Abstract
This paper explains that, through language, people formulate and express their thoughts, suggesting that learning a second language is a complex task, not simply a matter of learning a system of rules for linking sounds and meanings. The author believes that bilingual children in Singapore should be encouraged to speak their first language and should be assisted to learn English as their second language because the government and society put constant pressure on children to master English to survive economically. The paper relates that materials used in teaching multilevel and age group children must be authentic developmentally and age-appropriate and be related to their prior experience in learning English as a second language.


Table of Contents
Introduction
Multilevel and Multi Age Group
Recommendations for ESL Teachers
Deculturation
Recommendations for ESL Teachers
Conclusion

From the Paper
"When teaching TESOL along with the first language, teachers should keep in mind some important factors. They should carry out effective practices such as simplifying the language used, incorporating a variety of learning styles as different children learn differently though their aim is to learn English. Teachers should prepared to give some extra time to process the answer and the questions being asked. Educators should remember not to correct grammar constantly as these children are learning English as a second language compared to their first. Children will get frustrated and be hesitant to speak if they are constantly being corrected. Instead, model the correct English structure to the child. For example, if a child incorrectly says, "He no giving to me the paper." The teacher could model the correct structure, while clarifying meaning: "He didn't give you the paper?" "

Tags:age-graded, government, dominant, simplifying, fustration

Abstract
In this article, the writer explains that the Kaurna language is one of the main languages spoken by Indigenous peoples in and around the Adelaide region of Southern Australia. The writer notes that after the colonisation of South Australia in 1836, the population of the Kaurna people declined rapidly as they suffered from the effects of disease and displacement. Subsequently their language and culture experienced serious hardship. The writer looks at the importance of the Kaurna language to its people and by studying the techniques used to awaken the language from its dormancy. The writer points out that the revival of the Kaurna language is still an ongoing process, though much progress has already been made. Kaurna is now taught at all levels of education throughout Southern Australia. The writer concludes that whilst many steps have already been laid out to ensure the survival of Kaurna, it is up to future generations to take them and keep the language alive.

Outline:
Why Revive a 'Dormant' Language?
The Kaurna Language Revival
Resurrecting the Kaurna Phonology
Kaurna for a New Generation

From the Paper
"These texts were essentially a written record of the language of the Kaurna people for the English speaking colonists to read. Whilst there was little public interest in the text at its time of publication, even more so when the use of Kaurna was forbidden by government bodies in subsequent years, this publication has become a major tool in the revival of Kaurna for today's generation."
"The reclamation of the Kaurna language began around 1990 with the writing of six songs in a National Aboriginal Languages Program (NALP)
funded songwriters workshop. This was the first time the language had been used again in a creative manner and these songs were subsequently published into a songbook.
"Several workshops on the Kaurna language were held over the following years along with the introduction of Kaurna to some South Australian schools, helping the language to gain recognition once again."

Tags:culture, linguist, community, Aboriginal

Abstract
This essay compares two newspaper articles dated April 8, 2011, from the Herald Sun and the Age, respectively, which report on the Australian government's proposed legislation to mandate plain packaging for cigarettes by July 2012. The writer examines how the stories are communicated, using discourse analysis and political economy theory. The writer maintains that despite popular opinion about the quality of the two papers, the Herald Sun's article is more balanced and informative than The Age's article which is one-sided and quite likely influenced by the fact that The Age has received a great deal of funding, through advertising, from cigarette companies. The writer argues that the media is a powerful apparatus for persuading consumers to hold a particular view, and the media frequently proliferates information in a way that dictates mainstream opinion, rather than passively informing society. The paper includes the articles and the figures contained in them.

From the Paper
"The Herald Sun's article; "Cigarette packaging to go ugly olive green under proposed laws", has less dubious discourse and appears to be more balanced than The Age's article; "Warning: ciggie packs may become plain gross". The two Melbourne based newspapers, The Herald Sun and The Age, are commonly acknowledged to cater for readers with different demographics. The Herald Sun is a tabloid newspaper, owned by News Corporation. The Age is a broadsheet daily newspaper, owned by Fairfax Media, and is more highly regarded by academics. The Herald Sun is often considered to be of inferior quality in regards to journalistic practice and standards. However, conflicting to common academic opinion, The Age's coverage of the article influences readers to be more critical of the proposed legislation as it frames itself around 'an industry response' and fails to give a balanced report of the story. Comparatively, The Herald Sun gives much more neutral and thorough account of the story. This surprising exposure leads one to question the power relationships and discourse that may have influenced each article."

