Counseling Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Counseling - Essay Example This is because the process of being sick includes other aspects of health which is not an individual event alone but also concerns the family and social relationship. When one member of the family is ill, it is normal for the other members to be likewise affected more so, when the illness entails long term care. Thus, becoming ill and recover from it is a challenge. Being sick may lead to many adverse reactions which may further contribute to the process of the illness and recovery. It creates a change in the environment of the patient affecting her behavior. How the patient behaves during the duration of illness is a strong contributory factor in coping with the illness. With this situation, counseling the patient is deemed empirical. However, before counseling commence, case analysis of the patient should be carried out. Analysis of the patient’s experience of illness includes examining the progress of the illness and the process of recovery identifying the patient’s own psychosocial characteristics that may influence the illness and recovery while intervention suggests psychosocial counseling with the application of behavioral cognitive theory (CBT). The Nature of the Case Melinda is a married 50 year old female with six children who is sick of cervical cancer. She claims she did not have any hospitalization for several months prior to her illness. This is her first consultation with her physician. According to her, she is not supposed to have her consultation if not for a fall from the staircase of their house causing her some bruised at her back and arms. However, the bruises according to her doctors are just but minor health problems as compared to the result indicated in her health history taken from her. Her health history reveals that she is showing warning signs and symptoms of cervical cancer. Accordingly, she had been having vaginal bleedings for several months after her menopausal period. However, she never had any consultations nor alarmed because she believes her menstrual cycle had resumed. In May of 2010, she was diagnosed of first stage cervical cancer. Like any individual who is diagnosed with such illness, she was shocked to hear the r esult of her laboratory examination as revealed by her physician and is immediately under a circumstance where she had no prior experience (Clarke, et al. 2005) thus, her reaction to the information is devastating. Shock is followed with denial as evident in her statement, â€Å"I never had any health problems in the past. Why would I be sick of such disease†? Melinda had married three times one after the other and had been sexually active. From the time of her diagnosis, she lost her appetite, has not been sleeping well and been irritable. She also does not want to sleep with her husband anymore. She defends she is more comfortable to sleep alone in a room. This made a gap in their relationship. Most often, Melinda does not respond when her husband tries to communicate with her. Observation also reveals that she rejects foods and drinks offered by her children. However, her family is regarded to be caring and tried their best to adjust to the behavior change of Melinda. Meli nda does not also like to see neighbors and even friends as she shuns away from them whenever they pay visit. When ask if other members of the family had been stricken or have died of the same illness in the past, she answered, â€Å"Does it matter† that shows that she is not interested to know her family health history. Her mother died of breast cancer many years ago and a distant relative recently passed away with lung cancer. Now, she is under the care of an oncologist and several other

The collective good problem in alliance politics. How can the U.S Research Paper

The collective good problem in alliance politics. How can the U.S. resolve this - Research Paper Example And further US current attitude towards NATO. Collective Good Defense is a typical model of a civic or shared good. The knowledge of the insinuations of this testimonial rest on in substantial part upon the state of the concept of collective goods. The evaluation with the concept of private goods, the notion of civic goods has been ignored. There are instances where this concept is typically assumed as confusing and incorrect, and these hypothetical problems must be resolute beforehand the insinuations of the fact that defense is a collective good can be sufficiently understood. Any effort to explain or develop the theory of civic goods should in sequence initiate with a perfect explanation of the theory of a civic good. Two separate major features have been implied in most debates of civic goods. The feature of a civic good is that it is not likely, or in any case financially viable, to ignore non purchasers from the ingesting of it. For instance, the East Coast is secured counter t o amphibious attack, Midwesterners cannot practically be barred from the benefits of this good. The next feature of a civic good is that if offered to one person in a cluster, it can be given to the others at no marginal cost. In other words, it is a good of a type that can be spent by an added person lacking any substantial decrease in the quantity accessible to the original customers. Defense typically has this feature. By means of the likelihood of a toll barricade devoid of non-purchasers at such a bridge exposes, the two significant features of a civic good need not constantly be present together. A good that has simply one of the feature can practically be examined as a collective good, although these two features are most frequently seen together. It is obvious that the theory of outside economies is involved in this description of a joint good. An outside economy has well-defined as advantage that non-purchasers cannot be set aside as of relishing and consequently cannot get a value in the marketplace. A deliberation of outside financial prudence and the crucial features of civic goods propose that ‘public goods’ might be named ‘collective goods.’ The fact that collective goods are intrinsic in administrative or cluster exertions to accomplish a mutual objective has a superior significance in the global setting. It proposes that at any time two or more countries have a common adversary, and one of the two involves, fails, or terminates the mutual adversary, there has to be a collective good or external economy the other country might as well relish (Roland, McKean). Alliance Politics On the assumptions that as long as autonomous polities have been present, there existed alliances. The pervasive nature of alliances has led to several studies on what reasons alliances are made, in what way alliances are coped, and under what circumstances alliance arrangements are respected in chaos. So far, yet, these interrogations regarding t he politics of alliances have been treated autonomously. Anarchy is usually compared to the ever-present safety menace. Nevertheless, such a menace is a concern of the lack of exogenous actions to impose treaties. Any global treaty has to be self-enforcing or acting within the treaty must be a superlative approach, given the conduct of one's alliance partner and the necessities of the treaty. The collected works, where alliances are observed as tools for combining nations' competences, offers the leading description for why alliances

Conflict Resolutions, Cultrual Differences Essay Example for Free

Conflict Resolutions, Cultrual Differences Essay The American way of dealing with conflict, according to the article, is arguing. This might not be the best way, and its definitely not the only way. The article serves the purpose of exploring the cultural differences in how others deal with conflict. It provides alternatives and different ideas in how to resolve conflicts, as oppose to arguing. Arguing is a method of dealing with conflict. In the argument culture nearly everything is framed as a battle or game in which winning or losing is the main concern. The pillars of argument rest on this win-lose idea. Argument is expressed through polarized, two sided, debates and battles. The result elicits a winner and a resolved conflict. This method is commonly used in the Western culture in general, and in the United States in particular. It is also used by individuals of Eastern European background, Jewish tradition, and in some Indian cultures. Joanna Repczynski, for example, had an experience in her visit to France. Her host kept initiating a heated intellectual debate over dinner. When Joanna agreed, another argument would be on its way. Another example is Andrea Talarico. When her Italian-American family argues, their voices would raise and objects would be thrown in an intense discussion. Another example is the Japanese woman who is married to a Frenchman. The Frenchman started arguments with his wife. Finally when she argued back, he was overjoyed rather than getting upset. The advantages of arguments are various. In the case of Joanna and her host, the host felt as if arguing would keep things interesting. Agreement was just to boring. Andrea sees advantages to her Italian-American familys style: We always know how each other feels at all times. This is a sign of her familys closeness. The Frenchman was overjoyed that his wife argued back because it was a sign of showing interest and showing respect for each others intelligence. To him disagreement was a sign of a good relationship. There are disadvantages of arguments. It can be upsetting and it can turn violent. The Japanese women found it so upsetting and Andreas family threw objects. For people who arent used to the argument culture,  arguing can come off to be a surprise, confusion, or alarm and be very offensive. The disadvantaged result of an argument or debate is that there is always a loser. Another method of resolving conflict is ritual vituperation. This method works by the means of screaming insults and song lashing. It was created by traditional societies; the rules are culturally agreed upon, which gives this method a ritual context. It is used by Women in Gapun, Papua New Guinea and in traditional Nigerian villages. Women in Gapun Papua New Guinea, when angered by husbands, relatives, or fellow villagers, can erupt in a kros, shouting insults and obscenities loudly enough to be heard all around. The shouter waits near or in her home and waits for her offender to go far enough away. The villagers, then, watch up close as the women shouts. In Nigeria, a very similar method is used, song lashing. It consists of familiar proverbs or original verses that implies insults. Like kros, onlookers also watch. Its different in the way that the target is referred to indirectly. An advantage of this way of managing conflict is that it provides outlets so aggression can be expressed. Its their way of relieving anger. The advantages stem from its ritualized, structured rules. The onlookers role is to prevent any physical violence. The onlookers provide the speaker with the satisfaction of listening. The speaker provides the onlookers with entertainment. Effective song-lashers are admired for their verbal skill. The target is relived of any direct abuse. There are two major disadvantages to this method. The conflict