Operant Conditioning PS240 WK4 Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Operant Conditioning PS240 WK4 - Term Paper Example Negative reinforcement occurs when a specific behavior is encouraged by the ceasing of a negative condition. Something negative is removed to entice the prevalence of a wanted behavior. Therefore, negative reinforcement seeks to encourage an individual by taking away something that they do not like. Like reinforcement, punishment is also viewed in terms of positive and negative. Positive punishment requires the presentation of a displeasing and unwanted stimulus. When an individual displays a negative behavior, they are presented with the displeasing stimulus immediately after, which helps to discourage the repetition of that behavior (Stangor, 2010). The purpose of positive punishment is to avoid being presented with the negative stimulus, which can only be done by ceasing the behavior. Negative punishment occurs when something that the individual finds enjoyable is taken away in response to unacceptable or unapproved behavior. This aspect of the punishment system is to avoid having that good thing removed, therefore prompting the individual to cease with their unwanted behavior. Operant conditioning has proven to be a very beneficial system in the daily lives of many individuals who wish to increase or cease entirely certain behaviors. In my personal life, operant conditioning has been useful in regard to my schoolwork and my need to put an end to detrimental procrastination habits. By implementing positive reinforcement into my study habits, I treat myself to a reward, which is primarily in the form of a break, after I have studied worked for a predetermined amount of time. I apply negative reinforcement by removing all distractions from around my work area. Anything that can aid in my procrastination is moved out of my grasp and line of vision. Positive punishment comes in the form of increased study time if I slack off. The more that I procrastinate, the more that I have to work. As for a negative

Analysis of the economic arguments of an independent central bank Essay

Analysis of the economic arguments of an independent central bank - Essay Example The Latin American inflations are fable material with inflation rates sky rocketing often to 200% or more. In some extreme cases what was affordable at twilight became unaffordable by daylight. With complex and fine lending and borrowing of money as investible funds, interest rates have turned indicators that are pliable in the hands policy makers or dictators as the case may be.Government, myopic with political avarice, and desirous of sweeping hustings have dictated lower interest rates, keeping economic realities on window sills. This tended to raise up spending and then employment though only in the short term, but finally and in the medium to long term it caused severe inflationary pressures. Inflations were crippling when such spending was directed less towards real sector and more towards wasteful expenditure resulting in the physical output not meeting the heightened stock of money in circulation. It is at once natural for a political system to dictate manipulation of monetar y policy and maintain only a short run vision of popularity in or around the election period even risking higher inflation just because this option always was available to detractors or competitors for votes. The Keynesian prescriptions did not build a specific treatment of inflationary situations despite the fact that such situations had arisen. It was preoccupied with determination of the output levels and relied only on a simplistic analysis of inflation via media the demand and supply theory of money. Enunciation of the Phillips curve added a logical sequence to analysis of inflation. The Phillips curve, in its native form, posited a long-run trade-off between inflation and unemployment. However this causality has been reexamined and redefined theoretically and... This paper presents a thorough theoretical analysis of the varying role of central banks in an economy, in an attempt to find the optimal level of central bank`s independence from state. Central banks the world over have quiet but strong presences. With low public visibility they perform the most vital of functions with that of creating and putting into circulation legal tender money. As is known legal tender money serves as a means of payment, a unit of account and a store of value. The most preferred favoring an independent central bank is that the power to expend money should be separated or delinked substantially from the power to create money. In case these two capabilities converge we have spendthrift governments indulging in fiscal profligacy while the Central Bank simply acts as a 24/7 mint or currency printing house. While political masters may be tempted to manipulate monetary policy to suit their short term political objectives the Central banking professionals, having no such ulterior targets, nurture and design monetary policy generally on a long horizon. Protecting monetary policy decisions from State dictates can better assist the cause of lower inflation while a decent economic growth rate can be targeted concurrently. Short run considerations of political nature force the economy in bouts of uncontrolled accelerations which often turn uncontrollable and unsustainable. In nearly every major financial crisis political interference in financial sector regulation helped make a bad situation worse.

