LEARNING ENGLISH AS A JOURNEY P A O L A
T O R O
Learning English as a Journey Andrea Paola Toro ChalĂŠn Yachay Tech University English Language Program Yachay, Ecuador
Learning English as a Journey by: Paola Toro English Language Program Yachay Tech University Level 6 001 Teacher: Ercilia Delancer January 10, 2017 Yachay, Ecuador
Contents 1 2
. Portfolio letter
. Response essay
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. Exploration/Investigation essay
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. Interpretation essay
. Argumentation essay
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. Final research project essay
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. Additional materials (pictures/videos/other works)
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. Thank you letter
Andrea Paola Toro ChalĂŠn F-2-5 Yachay Tech University Urcuqui, Imbabura, Ecuador December 8, 2016 Dear Portfolio Reader, Thank you very much for reading my English Portfolio. It is a part of my collection of my work in English, and it shows my ability as an English language learner at Yachay Tech. My portfolio contains three essays, a reflection letter, an infographic, and my final research project that I tried to develop in my level six English course. It was stressful to work in essay after essay, but now I am very proud of my results that are manifested in my portfolio. Now, I feel that I am ready to continue my academic career in English. When I was six years old, I began to learn English at my school. That was so exciting for me because I thought it will be an open door to connect to other cultures. I really like the language, so I started to listen music in English. At the beginning I did not understand a lot of words, but I tried it. I was interested in this language, so I always wanted to talk in English with my friends or my English professors. By the way, I did not have a decent pronunciation, therefore the next step that I took was to sing in English. When I listened the songs, I noticed the pronunciation of the words, and I tried to repeat the pronunciation after the singer. Now I think that it was important for my learning of English. After that, I noticed that my brother knew more words than me, so I decided to follow his method. We played a lot of videogames in English, and it was helpful for our learning of this language. When we did not know some word, we looked it on the dictionary or we tried to understand the context. The songs, videogames, movies, and some books were a complement that I wanted to take out of my English classes. In my English class I was one of the best English learners, and my professor decided that I have to participate in a spelling be contestant. I won the contest for that reason my professor was so proud of me. In my school, I was the favorite of my English professors because I always wanted to learn more about this language. One of my goals of this language was speak with someone else without mistakes or locks. When my school stage finished, I was so animated because I knew that at my high school I would take six hours of English per week. It sounded a little nerdy, but it was really sensational. In my course, I met other guys with the same feeling for English language, and at every moment that we could we practice talking about something that came to our mind. They told me that they wanted to go to some English course out of high school, then I wanted it too. I had never talked about it with my parents, so I did not go to some English course, and I had to adjust with my English classes at my high school. At my high school, I observed that my weaknesses about this language was the conjugation of some verbs, its uses in a sentences, the uses of prepositions or conjunctions, and the vocabulary. At the same time I did my best to improve, it and make it into my strengths. Today I think that until my fourth grade of high school, my professors just worked with a book, and we did not practice a lot our vocabulary or pronunciation; that was a great mistake. Until that year, my level of English was decreasing year by year.
