Children’s Language Development

Children’s language development and second language acquisition Sandra Morales Texas Woman’s University Children’s language development and second language acquisition The paper investigates how children develop their cognitive and language skills in a context that is influenced by social and biological factors. The literature review discusses the Cognitive and Social Constructivism theories and their influence on the education field. In addition the author presents how children develop their language at different stages and how those stages influence the growth and development of a second language.Language acquisition is one of the most important topics in cognitive development. In the study of language development it is necessary to consider all the factors that affect cognitive development and their influence on child development. Many theorists investigate how children acquire language skills and how heredity, environment, culture, and biological factors infl uence language development (Meadows, 2006). Rationale It has been said that language is a characteristic that establishes a difference between animals and humans.It is the ability to communicate with others, transmit and receive information gathered through symbols, gestures, facial expressions or other ways to express thoughts that others can understand what has been said (Jones, 1972). What is language? According to Bochner (1997) language is a form of communication. It involves a system of signs and symbols that are used by a group of people to communicate. The symbols include but are not limited to written symbols and sounds.The language may be diverse in different cultures in terms of how the symbols system is used, the formal properties of the language, and the way people use that language to communicate with others in the same culture. Every culture has its own language system. As a matter of fact all languages have four main components (Bochner, 1997): Pragmatics (use) †“ learn to use the sounds, gestures, words, and body language. Meaning (semantics) –understand the messages, represented in words, or written.Rules (syntax and morphology) – use the grammatical system of the language, combine words to convey a meaning. Sounds – Are the words intelligible enough that others can understand them. Throughout this paper the author will discuss various theoretical perspectives associated with the language development of children at different stages of their development. Some scholars such as Piaget, Vygotsky, Bruner and Chomsky have revealed common ideas between the language acquisition and the cognitive development that are being discussed in this paper.The purpose of this paper is to present the process of how children develop their language through the lenses of those four theorists and their contributions in the early childhood field. In addition the reader will find information regarding how children learn and develop a second language and the implication during the development. The primary consideration about language development is immersed in a controversy concerning the roots of language acquisition, and how people communicate their thinking processes, feelings and ideas.According to Meadows (2006) language development involves different processes that include but are not limited to physical, emotional and cognitive development. Having an understanding of the differences between individuals, their experiences and their contact with other adults and significant ones, will help to understand how the language is developed. All this provides the opportunities for growth and development in different areas that complement the life of the person. In relation to the development the contact and relation with others start influencing the baby in his mother's womb.During the gestational time the fetus can hear the voice of their mother, and other sounds (music, etc), and after their birth they can recognize the voice of others. In other words the learning process starts at early stages in child development. Literature Review Piaget Cognitive Constructivism Piaget’s main focus of constructivism has to do with the person and how they construct their knowledge. Piaget believed individuals must adapt to their environment, and develops as parts of the adaptation process to the environment.According to Piaget, the individual needs to understand the information that they are receiving in order to be able to use it; they must construct their own knowledge (Powell, 2009). For Piaget, language development is internal mental processes controlled by developmental processes and is done individually, without the interventions of others (Agbenyega, 2009). As a result of mastering one stage, children will be ready to move, learn, and develop according to the expectations of the next stage. In regards to language development Piaget sees language as part of the cognitive development.How children thin k determines when and what the child can speak. In addition Piaget, states that children’s talking abilities emerge naturally without any formal teaching by adults, however more sophisticated vocabulary require formal education and experiences with the language. During early stages of the development according to Piaget, words are related to schemas of actions related to the child and those schemas will later be incorporated into exiting schemas that will support future learning experiences. Through the process of assimilation and accommodation, children go searching for what Piaget called balance or equilibration.Assimilation according to Piaget, is when the individual adds new information into their schemas. Accommodation is when individuals change their schemas to understand new information into their knowledge. Piaget states that children learn to construct meaning about the new information and through assimilating and accommodating that information into their schemas. Du ring the equilibration the individual looks for information received that makes sense with previous information. When the children find that balance, they move again to a more comfortable stage where the information received makes sense.According to Piaget, children pass through different stages in their development; going through these stages provides children with a constant acquisition of information that will increase and help to build new knowledge and understanding of previous information learned. The basic principle of assimilation refers to the ability of children to use what they already know to understand the world around them. In contrast accommodation refers to the process of changing mental structures to provide consistency with external reality. It occurs when existing schemas are modified for a ew experience. Both principles help children to develop and construct their thinking patterns and use it according with their