doesnt get resolved and the children in the surrounding area are subjected to this inappropriate verbal aggression. An alternative to the idea of winning or losing is victors without vanquished. This method of dealing with conflict is to honor the winners as well as the losers. There is more emphasis on harmony rather than winner take all. This method is used in the Asian culture and has a historical  significance in Japan. An example of this method is the 1868 Asian revolution. The two sides of the conflict were the supporters of the Western government model and the old, Chinese model. The people who had fought for the old regimen were not punished but invited to join the new government (and most did). The Western supporters won, but the supporters of the traditional, Chinese model maintained their respect and dignity; they were allowed to remain in existence. The main advantage of this method is that the loser gets recognition, retaining a large measure of respect. According to Ben-Ami Shillony, an anthropologist, this method helped Japan avoid disastrous internecine ethnic and religious strife. The advantage of this method is that it resolves conflicts without disastrous escalation. The disadvantage of this method is that social pressure to maintain harmony can actually cause conflict. The actions of people on conflicting sides are altered by the interference of harmony. For example, a person in disagreement with another might want to take action, but the emphasis on harmony might yield that action, which can cause frustration or even anger. Another disadvantage is that in a society that emphasis harmonic competition, competition tends to become more fiercer than in a society where competition is normal. Another way of dealing with conflict is by the use of intermediaries, third parties. This method rests on the idea that community pressure takes the place of direct conflict. This reflects an emphasis on harmony and interdependence. The conflicting sides are dependent on a mediator, or peacemakers to resolve a conflict. This method can be formally ritualized, or informal. This method is used in Asian societies and in many Pacific cultures. An informal example of this method is the use of matchmakers or marriage brokers. Another example is when neighbors pressure a son or a daughter-in-law to stop neglecting a parent or parent-in-law. There are no ritualized rules in these examples, only third parties that take the place  of direct confrontation. The use third parties can be ritualized or formal. For example, the use of standard structures or rules and hierarchical relations to maintain harmony. In the Solomon Islands, faamananataanga is the way that conflicts can be resolved. The event is held over a family dinner, speaking is serious and formal, and the most senior person is the peacemaker, all making this ritualized. In Tannan, a South Pacific island, Conflicts among villagers or between villages are discussed publicly by groups of adult men at special meetings that last all day. The people present are the go-betweens and the most senior people hold hierarchy positions within the group. Rather than resolving the conflict, these meetings are a way of taking part in a joint journey that results in consensus flowing from the interaction of all. They accomplish harmony of the minds and general understanding out of group effort. Another example is the Fijian Indians. They set up committees, third parties, which interview the opponents before a formal meeting called pancayat. The Japanese use a similar method called nemawashi. It rests on the idea that there are two wrongs and now it is right. Neither opponent is blamed as being the only wrong and seriously at fault. An advantage of intermediaries is that they offer the needed apology without the principal losing face and can absorb rejections without taking them personally. In the case of the matchmaker, the groom avoids the risk of rejection from the potential bride. The groom is then saving face, keeping his dignity and pride. Another advantage of using intermediaries is that the third party offers motivation. The third parties also play a role in maintaining peace and help to avoid potential violence. The idea of pancayat and nemawashi seems a much better way of gathering information than forcing people to speak in a high-pressure public event. The committees take the pressure off of the opponents. A disadvantage of using intermediaries is that the third party is placed in potentially unhealthy and inappropriate circumstances. The third parties are subjected to others conflicts, anger and possible violence. The third parties have a chance to get hurt. The cultures that use intermediaries form a dependence on them to handle their disputes. Even some psychologists tend to regard handling your own conflicts is a sign of maturity. The use of third parties can be a sign of interdependence and immaturity. Another idea of resolving conflict is ritualized fighting. The fighting has specific rules and culturally inclinations. This method is the expression of opposition. The opponents do not gage in physical contact, only express it. It is used in Bali, Indonesia and in Tori, Ireland. In Bali, Indonesia ritualized cock fighting is a fundamental way of dealing with conflict. In Tori, Ireland neighborhood street fights are ritualized ways of dealing with conflict. The rules are not in the sense that the players could recount them. They are just normal and taken for granted. The fighters come out in public and threaten each other. Everything about the fight was structured so that the two men could seem eager to exchange blows without