When I came to Yachay, I began in the level three, but my professor decided to change me to level four class because she thought I knew more than the content that we will see. I really enjoy the level four because my professor was so cute, and she always tried to make us happy. On level four we did not practice a lot the pronunciation or the grammar. At the same time our teacher do not review our essays, so I think that it was awful for our learning. I passed level four, but I felt that I did not learn a lot. On my second semester I was in the level five, and I have to acknowledge that my professor taught me so much. Level five was the level that my writing abilities could shine, but I have to recognize that I am not too good at the moment of write something. We had to write and write; we had to speak, debate, and show our ideas. I was very lazy when the professor give as the assignment of write a paper or essays. This laziness made me fail the level five; on this moment I thought I have never fail another level. On my third semester, I was so excited because my goals were to pass this level, learn every topic that the professor give to me, and overcome my weaknesses. When I had my first class, I was depressed because my classmates did not want to participate in class. I always think that the humor and the desire of my classmates are important. When I realized that nobody wanted to participate, I took the decision that I have to encourage them. I talked with my professor, and I told her that I will work with my classmates to do an interactive class. I felt that my writing skills were improving class by class. I was more responsible with my assignments and I had better grades. At the beginning of each class we have to talk for a minute, and this activity was helpful to lose my new fear of talk in class. I did my best, so I pass the level. Now, on my fourth semester my goals were to correct my problems of the use of prepositions, to improve my speaking skills, and do not be a lazier at the moment of write an essay or paper. This semester I have had a lot of assignments such as presentations, essays, debates, and papers. I was so excited because my classmates were excited too, and they want to compete between us. On this level I did not have the activity “Talk for a Minute”, but it was rewarded by the activities that we did during the class. I had to write three writing assignments, and these was: Response essay, interpretation essay, and my final research paper. To my response essay out teacher give us a lot of information, at the same time we had to discuss what we think about the topic. The topic of my response essay was about college degrees, I really like this topic because it as a debating topic. At the moment of write this essay I took into account the opinion of my classmates, and the opinion of my professor. I enjoyed writing this essay, and I did not have a lot of problems. I was so proud of me when I finished this essay because the laziness disappeared. When I had to write my interpretation essay, I thought it will be a challenge for me because I had to write this essay in group. This interpretation essay was about some kind of art that we want to choose. I enjoy working in groups, but this was an awful experience. First, I did not like the painting that my partners chose. Second, we shared the topics that we had to investigate, and this was an insane because one of my partner was totally lost. Finally, each member of the group wrote our part of the essay, and linked it in a word document. I had to link each part of the essay, and write the references at the end of the document. I did not like this assignment. My last write assignment was the final research paper. We had entire classes to find information, and choose our sources. I was really stressful because I did not know what topic I would choose. I talked with my professor, and she recommended me a debate topic about language. My research paper is about “Sexist Language”, and I wrote it with enthusiasm because I wanted I impress to my professor.
The presentations were sensational because we have to prepare it, and showed our speaking abilities. I was so nervous at the moment of talk in front of my classmates, but presentation after presentation I was losing it. I have to recognize that my best moment was the debate class because I shattered to my rival. When I talked with a classmate about the class, he told me that I was the only of my group that he understand the pronunciation, so I can say that pronunciation is one of my strengths. I had a progressive improve as an English language user, and I have to thanks to my English professor of level five and six. She always was pending of each mistake that we did at the moment of write or speak, and she tried to correct these mistakes. I am so happy because through the years at my school, high school, and university, I have had excellent English professors.
Response Essay
Running head: COLLEGE DEGREE OR PRODUCTIVITY
College Degree or Productivity Andrea Paola Toro Chalén Yachay University for Experimental Technology and Research
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Running head: COLLEGE DEGREE OR PRODUCTIVITY
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College Degree or Productivity “People who don’t have the interest or aptitude for serious college studies at age 18 may find that later in life they do, but those who enroll just because they think that the mere possession of a college degree is the passport to success will just dig themselves a financial hole” George Leef.
According to George Leef, who received a Juris Doctor from the Duke University School of Law in 1977, and who is a Director of Research at the John W Pope Center for Higher Education policy, in society there are still people that think that a college degree is more important than their human capital. Leef (2013), at the same time, people think that a college degree is the passport to success in their life. Leef affirms that college itself is not an investment, it is just one way of increasing your value. He claims that is irresponsible to say to young people that college will be a good investment. The idea of college degree, offered by the author is a truth, but society has another point of view of this, so they still thinking that college degrees are more important than human capital. He expresses that jobs are occupied by college graduates, the time and money spent on college is often wasted. So, a college degree is not an investment that ensure to you a good job, it depends on your personal performance. The fact that finished college and obtained a university degree does not mean that college students have secured their future in a good job and a good salary. This all depends on how much college student’s love what they do and how productive they are. For example: There are three
Running head: COLLEGE DEGREE OR PRODUCTIVITY
