The Genetics of Language Essay Example For Students

The Genetics of Language Essay -ildar- The tabula of human nature was never rasa. W.D. Hamilton Language is defined as the Communication of thoughts and feelings through a system of arbitrary signals, such as voice sounds, gestures, or written symbols. Yet this alone cannot sum up the importance and vastness of this magnificent gift human own. Language is one of the most amazing features of human culture and personality; its roots have remained unchanged since the start of civilization. It is the basis of all communication in the world and in its best is the most complex form of expression. Language has always been assumed to be blatantly cultural lying at the heart of human social evolution, but this could not be farther from the truth. Language owes as much to instinct and innateness as it does to culture. Darwin once described language as an instinctive tendency to acquire an art; this view of language was re-revealed to the world through Noam Chomsky, in his book, Syntactic Structures. Chomsky argued that language is shaped through culture, but the underlying ability to learn and understand it, is innately built into the human psyche. We will write a custom essay on The Genetics of Language specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Chomsky concluded that there were obvious underlying similarities in all languages, bearing witness to a Universal Human Grammar. We always use this ability to learn and use language, but we are not consciously aware of it. Vocabulary cannot be innate, because if it were were, we would all speak one, unvarying language. But lets take for example, a child; as it learns vocabulary, innate mental rules tell that child how to properly use that vocabulary. Lets take, for instance the sentence, Sa mmy will buy groceries from the store. You can turn that sentence into a question by moving the will to the front, making the sentence, Will Sammy buy groceries from the store. Young children can comfortably use this rule, even though never having been taught about the grammar involved in making a sentence like that, they just seem to know the rule. As psycholinguist Steven Pinker put it, to learn a human language, requires a human language instinct. Language is not learned through imitation; if it were then why would children who have been using the word went for a year or so, start saying goed. The truth is that children start learning to speak themselves, at a much younger age regardless of our help. Children are a large part of developing a language; this was shown in a famous experiment conducted by Derek Bickerton. In the experiment Bickerton studied a group of foreign workers that were brought together on Hawaii. In Hawaii they developed a pidgin language (mixture of words and phrases allowing for simple communication) so that they could easily communicate with each other. The language lacked consistent grammatical rules and complex but simple in what it could express. This changes as a new generation of children learned the language, they shaped it and innately gave it rules and grammar, making it more complex and turning it into a Creole. If this instinct is genetic then it would seem that the language gene might turn off as we age and minimize our ability to learn languages which explains while people find it hard to learn a language after a certain age. Scientists think they have identified the gene for language. They have located it on chromosome seven. This gene gives the brain the ability to understand and learn underlying rules of grammar. When the gene or parts of the brain are damaged language disorders sometimes develop. One such disorder is Williams Syndrome, which is caused by a mutation in a gene on chromosome 11. Affected children have very low intelligence, but have an addiction to using language. They constantly ramble, using very rich and long words, long sentences and complex syntax. But besides this the child is mentally retarded and cannot comprehend anything outside their form of silent language. .u070af78d47632631f08c9328ea936974 , .u070af78d47632631f08c9328ea936974 .postImageUrl , .u070af78d47632631f08c9328ea936974 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u070af78d47632631f08c9328ea936974 , .u070af78d47632631f08c9328ea936974:hover , .u070af78d47632631f08c9328ea936974:visited , .u070af78d47632631f08c9328ea936974:active { border:0!important; } .u070af78d47632631f08c9328ea936974 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u070af78d47632631f08c9328ea936974 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u070af78d47632631f08c9328ea936974:active , .u070af78d47632631f08c9328ea936974:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u070af78d47632631f08c9328ea936974 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u070af78d47632631f08c9328ea936974 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u070af78d47632631f08c9328ea936974 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u070af78d47632631f08c9328ea936974 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u070af78d47632631f08c9328ea936974:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u070af78d47632631f08c9328ea936974 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u070af78d47632631f08c9328ea936974 .u070af78d47632631f08c9328ea936974-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u070af78d47632631f08c9328ea936974:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Essay on The Consequences of Hurricane Katrina Essay Parts of the brain, when damaged can also hinder language ability. Damage to the Wernickes area of the brain. People with Wernickes disorder produce a rich but senseless stream of words, so you can conclude that the Wernickes area of the brain instructs the brain what speech to generate. Brocas aphasia occurs .