Theories and Principles Of Leadership And Management

Theories and Principles Of Leadership And Management Leadership is said to be a way of behaving that influence others to respond, not because they want to, but because they have to, it is seen as personal interactions between group of people which aim at improving personal interactions and focus on achieving a particular goals. Catalano (2006), define leadership as the ability of and individual to influence the behavior of others. A good leadership must possess some very important skills to be effective, this includes but not limited to critical thinking, problem solving, active listening, skillful communication, acknowledgment and respect for individual difference, establishment of clear goals and outcomes, and continue personal and professional development (Tappen 2001). While Management on the other can be define a problem oriented process with a focus on the activities needed to achieve a goal, it supply the structure, resources and direction for activities of the group. Management is aimed toward influencing employees to be as pro ductive as humanly possible Catalano (2005). There is always a relationship between leadership and management in nursing, Malby (1996) indicates that developing and fostering leadership competencies could direct nurse managers to think beyond tradition and to coordinate multidisciplinary dialogue which articulates the needs of the system and the patients whilst empowering employee. Leadership has been defined by different scholars and it has been group into theory for better understanding of its relationship to management, in this essay I will concentrate on the effect of different leadership and management theory and how it is related to nursing and healthcare system. Leadership theories Relationship-tasks orientation and Management theory Leadership and management Leadership Theory In authoritarian leadership style, the leaders maintain strong control over all aspects of the group and its activities, provide directions by giving others that the group are expected to carry out without questions (catalano 2006). This kind of leadership style should not be used in healthcare setting because of it negative influence on care giver, since healthcare is an interdisciplinary system in which group participation provide the best care for client and promote health. The mother of Nursing, Florence Nightingale has been said to use this style of leadership during her time. Her leadership and management style permeated nursing management for decades, and continued to dominate health care settings established and managed by the religious orders. Castigatory criticism, strong overt control, an I and you difference in status and a complete absence of individual consideration were the epitome of nursing management (Marquis Huston 2000, Widerquist 2000). And this was also support ed by Widerquist (2000) statement that whilst Nightingale may be considered a Great Woman of the Victorian era, the undercurrents of her theories, ideologies and management style have had deleterious consequences for subsequent nursing practice and nursing management. Carney (1999) asserts that whilst evidence suggests that this approach is still employed in some health care settings, the autocratic leadership style should only be utilized in crisis situations. In Democratic style theory (Supportive or Participating), all aspects of the process of achieving a goal, from planning and goal setting to implementing and taking credit for the success of the project, are shared by the group (Catalano 2006). This allows members participation and control because of its freedom of expression altitude toward achievement of goals. Murphy (2005) stated that Democratic leadership is supportive of group interaction and decision-making. Staff is motivated by economic or ego awards and supported by direction and guidance. Laissez- Faire leadership Style is also describe as permissive, non directive, or passive. The laissez-faire style leader allows the group he or she is leading to determine their own goals and the methods to achieve them. There is little planning, minimal decision making, and a lack of involvement by the leader (catalano 2006). The laissez-faire leader observes followers working from a distance and does not tend to intercede unless necessitated (Mullins 1994). Because of the leader little control and authority which can lead to variable efficiency and quality of output it is not commonly used in healthcare setting. Marquis and Huston (2000) caution that if this style of leadership is used inappropriately, it can precipitate apathy and disinterest in staff and a frenetic department. Transformational theory recognizes that multiple intangibles exist whenever people interact. Factors such as sense of meaning, creativity, Inspiration, and vision all are involved in creating a sense of mission that exceeds good interpersonal relationships and reward. In many healthcare facilities, nursing leaders are expected to inspire excitement and commitment in nurses, who often must provide care to very ill clients in less than ideal circumstances (catalon 2006). Transformational leaders strive to elevate the needs of their followers which are congruent with their own goals and objectives through charisma, intellectual stimulation and individual consideration (Bass et al.1987a). Leadership orientation and Management theory In High Relationship- Low Task Orientation the leaders are usually well liked by the groups because of their acceptance of the group members as individuals, consideration of their