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type of students. Don’t by a Hype, College is not an Investment (2013), The first who always was diligent and who concentrates in a work to raise his knowledge and skill. The second student, who doesn’t matter what happen around him, and who always do his minimum of effort. Who always think that get a college degree is the most important thing and who doesn’t get a good job. The third student who earns several badges and certifications in things he is interested in who by his abilities get a good job. . The educational value of college is questionable. It is important to consider that go to college is significant because it provides a projection in the life of every people, and it has the function to certificate students. On the other hand, there are some fields that shouldn’t accept people that only want to work, they should have high human capital. The College Degrees and Skills Employers Most Want (2014) Also, a high percentage of companies prefer people who have college degree. But, there are some companies that don’t, and prefer people who love their job and their capability to learn more things. According to Leef, no one receives any payment or premium merely for having finished college. It is irresponsible to say to kids that they should have to go to University to be successful in life. Because every child grow up with this thought and the only thing that they think when we are growing is to get a college degree. Nobody make them know that the most important to succeed in life is increase their value with a high human capital than a college degree. Nobody will reward them for getting one. According to Leef, productivity of a person is the most important fact. Although a lot of people that have a lot of skills are technical people or managers. But, taking into consideration
Running head: COLLEGE DEGREE OR PRODUCTIVITY
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that employees have to work a lot of time, interact with customers and interact with their coworkers, companies want to people that have open minds and the desire to work. We have the example of a lot of computer engineers at Google have spent years outside of the classroom honing their skills at programming languages. With years of practice, they have developed enough skills that they don’t need a piece of paper to show that they can do the job. Practice makes perfect. The purpose of the author was persuade to the reader. When I read this article, a lot of things came to my head because I am a college student. When I was a child, I thought that my life purpose will be get a college degree to get a good job like a prize for having finished college. The author accomplished his goals with me because he changed my point of view about college degree and my human capital. The audience of this article are college students, government, teachers, and every person that are involved in education. This article has a high credibility because George Leef is a graduate of Carroll University in Wisconsin and Duke University Law School. Leef has a lot of important books, articles and interviews, and all of this about education. This article is easy to follow ideas because it has a perfect structure and he included examples to better understand what he means. As it was expected, it has an academic language. To conclude, universities used to look like a good investment because earning a college degree implies a serious work, and have that degree was an advantage in work field. But, success only depends on the productivity of every. A college degree is not an investment that ensure to you a good job, it depends on your personal performance. Going to college isn’t an investment at all. Time and money spent on college is often wasted. Numbers show that college graduates have
Running head: COLLEGE DEGREE OR PRODUCTIVITY
a higher rate of employee and salary. College itself isn’t an investment, just one way of increasing your value.
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References Leef, George (2013, June). Don’t Buy a Hype, College Education is not an Investment. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com Adams, Susan (2014, April). The College Degrees and Skills Employers Most Want. Retrieved from: http://www.forbes.com Till H. Groß (2014, October) TEDxKlagenfurt: Four Steps to Design your own education. Retrieved from http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUnpSYMNEhY
EXPLORATION
ESSAY
A Weird Joy Andrea Paola Toro ChalĂŠn Yachay University for Experimental Technology and Research October 13, 2016
A Weird Joy Kate Chopin who wrote The Story of an Hour reflects the reaction of a person who received some news that completely change her/his life. The short story shares the change that Mrs. Mallard suffer when she knew her husband’s death. The author provides the reader three principal characteristics to understand the short story. These are: the change that Mrs. Mallard suffered, the description of the principal character’s feelings and the unexpected falling action of the short story. The author had the skill to transport the reader to the story through the change that Mrs. Mallard suffered. “She was young with fair, calm face, whose lines be spoke repression and even a certain strength. But now there was a dull stare in her eyes, whose gaze was fixed away off yonder on one of those patches of blue sky”, Chopin, K. (1894). She describes the radical change of the protagonist. But that change is in the right way. The reader can notice the way of the author’s writing. She used metaphors in each sentence of the story. The author tried to share her feeling through the protagonist’s feelings. “There would be no one to live for during those coming years; she would live for herself”. Chopin, K. (1894). The author provides the reader to know about her life in a indirect way. On the story she always mentioned “free”, it means that she did not want to live for someone else. On the other hand, this “relaxing” moment of the character was weird to her friends because they never saw her in this way. At the same time, when the reader read this short story, he/she doesn’t know what will be the falling action. “When the doctors came, they said she had died of heart disease – of the joy that kills”. Chopin, K. (1894). On this sentence, the reader could be disappointed or very happy. The author tried to get a “happy end” through a very weird plot. The narration of the story from the beginning to the end was very confusing, but this confusion made it interesting. To conclude, this short story shares the reader the extreme joy that a person can has. Mrs. Mallard took the news of her husband’s death with a weird calm. The change that Mrs. Mallard suffered, the way that she described the main character, and the unexpected falling action, only reflect the “freedom” that the author wants to live: without love, without someone to love, and only live for her.
