a) What are the arguments on both sides of the debate in promoting a single language?
One argument is that promoting a single worldwide language will help all humans communicate better and it may break down cultural boarders to help all people understand each other and even prevent war. The other argument is that it will cause all other cultures who’s language is not being promoted to lose part of what makes up their society and it would give that native speakers of the promoted language an upper hand which they may take advantage of which could cause more disputes rather than prevent them.
b) How far should we go to save a dying language? What are the financial and cultural implications?
A dying language should be fought to be preserved until it gets to the point where trying to preserve it is causing great difficulty or costs so that its preservation becomes a burden to those who do not even care to preserve it. Trying to preserve a dying language within the community it came from would help to preserve a part of that community’s culture and history that may be useful for educational or archeological purposes. However preserving a language would also cost great amounts of money and time which could ultimately have a negative affect on the growth of the community.
c) After reading: “Every Teacher is a Language Teacher,” what do think of the I.B. supporting International Mother Language Day?
I think Mother Language Day is a pretty good idea that couldn’t hurt the IB if they supported it. It seems like it could be an interesting experience for students at the schools and it would probably be very enjoyable to hear all the different languages and to learn a little about the past of the teachers. Even if nothing was accomplished that day in an academic sense, the students could take a lot from having a day like that at school and it wouldn’t hurt their grades to do it once a year. It’s not like aren’t some days out of the school year when teachers and students take some time to relax in class and not accomplish much. Why not make one of those days more productive in a different sense?
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Deaf Article
a) What is the primary argument of the students representing Deaf Culture?
They argue that deafness is not a disability but a culture of its own equal to any racial culture.
b) Why would the Deaf Culture students value a President of Gallaudet who spends more time in Eyeth over Earth? Shouldn't a President of a college represent all students?
They would value such a president because it would further isolate their Deaf community from the rest of the world to give them a feeling greater importance. A president should represent all students in the college but the radicals seem to believe that allowing this would cause them to lose importance and individuality in the world (though it is not specified whether they mean Eyeth or Earth)
.c) What are the advantages and disadvantages of a Deaf person spending too much time in either Eyeth or Earth?
Too much time on Eyeth will allow Deaf people to express their individuality but it will also isolate them from the rest of the world. Too much time on Earth will allow Deaf people to integrate into the society that dominates most of the world (the other society is Deaf people) but it will also cause them to lose the individuality which allows them to be different from the of humanity
.d) What is your opinion of the fight at Galludet? Should Jane K. Fernandes be President of Gallaudet?
Personally I do not fully understand why these radicalists seem to believe that they are so different from other humans. What makes their situation any different from that of a disabled person or a blind person? Are they suggesting that deafness is more important than blindness and should therefore be treated differently? Are we not all humans? Why would they purposely segregate themselves from the rest of humanity? To me that is a step backwards for a culture. And since that is what they claim to be then where on Eyeth do they think their culture is headed.
They argue that deafness is not a disability but a culture of its own equal to any racial culture.
b) Why would the Deaf Culture students value a President of Gallaudet who spends more time in Eyeth over Earth? Shouldn't a President of a college represent all students?
They would value such a president because it would further isolate their Deaf community from the rest of the world to give them a feeling greater importance. A president should represent all students in the college but the radicals seem to believe that allowing this would cause them to lose importance and individuality in the world (though it is not specified whether they mean Eyeth or Earth)
.c) What are the advantages and disadvantages of a Deaf person spending too much time in either Eyeth or Earth?
Too much time on Eyeth will allow Deaf people to express their individuality but it will also isolate them from the rest of the world. Too much time on Earth will allow Deaf people to integrate into the society that dominates most of the world (the other society is Deaf people) but it will also cause them to lose the individuality which allows them to be different from the of humanity
.d) What is your opinion of the fight at Galludet? Should Jane K. Fernandes be President of Gallaudet?
Personally I do not fully understand why these radicalists seem to believe that they are so different from other humans. What makes their situation any different from that of a disabled person or a blind person? Are they suggesting that deafness is more important than blindness and should therefore be treated differently? Are we not all humans? Why would they purposely segregate themselves from the rest of humanity? To me that is a step backwards for a culture. And since that is what they claim to be then where on Eyeth do they think their culture is headed.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Ch. 7: Meaning & Naming
1. How do Mill and Frege disagree with Russell about grammatical sentences and meaning?
Mill and Ferge believe that the meaning of a sentence depends solely on the meaning of the words that constitute it, while Russell believe that a sentence can still be meaningless even if words in it have meaning.
2. Abel provides 8 distinguishing features of meaning. Please provide your own example for each.
-Induction: This sunshine means a beautiful day.
-Cause: What does this fighting mean?
-Effect: This means there will be no picnic.
-Intention: I meant to go to the play.
-Explanation: Te amo means I love you.
-Purpose: Violence is meaningless.
-Implication: if there’s snow, that means we have to shovel.
-Significance: does this painting have any menaing?
3. Why does Abel believe that science and metaphysics is involved in the discussion of linguistic meaning?
Abel believes this because you can only talk meaningfully about the world if you take into account what the world is really like.
4. Aristotle provided 10 categories that defined “the range of applicability of a term.”(p. 65). Please provide your own example for each.
-Substance: I am a person.
-Quantity: she is five feet tall.
-Quality: She is intelligent.
-Relation: He is the owner of the Red Sox.
-Place: He is at the stadium.
-Time: He is there during baseball season.
-Action: He is coaching.
-Passion: He is being questioned.
-Situation or position: His team surrounds him.
-Sate or condition: He is tired.
5. How does Abel differentiate between Reference and Naming?
Reference is how language bites onto the world, while naming is the direct application of a word to a thing.
6. On page 66, Abel explains the historical significance of naming. Can you think of any examples he left out? Is there any contemporary example of which Abel would not be aware?