needs (Agbenyega, 2009). He believed that the mind does not respond to stimulus and consequences, but grows and change over different periods of time. In other words the intelligence appears progressively through the repetitions of activities that vary in each stage of the development. Piaget’s four stages of development: Sensorimotor from 0 to two during this stage children discover the environment around them, using their senses and then acquiring the language.Preoperational from two to seven years old: At this stage children develop language skills, however, they understand what they are saying but do not grasp totally what others have said. Here they distinguish pictures and other objects. Concrete operations from seven to eleven years old: At this stage children use their logical reasoning about things. Formal operations from eleven to adulthood: During this stage individuals use higher order thinking skills and abstractions to solve problems. Piaget’s stages of development are all about how children learn at dif ferent ages through their development.Based on the individual, all go through the same stages during their development. Social Constructivism Vygostsky and Bruner Social constructivism is based on the social interaction between the children with significant others, such as parents, caregivers, peers, and teachers. Vygotsky framework involves the social interactions and culture as part of the language development. He discussed the zone of proximal development (ZPD). The ZPD controls what the children learn, also what he can learn and do when he is helped by others. According to Vygotsky the learning process is easier when others are involved.Children may be asked to perform a task, students have some meaning of the task they need to complete, however, they may have difficult to do it. But with the adequate support to complete the task they will do it. Bruner's theory of constructivism discussed the idea of learning as an active process where the learners are able to form new ideas ba sed on their current and past knowledge. Jerome Bruner emphasized the importance of social interactions and explained that children develop language based on their contact with others as a result of educational processes (Bruner, 1960).He discussed scaffolding and how the construction of knowledge is based on their existing knowledge acquired during previous development. Scaffolding refers to the knowledge of previous skills that provide support for the acquisition of new learning experiences. Bruner and Vygostky believed that learning processes are tied to this concept, and facilitate a student’s ability to build on prior knowledge. For these theorists, the influence of experiences is a basic ingredient in the language development. Chomsky naturalistic approachChomsky argues that language is a unique human ability. He discussed the innate abilities of children to learn the language. As a result, all children go through the same process to learn a language (Stark, 2008). He d iscussed the language acquisition device (LAD) that allows children to produce in consistent ways the use of their first language. In this framework, all languages use nouns, pronouns, verbs, and other grammar rules. In addition, Chomsky established that children learn language through means other than imitation; they do not always imitate mistakes made by others.Chomsky maintains that it is necessary to have formal instruction in the proper use of language and grammar (Stark, 2008). Child language development When we speak about the communication process, we speak about the ability to receive and transfer information that other people can understand and mean something to others. Verbal and nonverbal forms are expressions that enhance the communication with others. The process of language development would be described as a continuous process that gradually changes during the individual development. As soon as after birth a process of communication begins.Infants try to communicate with adults using sounds, cooing. Those sounds are an important step on the road of language development, leading to a future stage where children are able to use the language to communicate in complex ways such as using words and sentences to express their thoughts. Language development includes understanding and communication skills based on words, spoken and written forms. According to Meadows (2006) different theoretical models such as Chomsky stated that language is innate and just with minimal exposure the child could develop their home language.The exposition to language pattern gives them the basic knowledge to learn the maternal tongue. The nature versus nurture perspective supports the point that when the child is exposed to a language, they will learn the patterns for that language naturally. In other words exposing a child to a language pattern will allow them to learn that language. However, the exposure to another language other than maternal tongue on a regular basis will provide with the pattern in that second language that the children will eventually learn, due to his exposition to the patterns and sound of that other language.Studies conducted by Macilla (2011) reveals that the frequency of the exposure to a second language and the consistency will influence how well the children will learn and perform using the second language. From birth the children are preparing for speech as a way to communicate with others. They are developing their physiological and cognitive structures to learn how to talk. Children pass through different stages to prepare the pharynx and larynx to produce those sounds, related to a pattern of their language.The native language of the child does not matter. They all move through the same stages using vowels and consonants to produce sounds that seem like words for the adults. The adults assign the meaning to the first sound that the babies produce. However, at the beginning there are just random patterns, babbling th at later during the development will continue into repeating the letter combination until the children learn a way to communicate using those patterns previously learned. All children are born with an innate ability to communicate (Chomsky 2006).As children grow language becomes an important tool to establish and maintain relationships with others. The nature of language includes the use of words, sentences and other grammar rules. It is important to understand the relationship between cognition and language development, in the context of prior knowledge and how experiences influence development (Wegerif, 2011). According to Bochner (1997) children move through these stages in learning to talk: Stage 1: Preliminary skills – Looking together, imitation, playing.Stage 2: Pre-verbal skills – Performatives (broom, quack) Stage 3: First words – â€Å"dog† â€Å"car† â€Å"mum† Stage 