feelings, encouragement, and promotion of good feelings among all the group members (catalano 2006). This relationship focuses more on the employee to elicit the high production ,and was supported by Human Interaction theory (management theory) in which management were required to develop a different set of management skills, including understanding human behavior, effective counseling , increase motivation using effective leadership skills and maintaining productive communication (catalano 2006). In Nursing, this relationship helps to get the best out of the health care team thereby increasing the quality of care giving to patients. These theories was also supported by the Michigan studies on the leadership behavior(Cole 1999) in which it reported that supervisors of high producing groups tended to be empl oyee-oriented and exercised employee participation in decision making, thereby promoting team development and cohesiveness. High Task-Low Relationship describe a leader who does all the planning with little regard to the input or feelings of the group, gives order and expect them to be carried out without questions (Catalano 2006). This can be related to Time-Motion Theory (management theory), define as planning, organizing, commanding, and controlling the work of any particular group of employee (Catalannn2006). This can create a non productive environment if use in the health care setting because of it decrease in employee satisfaction. The Michigan studies (Cole 1999) conclude that the supervisors of low producing groups were task oriented and consequently were referred to as production-oriented leaders. These leaders focused more on the tasks than on the employee needs and tended to strictly monitor and control performance. Leadership and Management Leadership orientation and theory are used interchangeably, since environments and situations are constantly changing in healthcare settings. Factors such as member skills, the circumstances or problem at hand, the work environment are put into considerations. Fiedler (1967) identified the leaders power; the leader-follower relationship and the task to be accomplished as the key variables which determine the particular leadership style required to militate various problems in diverse situations. Hence, the applicability of Fiedlers (1967) leadership theory to contemporary nursing management is conceivable, as various approaches can be employed interchangeably to manage diverse situations. For example the authoritarian leadership is mostly used in emergency situations in which saving a life and obtaining maximum health is the highest goals of any group. And this is supported by Carney (1999), who asserts that whilst evidence suggests that this approach (authoritarian theory) is still employed in some health care settings, the autocratic leadership style should only be utilized in crisis situations. Catalano (2006) stated that a nurse manager on a hospital unit may use a highly democratic style in most of the routine activities of the unit, but when a client goes into cardiac arrest, she may revert to a highly authoritarian style while directing the staff through a code. Also in quality management, where the problems are often long term and complicated, the leader tends to be a nurse who is well organized and methodically sift through a mountain of information and statistics to develop a policy that covers the widest range of possibilities. It can be argue that to be an effective manager, it is apparent to have the quality and highly develop skills of a good leadership, especially in healthcare to achieve optimum health and increase productivity. Whilst one does not have to be a leader to manage and a manager to lead, researchers in the 1960s began to recognize how these skills can be intertwined and employed synonymously to realize organizational goals (Marquis Huston 2000). It could also be argued that unless managers are cognisance and competent in strategic planning development, which implicates on clinical practice, their efforts may be circumvented by more senior levels. In addition, to affect successful change management in a constantly changing environment, the nurse manager must be appropriately prepared to lead and manage the complexities and contingencies of this process (Dutton et al. 1997). Management and leadership skills complement each other, it can be learned and require practice and experience.

Themes in Hamlet Essay example -- GCSE English Literature Coursework

Themes in Hamlet      Ã‚  Ã‚   Within the Shakespearean tragic drama Hamlet there are a number of themes. Literary critics find it difficult to agree on the ranking of the themes. This essay will present the themes as they are illustrated in the play – and let the reader prioritize them.    Michael Neill in â€Å"None Can Escape Death, the ‘Undiscovered Country’† interprets the main theme of the play as a â€Å"prolonged meditation on death†:    How we respond to the ending of Hamlet – both as revenge drama and as psychological study – depends in part on how we respond to [the most important underlying theme] of the play – that is, to Hamlet as a prolonged meditation on death. The play is virtually framed by two encounters with the dead: at one end is the Ghost, at the other a pile of freshly excavated skulls. The skulls (all but one) are nameless and silent; the Ghost has an identity (though a questionable one) and a voice; yet they are more alike than at first seem. For this ghost, though invulnerable â€Å"as the air,† is described as a â€Å"dead corse,† a â€Å"ghost . . . come from the grave,† its appearance suggesting a grotesque disinterment of the buried king. The skulls for their part may be silent, but Hamlet plays upon each to draw out its own â€Å"excellent voice† just as he engineered that â€Å"miraculous organ† of the Ghost’s utterance, the †Å"Mousetrap.