Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Performance Measures Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Performance Measures - Assignment Example of this document is to outline the measurement of the performance as post-implementation metrics of the recommendation, namely: â€Å"Change Organizational Approach to Event Monitoring and Log Analysis† (‘Verizon Report’, 2010). The scope of this document includes role and responsibility of key people in an organization, background of the measure, legislative and strategic drivers, measure development process and its implementation. According to Verizon Report 2010, maximum information security breaches in 2009 showed that in most of the breaches the data is compromised after lapse of several days of the breach. It takes effort and time until these breaches are found. Significantly, people other than the victim makes such discovery. The victim upon information reacts immediately and uses the most important defense that is ID/IPS. However, this measure in most cases intensifies the situation rather controlling it. Furthermore, it is not the only defense that organizations have to curb this problem and relying upon it as a last resort does not solve the problem and eliminate it completely (Solms, 2000). The CIO is responsible to change the approach to tackle breach instance at the organization. CIO should ensure that as a post-attack instance, ID/IPS should not be used instantly and as the only measure to control the situation. Instead, batch processing and log analysis should be undertaken with keen interest to identify any stack of viruses or breaches. The focus should be on ‘mass’ breaches rather ‘individual’. Therefore, proper policy and implementation guidelines have to be circulated to all users in the organization regarding the measures to be taken in case breach takes place and is discovered. Additionally, the CIO has to prioritize and select performance measures and develop the targets for their achievement (‘NIST’, 2008). The role of Senior Information Security Officer is to ensure that the program manager uses the changed approach to

Monday, October 28, 2019

Marketing in Global Environment Essay Example for Free

Marketing in Global Environment Essay Pre school children usually become angry when they are frustrated and they get frustrated when they cant comprehend what is going on and what they have to do in that current situation. Thus when they feel helpless and are unable to express their feelings verbally, they show anger. This is basically the positive sign in a sense that this aggression enables the child to create their own personality, which signals that they are getting growing up because of the learning they obtain from new circumstances. According to Lewis Michalson, (1983) there are three components of anger; emotional state of anger, expression and then understanding of anger. In the first stage of emotional state the child feels that their needs are not fulfilled or their goal is unattainable. In daily classroom activities there may be conflict over possession of children’s accessories, like some children don’t like to share their things with other children. Moreover there may be fights between children, verbal taunt or teasing, or circumstances when children feel that they are being ignored with peers, parents or teachers and when kids don’t like to do what is ordered by the teacher or parents. All these are the reasons that cause children to get frustrated. The second stage is expression of anger, which children normally display through their facial expression, by crying and sometimes they become stubborn and do not bother to resolve the issue. Some children express their anger by taking revenge physically or through verbal taunting, complain to the teacher what he dislikes or by fighting with his other friends. The third stage address the understanding of anger, it involves understanding, interpreting and then evaluating the emotions because expression of anger is basically linked with the understanding of emotions. At this stage children learn from their teachers and parents on how to manage their feelings of anger, and how to react in those situations. Now I would like to explore the understanding and then managing anger, according to the (Lewis Saarni, 1985), there is a cognitive process of children’s gradual development which includes memory, language and self referential and self regulatory behaviors. At the initial ages, children always remember in their memory; the situations and their solutions that what they have done at that prevailing situation and then it become very difficult to wash their brain if they are grow up with the wrong perception. Thus the teacher plays an important role in the growing of children because they are the ones who guide them on what they have to do in the situation they come across. Then comes language, as every child thinks differently and they have different perceptions, therefore the teacher has to be very careful and keep in mind the differences when teaching them on anger. The third and last one is self referential and self regularity behavior, now self referential behavior means seeing them as separate, independent and active, while self regulation refers to controlling their wishes and tolerating the consequences. What the teacher is supposed to do to deal with the anger, the most important task is to create a friendly climate where children can express their feelings and problems without being scared, listen to them, motivate them and they must help the children to develop self regulatory skills. Also, let them participate in all the classroom activities to increase their confidence, they can do so by telling them moral stories, with the help of role play or through games and