4: Early sentences – â€Å"daddy's car† â€Å"dog gone† Stage 5: Extending meaning – adding English morphemes, such as plurals Jones (1972) describes the stages in the development of speech as follows: Crying period – At birth, a newborns crying is the first vocal response to the environment around them. Vocal play period – Around the second month, infants begin to make different sounds. This production of sounds is an important step in the child’s language development.A variety of sounds may be heard in any language, but from the phonetic elements of babbling, the language that the child hears is the language that he or she eventually will use as their first language. Eventually, they will learn and master the grammar rules of that language. Sound imitation period – This period has two phases. The first phase begins around the six months and is initiated by the child’s awareness of sounds he produces. Because he likes what is being heard, he continues the repetition of those sounds. In the second phase, the child imitates sounds that he heard from others, â€Å"echolalia. This stage begins about the ninth month. The first sounds that the child imitates are those which are familiar, mostly coming from parents or caregivers. At this stage is when language development makes its formal appearance. The child comprehends simple words, specific vocalizations that have meaning for parents and caregivers. Language acquisition period – Begins about the last month of the first year. At this stage begins the conventional sound pattern or close to one. The child says the first words in their native language. The child understands and responds appropriately to others verbally.Between thirteen to eighteen months there is a slow growth of vocabulary. A language is based on grammatical structure, and that structure rests on rules that determine how to express thoughts. The three major components of language are: phonology (study of the smallest unit of speech called ph onemes), syntax (refers to the rules to form sentences), and semantic (the meaning of words and sentences). Every language has its own particularities; however, every language has the same components, in which people learn how to communicate based on the structure of their own language.To summarize how oral language is acquired, it is important to mention that the child moves through different stages during their development, in order to acquire the language and skills to be successful. Infants listen and very early begin to communicate their needs through the use of sounds and gestures. Toddlers use the language using simple sentences and asking questions. Young preschoolers used complete sentences to communicate. Theorists in language development discussed that a child produces sounds as a form to communicate with others.Those sounds come from his or her adaptation to the environment around them and as a consequence of the reinforcement by others during the learning and developmen tal processes. According to Beller (2008) the reinforcement occurs primarily when the child hears the sounds and considers those pleasant sounds. When those sounds are imitated by the child and he or she is rewarded in any way that produce satisfaction, the act of repetition begins, and eventually those sound combinations and repetitions open the door for a more sophisticated way of communication until the proper use of language appears.Learning a second language How children develop a second language has been a topic of interest since 1940 (Beller, 2008). Theorists discussed that learning a new language requires the use of existing structures that are supported by the first language. Language is a symbol for a social group. In many countries, people learn more than one language is associated with political issues. In many countries it is related to the level of education. To be considered educated in Europe, people have to know at least two languages. In the United States the secon d language is more related to immigrant issues.Many children who come from immigrant families learn their parent’s language and English as a second language. In future generations English will become their first language. During the early stages of the development of the mother tongue is necessary. It is considered part of the intellectual ability, is the individual’s first contact with language from birth, and supports emotional and cognitive development. Through the development the child learns the structure of his or her first language and that helps them to come up with his or her interpretations of the events around them.To master a second language according to Noormohamadi (2008) a child has to master his or her mother tongue. If the child does not master the first language, that will make the process of learning another language more difficult. When the first language is learned and the child has a total command of the language, the process of learning another l anguage will be supported by the first language, and all the concepts and learning can be transferred to the second language. The environment around the child has great influence on the child's vocabulary, skills, and general understanding of the language.According to Vygotsky, social interactions between children and adults influence the acquisition of any language. Another aspect to consider during the child's language development is the concept of nurturing. This concept is totally related to the social interactions. Nurturing bring up the issue of the relationship between the child and other adults. Children who are attached to their families are more likely to communicate for longer periods, and this helps their communication and language development.The amount of time children spend talking to others will improve their language skills. It is important to mention that each culture has standards of conversations between children and adults. Many cultures such as western cultures see children as conversational partners, promoting the verbal development of the child. Other cultures such as Hispanic culture do not discuss events or problems with their children. In these cultures children are not allowed to be active participants in adult conversations.Variations in social-cultural beliefs are aspects to consider in the development of a second language Oades-Sese (2011). The influence and relationship with others, within the same cultural values and language is significant and will add positive reinforcement to how the child learns and develops through his life. Based on Piaget's theory children learn and develop by organizing their experiences into schemas that helps them to understand the world around them. Those schemes are related to two important concepts in Piaget’s theory, adaptation and assimilation.During development children assimilate new information into the schemas that they already have, accommodating