ever landing one. No one gets hurt because no physical contact is actually exchanged. Finally, the mothers, or a female relative, of the fighters would break it up. She would implore the fighter to come home and stop fighting. An advantage of this method is that no one gets hurt. The fighters could rely on their kin to restrain them, preventing them from hurting each other. The onlookers, especially the kin take the role of stopping any physical contact. Another advantage is that the fighters provide the audience with entertainment and excitement for both participants and onlookers. The fight also provides outlets for the fighters and a way they can show their manhood and get more respect. These ritualized customs reinforce social bonds and alliances. The interactive part and support of the society helps to bond them closer together. A disadvantage to this method is that if the kin of one, or both, fighters are not present during the fight, physical contact might occur and someone can get hurt. Another disadvantage is that some of the onlookers may be children. The children are then subjected to cursing and threatening. They might look up to the manly fighters and want to mimic them. A major disadvantage of this method is that the conflict does not get resolved. Comparing the argument culture to ritualized methods of dealing with conflict, it seems that arguing overemphasizes winning, loosing and war and sports metaphors. Too much concentration on polarized views and not enough  on harmony that discourages confrontation. The cultural, ritualized rules provide that culture with boundaries, values, and controlled ways to manage conflict. We cannot simply adopt the rituals of another culture, but thinking about them can give us pause and perhaps even ideas for devising our new ways to mange conflict. The article provides insight on many ideas how to manage conflict. These new ideas can influence an individual, perhaps myself, to manage conflict more constructively.

Sound In Casablanca | Analysis

Sound In Casablanca | Analysis One of the first known movies, Casablanca, was acted by Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman and Paul Henreid, directed by Michael Curtiz. The music of this movie was made by Max Steiner. The sound is one of the important components in the movie because it shows the emotions of the actors as it also shows the importance of the scene. Moreover, the spoken language must be one important thing that the editor must focus on because it shows the culture of the country where the story-plot of the movie is happening. This movie tells a story of a man, Humphrey Bogart, who is trying to help the woman that he loved before by making her escape from Casablanca with her husband and continue the fight against the Nazis oppression. This movie has different sound effects, dialogues and musical tones. Firstly, sound effects in movie are some effects like rain and crashes that are added to complete the sense that is created by the camera, so the audience will be able to understand the scene in detail. In this movie, there are a lot of sound effects that are added. The producer used the rain in the scene where Ingrid was leaving with her husband and he used also in the beginning where she and Humphrey were running from the guards. The rain in these scenes gives a sense to the audience about the sadness and torture that the actors are feeling. Moreover, some scenes of this movie have some fastened dialogues. The fastened dialogues are usually used to give the sense to the dialogue how much it is important and urgent. Also, there are many tones used in this movie used by different characters. For example, in the end of the movie, we see that Humphrey and the police man are using a quiet and slow tone. This means that both of them are comfortable and happy with what just happened. In t he scene before, we can see that the police man had other feelings by his tone. It was faster and with high volumes which show the anger of the police man. Another example, Humphrey was using the low tone during the whole movie which shows his real personality. He is kind of calm and doesnt show his emotions to the people surrounding him. On the other hand, Ingrid is the kind of women who gets stressed after a serious action happens. All of this is known from the tones that differ from a low to a high pitch. From here, we would have covered the sound effects that are included in the movie with different characters. Secondly, one of the most important effects that is used in every movie and gives it more creativity, the music; is used many times in the movie with many different types of songs that differ according to the type of the scene. In the introduction of the movie, we see that the music producer was using the low tone music according to the simple life that he was describing, and suddenly, he changed to high tone music when the police started making the chase. After finishing the chase, he changed it back to a low tone pitch. This means that he was making the music according to the importance of the scene and what it is describing. Basically, he wants to emphasize the importance of the scene as to how serious the Nazis are with the unconditional assistance of the French when they are to apprehend suspicious characters in the movie. A particular song, that has been played in the movie which is Knock on Wood by M.K. Jerome symbolizes a group chore song, where everyone takes part in singing . The owner of the Cafà ©, whom is played by Humphrey Bogart stage name as Rick, chose the right time and place to hide the transit letters under the song notes on the piano table, while