† (112-13)    The interpretation of the main theme of the play as revenge is popular among literary critics: Phyllis Abrahms and Alan Brody in â€Å"Hamlet and the Elizabethan Revenge Tragedy Formula† decide on revenge as the dominant theme:      There are ten deaths in Hamlet, if we include the death of Hamlet’s father and the â€Å"make-believe† death of the Player-King. The cause of ... ...eath, the ‘Undiscovered Country’.† Readings on Hamlet. Ed. Don Nardo. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Rpt. from â€Å"Hamlet: A Modern Perspective.† The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Ed. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. N. P.: Folger Shakespeare Lib., 1992.    Pitt, Angela. â€Å"Women in Shakespeare’s Tragedies.† Readings on The Tragedies. Ed. Clarice Swisher. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Excerpted from Shakespeare’s Women. N.p.: n.p., 1981.    Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 1995. http://www.chemicool.com/Shakespeare/hamlet/full.html    West, Rebecca. â€Å"A Court and World Infected by the Disease of Corruption.† Readings on Hamlet. Ed. Don Nardo. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Rpt. from The Court and the Castle. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1957.    Themes in Hamlet Essay example -- GCSE English Literature Coursework Themes in Hamlet      Ã‚  Ã‚   Within the Shakespearean tragic drama Hamlet there are a number of themes. Literary critics find it difficult to agree on the ranking of the themes. This essay will present the themes as they are illustrated in the play – and let the reader prioritize them.    Michael Neill in â€Å"None Can Escape Death, the ‘Undiscovered Country’† interprets the main theme of the play as a â€Å"prolonged meditation on death†:    How we respond to the ending of Hamlet – both as revenge drama and as psychological study – depends in part on how we respond to [the most important underlying theme] of the play – that is, to Hamlet as a prolonged meditation on death. The play is virtually framed by two encounters with the dead: at one end is the Ghost, at the other a pile of freshly excavated skulls. The skulls (all but one) are nameless and silent; the Ghost has an identity (though a questionable one) and a voice; yet they are more alike than at first seem. For this ghost, though invulnerable â€Å"as the air,† is described as a â€Å"dead corse,† a â€Å"ghost . . . come from the grave,† its appearance suggesting a grotesque disinterment of the buried king. The skulls for their part may be silent, but Hamlet plays upon each to draw out its own â€Å"excellent voice† just as he engineered that â€Å"miraculous organ† of the Ghost’s utterance, the †Å"Mousetrap.† (112-13)    The interpretation of the main theme of the play as revenge is popular among literary critics: Phyllis Abrahms and Alan Brody in â€Å"Hamlet and the Elizabethan Revenge Tragedy Formula† decide on revenge as the dominant theme:      There are ten deaths in Hamlet, if we include the death of Hamlet’s father and the â€Å"make-believe† death of the Player-King. The cause of ... ...eath, the ‘Undiscovered Country’.† Readings on Hamlet. Ed. Don Nardo. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Rpt. from â€Å"Hamlet: A Modern Perspective.† The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Ed. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. N. P.: Folger Shakespeare Lib., 1992.    Pitt, Angela. â€Å"Women in Shakespeare’s Tragedies.† Readings on The Tragedies. Ed. Clarice Swisher. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Excerpted from Shakespeare’s Women. N.p.: n.p., 1981.    Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 1995. http://www.chemicool.com/Shakespeare/hamlet/full.html    West, Rebecca. â€Å"A Court and World Infected by the Disease of Corruption.† Readings on Hamlet. Ed. Don Nardo. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Rpt. from The Court and the Castle. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1957.   

Quiz on Human Pathophysiology

This assignment is worth 40 points. Please make sure you have answered all questions prior to submitting. Once you click the submit button, you will not be able to return. Question 1 of A 9-year-old patient Is admitted to a pediatric unit with Dutchmen muscular dystrophy. Which of the following traits was this condition Inherited from? Sex-linked dominant Excellences Sex-limited Sex-linked recessive 2 of 40 A 70-year-old male with chronic renal failure presents with edema. Which of the following is the most likely cause of this condition? Increased capillary nonionic pressureDecreased interstitial nonionic pressure Increased capillary hydrostatic pressure Increased interstitial hydrostatic pressure 3 of 40 Which of the following can cause swollen feet to develop? Increased ATOP Chloride movement out of the cell An+ movement into the cell Decreased nonionic pressure 4 Of 40 What Is the role of cytokines In cell reproduction? Provide growth factor for tissue growth and development Bloc k progress of cell reproduction through the cell cycle Restrain cell growth and development Provide nutrients for cell growth and development Sodium and water accumulation in an injured cell are a direct result of which of the allowing?Decreased ATOP production Sororities Ribosome detachment Dehydration 6 of 40 A cell that does not contain a multiple of 23 chromosomes is called a diploid upload unplanned haploid 7 of 40 cell. Which of the following molecules is likely to accumulate in dead or dying tissues? Calcium Protein Uric acid Melanin 8 of 40 A condition in which a single chromosome is missing in each cell is called a haploid condition. An autos. A monsoons. Down Syndrome. 