different competitions, and the most important task is to involve parents as they are the ones who remain with them all the day. Hence teacher and parent both must coordinate to better understand the children. Purpose of Study: The purpose of this study was to examine the child psychology, as every child is different. Furthermore, to understand how to treat children, in a way they want to be treated so they can be a better groomed for their future ahead. References: †¢ Marion. M. (April 27, 2009) Helping Young Children Deal with Anger. Retrieved 26th June 09. From the website: http://www. athealth. com/Consumer/issues/childsanger. html †¢ The Parent Report Radio Show. Aggression and Anger in Young Children. Retrieved 26th June 09 from the website: http://www. theparentreport. com/resources/ages/preschool/development/650. html †¢ Center for Mental Health Services. Helping the Child Who is Expressing Anger. Retrieved 26th June’ 09 from the website: http://parentingteens. about. com/cs/youthviolence/a/childanger. htm †¢ Can Anger in Children be a Sign of Something Serious? ( 2008 ). Retrieved 26th June 09 from the website: http://www. help-your-child-with-anger. com/anger-in-children. html †¢ Managing and Coping with the Angry Child. Retrieved 26th June 09 from the website: http://www. angermgmt. com/children. asp

Saturday, October 26, 2019

The Human Eye in Space :: essays research papers

Human visual hardware is a result of a billion years of evolution within the earths atmosphere where light is scattered by molecules of air, moisture, particular matter etc. However as we ascend into our atmosphere with decrease density, light distribution is changed resulting in our visual hardware receiving visual data in different format. Some Aspects to Consider: 1. Visual acuity is the degree to which the details and contours of objects are perceived. Visual acuity is usually defined in terms of minimum separable.Large variety of factors influence this complex phenomenon which includes : # Optical factors- state of the image forming mechanisms of the eye. # Retinal factors such as the state of the cones. # Stimulus factors such as illumination, brightness of the stimulus, contrast between the stimulus and background, length of time exposed to the stimulus. * Minimum separable: shortest distance by which two lines can be separated and still be perceived as two lines. "During the day, the earth has a predominantly bluish cast..... I could detect individual houses and streets in the low humidity and cloudless areas such as the Himalaya mountain area.... I saw a steam locomotive by seeing the smoke first..... I also saw the wake of a boat on a large river in the Burma-India area... and a bright orange light from the British oil refinery to the south of the city (Perth,Australia.)" The above observation was made by Gordon Cooper in Faith 7 [1963] and which generated much skepticism in the light of the thesis by Muckler and Narvan "Visual Surveillance and Reconnaissance from space vehicles" in which they determined that a visual angle of ten minutes was the operational minimum, and that the minimum resolvable object length [M.R.O.L] at an altitude of 113 miles would be 1730 ft. This limitation of acuity was revised the next year to 0.5 seconds of arc for an extended contrasting line and 15 seconds of arc for minimum separation of two points sharply contrasting with the background. Orbiting at 237 miles in the skylab it was possible to see the entire east coast [Canada to Florida Keys] and resolve details of a 500 feet long bridge based on inference. Of Interest is the fact that even though the mechanical eye [camera systems] can resolve objects greater than fifty times better than the human eye, without the human ability to infer, interpretation of the data is meaningless. Conclusion: Visual acuity in space exceeds that of earth norm when objects with linear extension such as roads, airfields, wake of ships etc. 2. Stereoscopic vision: the perception of two images as one by means of fusing the impressions on both retinas. In space one has to deal with a poverty of reference points.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Othello Character

loWhen an individual experiences feelings of jealousy towards their partner in a relationship, it often results in feelings of anger and distrust, which cause them to sabotage the partnership and possibly end it. Shakespeare's protagonist, Othello, becomes deceived and unable to decide in whom to place his trust. The noble Moor chooses wrongfully and places himself under the loyalty of Iago, allowing him to corrupt and transform him, destroying his sanity and relationships with others. Consequently, the Moor's trustworthiness and envy become his weaknesses and result in his downfall.In the play â€Å"Othello†, by William Shakespeare, the protagonist's flaws contribute to his downfall from a noble soldier to an irrational man, suggesting that when a an individual experiences jealousy in a relationship, it becomes the corruption that destroys a person's conscience and ultimately the relationship itself. Othello is initially portrayed as an honest natured individual of royal stat us and reasonable character. his love for Desdemona, his wife, acquires him the essence of a respectable, loving husband, implying his success as a firm, yet affectionate husband.After Cassio is relieved of his duties by Othello, Desdemona promises to put an effort into convincing her husband to take him back as his lieutenant. After multiple rejections and rebounds, the Moor finally gives in: â€Å"I will deny thee nothing. / Whereon I do beseech thee grant me this, / To leave me but a little to myself† (Oth. 3. 3. 