Reference Chopin Kate (1894) The Story of an Hour. Retrieved from: www.katechoping.org on 13/10/2016.
INTERPRETATION E S S A Y
Running head: THE LAST JUDGMENT AS MASTERPIECE
The Last Judgment as Masterpiece Andrea Paola Toro Chalén Luis Alberto Calderon Salas Raúl Heriberto Rodríguez Espinoza Yachay University for Experimental Technology and Research
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Running head: THE LAST JUDGMENT AS MASTERPIECE
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The Last Judgment as Masterpiece “A man paint with his brain and not with his hands” - Michelangelo. Renaissance is a period considered as the cultural middle bridge between the Middle Age and Modern History. This period had a new thinking which became manifest in art, architecture, politics, science and literature. For that reason, renaissance contributed to the development of the society such as artistic. Renaissance had a lot of icons like Leonardo da Vinci and Micheangelo. Michelangelo was born in Caprese, Italy on March 6, 1475. He was poet, sculptor, architect, and painter. One of his pieces is The Last Judgment, created on 1537 and located in Sistine Chapel, Vatican City. This mighty composition spans the entire wall behind the altar of Sistine Chapel, and it offers a concrete example of controversies that were in that period. The painting as a whole has the following dimensions 539.3 × 472.4 in inches. The color palette is a composition of opaque to bright colors with a lapis lazuli blue sky as background. The Last Judgment is considered Michelangelo’s masterpiece because it has a complex composition, it is important to Catholics, and critics consider it a masterpiece. The Last Judgment has a complex composition and for this reason Michelangelo took four years to complete it. The painting in fresco is a technique that does not allow errors must be made by proportions because the next day the color is not absorbed. Basically, the chosen wall is prepared first with the liming and then with the plastering, a mixture of pozzolan, lime and water. Done drawing and wall in fresco the paint is rapidly spread. Michelangelo had many errors in how to paint the Sistine chapel in mixtures of colors and humidity which were perfected to later paint The last Judgment on a wall with a new brick wall inclined to avoid dust. The picture
Running head: THE LAST JUDGMENT AS MASTERPIECE
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represents the second coming of Jesus Christ is based on two things the Bible and the imagination of Michelangelo. The knowledge of Michelangelo on anatomy is reflected in the painting through naked bodies and muscle mass in the center of the painting is located Jesus Christ the judge who is separating humanity into two parts hell and heaven, and Mary observes the scene with fear. Underneath the figure of Christ are two saints: the first St. Lawrence holding a ladder this symbolizes his martyrdom through a grate and hot coals and St Bartholomew holding his own skin and in his right hand a knife because he was flayed alive. In the right corner this Biaggio da Cesena who was an assistant of pope who criticized the work of Michelangelo for his nudes and was nominated as one of the judges of hell. In the left corner angels push the damned to hell and the demons drag them. The Last judgment is very important to Catholics because is the main representation of Bible. According to Neil Collins painters had not often chosen to depict the last judgment, the importance it wasiven in the Sistine Chapel frescos, is wholly consonant with Renaissance theology. Preachers in the Papal Chapel frequently praised the wonder of the Creation and the splendor of the physical world. The iconography here follows the tradition of showing God standing on the Earth alongside his creatures, but the artist nicely exploits the format of the small field by showing God's head bumping up against the frame. The Sistine Chapel was dedicated to Christians. N. Collins said “Michelangelo shows Christ moving towards us, his vast gesture reaching across nearly the whole he panel. He is enveloped in a swirling mantel and accompanied by angels.� The top of the painting is described for the angels and the bottom of the painting is represented the hell where will go the people who don’t practice what says the Bible.