9 of 40 A child is born with blue eyes (b). The child's mother has blue eyes, and the father has brown eyes. Which of the following represents the father?Bibb Ebb 10 of 40 RNA directs the synthesis of protein through which process? Transcription Translation Translation 11 of 40 Which of the following problem s results in increased capillary hydrostatic pressure and the formation of edema? Renal failure Hemorrhaging Liver failure All of the above 12 of 40 The Eukaryotic cell consists of which of the following three components? The plasma membrane, the cytoplasm, and intracellular organelles The plasma membrane, the extracurricular membrane, and lagan's Cell Junctions, the extracurricular membranes, and proteins Water, proteins, and receptors 13 of 40The process by which cells program themselves to die is called corollary's. Optimism. Opinions. Necrosis. 31 of 40 Steven has Dutchmen muscular dystrophy. He inherited this condition from his mother only. Father only. Mother and father. Mother or father. The outward manifestation of a disease, which is often influenced by both genes and environment, is called the disease genotype. Allele. Phenotype. Dominance. 33 of 40 An increase in antipathetic hormone (DAD) secretion will result in which of the following changes? Increased serum sodium con centrations Decreased serum sodium concentrations Increased serum potassium concentrationsDecreased serum potassium concentrations 34 of 40 Which phase of catabolic produces the most ATOP? Digestion Glycoside Oxidation Citric acid cycle 35 of 40 Mutations can result in abnormal DNA. RNA. Proteins. DNA, RNA, and proteins. 36 of 40 Mutations that do not change the amino acid sequence and thus have no consequence are termed mutations. Frameset spontaneous silent misses 37 of 40 CT scan reveals that the patient is suffering from cerebral edema. This type of edema is referred to as localized edema. Generalized edema. Pitting edema. Lymphoma. 38 of 40 Which of the following is not an accepted theory of aging?Cellular aging results from wear and tear over the course of a lifetime. The degeneration of extracurricular materials such as collagen contributes to aging. The process of transcription during protein synthesis becomes more error-prone as a cell ages. The genetic mechanisms of aging are programmed into a cell's DNA. Question 39 of 40 Cellular atrophy involves an increase in cell size. A decrease in cell size. An increase in the number of cells. A decrease in the number of cells. 40 of 40 Which of the following electrolytes is found in the highest concentrations in the intracellular fluid (ICE)? Sodium Magnesium Potassium

Why Study Skills Are Important

Study skills are important to maintain. Study skills help you excel in your academic career. They help you remember and learn new information. They also help you do well in your assignments, quizzes, and tests. That helps you pass to the next grade. You might ask, what are study skills? Examples of good study skills are classroom behavior, time management, organization, and memorization. Good classroom behavior includes active listening. Hearing is not listening.When you listen critically you are trying hard to learn something and you are sitting up straight and taking notes. Keep your eyes on the teacher, ignore noises and movements from others, and avoid daydreaming. Taking notes is good classroom behavior as well as making sure to socialize at appropriate times such as during breaks. As I previously stated time management is a study skill. Write down all homework and assignments along with their due dates in your agenda or planner.Make sure to Write down test dates, quiz dates, an d project due dates in your agenda or planner as well. Also, put all due dates down in your agenda or planner on the day before they are due as a reminder. Take the quiz dates, test dates, and project due dates from your agenda and write them on a calendar at home. Decide how much time you will spend studying after school and how often. Furthermore designate the specific time of day and the actual days for your study time. Memorization is also a study skill.Memorization includes reading notes aloud several times to yourself, and trying to connect the information to something familiar. Making acronyms, note cards, and your own quizzes from your notes can also help you memorize things. Organization is an important study skill that includes notebook organization, organizing your study place, and organizing your goals. To organize your notebooks keep a separate folder or notebook for each class. Put all homework assignments in one spot as well. Put all papers & classwork neatly in the p roper place, and straighten out your binder every Friday.Study skills are important because you use them to excel in you school work. Study skills include classroom behavior, time management, organization, and memorization. You need to listen in class if you want to learn. Time management is important because you have to turn assignments in on time in order to get a good grade. Organization is important because you need to know where your assignments and notes are. All of the above is important because they are all study skills. You need good study skills in order to excel in school.