83-85). Although the Moor was very upset with Cassio, Desdemona's good-natured pleas were enough to change his mind into reconsidering Cassio's position.In saying that he would â€Å"deny [her] nothing† demonstrates his love for her and suggests that there is a special place in his heart for his sweet wife that he cannot help but succumb to at times. Furthermore, Othello's strong, sophisticated character is demonstrated through his logic and patience, empha sizing his greatness as a warrior. Upon being accused false doings and being challenged to a duel with his father-in-law, Brabantio, the Moor calmly responds, â€Å"Hold your hands, / Both you of my inclining and the rest. / Where it my cue to fight, i should have known it / Without a prompter† (Oth. . 2. 82-85). Othello's control over the situation makes it evident that he is a reasonable and gentle man, contrasting his self-control with Brabantio's lack of restraint. Othello's composed reaction makes him seem more rational than his racist father-in-law by thinking his actions through before reacting on impulse. Further analyzing the goodness of Othello, Anthony Hecht comments, â€Å"While everywhere it is noted that he is given to self-dramatization, Iago, who has no affection for him, admits that he is of a free and open nature. Which is to say, he is both guileless and guileful.There is no question of his courage, nor of his weakness† (Hecht 19). Moreover, the trus ting nature of the Moor is reflected in his relationship with others, suggesting his easy-going atmosphere. Needing his wife to be taken care of safely, he tells the Duke, â€Å"So please your grace, my ancient; / A man he is of honesty and trust. / To his conveyance i assign my wife, / With what else needful your good grace shall think / To be sent after me† (Oth. 1. 3. 283-287). Othello's confidence in his relationship with his ancient, Iago, demonstrates his trusting personality.Once the Moor has belief that a man is trustworthy, he will give them his whole heart, making it evident of his value in loyalty. Yet, Othello's respectable qualities become the cause of his corruption, which bring upon jealousy, deception, and delusions, ultimately leading him closer to his tragic death. Although the Moor loves Desdemona greatly, his strong bond with her has taken away the control he held for himself. Plotting against him, Iago muses to himself to himself, â€Å"His soul is so en fetter'd to her love / That she may make, unmake, do what she list, / Even as her appetite shall play the god / With his weak function† (Oth. . 3. 316-319). Saying that Othello is â€Å"enfetter'd to her love†, Iago is suggesting that his love for Desdemona is the Moor's weakness, being â€Å"chained† to her in a way where she â€Å"shall play the god† and take away his mastery since he does not believe the Moor can think for himself. By willingly being with Desdemona, Othello puts himself in a position of vulnerability and cannot blame anyone else for this but himself. Likewise, without seeming so at first, Othello's whole hearted trust in Iago becomes a mistake that he is not aware of initially.As Iago utilizes subtle manipulation on the Moor, he successfully plants the seed of doubt in his mind, suggesting Desdemona's disloyalty to him. Othello says to him: I think thou dost; And, for i know thou'rt full of love and honesty And weigh'st thy words before thou givest them breath Therefore these stops of thine fright me the more; For such things in a false disloyal knave Are tricks of custom; but in a man that's just They are close dilations, working from the heart That passion cannot rule. (Oth. 3. 3. 117-124)The dramatic and verbal irony when Othello describes Iago's â€Å"love and honesty† demonstrates his unwise and gullible nature, making his full trust in him an error. The way Iago's pauses fright [him] the more† concludes that the Moor has been tricked without realizing it and reflects his foolishness despite his strong, controlled character. As critic William Hazlitt suggests, â€Å"Ironically it is Othello's judgment that allows Iago to manipulate him; Othello is a trusting man who believes that people are what they seem, thus believing in Iago because he appears to be honest and loyal† (Hazlitt 29).Subsequently, logic, patience, and self-restraint has become lost in the Moor once his emotions have been u sed against him and his jealousy is played on. After Iago explains a dream he heard Cassio had about making love to Desdemona to Othello, the Moor says, â€Å"But this denoted a foregone conclusion: ‘Tis a shrewd doubt, though it be but a dream† (Oth. 3. 3. 428-429). Then almost immediately after he concludes that â€Å"[he] will tear her all to pieces† (Oth. 3. 3. 432). Othello at this point in the play has transformed from the loving husband he once was, to a jealous individual that must act on his envy as soon as the chance arises.Ignoring the absence of solid proof his wife's disloyalty, he has let Iago torture his conscience with lies and consequently confusing and agitating his sanity. Consequently, Othello's corruption leads to chaos as he realizes too late the destruction his actions have caused that eventually bring him to his tragic death. His hamartia has come into play, which brings upon anarchy and reflects Othello's loss of control and reason. Convi nced without proof that Desdemona has been cheating on him, he proclaims to Iago, â€Å"Damn her, lewd minx! O, damn her! / Come, go with me apart. I will withdraw / To urnish me with some swift means of death / For the fair devil. Now art thou my lieutenant† (Oth. 3. 3. 