Running head: THE LAST JUDGMENT AS MASTERPIECE
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Critics consider this painting as a masterpiece because it is a principal painting of the Sistine Chapel is the last judgment for Christians because summarize what hopes and are afraid about the writings of the Bible. Camara E. said “The moment all Christians await with both hope and dread. This is the end of time, the beginning of eternity when the mortal becomes immortal, when the elect join Christ in his heavenly kingdom and the damned are cast into the unending torments of hell.” This is the best interpretation of the Last Judgment of Michelangelo because describe perfectly what we can see in the paint. The Christians hopes the life after life, but this happens if people practice what is statement in the Bible. If people don’t practice what says in the Bible on the other hand they would go to hell. According to Camara E. “Michelangelo’s Last Judgment is among the most powerful renditions of this moment in the history of Christian art.” The Last Judgment is the most represent paint made for Michelangelo to pay homage to Christians. In this paint its can see in the center to Christ and around him people in the up of the paint its can see angels, clouds and heaven simulated the world that will live, people that practice the values and moral expressed in Bible. Camara E. said “Christ is the fulcrum of this complex composition. A powerful, muscular figure, he steps forward in a twisting gesture that sets in motion the final sorting of souls.” Crist is in the center of the paint and he is who decides who will go to the life after life or who will go to the hell. To conclude, it is important to take into account that The Last Judgment by Michelangelo is a masterpiece. First, its complexity is a reason which Michelangelo took four years to complete it. The technique that he used was a new technique in the renaissance. The Last judgment is very important to Catholics because is the main representation of Bible. At the end,
Running head: THE LAST JUDGMENT AS MASTERPIECE
Critics consider this painting as a masterpiece because The Last Judgment is the most represent paint made for Michelangelo to pay homage to Christians.
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Running head: THE LAST JUDGMENT AS MASTERPIECE
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References Barnes, B. (2014, May 9). Metaphorical Painting: Michelangelo, Dante, and the Last Judgment.The Art Bulletin. Retrieved onNovember 16, 2016, from http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00043079.1995.10786621
Cohen, J. (2012). 7 Things You May Not Know About the Sistine Chapel. Retrieved November 14, 2016, from http://www.history.com/news/7-things-you-maynot-know-about-the-sistine-chapel
Esperanza, C. (n.d.). Last Judgment - Essay by Dr. Esperanca Camara.Khan Academy. Retrieved on November 16, 2016, from https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/renaissance-
reformation/high-ren-florence-
rome/michelangelo/a/michelangelo-last-judgment
Genesis Fresco, Sistine Chapel (1508-12). (n.d.). Retrieved November 15, 2016, from http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/famouspaintings/genesis-fresco-michelangelo.htm
H. (2016). 7 Surprising Facts About the Sistine Chapel Ceiling. Retrieved November 14, 2016, from http://arthistory.about.com/od/famous_paintings/a/sischap_ceiling.htm
Khan Academy. (n.d.). Retrieved November 16, 2016, from https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/renaissance-reformation/high-ren-florencerome/michelangelo/a/michelangelo-last-judgment
Landy, A. (2011, January 2). Michelangelo: Naked Truths?.ART NEWS. Retrieved on November 16, 2016, from http://www.artnews.com/2011/02/01/michelangelo-naked-truths/
A RG UM E NT AT IO N ESSAY
Don’t Legalize Drugs. Live Without Addictions Andrea Paola Toro ChalÊn Yachay University for Experimental Technology and Research December 12, 2016
Don’t legalize drugs. Live without addictions “I’m very serious about no alcohol, no drugs, life is too beautiful “—Jim Carrey There is a war on drugs which started in 1835 with San Francisco’s anti-opium law, and declared by Richard Nixon. Ehrlichmann who had been Nixon’s domesticpolicy adviser said that the Nixon campaign and White house had two enemies the antiwar left and black people. He tried that they couldn’t make it illegal to be either against the war or black, but criminalize hippies with marijuana and blacks with heroin. Now, the use of drugs isn’t the entire problem, but what would happen if governments legalize it? When a person is drunk, he/she doesn’t know what he/she is doing, and we know that drugs effect are stronger than alcohol. Is for that reason which the legalization of drugs is dangerous. Legalization of drugs will degrade human personality because it will increase drug consumption. Addicted users will be no longer capable of holding a job because they will want more doses of drugs. It will increase drug crime because users will have easy access to get drugs. Legalization of drugs will degrade human personality because it will increase drug consumption. The author said that the real drug problem is relatively small. I totally disagree with him because we don’t know every situation of entire population of a country, and sometimes the family of drug user is quiet. There is another part that I want to emphasize, now drugs is illegal, but if it becomes legal a lot of situations will bright. Then, we will not do something to stop every problem. When a person is under drugs effects, he/she doesn’t know what is he/she doing and with it his/her neurons are dying. At the same time, we will have more birth defects it a pregnant woman is doing drugs. On the other hand, a person can do himself a lot of harm with marijuana, as an example. Addicted users will be no longer capable of holding a job because when they tried it a lot of times, they want more doses. The author showed that with the legalization of drugs people will be the own of their decision, but I think that it could be dangerous. As an example, if both parents are addicted users they will have all kind of drugs in their house, how can they prevent the use of drug by their children if they are under its effects? And if people cannot control these effects, we will not have people with college degrees, and we will have people who will be no longer capable of holding a job, and the economy of a country will decrease.
