholding exempted sections. Withheld sections will be blacked out and are referred to as redacted sections. How to Request FOIA Information FOIA requests must be sent by mail directly to the agency that has the records you want. There is no single government office or agency assigned to handle or route FOIA requests.While a few individual agencies currently provide for online FOIA request submittal, requests to most agencies must still be submitted via standard mail or email. Online FOIA requests to the agencies that currently accept them can be submitted on the FOIAonline.gov website. Addresses for submitting FOIA requests to all federal agencies can be found on the FOIA.gov website.Each agency has one or more official FOIA contact offices to which requests should be addressed. Larger agencies have separate FOIA offices for each bureau and some have FOIA offices in each region of the country.Contact information for the FOIA offices of just about all agencies can now be found on their website.The U.S. Government Manual is also useful for determining which agency has the records you want. It is available at most public an d university libraries and can also be searched online. What Your FOIA Request Letter Should Say FOIA information requests should be made in a letter mailed to the FOIA Officer of the agency. If you cant determine exactly which agency has what you want, send a request to each potential agency.You should also mark both the letter and the outside of the envelope, Freedom of Information Act Request to speed its handling by the agency.It is vital that you identify in the letter the information or records you want as clearly and specifically as possible. Include any facts, names, authors, dates, times, events, locations etc. you think might help the agency find your records. If you know the exact title or name of the records you want, be sure to include it.While it is not required, you can state why you want the records.Even if you think the records you want may be exempted from the FOIA or otherwise classified, you can and should still make the request. Agencies have the authority to disclose any exempted material at their discretion and are encouraged to do so. Sample FOIA Request Letter DateFreedom of Information Act RequestAgency FOIA OfficerAgency or Component NameStreet AddressDear ________:Under the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. subsection 552, I am requesting access to [identify the records you want in complete detail].If there are any fees for searching or copying these records, please inform me before filling my request. [Or, Please send me the records without informing me of the cost unless the fees exceed $______, which I agree to pay.]If you deny any or all of this request, please cite each specific exemption you feel justifies the refusal to release the information and notify me of appeal procedures available to me under the law.[Optionally: If you have any questions about this request, you may contact me by telephone at ______ (home phone) or _______ (office phone).]Sincerely,NameAddress What Does the FOIA Process Cost? There is no initial fee required to submit an FOIA request, but the law does provide for the charging of certain types of fees in some instances. For a typical requester the agency can charge for the time it takes to search for records and for duplication of those records. There is usually no charge for the first two hours of search time or for the first 100 pages of duplication. You may always include in your request letter a specific statement limiting the amount that you are willing to pay in fees. If an agency estimates that the total fees for processing your request will exceed $25, it will notify you in writing of the estimate and offer you an opportunity to narrow your request in order to reduce the fees. If you agree to pay fees for a records search, you may be required to pay such fees even if the search does not locate any releasable records. You May Request that Fees Be Waived You may request a waiver of fees. Under the FOIA, fee waivers are limited to situations in which a requester can show that the disclosure of the requested information is in the public interest because it is likely to contribute significantly to public understanding of the operations and activities of the government and is not primarily in the commercial interest of the requester. Requests for fee waivers from individuals who are seeking records on themselves usually do not meet this standard. In addition, a requesters inability to pay fees is not a legal basis for granting a fee waiver. How Long Does the FOIA Process Take? By law, agencies must respond to FOIA requests within 10 working days of receipt. Agencies may extend this time if necessary, but they must send written notice of the extension to the requester. What if Your FOIA Request is Denied? Sometimes, the agency simply does not have or cannot locate the requested records. But if the records are found, only the information or parts of information exempted from disclosure can be withheld. If the agency finds and withholds any or all of the information, the agency must notify the requester of the reason and inform them of the appeals process. Appeals should be sent to the agency in writing within 45 days.The websites of most federal agencies include pages fully explaining the agencys specific FOIA process instructions including contact information, records available, fees, and appeals process.