475-478). The Moor's marriage is officially destroyed and his conclusion to make Iago, the man responsible for causing him grief, his new lieutenant guarantees his doom. His quick decision to kill Desdemona for her unfaithfulness without real evidence demonstrates the destruction his jealousy has caused to their relationship. Inevitably, Othello's corruption becomes an unstoppable force, which ends in the deaths of many innocent lives. After killing his wide and confessing so to Emilia, Iago's wife, Othello explains: â€Å"Cassio did top her.Ask thy husband else. / O, I were damn'd beneath all depth in hell / But that I did proceed upon just grounds / To this extremity. Thy husband knew it all† (Oth. 5 . 2. 136-139). Dramatic irony emphasizes how confused the Moor really is about what is delusion and what is reality because he uses Iago's word as proof, which is false, as well as going as far as to say â€Å"I did proceed upon just grounds to this extremity. † Othello did not actually have a just reason for committing his murderous act as Iago never gave him proof, reflecting the way in which jealousy corrupts the mind and an individual’s entire reasoning.This all becomes evident once chaos was unleashed upon the Moor, which consequently costs him his nobility, marriage and life. The Moor realizes his mistakes too late, but comes to understand that he is reasonably the one to blame for all the devastation he has caused. Upon becoming aware of Iago's true intentions and Desdemona's faithfulness, Othello speaks some of his last words: When you shall these unlucky deeds relate, Speak of me as I am. Nothing extenuate, Nor set down aught in malice. Then must you speak Of one that loved not wisely, but too well; Of one not easily jealous, but, being wrought,Perplex'd in the extreme; of one whose hand, Like the base Judean, thew a pearl away Richer than all his tribe; (Oth. 5. 2. 341-349) Thus, Othello finally realizes his emotions were manipulated to do the deeds of an evil man he once trusted. A part of his old noble character us shown when he asks the soldiers to â€Å"speak of [him] as [he is]. Nothing extenuate, / Nor set down aught in malice. † His humbleness is paired with bitterness because of the needless death of his wife brought upon by his own envious actions, demonstrating his own contribution to his tragic death.Also, as Shawn Smith believes,†If Othello earlier in the scene has been a minister of justice deliberating Desdemona's fate, he is now turning judicial attention to himself, and in doing so he recognizes his own mis-judgments. It is here we see Othello returning to his exotic narratives we associate with his language in the earliest scenes of the play. And in his return to these exotic narratives, Othello offers his retreat from Venetian life – and, indeed, life altogether† (Smith 47). He simply cannot deny the errors in his accusations and the killing of his wife, foolishly â€Å"[throwing] a pearl away. â€Å"By experiencing the delusions of envy, Othello himself becomes the evil force behind the deception and deaths of innocent people, including his own. He is initially loved and respected by many for his lpyalty, royal status, and honourable marriage. Nonetheless, the qualities he is honoured for become his imperfections, resulting in deception, jealousy, and his fall from nobility. Consequently, chaos ensues and destroys a once loving marriage and sane man. Thus, jealousy transforms an individual to harm those they love most, a dangerous and monstrous emotion that requires reason and logic to restrain it from destroying relationships.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

The Role of Local Culture and Context in English Language Teaching

The Role of Local Culture and Context in English Language Teaching -Mabindra Regmi The Relation between Language and Culture The structuralists portrayed language as an entity that could be segmented and through learning these segments, the totality would also be learnt. This method has been tested, challenged and in many cases discarded in the world of linguistics. The conception, propagation and inevitable discontinuation of ever new methods has prompted Sowden to express â€Å"there has indeed been methodological fatigue, leading many to the pragmatic conclusion that informed eclecticism offers the best approach for the future. (Sowden, 2007, p. 304). Perhaps, eclecticism is the right trend while implementing ELT methods. One of the factors that should be considered, however, is that there seems to be a deep connection between language and culture unlike the belief of the structuralists. The concept of language teaching now is that of concentration in what the learners learn or w ant to learn rather that what is to be taught. As the classrooms get more learner-centered, it can be assumed that the attitude and the initiatives from the learners’ side will be more prominent.Since a person is shaped by ones culture and local setting, we can assume that the importance of cultural context in language teaching will grow as learning becomes more learner centered. It is in conjunction with this shift of emphasis away from teaching and towards learning, that there has appeared a growing awareness of the role played by culture in the classroom. (Sowden C, 2007, p. 304) It is not only the learners that come with their own culture in the classroom, the teachers also bring their own culture. This is particularly true if the language teacher is not from the locality.Sowden warns the teacher â€Å"to be aware not only of the cultures of their students and their environment, but also of the cultures that they themselves bring to the classroom† (Sowden, 2007, p. 305). Thus, it can be seen, however inconclusive, that culture of both the teacher and learner plays an important role in the language learning environment and they have to be addressed for effective learning to take place. This intricate mutual relationship between language and culture may be the key to unlock the language teaching methodologies of the future. Whenever we talk about anguage and its use, it is important to figure out