Sam and the customers were singing in sync. In addition, Rick believed that Sams piano, is the only safe place to put the transit documents as he knows that the French and the Nazis are going to do whatever it takes to locate these transit documents. One important scene, that spurred a wait in many characters in the film, as they await the coming of Victor Laszlo Paul Henreid and his wife Ilsa Lund Ingrid Bergman, as they pass by Sams Piano, Sam plays in a low tune as he remembers the face of Ilsa whom is an ex-lover to Rick , the owner of the Cafà ©. This tells the audience that there might be a clash of old memories between Rick and Elsa, thus Sam looks the other way and gets back to the high toned music that he usually plays. One of the best scenes, that I admired is when Ilsa, called Sam the p ianist; to come to the table and play for her one of the oldest love songs of all time which is known as As Time Goes By by Frank Sinatra. This song triggered great memories between Rick and Ilsa while they were together in Paris. This tells the audience, what a sentimental moment this is and this song fits right in as the lyrics provide an overview of their relationship while they were in Paris. In between the love scene memories that Rick and Ilsa are in, we can see that the only driver that broke apart those two lovers was the rumor that Victor Laszlo is alive. This important figure turns out to be Ilsas husband whom was sentenced to a German concentration camp while she was in love with Rick in Paris. The sound effects in this scene, alerts us as to how the German war mechanisms are rushing towards their target as they are coming to take over France starting with the capitol and expanding abroad. This shows the audience how fearsome the Germans are. Another example, at the end o f the movie, he used high volume music with the fast kinetics of the characters. This shows how they are worried and want to arrive as fast as they can. After that, when Ingrid and her husband escaped by the airplane and Humphrey started talking with the police man, he used a romantic song. This song shows us how they are happy by this end and hoping for the best in the future. Furthermore, in the scene where the couples were having a cup of coffee, there was no music at all, and then suddenly, a medium level song started with the scene that showed the reaction of the people. This song actually shows how the people are shocked by the air plane hovering Casablanca and its importance for them as to find exit visas to get out of Casablanca and get to America. The editor also used another type of music, the music that he used was sung by the actors. This kind of music gives the movie more reality. He used this type of music in the scene where the French and Nazi soldiers were singing th eir national anthem. Through this scene, the audience understands what at stake, hope, love and fight for our country against the Nazi Oppression. Furthermore, in the scene, you see how the Germans were silenced as the crowd grew larger for the French cause and Victor Laszlos stage figure made the Germans more angry as they felt intimidated by his patriotic actions and gathering a number of people to stand against the Nazis. In this case, we can see that this type of music shows the emotions of the actors and how they are devoted towards their cause. Finally, at the last moments before the ending the film, when Victor and his wife Ilsa were fleeing to Lisbon via the transit documents provided by Rick, we can hear a high pitch volume, showing the intensity of the situation as the German Major Strasser is speeding to reach the airport to stop the plane from going airborne. In addition, while the couple was heading to the plane we can hear in the background As Time Goes By in a low ton e. By this, we would have discussed the music of this movie with its different tones that made it more interesting. Thirdly, every movie has its own language that represents the culture of that place. Some movies use different languages according to mixture of the cultures in the movie. In this movie the editor used only English which is one of disadvantages in this movie. He was supposed to use some French when the French soldiers are talking with each other. Furthermore, the spoken language that is used in the street must be Arab because the original people are Arab and most of them are working in the coffee shops and markets. There was only one scene where we have seen the people using their native language. This scene is when the two parts started singing their own anthem. In this case, it is logical to use those languages because a national anthem must be sung in this way or it will destroy the culture of that country. From these examples, we can see that the editor was not able to achieve the goal of using the languages in their place. Finally, we can that the movie was able to describe the emotions of the people in many scenes with different types of sounds. He used sound effects to add them to the scenes, so it will be able to show the emotions and feelings without making any disturbance to the audience. Moreover, he used music that is more important because it make the audience expect what is going to happen next and also describe the importance of that scene in the movie. Also, there is the spoken language that was not used by the writer in an appropriate way because he used only English which is not used in that place at that time. By this, we can see that Casablanca can be classified as one of greatest movies of all time due to its sound effects, spoken dialogue and musical features that made it one of the best movies of all times.

