How the Meanings of Words Change

Stick around long enough and youll notice that language changes—whether you like it or not. Consider this recent report from columnist Martha Gill on the redefinition of the word literally: Its happened. Literally the most misused word in the language has officially changed definition. Now as well as meaning in a literal manner or sense; exactly: the driver took it literally when asked to go straight over the traffic circle, various dictionaries have added its other more recent usage. As Google puts it, literally can be used to acknowledge that something is not literally true but is used for emphasis or to express strong feeling. . . .Literally, you see, in its development from knock-kneed, single-purpose utterance, to swan-like dual-purpose term, has reached that awkward stage. It is neither one nor the other, and it cant do anything right.(Martha Gill, Have We Literally Broken the English Language? The Guardian [UK], August 13, 2013) Changes in word meanings (a process called semantic shift) happen for various reasons and in various ways. Four common types of change are broadening, narrowing, amelioration, and pejoration. (For more detailed discussions of these processes, click on the highlighted terms.) BroadeningAlso known as generalization or extension, broadening is the process by which a words meaning becomes more inclusive than an earlier meaning. In Old English, for instance, the word dog referred to just one particular breed, and thing meant a public assembly. In contemporary English, of course, dog can refer to many different breeds, and thing can refer to, well, anything.NarrowingThe opposite of broadening is narrowing (also called specialization or restriction), a type of semantic change in which a words meaning becomes less inclusive. For example, in Middle English, deer could refer to any animal, and girl could mean a young person of either sex. Today, those words have more specific meanings.AmeliorationAmelioration refers to the upgrading or rise in status of a words meaning. For example, meticulous once meant fearful or timid, and sensitive meant simply capable of using ones senses.PejorationMore common than amelioration is the downgrading or depreciation of a words me aning, a process called pejoration. The adjective silly, for instance, once meant blessed or innocent, officious meant hard working, and aggravate meant to increase the weight of something. Whats worth keeping in mind is that meanings dont change over night. Different meanings  of the same word often overlap, and new meanings can co-exist with older meanings for centuries. In linguistic terms, polysemy is the rule, not the exception. Words are by nature incurably fuzzy, says linguist Jean Aitchison in the book Language Change: Progress Or Decay. In  recent years, the adverb literally has become exceptionally fuzzy. In fact, it has slipped into the rare category of Janus words, joining terms like sanction, bolt, and fix that contain opposite or contradictory meanings. Martha Gill concludes that theres not much we can do about literally. The awkward stage that its going through may last for quite some time. It is a moot word, she says. We just have to leave it up in its bedroom for a while until it grows up a bit. More About Language Change The Endless Decline of the English LanguageThe Great Vowel ShiftInconceivable!: 5 Words That May Not Mean What You Think They MeanKey Dates in the History of the English LanguageSix Common Myths About LanguageSemantic Change and the Etymological Fallacy

Network Cabling Systems, Audiovisual Systems And Security...

When it comes to installation and support of network cabling systems, audiovisual systems and security systems; Team Linx is the business to consult with. Team Linx is part of Umbrella Company known as Jupiter Consolidated Groups, which enables Linx to offer office spaces their needs. Linx has been operating since 2003 and since they have blossomed into a sustainable organization. An organization such as Linx understands what it takes to succeed in the corporate world and remain successful. Linx understands without implementing change into the workplace a company is bound to regress. Even though Linx has been doing a great job at remaining profitable and also making necessary changes, the progress has not spread throughout all branches of†¦show more content†¦If the goal of the company is to expand then a feasible plan should be put into place that can benefit the company. After recognizing the problem the leadership of the company can now take time out to discuss the proble ms within the company and what opportunities are available. The main opportunity that is available at the time is that LInx has a functioning branch that can do residential and commercial work. However, Linx Virginian branch is only doing residential work, which means they are losing a lot of clients. Once Linx gains more commercial work expanding will seem more realistic. Once Linx has a since of urgency they can then being to gather key people that can put A plan together. It would be best to consult leadership and any key associates that already work at the Virginia branch. This step is known as forming a powerful guiding coalition (Weiss, 2012). The key associates in the Virginia branch will be perfect assets for the coalition because they already know the area. They also know the clientele and would most likely just need a extended offer of guidance from leadership within the Linx company. The leadership is important because the top-level officers that will involve in the new planning process have already done this before. The top-level officers have lead a company that stated out in a residential space and later moved to commercial. The leaders already have a set of guidelines that they can follow that