the relation between language and culture. There are few things we need to ask ourselves in this regard. Can language exist independent of culture? Is learning a new language (English) definitive of learning the culture of native speakers of English? Who are the native speakers of English? Will the culture of the native speakers be appropriate in the setting of the language learner? Can language exist independent of culture? A language cannot exist in vacuum. It has to express some objective function when utterances are made or some text is written.Whe n we do make use of language, the production made is generally about what we know or what we have experienced. What we know and experience mostly confines within the local setting that we have grown up and where we are residing. Thus, local context becomes inseparable from the use of language. Is learning a new language (English) definitive of learning the culture of native speakers of English? When we learn a new language, we need to adopt the culture of the target language to a certain extent because the cultural aspect comes amalgamated with the target language. But what about the learners?The learners have their own set of cultural experiences and objectives of using a language. They have their own cultural amalgamation which has to be addressed during target language learning process to make it meaningful and relevant to the learners. We can assume that integration of local culture and context is inevitable while learning a target language. Who are the native speakers of Englis h? The distinction that makes a native speaker is generally very vague and often misleading. It might be important to look into the terminology if we are to explain what English is.A dictionary definition might say that native is belonging to a certain geographic location. In the case of English we must consider the fact that it is spoken in many parts of the world and more and more people are adopting it as the first language of communication. In this setting we must consider the appropriateness of calling certain speakers native and others not. Furthermore, even within the native speakers we find many varieties as in the British English, American English, Australian English, or South African English. If the English language is to be made a ruly global one, one must leave the notion of ‘native speakers’ behind. Will the culture of the native speakers be appropriate in the setting of the language learner? The culture and context of the learner and the native user of Eng lish may differ very contrastively. The traditional native speakers of English have their own cultural and contextual setting and it creeps into the language that they use. It should not be surprising thus, that the English used in non-native setting has the purpose of academia without much cultural interference.But can English have the same purpose if it were to only transfer the cultural and contextual nature of the target language? In order to make English learning a holistic experience, it is important that culture and local context are integrated so the learner has a more comprehensive grasp of the language. Different Views Regarding the Role of Culture in Language Class Different people have expressed their opinions regarding the role of culture in language class. Phyak, P has collected four such opinions from various personnel in his article integrating local culture in the EFL context of Nepal: An ignored agenda?The first view expressed by Byram and Flemming (Byram, 1997; By ram and Fleming, 1998) states that the target language culture should be taught in ELT in order to help learners to acculturate into the culture of English countries. The second view expressed by Karchu, Nelson and Canagaraja (Kachru, 1986; Kachru and Nelson, 1996; Canagarajah, 1999) opines that there is no need of teaching target culture especially in the contexts where different institutionalised varieties of English are in practice. Similarly, the third view by Kramsch and Sullivan (Kramsch and Sullivan, 1996) states plainly that ‘local culture’ in TEFL should be taught.Finally, the fourth view by Alptekin, Jenkins and Seidlhofer (Alptekin, 2005; Jenkins, 2005; Seidlhofer, 2001) says that since English is a lingua franca, it should be taught in a culture-free context. In the same article Phyak gives a fifth opinion regarding the use of culture in language class by assimilating the highlights of the above opinions where he advises the teachers to use both target and n ative cultures with priority to local culture (Phyak, P). Whatever the views of applied linguists all over the world, we cannot disregard two core realities.The first is that while learning a second language, the influence of the culture of that language is inevitable. The second fact is that the learner of second language comes equipped with the culture of the first language. If no association is made between the culture of the first language and the learning of the second one, the learning will not be as effective. Therefore, inclusion of local culture and context should be more prominent in the initial phases and gradually gear more towards the target culture so that the integration is seamless in the end and language skill transition is more comprehensive.English as an International Language Hegemony of English language is a global phenomenon and the onset of modern technology, the computer; and as the choice language of the academia will further strengthen it. Eventually, the s pread of English will probably be the root cause for disappearance of majority of world languages. Having said that, one must accommodate the fact that the use of English in international communication is increasing, and thus, it is gaining momentum as being an international language. The rise of