Prayer is the best way to deal with suffering Essays

Prayer is the best way to deal with suffering Essays Prayer is the best way to deal with suffering Essay Prayer is the best way to deal with suffering Essay In this essay I will examine why some people say, and if prayer is the best way to deal with suffering.The dictionary definition of prayer states that it is a personal communication or petition addressed to a deity in the form of supplication, adoration, praise, contribution, or thanksgiving. Suffering however, is defined as being undergoing or being subjected to pain or disadvantageous experience. Forms of suffering can be said as either being physical or mental.Some people, particularly Christians, say that this is the best way to deal with suffering as God is the supreme being and interacting with God would easily relieve all their suffering. They believe that every way of suffering can be cured by praying to God. Christians believe that anything can happen in peoples lives but if they pray and have faith, they will never discourage themselves.They believe that prayer means that you really believe in God and you know that God loves you and that you will never be alone. Therefore, if your sure that God loves you, then you can deal with any kind of suffering. In addition, they believe that prayer is also the best way as it has no bad consequences such as other ways of dealing with suffering, such as alcohol and drugs are far worse. Moreover a quote from the Bible itself states that one should use prayer to deal with ones suffering:(1 Peter 5:7) Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.This quote connotes that Christians should deal with all their suffering by praying to God and unloading all their anxieties onto God. This would be quite a personal interaction.However, some non-Christians would argue that prayer is not the best way to deal with suffering. They believe this as prayer cannot be used to cure terminal illnesses such as cancer. They feel that prayer is like a placebo and that Christians only feel better after praying even though their suffering hasnt been cured. Additionally, they believe prayer is a method of forcing ones problems upon an external deity so that he or she does not have to deal with it by themselves.Some also believe that prayer is a form of meditation and can relax and calm the mind but not cure suffering. It may cure mental suffering but not physical suffering. They believe that physical suffering such as sever injuries or terminal illnesses cannot be treated by the means of prayer. Many also believe that prayer is often used by people as an excuse for not taking any proper actions against their suffering. It is often thought that people use prayer as a barrier to cover up their suffering and maybe are too afraid to face it themselves.Finally, my personal view is that prayer isnt the best way to deal with suffering. This is not because Im not a Christian. Practically thinking, it is impossible to cure suffering such as a terminal illness like cancer from prayer. Action must be taken by scientists to find a cure for it, praying wont do anything. On the other hand, it may lessen the pain by making the person feel better despite being unable to cure the suffering. Furthermore, I do however, believe that prayer may be able to relieve mental suffering to an extent. Physical suffering, though, cannot be cured by prayer. The only way to attempt to alleviate any suffering is by facing the problem head on and to put effort into dealing with whatever is causing the suffering.

Estimation of UAE population using Bayesian Theorem Research Paper

Estimation of UAE population using Bayesian Theorem - Research Paper Example A common use to which this theory has been put to is the development of time series forecasts for populations. In this case, this theory will be used to analyze the population data for United Arab Emirates. In most instances, the use of Bayesian theory is based on its mathematical framework ability that is able to provide inference on matters using probability (Hoff 116). In this project, the use of a Bayesian approach is adopted since through it the uncertainties that may exist in the model, data or even model parameters are integrated coherently in a consistent manner thus, allowing for easy inference (Gelman 75). The framework for this analysis will entail the adoption of a methodology for a time series forecasting that shall include stochastic volatility and autoregressive models fitted into historical timeline data about the population of UAE. Most instances that entail forecasting of population data apply a frequentist/classical approach, in which case, the Bayesian model offer s the best flexibility by its ability to specify uncertainties upon which forecasting can be performed (Ruggeri, Michael & Insua 80). Principles of Bayes Law Bayes theorem otherwise known as the Bayes law tries to express how the degree at which one believes in a subjective matter should change to be in line with evidence; this is known as the Bayesian inference. This theory was further developed by Laplace and got it published later on in the 1800s. The aim of this theory is to measure the extent of belief. Using this theory, the belief is either confirmed or otherwise based on the evidence collected. Hence, there is the initial belief or the prior that can be denoted by P (A) and then there is the evidence collected or the posterior denoted as P (B) and there is the quotient denoted as P(B/A) or P(B) which it shows how B supports the belief A (Leonard & John 69). The main assumptions made in the Bayes theorem are: Tests are not events, for example there is a difference between a m alaria tests and actually having malaria, the test is different from the event. It is believed that tests are flawed and hence can be challenged; they can detect things that don’t exist which are called a false positive, and miss things that exist; referred to as a false negative. The false positives skew the results; there is a high likelihood that the positive results are incorrect. Natural numbers are preferred over percentages. In summary, the Bayes theory gives the probability of an event given the test probabilities (Grover 120). A review of approaches to population projections The application of certain simple criteria can enable the obtaining of macro-level methods of population projection and its typologies. This may entail the use of simple extrapolations of the growth rates or size of the population, uncertainty approach and the methodology of the method. The estimation of the dimensionality of populations in the simplest forms always utilizes extrapolations while the uncertainty approach may be ignored or quantified by the use of probabilities. The Bayesian model utilizes both the extrapolation and time series analysis in the determination of end results for stochastic projections (Koch 41). The UAE population According to the UAE Department of Statistics (uaestatistics.gov.ae), the following figures were obtained from the census that was done in the years between 1975 and 2005. Year Total no. of Expatriates Total no. of Citizens 1975 356,343 201,544 1980 751,555