There is the example of seas and lands being named after people from ancient Greek mythology like in Deadalis and Icarus.
7. What is the main function of naming? What doesn’t it do?
Naming is desined to be able to refer to things. Naminmg cannot describe its object.
8. What is the difference between sense and reference?
Sense is a certain level of understanding a word, while reference is what the word points to or designates.
9. How does Abel differentiate between Connotation and Denotation? What about Intension and Extension?
A connotation or intension is the definition of something, while a denotation or extension is examples of something.
10. What does Abel mean when he says: “Though meanings require words, they are not identical to words.” (p. 68)?
Abel means that meanings or descriptions take a certain definition of a word but there can still exist other definitions of that word that do not apply.
11. What is the connection between names and descriptions? Do you agree with Abel that we use ‘linguistic symbols to organize experience” (p. 69)?
When a name is a title or is associated with something the person does it can in a way describe them. I do agree with Able, I think it is the most affective way to covey experiences.
12. Why is referential opacity a problem? Be sure to mention his specific examples.
It is a problem because there are certain linguistic contexts in which you cannot substitute one name or description for another.
13. What is the problem of creating a “subsistent entity”? (p. 70)
The problem is because you say something does not exist that means you must be referring to something.
14. How does Russell differentiate between “descriptive phrases and names” (p.70)?
Descriptive phrases describe their object in someway whereas names do not.
15. What is the connection between language and Knowledge by Acquaintance and Knowledge by Description?
Descriptive phrases have more to do with knowledge by description, while names have to do with knowledge by acquaintance.
16. What is a word? What is an icon? What is an index?
A word is something not given to any physical object, a name is given to a physical object, and index is casually connected to the object it refers to.
17. Why is it important for philosophers to “clarify thought by clarifying language”? Why are Scientists offenders” (p. 72)?
They must do this to ensure their message is understood. Some Scientists don’t use clear denotations or extensions when defining certain phenomena.
18. What does Abel mean when he says “Just as meanings are not the same things as words, so meanings are not the same things as operations or methods or uses” (p. 73)?
Meanings cannot allow you to fully understand words, operations, methods, uses.
Mill and Ferge believe that the meaning of a sentence depends solely on the meaning of the words that constitute it, while Russell believe that a sentence can still be meaningless even if words in it have meaning.
2. Abel provides 8 distinguishing features of meaning. Please provide your own example for each.
-Induction: This sunshine means a beautiful day.
-Cause: What does this fighting mean?
-Effect: This means there will be no picnic.
-Intention: I meant to go to the play.
-Explanation: Te amo means I love you.
-Purpose: Violence is meaningless.
-Implication: if there’s snow, that means we have to shovel.
-Significance: does this painting have any menaing?
3. Why does Abel believe that science and metaphysics is involved in the discussion of linguistic meaning?
Abel believes this because you can only talk meaningfully about the world if you take into account what the world is really like.
4. Aristotle provided 10 categories that defined “the range of applicability of a term.”(p. 65). Please provide your own example for each.
-Substance: I am a person.
-Quantity: she is five feet tall.
-Quality: She is intelligent.
-Relation: He is the owner of the Red Sox.
-Place: He is at the stadium.
-Time: He is there during baseball season.
-Action: He is coaching.
-Passion: He is being questioned.
-Situation or position: His team surrounds him.
-Sate or condition: He is tired.
5. How does Abel differentiate between Reference and Naming?
Reference is how language bites onto the world, while naming is the direct application of a word to a thing.
6. On page 66, Abel explains the historical significance of naming. Can you think of any examples he left out? Is there any contemporary example of which Abel would not be aware?
There is the example of seas and lands being named after people from ancient Greek mythology like in Deadalis and Icarus.
7. What is the main function of naming? What doesn’t it do?
Naming is desined to be able to refer to things. Naminmg cannot describe its object.
8. What is the difference between sense and reference?
Sense is a certain level of understanding a word, while reference is what the word points to or designates.
9. How does Abel differentiate between Connotation and Denotation? What about Intension and Extension?
A connotation or intension is the definition of something, while a denotation or extension is examples of something.
10. What does Abel mean when he says: “Though meanings require words, they are not identical to words.” (p. 68)?
Abel means that meanings or descriptions take a certain definition of a word but there can still exist other definitions of that word that do not apply.
11. What is the connection between names and descriptions? Do you agree with Abel that we use ‘linguistic symbols to organize experience” (p. 69)?
When a name is a title or is associated with something the person does it can in a way describe them. I do agree with Able, I think it is the most affective way to covey experiences.
12. Why is referential opacity a problem? Be sure to mention his specific examples.
It is a problem because there are certain linguistic contexts in which you cannot substitute one name or description for another.
13. What is the problem of creating a “subsistent entity”? (p. 70)
The problem is because you say something does not exist that means you must be referring to something.
14. How does Russell differentiate between “descriptive phrases and names” (p.70)?
Descriptive phrases describe their object in someway whereas names do not.
15. What is the connection between language and Knowledge by Acquaintance and Knowledge by Description?
Descriptive phrases have more to do with knowledge by description, while names have to do with knowledge by acquaintance.
16. What is a word? What is an icon? What is an index?
A word is something not given to any physical object, a name is given to a physical object, and index is casually connected to the object it refers to.
17. Why is it important for philosophers to “clarify thought by clarifying language”? Why are Scientists offenders” (p. 72)?
They must do this to ensure their message is understood. Some Scientists don’t use clear denotations or extensions when defining certain phenomena.
18. What does Abel mean when he says “Just as meanings are not the same things as words, so meanings are not the same things as operations or methods or uses” (p. 73)?
Meanings cannot allow you to fully understand words, operations, methods, uses.
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