English as an international language has created many concerns among the laymen, experts, anglophiles and chauvinists alike.The concerns can be divided into two factions. The first leads us towards convergence of all world languages into one giant English language. Because of the advent of printing, and more recently, media; languages, specifically English; are being standardized so that there is uniformity in the manner we write and speak. Many believe this to be a positive step towards world unification. There may be advantages to uniformity, but the question is; does it outweigh the disadvantages that it might bring in the form of ‘language death’ as expressed by David Cryst al or loss of identity?The other faction is made up of personnel who are asking this very question. The prominence of English might be an indicator of decline of other languages. When a language is lost, it is not only the means of communication that is lost with it. There are contextual and cultural associations with languages, and in addition; it also forms the corpora of accumulated knowledge of a community. All this will also be lost with the dying language. Moreover, there is a strong affinity of the language with the identity of a person or a community.Although English may provide with alternate identity, as shall be discussed later in this paper, the primary form of identity shall be lost, especially if the learning of English is subtractive in terms of the first language. Discrepancies aside, internationalization of English is inevitable. The question now remains is how we are going to bring about policies for other languages that are in existence. In order to understand why English is fast becoming a global language, we must try and analyze why is it important for us to learn English.There are many reasons why an individual would want to learn English. i. English may be a factor for obtaining better employment opportunities. ii. English is the medium of communication for business, recreation and competitive tournaments. iii. English is almost mandatory for learners pursuing higher academic achievements and publishing of one’s findings. iv. The knowledge of English may provide higher social standing or identity in many cases. We can see that English language empowers a person both in terms of social and material power.Thus we can see the attraction towards learning English. The choices that the language communities have is either to have subtractive learning of English and forget one’s own linguistic heritage, as is happening mostly in developing countries like Nepal; or to make the learning process additive by retaining one’s own language intact. It can be assumed that the later alternative is more acceptable. The reason for the long windedness of the explanation above brings us back to the core discussion of this paper: local context and culture in teaching or learning English.Now as we have made a huge circle from the inevitable internationalization of English to the better alternate of additive learning of English; it is time to ponder over how we are going to teach English language. English Language, Local Culture and Social Identity If we want to have mastery over English language, then I believe we must find a way to make the language practical to its learners. Just reading the literature of the language or using the language in stereotype British or American cultural setting will not hold much significance to the learner of English as a foreign language.What needs to be done is to bring about association between the language being learnt and the experience of the learners. This will provide platform f or practicality of the language being learnt. In order to understand why local context and local culture must be integrated into teaching of English language, we must also be familiar with how culture and local context plays a role in language learning. Culture and Language Reflect each other The common notion regarding the purpose of language learning has been related to communication.Because of the researches done in sociolinguistics and discourse, we should consider the fact that language is not only ‘understanding’ what the other person is expressing but it is also necessary that we understand the text at a discourse level where cultural and individual background conveys deeper meaning to the language items used. Language is not only communicating with words but we have deep rooted cultural and contextual schemata and frames which are reflected in the language that we use. Thus it is important to analyze the meaning of discourse at cultural and contextual level.The reason that we should consider the Frame and Schema theories of discourse analysis when talking about the language is that if we are not able to express or comprehend the schema created through cultural setting, only understanding the text in communication will not be able to justify the meaning that should have been understood. Only through associating and integrating the language that we are trying to learn (English) into social and cultural setting shall we be able to exploit the nuances of the expression made in a language.Englebert believes that there is a cultural variation between the learner and the language and that the â€Å"teacher hosting foreign students must come to terms with the fact that those students are immersed in a culture with which they are not familiar, and that they bring with them not only their limited knowledge of the language, but a myriad of assumptions based on generations of cultural indoctrination†. (Englebert, 2004). These assumptions based on â€Å"cultural indoctrination† are at the core of schema of the learner.Not only the culture of the target language but even the prescribed packaged methodology might create confusion in teaching