King James I :: Papers

King James I born June 19, 1566, Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh, Scotland died March 27, 1625, Theobalds, Hertfordshire, England King of Scotland (as James VI) from 1567 to 1625 and first Stuart king of England from 1603 to 1625, who styled himself â€Å"king of Great Britain.† James was a strong advocate of royal absolutism, and his conflicts with an increasingly self-assertive Parliament set the stage for the rebellion against his successor, Charles I. James was the only son of Mary, Queen of Scots, and her second husband, Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley. Eight months after James's birth his father died when his house was destroyed by an explosion. After her third marriage, to James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell, Mary was defeated by rebel Scottish lords and abdicated the throne. James, one year old, became king of Scotland on July 24, 1567; Mary left the kingdom on May 16, 1568, and never saw her son again. During his minority James was surrounded by a small band of the great Scottish lords, from whom emerged the four successive regents, the earls of Moray, Lennox, Mar, and Morton. There did not exist in Scotland the great gulf between rulers and ruled that separated the Tudors and their subjects in England. For nine generations the Stuarts had in fact been merely the ruling family among many equals, and James all his life retained a feeling for those of the great Scottish lords who gained his confidence. The young king was kept fairly isolated but was given a good education until the age of 14. He studied Greek, French, and Latin and made good use of a library of classical and religious writings that his tutors, George Buchanan and Peter Young, assembled for him. James's education aroused in him literary ambitions rarely found in princes but which also tended to make him a pedant. Before James was 12 he had taken the government nominally into his own hands when the Earl of Morton was driven from the regency in 1578. For several years more, however, James remained the puppet of contending intriguers and faction leaders. After falling under the influence of the Duke of Lennox, a Roman Catholic who schemed to win back Scotland for the imprisoned Queen Mary, James was kidnapped by William Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie, in 1582 and was forced to denounce Lennox. The following year James escaped from his Protestant captors and began to pursue his own policies as king.

Individuals vs. Society Essay -- essays research papers

An individual’s role in society can vary with the number themes the characters exhibit. When there are signs of fate, cruelties, weaknesses, and desires for justice and catharsis the role of an individual becomes more complicated. In Antigone, most of those themes are shown thus a single person’s influence or role on society is very small and complicated to attain. However in The Lottery the society has most of the control and there is not many signs of those characteristics so the role of a person is simplified because they are nothing compared to the society combined. Finally, in The Penalty of Death, there are signs of many of the themes but since it is the societies influence against that of an individuals, it is simplified because they have to work together. Out of the three readings, I believe that Antigone exhibits most of the characteristics that complicates an individual’s role in society. There is a considerable amount of fate shown in this story. For example, the most evident is that of our main character Antigone. Her fate is shown from the Prologue where she makes her decision to bury her brother Polyneices. â€Å"Ismene, I am going to bury him. Will you come?† There is a point that sort of suggests where her conflict will arise where she defies Creon’s law by saying, â€Å"Creon is not strong enough to stand in my way.† Weakness was shown on the part of Creon. His main weaknesses were his cruelty and hubris. He seems especially cruel when he is enraged with Haimon for t...