the new information into their mental structures. This process continues until the children learn the new information and come into a stage of equilibrium. For those children who are learning a second language the knowledge of their first language helps them in the acquisition of the second. All languages have their structure integrated by sounds, letters, grammar rules, and other factors that help the learner to acquire the language.The structure of each language contains variations such as alphabet, pronunciation, specific rules based on that language, but in general the similarities in structure facilitate the acquisition of the second language because using the knowledge in the first language helps make connections with the second language. Therefore the learning process is easier for the child. Conclusion The combination of the theories presented in this paper provides the author a new perspective regarding language acquisition and development in early childhood.Each theory supports Piaget, Vygotsky, and Chomsky fr ameworks based on observations and their studies on how children develop the language. However, each theory can blend to show how a child develops language and which methods can be used in order to reinforce the acquisition and retention of the first and second language. Each theory discussed helps to explain the process of language development, from Piaget’s cognitive constructivism which emphasizes a child’s ability to reason and construct his or her own knowledge, based on the individual experience, to Vygostky’s social influences and interactions to Chomsky’s nativism approach.All of these theories interpret language development differently. However, of all theories discussed throughout this paper it is the author’s belief that social interactions are the most helpful approach to understand how children develop language. Biological and environmental factors are necessary in order for a child to learn the language and develop the language. Moreo ver, the child’s interaction with others influences the acquisition of the language. It is important for the child to interact with others in order to learn the pattern of the language.Language development is a long process influenced by biological, family, and environmental factors that contribute the growth of the child in all aspects of their development including of course, the language acquisition. In order to learn another language, researchers such as Bruner, Vygotsky, Piaget, and Chomsky discussed the importance of learning and mastering the mother tongue. It is necessary to learn the grammar rules of the first language to use that knowledge to transfer the concepts learned into the second language. However, is a long learning process that starts after birth and continues through the child development.According to Mancilla-Martinez (2011) who stated that children need to continue having formal instruction in order to develops proficiency in the first language and have formal instruction in the second language. For some immigrants’ children born in a foreign country or even those who were born in the United States to immigrant parents, school is the first formal exposure to English language. This group will eventually come a large portion of the society needs the support of formal instruction to learn and develops the proficiency on the second language.To become proficient in the English language does not require parents use of English at home; however, to develop proficiency in the first language the instructional support and use of the language at home is necessary. It is necessary to be aware of the increments of this population and the particularities of each culture in order to support the language development (Mancilla Martinez, 2011). Many factors are associated with language development; most of them are associated when children begin attending primary grade levels, this is when the use of more sophisticated vocabulary is introduce d.The students need to learn the higher level of language in order to become proficient in the second language. Even learning the mother tongue, children need to learn more scholarly vocabulary and grammar rules appropriate for their age and to understand these when they encounter them in textbooks. When children come from homes in which a language other than English is used lead the proficiency in that language. Understanding the patterns of the first language is essential to developing effective programs to facilitate the study and acquisition of a second language.This fact is applicable for all levels of study of second languages. Therefore the educational systems should support the study and application of this in the teaching of second language. Mastery of the first language is a vital factor in the progress to study and acquire fluency in other languages. Its acquisition is a basis and support for all other languages studied throughout one's lifetime. References Agbenyega, J. (2009). The australian early development Index, who does it measure: Piaget or Vygotsky’s child? Australasian Journal of Early Childhood 34(2), 31-38.Beller, S. (2008). Fostering language acquisition in daycare settings. Early Childhood Development. 49, 1-52. Bloom, L. , Lahey, M. (1978). Language development and language disorders. US. Bochner, S. , Price, P ; Jones, J. (1997). Child language development. Lerning to talk. London: England. Chomsky, N. (2006). In Chomsky. Info. Retrieved February 9, 2011, Chomsky. Info Online: http://www. chomsky. info/ Chosmky, N. (2005). Three factors in language design. Linguistic Inquiry, 36(1), 1-22. Feldman, R. S. (2010). Essentials of Understanding Psychology. 9th edition Greene, M. 1960). Learning to talk. A parents’ guide to the first five years. US. NY. Jones, M. and Guidon, A. (1972). Language development. They key to learning. US. Mancilla-Martinez, J. and Lesaux, N. (2011). Early home language use and later vocabulary devel opment. Journal of Educational Psychology, 103(3), 535-546. Meadows, S. (2006). The Child as Thinker. The development and acquisition of cognition in childhood ( 2nd ed. ). NY: Routledge. Noormohamadi, R. (2008). Mother tongue, a necessary step to intellectual development. Journal Pan-Pacific Applied Linguistics, 12(2), 25-36.Oades-Sese, G. ; Li, Y. (2011). Attachment relationship as predictors of language skill for at-risk bilingual preschool children. Psychology in the Schools, 48(7), 707-722. doi: 10. 1002/pits. 20583. Piaget, J. (1928). The child’s conception of the world. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul. Powell, K. ,, and Kalina, C. (2009). Cognitive and social constructivism: Developing tools for an effective classroom. Education, 130(2), 241-250. Wegerif R. (2011). Towards a Dialogic Theory of How Children Learn to Think. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 6(3), 179–190.