Tags:smoking, cigarettes, government, plain, packaging, media

From the Paper
""The Black Cat" by Edgar Allen Poe is a grotesque short story of a man's conscience. "The Black Cat combines several themes that fascinated Poe such as reincarnation, perversity, and retribution. This story also carried an implied theme in the superstitious implications of this man's downfall. In this story Poe keeps very strongly to the theme of perversity and superstitions to illustrate the strange conditions that led to the crimes of this "happy man" especially fond of animals" (Poe 103). The theme of superstition is found to be a background motivation to the events and actions performed in the story. Towards the beginning of the story it is first mentioned to us that his wife always tells him "all black cats [are] witches in disguise" (Poe 103). The narrator also mentions that the name of the cat was Pluto. Pluto in "Greek and Roman mythology was the god of the dead and the ruler of the underworld" (Womack 5). The use of this name leads the reader to believe that the cat is somehow responsible for the death that is caused by the narrator himself. This is where the reader is first introduced to the fact that the events of this story could be caused by some superstition and not coincidence alone."

Tags:allen, analysis, critical, edgar, poe, themes, literature, Black Cat

Abstract
This paper discusses that it is possible as well as beneficial to combine focus on form with focus on meaning in English language teaching. The writer examines two studies from an output enhancement point of view. The first, by Kowal and Swain (1997) experimented, in a French immersion classroom, with two tasks that were intended to assist learners in moving from semantic processing to syntactic processing. The second, Doughty and Varela (1998) experimented with corrective recast (i.e., repetition and recast) in an ESL content-based classroom.

From the Paper
"The history of second language teaching has witnessed changing perceptions of corrective feedback (Celce-Murcia, 1991). Views on the role of corrective feedback can be highly diverse, even polarized. The Audiolingual Approach, for example, advocates minimal or no tolerance of learner errors and suggests that every effort be made to prevent them. On the other hand, the Natural Approach considers error correction unnecessary and counterproductive. The latter view is also shared notably by the Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) approach that has come to dominate second language classrooms since the early 1970s."

Tags:approach, error, esl, tesol

Abstract
This paper explores the notion of identity through various viewpoints in contemporary modernity. This paper explores the way language, power and culture shapes the concept of the I by examining Foucaldian concepts, lingual construction and cultural studies.

From the Paper
"With the impending future of global culture, the way in which the concept of the "I" is constructed through an inter-connective culture becomes more obvious, since it affects the process through which the world consistently enriches itself through individual interaction with contemporary society. The concept of "I" as an identity, fuelled by a wide range of philosophical, lingual and cultural discourses, can be seen as an interactive system inseparable with subjectivity, or, as Giddens proposes, a narrative which is able to build up a consistency of biographical continuity (1991; 75). In these terms is possible to view identity as a personal collective project, influenced by the light of circumstance, self-reflexivity and interaction. These elements, inherently produced through the social facets of power, language and culture, form the basis to the perception of "me" as both socially as well as privately constructed. To comprehend this nature of identity as a construction of these facets, then, it is crucial to analyze the way in which power, language and culture interact and serve as the sociological truism in which the "I" is understood, through social roles, discourses and disciplines exploring the perception of the self as a cultural product."

Tags:foucault, globalisation, identity, linguistics, modernity, panopticon, postmodernism

Abstract
This paper begins by explaining that the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis is one of the most interesting and influential theories in the field of linguistics and anthropology. The idea that language actually forced people to think in different ways is both fascinating and controversial. The paper shows the ways that this hypothesis opens our understanding of the link between culture and knowledge. The paper includes direct quotes from the hypothesis which it then explains and expands upon.