Effects of Illegal Immigrants in Malaysia - 782 Words

Effects Of Illegal Immigrants In Malaysia Illegal immigrants are people who migrate across national borders without complying with legal requirements. In â€Å"Illegal immigrants in Malaysia,† (2012), it has been found that in Malaysia, they comprise a portion of the country population, numbering as many as two millions by some estimates. Most of them are from nearby Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia and Philippines. Hopkins (n.d.) acknowledged that 50 percent of illegal immigrants are people who arrive legally but then overstay their visas. Immigrants who crossed Malaysian borders illegally have contributed to the nation decline in economic, threatens social structure, and causes health problems among Malaysian citizen. According†¦show more content†¦They pay or owe an amount of money to syndicates that are responsible in smuggling them to be taken across Malaysian borders. As a result, these immigrants make money by selling drugs, running prostitution centers, and commit armed robberies. The activities run by them have created feeling of insecure towards citizens. Other than that, Gibson (2005) suggests that illegal immigrants caused devastating impact on health among Malaysian citizens. These immigrants had incurred high cost of health care system in Malaysia. This is because too much illegal immigrants who are sick or injured obtained free medical treatments in Malaysia due to our policy to treat any injured patients regardless of their background. On top of that, the cost of medical treatments obtained by them reflex Malaysian taxpayers to pay high tax. Besides that, Nazehan (2008) states that these immigrants are responsible in the spread of dangerous diseases especially sexually transmitted diseases (STD) like tuberculosis, hepatitis, HIV and even gonorrhea. For instance, the smuggling of women for the purpose of forced prostitution will lead to spread of HIV virus. As the consequence, it will increase the total of fatality as found by Nazehan (2008). The threats posed to our country by illegal immigrants are many. They bring poverty and taking jobs away from the poor citizens. It is evident that the presents of illegal immigrants in our nation do haveShow MoreRelatedTeam Based Incentive Rewards : Its Not All Roses5707 Words   |  23 Pagesof the better salaries and working condition in the manufacturing sector. Soon, the construction sector followed the suit. With this influx of the foreign workers, local apprentices shield away from this trade as they found working alongside these illegal workers not conducive. Further the trade was branded as 3D’s job that are Dirty, Dangerous and Demeaning. 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Denton Welch Passage free essay sample