Review Strategies Used in Health and Social Care Environments Essay

M2, review strategies used in health and social care environments to overcome barriers to effective communication and interpersonal interactions. D1, evaluate strategies used in health and social care to overcome barriers to effective communication and interpersonal interactions. Introduction There are many differing ideas on the best way to communicate in health and social care and there are many strategies used by the many differing professionals working in health and social care. This assignment will review the different strategies used and then will evaluate the differing strategies and their effectiveness when overcoming barriers to effective communication and interpersonal interactions. M2; There are lots of different strategies used in health and social care and all of these strategies have their strengths and weaknesses this assignment is going to review if these strategies are successful or not. The strategies that will be looked at are staff training, reflective listening, individual preference, the environment and awareness of non-verbal communication. Reflective listening www.skillsforlife.co.uk believe the strength of Reflective listening as a strategy in health and social care is it builds the clients self-esteem and lets them know that you are interested in what they are saying and keeps a conversation going and by repeating what is been said to you lets the client know that you are professional and listening to what they have to say. The weakness of reflective listening is if the client has low self-esteem before the conversation starts or is angry or upset the client may feel that the service provider is not helping by just repeating what is being said to them and this could anger the client further or the client will just refuse to talk. Staff training www.skillsforlife.co.uk suggest that the strength of staff training is that it allows for constant updates in which service provides are always up to date on the latest strategies on overcoming barriers to communication and this leads to a better understanding of how barriers can happen and gives them the tools to take control and remedy the situation. www.skillsforlife.co.uk also suggest that the weaknesses that can arise due to staff training is that the member of staff loses time with clients while attending courses and may not be able to attend all training opportunities so this can lead to a gap in training and the member of staff not knowing all the latest strategies and this in turn can make things difficult for clients as they are not being given correct and up to information. Individual preference www.skillsforlife.co.uk believe the strength of individual preference is that it allows the client to choose the best way for them to be able to communicate that makes them feel comfortable and this in turn makes it easier for the member of staff as they have a client who is open and willing to talk and this also allows for staff to make appropriate arrangements if an interpreter or signer is needed www.skillsforlife.co.uk also believe that the weaknesses of individual preference is that staff may not have time to find someone to interpret or sign for them and they may not know sign language themselves and also not have time to arrange for these needs before the first meeting with the client. Environment www.skillsforlife.co.uk suggest that the positives that come from the environment that the conversation is taking place in are that for example in a counselling session the environment needs to be quiet so the client can communicate with ease and confidence knowing that they are being listened too. This helps the messages to be understood. www.skillsforlife.co.uk also suggest that the negatives can be that staff do not always have the time to assess all situations and as a lot of the space is used by other professionals such as doctors and nurses the environment cannot always be prepared in advance. Awareness of non-verbal communication According to www.skillsforlife.co.uk, making professionals aware of their non-verbal communication is a good way of overcoming barriers and the professional can ensure the proximity between them and client is a good distance but not too far away, and being aware of this is a good a lot of the way be communicate comes from body language and facial expression and professionals who are aware of this can improve their practice and the emotional needs of clients. www.skillsforlife.co.uk also believe that a negative side to this is that not all professionals have time to learn about this and also a lot of the time our emotions, facial expressions and body language is sub-conscious and not controlled. D1; This part of the assignment will evaluate the strategies used in health and social care. It will evaluate the pros and cons of communication and how they are used to overcome barriers to communication and interpersonal skills. Strategies are used in health and social care to give the service users the best possible chance of getting back to full health as soon as possible and provide on-going treatment or care into the future as and when it is no longer required. They are in place to promote independence and to make caring for someone as pleasant and easy experience for both staff and service user, and according to K.Bryan et al, ageing and mental health (2002) Studies suggest that a high proportion of older people in residential and nursing care have communication difficulties and there is some awareness of the need for staff training to allow effective communication to be achieved. Not working in the sector the only experiences to draw on are in the voluntary sector, working with an elderly lady in the early stages of dementia, It will be using these experiences to evaluate the pros and cons as to whether the way strategies are used are effective or not. The strategies it will be evaluating are reflective listening, staff training, individual preference, environment and non-verbal communication. Neil Moonie et al effective communication in health and social care (2012), Reflective listening can both be a help and a hindrance when communicating with dementia patients as it does depend on the service user and the sort of day they are having some days they are in the present and other days they are in the past so the trick is to adjust the way you reflect back to suit the conversation you are having as not to confuse the service user and keep the conversation going, in my opinion reflective listening is an important tool in breaking down barriers as it gives everyone a chance to air their views and be understood as to what they want, need and require. Neil Moonie et al effective communication in health and social care (2012), Staff training as a tool for overcoming barriers to communication is very important as without it staff working in the sector would not be able to serve their clients in the best way possible they would not have the knowledge to look