A History of the English Language †Past Changes Precipitate Worldwide Popularity Essay

A History of the English Language – Past Changes Precipitate Worldwide Popularity Essay Free Online Research Papers A History of the English Language Past Changes Precipitate Worldwide Popularity Essay The history of the English language is of significance because English is spoken more frequently than any other language except Chinese, according to the International Encyclopedia of Linguistics (410). A Germanic language, English is spoken by an estimated 1,500,000,000 people, and that number is ever increasing, according to An Encyclopedic Dictionary of Language and Languages (121). English is the chief language of world publishing, science and technology, conferencing, and computer storage as well as the language of international air traffic control (121). English is also used for purposes of international communications, and international politics, business communications, and academic communities (122). The history of English can be traced to the colonization of people from a family of languages which spread throughout Europe and southern Asia in the fourth millennium BC, (185). It is thought that a seminomadic population living in the steppe region to the north of the Black Sea moved west to Europe and east to Iran and India, spreading their culture and languages (186). According to The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language, the European languages and Sanskrit, the oldest language of the Indian sub-continent, were tied to a common source. When a systematic resemblance was discovered in both roots and verbs and in grammar forms, by comparing similar features of the European languages and Sanskrit, a common source language was reconstructed named Proto-Indo-European (298). The Proto-Indo-European language was more complex than English today. According to The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language, It is possible to reconstruct three genders (masculine, feminine, and neuter) and up to eight cases (nominative, vocative, accusative, genitive, dative, ablative, locative, instrumental). Adjectives agreed in case, number, and gender with the noun. The verb system was also rich in inflections, used for aspect, mood, tense, voice, person, and number. Different grammatical forms of a word were often related by the feature of ablaut, or vowel graduation: the root vowel would change systematically to express such differences as singular and plural or past and present tense, as is still the case in English foot/feet or take/took (Crystal 299). The Proto-Indo-European language is thought to have been spoken before 3,000 BC, and to have split up into different languages during the following millennium (298). The languages families include Celtic, Germanic, Italic, Indo-Iranian, Tocharian, Armenian, Anatolian, Albanian, Greek, Balto-Slavic, and Slavic languages. Yiddish, German, Afrikaans, Dutch, Flemish, Frisian, and English make up the West Germanic subgroup of the Germanic Branch (Crystal 186). Scholars renamed the language group the Indo-European family after 3,000 BC (298). Theorists suggest that the horse was a major element of the Proto-Indo-European and the Indo-European family of languages. They conjecture that the culture was spread by warriors who conquered from horse-drawn chariots. Others discount this theory, according the Dictionary of Languages (273). The Indo-European languages have been marked by a succession of changes affecting different languages. One change of note includes the centum/satem split. K followed by a front vowel became s or sh in Indo-Aryan (Sanskrit sata), Iranian (Persian sad), Slavonic (Russian sto), Baltic (Lithuanian simtas), Albanian (qind, pronounced chind) and Armenian. It remained k in Celtic (Welsh cant), Italic, Tocharian (kant), Greek (hetaton) and Germanic (with a subsequent move to h, English hundred). A sound shift in consonants occurred that differentiated the Proto-Germanic languages from other Indo-European languages. It included several consonants that were changed from the first example to the second example in the following consonants: p>f, t>0, k>x, b>p, d>t, g>k, bh>b, dh>d, and gh>h. The sound shift was named Grimms Law, after the man who described it, according to Contemporary Linguistics (332). The Proto-Indo-European, the Indo-European, and specifically the Germanic language, of which English is a derivative, influenced the early history of the English Language. The early history of the English language began in Britain and with several groups of people. At first people migrated to the placed now called England. Several invading groups joined the original settlers of England, bringing with them their language and culture. English became a mixture of languages that adapted to the circumstances and the needs of the people. England eventually commanded an empire, thus, spreading the language around the world. When the empire, diminished the Americas continued to spread the English language because of their political power and wealth. The history of the English language is fascinating and follows as events and language changes are pointed out. The Celts were the first Indo-European people to spread across Europe, according The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language (304). They emerged from south central Europe and spread throughout most of Europe, reaching the Black Sea and Asia Minor. They migrated to south-west Spain, central Italy, and throughout Britain in a series of wave-like migrations. Their culture was named after a Swiss archaeological site called La Tene. The first group of Celts went to Ireland in the 4th century and later reached Scotland and the Isle of Man. The second group went