In this passage from Maiden Voyage, Denton Welch portrays a situation in which an adolescent’s rebelliousness has detrimental consequences. Through the use of various literary techniques, he seems to suggest that unfamiliarity with one’s surroundings can subsequently lead to horrifying events. With a deeper analysis of the extract, it can also be inferred that the author is showing the contrast between the orderliness of the developed world and the chaotic nature of the developing world. Characterization is significant in showing that the narrator’s rebelliousness led to the conflict. By immediately describing the narrator with phrases such as â€Å"They would never want to do what I wanted to do,† the boy is seen as stubborn, suggesting a possible reason why he â€Å"could stand it no longer† and left to explore the Chinese city. It is because of the fact that he has such a rebellious trait and disobeyed the warnings of others, that the reader suspects that something bad will happen to him. Foreshadowing plays an essential role in setting an ominous mood and creating suspense in the reader, to emphasize the terror that the narrator feels towards his new surroundings. The first line of the passage, â€Å"Foreigners are not very popular here,† informs the reader that the narrator is from abroad, and therefore has to be careful about going into the city. By disobeying orders to not â€Å"go out alone,† the reader once again expects that something might go wrong, but since it is written in such a subtle way, it does not take away the suspense which is built up over the course of the passage. Imagery further accentuates this feeling of possible catastrophe as the Welch’s vivid descriptions throughout the passage articulate the harshness of the land that surrounds the narrator. From the very beginning of the passage, the speaker’s reference to â€Å"a European villa and a line of poplars† which signifies order and beauty, seems to contrast with the Chinese city that lies outside. The author’s use of figurative language and diction, or very specific word choice, only makes every aspect of the setting even more dreadful. By describing the bushes as â€Å"stunted,† and saying that they â€Å"squeaked† and â€Å"grated,† the narrator’s environment is already portrayed in a negative light as all three of these words have negative connotations. The fact that Welch uses metaphors to compare grass to â€Å"harsh spears† and turrets to â€Å"ruined cottages,† shows once again that the surrounding seems threatening which might provoke conflict, and also that it is fairly decayed and worn out. The use of imagery is vital in creating suspense. By comparing the black speck to specific superstitious symbols such as â€Å"black cats,† it can be inferred that the horror is approaching. Furthermore, as the narrator gets closer and closer to the object, the author’s use of words such as â€Å"loathsome† and â€Å"angrily† to describe the flies (which are seen as highly unpleasant creatures that are attracted to nasty things), causes panic and extreme suspense to be built up in the reader, as these two words also have intensely negative connotations. Finally, by giving the â€Å"numbed senses† the human characteristic of waking up, the author uses personification to convey to the reader that the horror has finally arrived. Imagery does not only serve the purpose of foreshadowing that something bad is going to happen, but also conveys the reactions of the narrator. By using similes such as â€Å"odd white teeth stood up like ninepins in its dark, gaping mouth,† the reader is really able to imagine what the mouth must look like, by comparing it to a bowling alley with one pin missing; the gap in the teeth. By using metaphors such as â€Å"waves of sickness spread over me,† Welch is able to demonstrate the nausea that the narrator feels as well. Other literary devices such as irony and sentence structure also serve to convey the reactions of the narrator. The fact that his â€Å"eyes had to return to it whenever [he] looked away† serves to show the irony that something which is so horrifying can actually make you look at it longer. Furthermore, the fact that the sentence â€Å"Then I ran† is so short and abrupt seems to represent the narrator’s fear of the situation he is in. First-person narration plays a vital role in enabling the reader to know what the character is feeling. The fact that the entire passage is written in 1st person narration or that the narrator is telling his own story, gives the reader an insight into the emotions of the narrator. From the beginning of the passage when the narrator is upset that he cannot go outside, to the end where he is trying to climb up to the bastion, the author is constantly informing the reader as to what the narrator feels. When he refers to Sydenham as a place of order therefore, it is clear to the reader that there must be a personal connection between the narrator and the district of London. It is likely that he is from that town, and could not adjust to the environment of the Chinese city, which is so chaotic and disorderly, because he is used to an organized lifestyle. After seeing the human head, the narrator says, â€Å"I jumped back, my throat quite dry and my stomach churning. † If someone else had seen the event, he or she might tell you that the narrator jumped back, but it would be impossible to know that his throat was dry or his stomach was churning, and these are valuable details to know just how horrifying the head really was. At the end of the passage, when it states â€Å"I could only hear [the insects] buzzing and the slap of them when they hit the wall,† it once again shows the dramatic impact the event has had on the narrator as this is all he can seem to think about now. Finally, details such as the fact that the narrator began to feel desperate towards the end, could never have been known had the story not been told in first-person. By the end of the passage therefore, it seems as if the reader knows the character better, and can relate to what has happened to him. In conclusion, the elements of characterization, foreshadowing, imagery and narration, all serve to create a tense atmosphere in which the horrors of the event are really emphasized. After careful analysis, the fact that the author continuously portrays the harshness of the Chinese city, and tries to make the reader feel sympathy for the narrator, suggests that this passage is a form of criticism towards developing countries, or perhaps a personal experience that he is reflecting upon.