From the Paper
"The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis "postulated that language not only provided a means of communication but also shaped peoples' perceptions of the world" (McGee and Warms 2000: 370). The hypothesis drew heavily from the ideas and techniques used by linguists, with the methodological concepts developed by the Prague School of Linguistics in the 1920's providing valuable insights into the importance of understanding the conceptual frameworks formed by, and expressed through, the native language (McGee and Warms 2000: 369). The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis was the most influential anthropological adaptation of these linguistic principles, the hypothesis having an enormous impact on anthropology providing a methodological framework emphasizing cultural and linguistic relativity, and influencing several schools of anthropological thought."

Tags:cognition, ethnocsience, language, linguistics, sociolinguistics

Abstract
This paper explains that, because students come with specific purposes for learning, one of the best ways to keep them motivated is to help them feel progress towards their goals, which are identified by interviewing informally the student. The author points out the importance of engaging ESL learners in communicative (game type) or integrative (short/small activities form larger activities) activities using materials, which are authentic, thereby, aiding the learners in unpredictable spoken language outside the class. The paper relates that students of English conversation must understand the fundamental difference between learning about the language and learning to use it for verbal communication.

Table of Contents
Introduction
Background Information of Interviewee
Report and Commentary on the Information Collected in the Conversation
What are Main Reasons for Learning English for ESL/EFL Learners in Japan?
What Stereotypes Take Place for a Foreign Teacher While Teaching ESL in Japan?
What are Key Features and Problems of ESL Learning in Japan and How can They Be Resolved by ESL Teachers to Achieve Best Results?
What Type of Class is more Desirable for ESL Students?
Does "Cultural Background" Play Any Role in Learning ESL in Japan?
Conclusion

From the Paper
"The learner that I have interviewed generally has a strong first language model back at home in Japan. The interviewee had been in institution and educated at home from young till diploma level. Later, when he came to Australia with pursuing a degree in mind, he had a choice to either take an exam, TOFEL or take up a course with the duration of 3 months to learn English. This is because, his previous education did not meet the requirement of the university that he intended to enroll in. The requirement was that his previous education has to be taught in English for duration of more than 12 months."

Tags:goals, communicative, integrative, conversation, teacher

Abstract
This is an intensive paper looking at both slang and rock music. The two have much in common and the author goes to great lengths to divulge their common threads. It's an 'All you need to know' paper looking at the history of slang, its many uses, youth subcultures and rock subcultures of the 20th - 21st century. The author includes a handy dictionary of slang terms.

From the Paper
"Slang fills a necessary niche in all languages, occupying a middle ground between the standard and informal words accepted by the general public and the special words and expressions known only to comparatively small social subgroups. It can serve as a bridge or a barrier, either helping both old and new words that have been used as "insiders' " terms by a specific group of people to enter the language of the general public or, on the other hand, preventing them from doing so. Thus, for many words, slang is a testing ground that finally proves them to be generally useful, appealing, and acceptable enough to become standard or informal. For many other words, slang is a testing ground that shows them to be too restricted in use, not as appealing as standard synonyms, or unnecessary, frivolous, faddish, or unacceptable for standard or informal speech."

Tags:rock, n, roll, gang, rebel

Abstract
This paper shows how cultural misunderstandings are often as a result of incorrect or incomplete translations. The writer explains that people are influenced by the culture in which they live and this helps form their impressions and the ways in which they communicate. Consequently, a metalanguage is required to enable people to discuss a specific language without their culture impacting upon it.

From the Paper
"Cultural differences, which upon careful analysis may not be very great, are often exaggerated by the language barrier thus making it hard to conduct a comprehensive cultural analysis. If a person were to attempt to analyze another culture purely in terms of their own culture, this would clearly lead to misunderstanding and a breakdown in communication. This cultural divide is reinforced by the differing languages spoken in the varying cultures being compared. Whilst in a cultural analysis cultures may not be directly compared, the person conducting the analysis is still influenced by the culture to which they belong. As language forms a part of the activities which people undertake in their cultures, language is obviously going to have a large impact upon the cultural analysis being undertaken. By this, I am referring to the fact that if the person conducting the analysis merely translates lexemes from another language into his/her own language, the analysis will be incorrect as the cultural concepts underpinning the languages will be different. Thus it becomes necessary to be able to give definitions in a consistent fashion which does not rely upon any particular cultural concepts."

Tags:culture, language, linguistics, metalanguage, nsm, semantics