after their patients in a safe and healthy way and this in turn will anger and or scare the patients so that they refuse help which could be detrimental to their health. In my opinion staff training is an effective way of keeping up to date on the latest skills and other ways of making sure all clients are safe and well in your care. Neil Moonie et al effective communication in health and social care (2012), Individual preference is important as a tool to overcome communication barriers as it makes the client comfortable and this in turn helps them to relax and open to talking, for those who have difficulty communicating keeping to their way of doing things also helps the client to relax and not to feel anxious because they are in a strange place and may be feeling confused and unsure of what is going on. In my opinion individual preference is important as it centres care on what is best for the client to make them as happy and relaxed as possible. Neil Moonie et al effective communication in health and social care (2012), Environment is an important tool for both client and staff, for clients it is important that things are familiar and as normal as possible and helps the service user to feel relaxed as with individual preference if they have difficulty communicating they will feel anxious and confused so a familiar environment will put them at easel, for staff the environment is important so they can perform their duties with ease and using the same environment for each client allows the staff member to know where everything is and the repetitive nature will reassure the client that nothing’s changed. Neil Moonie et al effective communication in health and social care (2012), Non-verbal communication the way we communicate non-verbally plays a part in overcoming barriers to communication because if our body language is negative such as no eye contact, this will impact on the client and may make them feel insecure and not willing to communicate, whereas a positive attitude will help the client to open up to you and be more willing to talk. Conclusion Strategies in communication are important as they help to overcome the difficulties some people face on a day to day basis, these strategies also help to decide what works and what dos not when working with service users in a health and social care setting Reference Stretch, B, Whitehouse, M, (2010) Btec level 3 health and social care book 1, Harlow, Pearson Education LTD K. Bryan, L. Axelrod, J. Maxim, L. Bell & L. Jordan Journal: Aging & Mental Health Volume 6, Issue 3, August 2002, pages 248-254 Neil Moonie et al effective communication in health and social care (2012) pages 1-45 http//www.skillsyouneed.co.uk 2012/ips/barriers-communication 20/12/2012

A Farewell to Arms Essays - Literature, English-language Films

A Farewell to Arms In this novel A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway, Hemingway brings about the evolution of Frederick Henry being converted into a code hero in realistic ways. Frederick Henry achieved the six code hero characteristics by the end of the novel with the help of Catherine, a code hero herself. All the characteristics seem to follow the path of a manly person who is continuously striving to live his/her life to the fullest. Throughout this novel, Frederick Henry's behavior matures to the code hero in which Hemingway desires to be. In the start of the novel, Frederick Henry was into over- sensual pleasures and could not control himself until he had spent much time with Catherine and learned how to discipline himself. Henry "had drunk much wine" and roamed from whore house to whore house near the beginning of the novel. He had no control over himself nor could hold his liquor or contain himself from easy women during this time. Henry finally disciplined himself near the end of his stay at the Ospidale Maggoire. The nada concept had been a part of Henry's life from the beginning. Henry stood up nights because the night is a representation of evil and death to him. If he is not asleep, he can avoid having to deal with it. Henry also is accompanied by Catherine during nights at the Ospidale Maggoire. To Henry there "was almost no difference in the night except that is was an even better time" with Catherine. Catherine, who is already a code hero, has values which transcend onto Henry at the Hospital. During the day, Henry sleeps but Catherine has to work, so she stops coming to him on nights. Henry is left to stay up, alone on nights. Also, he does not ask Catherine to come stay with him thus controlling his desires to make love to her. From this point in the book, Henry disciplines himself. During those nights together, they made love and talked. When he first saw Catherine, he was after sexual pleasures from her instead of the prostitutes in Gorizia. He never realized that he was in love untill some time later. Also, when he is in the course of a battle with Manera, Gavuzi and Passini, he began to eat food. Henry enjoys the food he eats, the love he makes and the wine he drinks whenever he pleases to, as a code hero does. Henry showed his loyalty to the individuals and small groups in his life, and near the end of the novel he showed grace under pressure. He is loyal to people similar to the group of ambulance drivers he was driving with on their retreat or people similar to the Count. During his desertion, he jumped into a river to avoid being shot and killed by the Carabinieri. The Carabinieri began to shoot every officer who showed up late in the retreat. The Italian army seemed to Henry to be unfit for him and unorganized. To avoid being killed he jumped into the Tagliamento river. Henry once began to believe he "would drown" and so "fought and thrashed through the water" to save his life from the turbulent waters of the Tagliamento. He never showed the reader his feelings of bravery during this feat. In the final pages of book IV, Henry strove to cross the Switzerland border and seek refuge from the Italian police. When he arrived there with Catherine, he was questioned by the border police and told them he and his wife were looking for winter sport in Switzerland. He lied under questioning by the custom agents in order to save himself from his army and did not show any frustrations or nervousness in the process. With Catherine on his side, he proved to the reader that he was able to show grace under difficult circumstances. Henry never once talked about his beliefs or feelings throughout the novel. He does not talk about his hatred for the Carabinieri or his feelings when he is cheerful or dismal. He showed no signs of remorse for deserting the Italian army or about the time when he shot and wounded the Sergeant deserter. In the end of the novel, Henry is faced with his love's death. Henry told God "please, please, dear God, don't let her die" the moment before he entered the door where Catherine finally passed away due to a hemorrhage. Minutes later Henry is offered some company on the way back to his home but he declines.