Loa Loa free essay sample

Loa Loa â€Å"African Eye worm† [pic] [pic] Loa Loa By Amanda Green Microbiology 210 Loa Loa is a parasite known more commonly as the â€Å"African Eye Worm†. This may be one of the most feared of the parasites. They are classified as filarial worms, meaning they thrive in human tissues. Before the 1920’s , Loa Loa infections occurred more frequently in the United States now it is more commonly found in West Africa and equatorial Sudan. It prefers areas with hot, wet climates, like swamps and rainforests. They are cylindrical and have a cuticle with three main outer layers. This protects the nematodes (larvae) so they can invade the digestive tracts of animals. The outer layers are non cellular. The adult Loa Loa is a thin small worms ranging in length from 20 – 70 mm long and 350 – 430 mm wide. Males are smaller than the females. Loa Loa was first described in 1770 by a French surgeon, Mongin. We will write a custom essay sample on Loa Loa or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page He was the first surgeon to try to remove a worm from the eye of a woman in Santa Domingo. He was unsuccessful. Another observation came form a French ships surgeon, who observed an eye worm in slaves being taken to the West Indies from Africa in 1778. The first person to identify the microfilaria of Loa Loa in 1890 was Dr. Patrick Mason when he was invited to examine blood smears with Dr. Stephen Mackenzie. This person was thought to have â€Å"sleeping sickness of the Congo. † To reproduce the female produces a pheromone to attract males. After mating the female produces large numbers of active embryos called microfilaria. These microfilaria find their way to the blood stream where they can be transmitted through a bite to the next host. Loa Loa is an obligate endoparasite that feeds on fluids in the tissues of humans. The parasite contains pharyngeal glands and intestinal epithelium that produce digestive enzymes that enable them to feed on the hosts’ body fluids. Extracellular digestion begins within the lumen and is finished intracellularly. The adult parasite has been known to live up to 15 years. A human infected by Loa loa is termed Loiasis. People become infected by the transmission by deerflies. Once the deerfly lands on the host and bites, the larvae then drops into the opening of the skin and burrows into the subcutaneous tissues. The larvae then migrate through the body, commonly to the eye. They congregate in the lungs at night. Damage can be done to the eyes as it crawls through the cornea and conjunctive tissues. It can easily be seen and felt in the eye up to an hour. When they are deeper into the body they can cause encephalitis, if they reach the brain, which can lead to death. Joint pain can occur from swelling if the parasite stays near a joint for a period of time. The larva can remain unnoticed for months or years before becoming an adult, mating, and producing offspring. They continuously travel through deep and connective tissues, often even without the person feeling any sensation other than occasional itching. A person may feel the greatest discomfort when the worm slows or reaches a sensitive spot. It is then that the immune reaction starts, with localized redness and swelling called Calabar. This type of reaction is thought to be caused by a type of allergic reaction to dead worms and their byproducts. Skin eruptions and muscle pain may be evident. Once the worm dies the surrounding tissues may abscess. An accumulation of serous fluid in a sacculated cavity called hydrocele is a less common symptom. Colonic lesions, fibroblastic endocarditis, membranous glomerulonephritis, retinopathy, arthritis, and peripheral neuropathy can occur but are less common in people native to endemic areas. To diagnose Loasis, physicians look for Calabar swelling and the presence of worms in the conjunctiva. Those are the main tests used to diagnose an infestation. Some laboratory tests can help with the diagnosing including, C reactive protein, elevated eosinophils (called eosinophilia), and IgE quantification. Identification of microfilariae by microscopic examination is the most practical diagnostic test. The collection of the blood specimen is extremely important with the known periodicity of the microfilariae. The smear is stained with Giemsa or hematoxylin and eosin. Concentration techniques can be used for increased sensitivity, including centrifugation of the blood sample hemolyzed in 2% formalin. Checking for microfilaria in the blood on a newly suspected case is not recommended because it can take may years for them appear. Loa Loa is endemic only to parts of West Africa. A study done by S. Wanji at the University of Boea in Cameroon found that in 16 rural villages in southern Cameroon 2. 2% to 19. 23% of people were infected. It also showed that males are almost twice as likely to become infested as females. The level of infection increases from the ages of 15 to 65 years old and then drops. The treatment’s side effects for Loa Loa are more life-threatening than the actual infestation. Two of the most common treatments are diethylcarbamazine and ivermectin. Both of thes e treatments can cause encephalitis, coma, or death in people with high microfilaria loads. These drugs kill the microfilaria but not the adult worms. Other treatments include chemotherapy and surgical removal.