into southern England and Wales, and later to Brittany, producing a type of Celtic know as British. During the greatest days of the Roman Empire, their law ruled all men from Britain to Egypt, from Spain to the Black Sea, according to A History of Knowledge, (67). The Romans had a fierce respect and love of the law. Everywhere the Romans governed, they took their laws and administered them over the peoples they ruled. In fact, Roman law continues to this day to be an influence upon almost all legal systems in the Western world. The Romans adopted the Greek alphabet, Greek ideas, images and world views. They copied the Macedonian order of battle and Spartan steel weapons and armor. They conquered everywhere they went, building roads, establishing cities, trading, and sharing their culture. The Romans build a transportation network with hundreds of miles of roadway. The roads the Romans built still exist today, after twenty centuries of continuous use. Britain was acquired as a province of the Roman Empire during the century after 14 AD, following the death of Augustus. Words from Latin and Greek languages were adopted into the language. The Greek alphabet, with a few minor changes, is used in the English language today (25). Eventually, the Romans also brought Christianity to Britain. English became a distinct tongue about 449 AD when Angles, Saxons, and Jutes, who spoke Germanic dialects, arrived in Celtic-speaking Britain. Groups of Angles, Saxons, and Jutes came to aid the Romanized Britons who were besieged by Picts and Scots after the Roman military withdrew in 410 AD (Bright 410). English owes its origin to the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes who crossed the sea and settled in Britain, according to the Dictionary of Languages, (166). The Anglo-Saxon kingdoms covered most of what is now England by around 600 AD. The West Saxons were the most powerful of the new kingdoms, and the only one able to withstand the Viking invasion in the 9th century AD. It was also in Wessex or the West Saxon kingdom that a written language first flourished. The International Encyclopedia of Linguistics divides the history of English into three periods: Old English, Anglo-Saxon from 700 to 1100 AD, Middle English from 1100 to 1500 AD, and Modern English or New English from 1500 to the present (410). Old English (OE) was a highly inflected language. There were suffixes on nouns, verbs, adjectives, and demonstratives. It had an elaborate system of personal interrogative and relative pronouns. The four dialects during the Old English period were Kentish in the southeast, West Saxon in the south and southwest, Mercian in the Midlands, and Northumbrian above the Humber River. West Saxon was the written standard during the reign of Alfred the Great from 871 to 899 AD. Old English morphology included noun forms of singulars and plurals, with five cases, and three genders. Old English personal pronouns have been retained, and have transferred into New English, more of their morphological variations than any other form class. With the influx of the Christian religion at the end of the 6th century, some Latin words were added. About 2,000 Danish words and phrases were also added to Old English. At that time, the combining of native elements in prefixing, suffixing, and compounding was the most characteristic way of expanding the word stock. (Bright, 412) Britain was invaded again during the Viking age of about 750 to 1050. This invasion was mostly by Danes who then settled in central and southern England. Throughout Britain, most of the people spoke Old English and few words from the Celtic influence remained. Middle English began with the 1066 Norman Conquest. French-speaking Normans carried out government and educational duties. The Norman invasion caused a bilingual environment with the middle class speaking both French and English. It brought approximately 10,000 Norman French words into Middle English. The Normans exerted a great influence in food, fashion, education, religion, government, law, and the military. Social and linguistic upheaval changed the language climate in 1215 when King John of England was forced to acknowledge the Magna Carta. According to The Heritage of World Civilizations, this monumental document was a victory of feudal over monarchical power in the sense that it secured the rights of many the nobility, the clergy and the townspeople over the autocratic king; it restored the internal balance of power that had been the English political experience since the Norman conquest. Now the English people could be represented at the highest levels of government. This eventually brought English back into use as the countrys language (446-447). Modern English developed when Caxton established his printing press at Westminister in 1476. New English is a derivative of the dialect of medieval London. It is in the same dialect used by Cha cer and Chancery. During this time Johannes Gutenberg, a German printer invented type molds for casting individual letters. His first book using movable type was printed about 1450 and was printed on rag paper. (The Chinese government is credited with the discovery of paper in 105 AD, however, Arabs also discovered how to make paper.) Gutenbergs invention made movable type practical because he could produce any quantity of letters and words and place the timeype in a frame. He used rag paper in his printings. His most famous printing is the Gutenberg Bible (Van Doren 154). According to the International Encyclopedia of Linguistics, all vowels were systematically raised, and the highest were dipthongized between 1400 and 1564. Also, there were 333 strong verbs in Old English. Half of the verbs are still used, although, only 68 are inflected as strong