Slang

Introduction We speak differently in different situations. The way we speak and the choice of words depend on the situation in which the processes of communication is realized. As we are speaking about the functions of all this words in different situations we have to define â€Å"functional style† Under a â€Å"function style† we understand language means peculiar to a specific sphear of communication. The basic vocabulary is the central group of the vocabulary, its historical foundation and living core. Basic vocabulary| Informal| Formal| begin| start, get started| commence| ontinue| go on, get on| proceed| end| finish, be through, be over| terminate| child, baby| kid, brat, beam (dial. )| infant, babe (poet. )| There has been a diversion between formal and informal speech for nearly as long as language has existed, particularly after the advent of written language, which was initially used in correspondence, business and legal proceedings. Aristocrats also adopted mo re â€Å"high-brow† language also as a way of differentiating themselves from commoners, who were more likely to use colloquialisms in their interactions. Informal vocabulary is used when speaking with friends, relatives, acquaintance. There are several sub-groups in this group:Colloquial words; slang and dialect words Colloquialisms serve the dual purposes of efficiency and showing familiarity between the speaker and the listener. For example, modern speakers of English often use contractions, such as â€Å"how'd† in â€Å"How'd you do it? † as a faster way of articulating a point than using complete words—â€Å"How did you do it? † As a way of expressing closeness and familiarity, friends may say â€Å"What's up? rather than â€Å"How are you? † or the more formal â€Å"How do you do? † Colloquialisms can also be found in changes in vocabulary, such as the use of â€Å"fave† for â€Å"favorite. † Many linguists differentiate colloquial language from slang and other dialects of a language. Slang is a particular choice of vocabulary and grammar used by a subgroup, such as a certa in age group, within a society, unlike colloquial language, which is still considered standard speech and is used by most people within a language group. Still, some colloquialisms may be related to slang. Dialects are separate forms of a related language that is spoken by a group, such as those living a particular region. Colloquial Words A  colloquialism  is a  word,  phrase, or  paralanguage  that is employed in  conversational  or informal language but not in formal speech or  formal writing. Dictionaries often display colloquial words and phrases with the abbreviation  colloq. as an  identifier. Colloquialisms include words (such as y’al  y’l , gonna  , and wanna  ), phrases (such as  old as the hills,  raining cats and dogs, and  dead as a doornail) and  aphorisms  (such as There’s more than one way to skin a cat). Generally, colloquialisms are specific to a  geographical  region. They are used in â€Å"everyday† conversation and, increasingly, through informal online interactions. An example of the regional specificity of colloquialisms is the term used when referring to â€Å"soft drinks†. In the  Upper Midwestern United States  and  Canada, soft drinks are called â€Å"pop†, whilst in other areas, notably the  Northeastern  and far  Western United States, they are referred to as â€Å"soda†. In some areas of Scotland, the term â€Å"ginger† is used. Words that have a formal meaning can also have a colloquial meaning. For example, â€Å"kid† can mean â€Å"young goat† in formal usage and â€Å"child† in colloquial usage. An example of a colloquialism and how it migrates to other areas is the Indian phrase, â€Å"Please do the needful†, meaning, â€Å"Please do what is implied and/or expected†. As the global workplace expands, this once regional phrase is now being used outside the area in which it originated. Some  linguists  make a distinction between colloquialisms and â€Å"slangisms† (slang  words). Slang refers to informal lexical  items used by a specific social group, for instance teenagers,  soldiers,  prisoners, or  surfers. Slang is not considered the same as colloquial speech, which is informal, relaxed speech used on occasion by any speaker; this might include contractions such as you’re, as well as colloquialisms. A colloquialism is a lexical item used in informal speech; whilst the broadest sense of the term  colloquialism  might include slangism, its narrow sense does not. Slangisms are often used in colloquial speech but not all colloquialisms are slangisms. One method of distinguishing between a slangism and a colloquialism is to ask whether most native speakers know the word (and use it); if they do, it is a colloquialism. However, the problem is that this is not a discrete, quantized system but a continuum. Although the majority of slangisms are ephemeral and often supplanted by new ones, some gain non-slang colloquial status (e. g. English  silly  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ cf. German  selig  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœblessed’, Middle High  German  s? lde‘bliss, luck’, and  Zelda, a Middle Eastern female first name) and even formal status (e. . English  mob). † Colloquial words are divided into literary-colloquial, familiar-colloquial, and low-colloquial. Literary-colloquial words do not break the norms of the language. We use these words in our everyday speech. EG: He has caught a cold. Many of the cliches belong to this group: EG: ! Thank