Various Ways Government Interacts with the Economy Essay

Various Ways Government Interacts with the Economy - Essay Example To safeguard this, the government has prohibited the following activities: This is an agreement between two or more competitors in form of price fixing and market allocation, and involves an agreement in which one party of a group of bidders will be designated to win the bid. For example government construction contracts being determined by bid. This type of conspiracy is termed to be illegal therefore it is prohibited by the government. This is an agreement between the competitors selling the same product or services to fix, peg, discount or stabilize prices. This pushes the price of the product high hence the businesses make huge profit after exploiting the consumers. In the United States, price fixing is prosecuted under section 1 of the Sherman Act as a criminal felony offence. (APA, 2000) This is lack of compatibility between different systems and is often used in computer industry. This is whereby the different companies create different versions of the same systems that cannot inter-operate therefore forcing the consumer to purchase the spare parts from the same manufacturer only. (Arthur, 1989) This is the practice of making the sale of one good to the de facto or de jure customer conditional on the purchase of a second distinctive good. Selling printers below cost or at a loss and recovering the amount on the sale of cartilages.

In Support of Designer Babies in China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

In Support of Designer Babies in China - Essay Example This instance involved a shift in population policy away from Leninist family planning policy to softer neo-liberal methods, which involved indirect regulation by the state and self-regulation by citizens. Starting in 1956, the Ministry of Public Health oversaw a yearlong campaign for the use of birth control. However, these efforts portended minimal effects on fertility rates and the period following Great Leap Years saw a rapid population increase (Hesketh 12), which eventually necessitated the One Child Policy as a way to counter population growth. However, this policy has led ethical and moral dilemmas concerning gender and physical selection by parents who only have one try at parenthood. Out of the remaining alternatives for the Chinese government, genetic selection is the best choice to reduce control population, while solving the problem of sex-selection abortion and inherited diseases.One of the most visible effects of China’s One Child Policy is that parents have tur ned to sex-selected abortions in their search for boys, rather than girls. Various surveys carried out within China paint a grim situation with 117 boys born to every 100 girls because of sex selection abortions (Hesketh 62), while normal births resulted in a ratio of 105:100. Other surveys have found that Chinese women who migrated to Beijing in the last two decades arrived with only one hundred girls compared to one hundred and fifty nine boys. This shows that males are favored to girls in China, which has resulted in an increase of sex-selected abortions. However, by using genetic selection, parents would have the ability to choose the sex of their children prior to conception. This would result in a decrease of women influenced by the One Child policy to seek abortions and try again for a boy (Hesketh 63). Although this would not address the looming gender-imbalance in China, it will present women with a more harmless tool in determining the sex of their child. Genetic selection can also allow Chinese parents to have their only child with the characteristics they desire, which would reduce China’s growing population. With the largest growing population in the world, the government of China tried to institute regulations that sought to prevent further growth, causing controversy and general discontent about the laws (Orleans 44). The government and population would benefit from genetic selection in various ways with the government reducing population growth and the parents having their characteristic children. Parents who wish for children with specific heights, skill sets, athletic ability, and personal tendencies would be free to use genetic selection, rather than aborting their infants. Projection of the human genome could provide China and its people the ability to predict their future in terms of population growth and make-up (Orleans 45). Genetic selection will allow for screening out and in specific genes within the mother’s embryo, mak ing it possible to influence the natural characteristics of a child. Finally, gene selection could help China in reducing the number of unhealthy or disabled children. A recent study showed that there was minimal protest at the decision made, in the mid-2000s, to allow couples to test embryos for breast cancer genes and inherited bowel disease, which pushed humanity towards the creation of designer babies with healthy genes (Savulescu 39). Genetic selection will prevent the only child a family in China is allowed to have from having inherited disease. Some of the most common diseases among Chinese children are Down’s syndrome and cystic fibrosis and with genetic selection,

Is the desire to obtain a degree simply another example of objet petit Outline