English as a foreign language. In her study among the Asian students studying in New Zealand, Li found that â€Å"the interactive teaching methods adopted by New Zealand teachers are culturally incompatible with Asian students’ learning conceptualizations. The findings suggest that some teachers’ adoption of the communicative or interactive teaching approach led to Asian students’ negative learning experience in New Zealand† (Li, 2004).This shows that the cultural background and the mindset of the learner should be considered while teaching English. Subsequently, it also indicates the integration of local context and culture of the learner for smoother and more effective teaching learning experience. If the learner of English is only familiar with her o wn experience based on her own cultural and local setting, trying to incorporate a different language with a different setting will make it literally ‘foreign’. The ‘foreignness’ can be significantly eliminated if local context and culture of the learner is being used in the target language.Thus integrating the cultural and contextual setting in language learning will be important. English Language and Social Identity Bonny Norton has explained that in the current social situation, English language helps create a more powerful identity for the individuals because of the advantages associated with the proficiency of English Language (Norton, 2007). She further explains that construction of identity through learning English are complex and dynamic. The five examples that she has taken in her article all give different perspectives people have for English language based on their cultural and contextual backgrounds.If individuals from different social and ethni cal backgrounds have different concepts about how English should be taught and learnt, then we can assume that it is the experience of the learner that is influencing such perspectives. An individual is the product of the local culture and context, so we cannot ignore the importance of inclusion of local context and culture in English pedagogy. Norton recommends that we should not overlook the focus on individual account while teaching English.She further explains that the researches on language teaching and identity is fragmented and it has to be made more organized, and if English belongs to the people who speak it, expansion of English in this Global era is better (Norton, 2007). Inclusion of Local Context and Culture in ELT in Nepal Along with the gathering momentum of inclusion of local culture and context in language teaching across the world, an initiative has been started in Nepal where linguists and social activists are advocating for inclusion of local context and culture, namely, ethnic languages in mainstream education.Alongside with this initiative there are many linguists and teachers of English language who are advocating for inclusion of local context and culture in English Language Teaching. The problem that the Nepali society is facing is how to bring about the implementation of such content and context in English language. Looking at the coursebooks and educational materials, it is evident that the English teaching is heavily influenced by the culture of target language users. Although some content and stories seem that they have local context, but the exercises that follow again reflect to the target language culture.On the other hand, the teachers are also imparted trainings and education aligning with the target language culture. In this ambience, it will be difficult to implement inclusive local content and culture while teaching of English. In order to overcome this impasse, some measures can be taken so that there is a momentum towards progressive implementation of the discussed issue. First, the language policy makers and the educators of the country need to come together to make a master plan on how to develop materials, train teachers and set objectives on inclusion of local culture and context in ELT.Only when a concrete set of objectives and a clear vision of the implementational procedures have been codified, the initiative can move forward. Second, there has to be a mass drive for collection of local content in the form of stories, poems, articles and the like which also reflects local culture. The content corpus has to be exhaustive so that all the major aspects that need to be covered are covered. Agencies like Nepal English Language Teachers’ Association, NELTA, can be instrumental in taking the necessary initiatives.It is wise to include people from different academic, professional, age group, ethnic, gender, and geographical backgrounds to make the corpus comprehensive and complete. Third, the gathered content has to be carefully cataloged, edited and selected for practical use. There may be many ways by which the content can be used. The content can be an integrated one where a little of everything is included, or it might also be ethnic or locality specific where different communities make use of different relevant parts of the corpus.The fourth, which might also be the most important, is to enable the teacher of English to believe that local content and context is not only necessary but is the most effective way of teaching or learning a language. The teacher should also have autonomy to develop content from her own locality adjusting to the need of the learners there. Perhaps the most difficult part of this endeavor will be to discard the prevalent target culture based content in favor of local culture based one. But once the importance is felt and the initiative commenced, language learning process will take a meaningful and applicable turn.The learners then will not be learning English in vacuum but they can associate their own life experiences to the language being