It will increase drug came because users will have easy access to get drugs, the author exposes that the rate of drug crime is below. I agree with him in that point, but that rates are because drugs are illegal. After the legalization of drugs, it would be foolish to assume that the number would be trivial. We will add more destruction to the families which already are struggling with alcohol addiction.
Final Research PROJECT ESSAY
Running head: SEXIST LANGUAGE AS A PROBLEM
Sexist Language as a Problem Andrea Paola Toro Chalén Yachay University for Experimental Technology and Research
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SEXIST LANGUAGE AS A PROBLEM
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Language is not only a medium through which people communicate, but it is also an element through which we convey the conception we have of the reality in which we live. A reality that at the same time, is conditioned by the language that we use. The purpose of this essay is to let to the lector know the consequences of sexist language, at the same time reflect the problems and the way to avoid it too. Sexist language excludes women, makes them difficult to identify or associates with pejorative appraisals. Their use is discriminatory and partial and imposes arbitrary and unjust barriers to personal and collective development. If we take into account that men and women have the same right to be and to exist, the fact of not naming this difference is not respecting one of the fundamental rights: that of existence and the representation of that existence in language. Key words: Language, purpose, problems, sexist, discriminatory, fundamental rights, women.
SEXIST LANGUAGE AS A PROBLEM
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Sexist Language as a Problem “Sexist language, racist language, theistic language all are typical of the policing languages of mastery, and cannot, do not, permit new knowledge or encourage the mutual exchange of ideas” - Toni Morrison. Since the origins of civilization language was a principal element. The purpose of language is to allow to people to interact with others and express themselves. Through the years language has been “deteriorating” by the way of using it to discriminate or offends other people. I agree with Morrison who is an American novelist and a Professor Emeritus at Princeton University because there are people that use some types of languages to feel more than others. One of the principal example of this situation is sexist language. According to Sherryl Kleinman, sexist language is a consequence of gender violence. In our society still is inequality of gender which makes women invisible. Sexist language makes girls develop feelings of fragility and weakness because their parents transmitted social differences according to gender. This way of writing makes women inferior because in society male is the prevailing ideological model. With sexist language women learn to give more importance to the family than to their personal projects because while they grow up, society and their parents diffused this kind of thought. There are three important problems that we have to avoid: all subjects are male, the search for a gender-neutral singular pronoun, and inherently sexist words. Parents transmitted social differences according to gender through the most common problem of language that is all subjects are male. Often simplified, the question of sexism in the Spanish language has tended to revolve around generic male and its suitability. The generic male is the resource accepted by the R.A.E and most linguists to designate groups of men and women.