Is the desire to obtain a degree simply another example of objet petit a - Outline Example This paper seeks to explore whether the desire to obtain a degree is simply another example of objet petit a or not and in doing so the theoretical perspectives of Lacan on desire and fantasy are also analysed. The objet petit a, in fact, operates due to the fascination of the subject towards the object and the internal and external perspectives of the subject also are significant. It is therefore imperative to analyse the fascination of the subject towards attaining a degree in the case of a person who wishes ardently for this object. The effects of objet petit a intensify as this fascination grows. However, one should bear in mind that â€Å"the object petit a, or at least the fascinating effect the object which bears it has upon the subject who is under its thrall, has no â€Å"objective† reality independently of this subject† (Sharpe 2005). Thus, Lacan purports that the subject never losses the object as he/she has never possessed it in reality. On the other hand the objet petit a is the desire for a fundamentally lost object. An individual who fails to accomplish his long cherished dream of obtaining a degree is subject to the fascinating effect of the object. On the oth er hand, it is quite evident that the subject cherishes a very strong desire for this fundamentally lost object (objet petit a) towards attaining the degree. One needs to distinguish between Lacan’s conception of fantasy and objet petit a. The fundamental fantasy of an individual stems from â€Å"small unconscious rebellions of subjects against the losses that they take themselves to have endured when they acceded to socialization† (Sharpe 2005). Thus, every individual tends to fantasise a lost object and for Lacan this lost object is nothing but the objet petit a-the object cause of desire. Here, the subject too experiences ‘small unconscious rebellions’ against his loss of the

U08d1, u08d2, u08d3 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

U08d1, u08d2, u08d3 - Coursework Example The Sun is not  massive  enough to ever evolve into a black hole; it will end its life in about 4.5 billion years as a white dwarf  star. But, in case if the Sun's mass was suddenly collapsed into a black hole then Earth's orbit then if a one  solar mass  black hole were to suddenly replace the Sun at the center of our solar system, the orbits of the planets would not change. This is because the physical laws that determine the orbital motion of the Earth depend only on the actual mass of the Sun, and not on whether it is distributed within a sphere (like the Sun) or at a point (like a black hole). 2. "There are 1011 stars in the galaxy. That used to be a huge number. But it's only a hundred billion. It's less than the national deficit! We used to call them astronomical numbers. Now we should call them economical numbers." —Richard Feynman, American physicist, Nobel Prize Laureate When we think of an astronomical number – we probably think of a sum thatâ€℠¢s almost beyond human comprehension. We probably refer to huge numbers as astronomical because of the vast and seemingly infinite universe. But the universe may not be as big as it seems when compared to something like the national debt. This quote has been said towards the backhanded critique of government. Furthermore,  we can say that there are at least 100 billion galaxies in the universe and each galaxy containing around 1 trillion stars. That’s 1 x 10^23 or 100 sextillion stars in the universe. Hence this comparison is done against the size of the national deficit. It's a good point, and economics can provide some slightly more familiar analogies to people grappling with large numbers than trying to contemplate entire galaxies. The important point here is not that high finance is catching up with the sciences; it’s that the numbers we encounter everywhere in daily life are growing steadily larger. While the consumer was busy saving, the Federal U. S. governmen t was piling on debt at a much greater pace. In fact, during Q2 of 2008 Washington accumulated debt at a 24.4% annual rate! Therefore, even though households and state and local governments have hopefully begun to learn their lessons; D.C. still managed to increase the overall level of non-financial debt in the U.S. to a record $35.45 trillion.† 3. Picture of the week How are the stars formed within the nebula? What is causing these dramatic pillars? What thoughts and reactions do you have to the pictures and their descriptions? All stars are formed from nebulae (the plural of nebula). Nebula is a term for a cloud of gas, and stars form from gas. Many nebulae or stars form from the  gravitational collapse  of gas in the  interstellar medium. As the material collapses under its own weight, massive stars may form in the center, and their  ultra violet radiation ionizes  the surrounding gas, making it visible at optical  wavelengths. Star formation  is the process b y which dense parts of  molecular clouds  collapse into a ball of  plasma  to form a  star. These eerie, dark pillar-like structures are actually columns of cool interstellar hydrogen gas and dust that are also incubators for new stars. The pillars protrude from the interior wall of a dark molecular cloud like stalagmites from the floor of a cavern. They are part of the "Eagle Nebula" M16, a nearby star-forming region 7,000 light-years away in the