verbs (414). The most important phonological event in modern times is the so-called Great Vowel Shift. It began in late middle English and continued until the eighteenth century. The long vowels of Middle English came to be pronounced in a higher position, while the highest vowels became diphthongs, according to The Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics (1125). With the approach of the 18th century, English became an analytical language. Its rich inflectional system weakened, causing a great increase in the use of prepositional phrases, in new phrasal prepositions (e.g. in spite of, with regard to, on the basis of), and in periphrastic verb construction. For example, did say is the periphrastic past tense of say, and said is the inflected past tense of say. During this period, there was a reduction of inflectional distinctions (Asher 1125). Also, Old English had used both SVO and SOV sentence word orders without requiring a grammatical subject. Middle English used SVO and the subject was obligatory (Bright 413). During the Renaissance, English displaced Latin as the language used in philosophy, science, and other learned arenas. Since English was lexically deficient, it borrowed Latin and Greek words for nouns and adjectives. The International Encyclopedia of Linguistics estimated that during the first 150 years of New English, more than 10,000 words from 50 languages were borrowed. It also asserted that the current English language has borrowed foreign words from more than 75 languages with French as the principal donor. The Old English method of using affixes and compounding to form words was displaced in New English by borrowing words as the favorite way of enlarging the English word stock. According to the Dictionary of Languages, the history of Modern English has three important themes. The themes include the extension of English into new subject areas, the spread of English to many parts of the world, and the growth of English into Standard British English. The extension of the language began with the first printed English translation of the Bible in 1525. The Authorized Version of the English Bible was translated in 1611. Finally, the revised Book of Common Prayer was published in 1662. The Bible and the prayer book were in everyday use in Anglican churches until the 1970(s), where they influenced the speaking and writing of English for over 300 years. English took the place of Latin during the 16th century in religion, science, and scholarship. To make this transition possible, vast numbers of loan words have been added to the English language. English has spread to many parts of the world. It became a native language for English-speaking colonies, which are now independent and powerful states. English was spread by British trade and influence. It is the second language of many other states because the ex-colonial countries have no better choice of a national language. English is currently acknowledged as the universal language of diplomacy and science. It is also the language that people usually speak when addressing foreigners, and it is the most popular second language(167). Standard British English is the widely accepted standard language, the language of London and its elite. It is sometimes called the Kings (or Queens) English, BBC English, and Received Pronunciation. This standard use of English has been helped by the spread of education and literacy, the extension of printing and publishing, and recently the influence of radio and television. All these factors have increased the standardization of pronunciation, spelling, and spoken and written style. English shares linguistic features with other Indo-European languages. However, the lexicon, morphology, and phonology are characteristically Germanic. One example of this is that past tense inflections are a Germanic characteristic. Another distantly Germanic characteristic is the fixed primary stress on the first syllable, as expressed in the word brother (Bright 410). An Encyclopedia Dictionary of Language and Languages (AEDLL) describes English as spoken worldwide by a large and ever-increasing number of people. The English language has official status in more than 60 countries. Two diagrams called A Family of Languages and English: the world language follow the bibliography. One shows that English is listed with languages in the West Germanic subgroup, and the other illustrates the use of English in countries around the world today. A summary of the trends allows the prediction that English may become the language of universal communications. Bibliography Asher, R.E. and J. M. Y. Simpson. The Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics. 10 Vols. New York: Pergamon Press, 1994. 1125. Bright, William. International Encyclopedia of Linguistics. 4 Vols. New York: Oxford University Press, 1992. 410-415. Craig, Albert M., et al., eds., et The Heritage of World Civilizations. 2 Vols. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1986. 446-447. Crystal, David, The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language. 2nd Ed. New York: The Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge, 1997. 298-299. Crystal, David. An Encyclopedia Dictionary of Language and Languages. USA: Blackwell Publishers, 1992. 121-122, 134, 185-186. Dalby, Andrew. Dictionary of Languages: The Definitive Reference to more than 400 Languages. London: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, 1998.166-179. OGrady, William, Michael Dobrovolsky and Mark Aronoff. Contemporary Linguistics. 3rd Ed. New York: St. Martins Press, Inc., 1992. 332. Van Doren, Charles. A History of Knowledge Past, Present, and Future. New York: Ballantine Books, 1992. 154. 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