SEXIST LANGUAGE AS A PROBLEM
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"Students", "teachers", "children", "players". Firmly established in our daily use, it is one of the main battlefields of those who advocate inclusive language. Thus, they claim to use folds to make the feminine gender visible: "Boys and girls", "teachers and teachers". According to Maria Marquez who is a professor in the Department of Spanish Language at the University of Seville, the use of generic male is sexist because the domain “in question” has been a domain exclusive to the male. On the other side, R.A.E disagree with this position, and it exposes: “This type of unfolding is artificial and unnecessary from a linguistic point of view. In the nouns that designate animate beings there is the possibility of the generic use of the masculine to designate the class, that is to say to all the individuals of the species, without distinction of sexes: All the citizens majors of age have right to vote. Explicit mention of the feminine is only justified when the opposition of the sexes is relevant in the context: Evolutionary development is similar in boys and girls of that age. The current tendency towards the indiscriminate unfolding of the noun in its masculine and feminine form goes against the principle of economy of language and is based on extra-lingual reasons. Therefore, these repetitions should be avoided.” It is important to take it into account because in many situations generic male can be used to define both genders, but in my opinion this way of writing is still sexist. In society male is the prevailing ideological model, for that reason we have to try to find gender-neutral singular pronoun. We have always communicated under a patriarchal model of society, empowering the masculine over the feminine. We have lived in a sexist and androcentric society where we have communicated in a sexist way, assigning different roles, values, and attitudes for women and men, depending on their sex, subtracting value from what is assigned to women because they are considered inferior to man. For the latter, on the other hand, has been
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considered as a subject of reference, while women have been made invisible and subordinated to men. Therefore, there has always been a vision of the world focused on the masculine. Thus, continuing with a sexist use of language will continue to legitimize such a vision. On the contrary, R.A.E disapproves the guidelines that seek equality from the language because "could not speak" with its guidelines. It is important to acknowledge that there is sexist language and this is because society is sexist too. For that reason it is difficult to try to change the language if society do not change. By changing it, certain aspects of language will also change (in that order); let us disappoint ourselves, others that affect the internal constitution of the system, its hard core, will not change, because they cannot do it without the system ceasing to function. By the way, a neutral language is more likely to be accepted by users if it is natural and discreet. Genuine neutral and inclusive alternatives should be sought, rather than expressions that lend themselves to controversy. While women grow up society and their parents diffused this sexist thought; there are some terms that ignore the female gender which are called inherently sexist words. Rubiales insists that the male does not include women and suggests that we begin to unfold the names of the professions, such as judge and judge, to gradually cement their social use, and society is more aware of the role of women in these areas. In addition, it points out the fact that the rules of the RAE have traditionally been made by only men - or almost only men - and that women have not participated in its formulation and, therefore, the history is incomplete. Thus, it takes the initiative to make another claim of non-sexist language and encourages women to fight for the language so that it encompasses women and does not exclude them To conclude, avoiding sexist language isn’t as simple as it might seems because this problem appears even in the most honest writing with the most guiltless way. Language is a
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human and cultural creation, and is therefore not neutral. It influences our way of perceiving the world, and also of thinking and acting. It conveys a determined way of seeing the world, influencing how we construct reality. Therefore, the language used in a school, an institute or a university participates in the construction of reality, as well as in the creation of the social identity of society, while legitimizing the use of such language. Trying to convey a non-sexist approach could create uncomfortable phrases and disrupt the natural writing style. The purpose of avoid sexist language is to be an inclusive language without discrimination or maleness. For that reason, it is important to take care when we are writing through avoiding male subjects, trying to find neutral-genders, and inherently sexist words. It is complicated to avoid sexist language, but with the practice this will be far from possible.
SEXIST LANGUAGE AS A PROBLEM
7 References
Creative Comons (Ed.). (2012, December 29). Writers' Handbook: Avoiding Sexist and Offensive Language. Retrieved October 25, 2016, from http://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/writershandbook/s20-05-avoiding-sexist-and-offensive-.html Blumenfeld W. (2014, May 22). He’s “Assertive,” She’s “Bossy”: The Double-Standard Language of Gender. Retrieved October 25, 2016, from http://www.tikkun.org/tikkundaily/2014/05/22/hesassertive-shes-bossy-the-double-standard-language-of-gender/ Klein, Jennifer. (n.d.). AVOIDING SEXIST LANGUAGE. Retrieved from https://www.hamilton.edu/academics/centers/writing/writingresources/avoiding-sexist-language Mathews T. (1995). Sexist Language: Complementary Solutions in Spanish and English. Retrieved October 25, 2016, from http://faculty.weber.edu/tmathews/articles/majlp.htm
ADDITIONAL MATERIALS
Diamante Poem Template
Title: Life Author: Paola Toro onset Noun
soul,
sprightliness
Synonym
growing,
Synonym
discovering,
Action Verb
earthly,
daily,
Adjective
misfiring
Action Verb
wondrous,
Adjective
being,
cheerful
Adjective
loving,
Participial
Action Verb
Adjective
reminiscing
Participial
vivaciously,
Participial
hopelessly Adverb
Adverb
journey Noun
Thank you for reading my portfolio. I
hope
reading
have
you
it
enjoyed
as
enjoyed
much
writing
Sincerely,
P
A
O
L
A
as
T
O
R
O
I
it.