you! Thanks. These word are also use in fiction. They are used in the speech of the char acters and in modern books, literature, in the author’s narration. familiar-colloquial words sound rude. They are colorful and expressive. They’re used by the young people, who want to be grown up and want to be independent and by those people whose cultural and educational background is poor. EG: I’m fed up with it. low-colloquial words are met in the speech of the illiterate people It should be noted that there is no strict boarder line between literary and familiar col. , and fam. and low colloquial. EG: familiar combinations: â€Å"awfully nice†, â€Å"not so bed† Slang All languages, countries, and periods of history have slang. This is true because they all have had words with varying degrees of social acceptance and popularity. The same linguistic processes are used to create and popularize slang as are used to create and popularize all other words. That is, all words are created and popularized in the same general ways; they are labeled slang only according to their current social acceptance, long after creation and popularization. To fully understand slang, one must remember that a word's use, popularity, and acceptability can change. Words can change in social level, moving in any direction. Thus, some standard words of William Shakespeare's day are found only in certain modern-day British dialects. Words that are taboo in one era (e. g. , stomach, thigh) can become accepted, standard words in a later era. Many prove either useful enough to become accepted as standard or informal words or too faddish for standard use. Blizzard and okay have become standard, while conbobberation (â€Å"disturbance†) and tomato (â€Å"girl†) have been discarded. Some words and expressions have a lasting place in slang; for instance, beat it (â€Å"go away†), first used in the 16th century, has neither become Standard English nor vanished. Language is dynamic, and at any given time hundreds, and perhaps thousands, of words and expressions are in the process of changing from one level to another, of becoming more acceptable or less acceptable, of becoming more popular or less popular. Slang is very informal use of words and phrases for more colorful or peculiar style of expression that is shared by the people in the same social subgroup, for example, computer slang, sports slang, military slang, musicians' slang, students' slang, underworld slang, etc. Slang is not used by the majority of native speakers and many people consider it vulgar, though quite a few slang phrases have already come into standard usage. Slang contains many obscene and offensive words and phrases. It also has many expressions that are acceptable in informal communicationThe origin of the word slang itself is obscure; it first appeared in print around 1800, applied to the speech of disreputable and criminal classes in London. Slang is a subset of a language used by one particular group. It consists of words and expressions which will not be found in the dictionary, and can be distortions of existing words or entirely invented terms. It is used in informal situations. It is not appropriate in formal situations. is used by all kinds of groups of people who share situations or interests. The group which uses these words is always in the minority, and often use slang to set themselves apart or make it difficult for ordinary people to understand them. When a particular new expressions is known and used by a large majority of the population, it is no longer slang, but part of the regular language or usage. Slang fulfills at least two different functions, depending on whose point of view you take. For the groups that use slang, it is a way to set themselves apart, to express themselves in a distinct and individual way, and sometimes to keep secrets from being known by others. But for the society in general and the development of the language, slang performs another role. For the language, slang is like a linguistic laboratory, where new words and forms can be tested out, applied to a variety of situations, and then either abandoned or incorporated into the regular language. It’s like a trial period for new words. If they allow people to say something that cannot be said using traditional language, and a majority of people accept them, then these words and expressions join their regular language. After a period of between a few months and many years, slang is used by limited groups with something in common. The far majority never reach the popularity and level of use to become regular words, and are soon forgotten and not used. A few reach widespread usage and can be found in each new edition of the popular dictionaries. Many of the words we use everyday and can find in the dictionary began life as slang. Even Shakespeare used slang. The term  dialect  is used in two distinct ways, even by  linguists. One usage refers to a  variety  of a  language  that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors, such as social class. A  standard dialect  (also known as a  standardized dialect  or â€Å"standard language†) is a dialect that is supported by institutions. Such institutional support may include government recognition or designation.   A  nonstandard dialect, like a standard dialect, has a complete vocabulary, grammar, and syntax, but is not the beneficiary of institutional support. References http://www. bu. edu/mfeldman/Slang/ http://www. webspace. ship. edu http://www. englishclub. com en. wikipedia. org