learnt. Finally, a monitoring and evaluation mechanism should be developed in order to judge how successful the implementation of the initiative has been. The monitoring and evaluating body can also make necessary changes in the whole process as the problems arise. Association and Comprehension through Local Context in ELT If there is association between the local context and culture, and English Language teaching; the learners might benefit in many different ways.As Lengkanawati states â€Å"we can conclude that the choice and the intensity of using language learning strategies is influenced by many factors, one of which is the students’ cultural background† (Lengkanawati, 2004), the association of local culture and English language teaching might help the learner build better learning strategies. It will lead the learner to grasp deeper meaning of the target languag e and use it efficiently and productively. Moreover, the differences that lie within the variations of English will make the learner appreciate that context and culture are essential for language learning.All this will lead to a global culture where one retains her native culture while learning that of the target language and thus of the whole world. We have discussed previously about the nature of association between language and culture. In addition, we also discussed about the emergence of English as an international language and the advantages of learning it. Then we went on to how local context and culture can be integrated into teaching English in Nepal. Now, we shall focus on advantages there might be in integrating local context and culture while teaching English in three different stages.The association of local context and culture can be done in three levels: using local context and culture while learning English, Using the context and culture of the target language, and i ntegrating the two cultures to create multicultural or global comprehension. 1. Using the local cultural and contextual setting while learning English. Using local context and culture will enable the learners to grasp the deeper meaning of English because they can associate the cultural and contextual meaning that they are familiar with.In Barfield and Uzarski’s findings, â€Å"the classroom observation showed that students in pair and group works were more interactive when they had to discuss on their local cultures than when they had to discuss on different stories or texts which they were not familiar with. † Contextualization will further enable the learner to be proficient in the language at a faster pace. The learner will understand how a different language is not very different from one’s own. This methodology needs to be applied on the learners at least at the beginning.The learners must be given ample opportunities to interact in the target language. Th is is only possible if the content that is being used is related to local context or culture. If target language culture is given as a topic of interaction, the learners may have nothing to contribute and will be less willing to proceed further. 2. Using the culture and context of the target language The users of the target language are varied. There is no single context or culture that defines a language like English. Therefore, it will be difficult to identify the target culture when we talk of English.This also indicates that even within the same language there is influence of local context and culture. This will make the learner understand that the language is not entirely free from the culture and context of a community. For example, we can take metro English that the Londoners’ use. It is very different from the traditional Standard or BBC English that we learn in Nepal or the other parts of the world. Sometimes there is a discrepancy in lexical meanings and pronunciati on too. A pavement for the British might be sidewalk for the Americans.A mate is a friend in Australia and spouse in England. The fact that even among the native speakers of English in different countries the linguistic items have different meanings will enable the learners to realize that culture or local context is the key factor in using and understanding a language. It will also give an insight that language is culture and context specific and not medium specific. To clarify this statement we can safely assume that the people coming from same cultural and contextual setting will share more meanings than people from cross-culture sharing the same language.This demarcation will be of vital importance because the learner will be able to comprehend that to understand a person is not only understanding the language but understanding the local context and culture as well. It will further inspire the learners of English to be familiar with different cultural settings of the people that use the language. This kind of interpretation of language should be carried out at intermediate and advanced levels where the learners have been made familiar of the inclusion of their own cultural and local contexts while learning English. 3.The emergence of a Global culture When more and more people start becoming familiar with the local culture and context of more and more places, then a common, integrated culture will emerge. This is the Global phenomenon that has been extensively discussed in every sphere of modern human civilization. This global concept of the language and cross-cultural integration should be the ultimate outcome of language learning. When we are able to identify issues of global importance and contribute to it in a local way, then we will be adherent to the post-modernist maxim of â€Å"think globally, act locally†.This is a concept that might be difficult to understand for many learners. There is also a paradox of going local to harbor a global outlo ok. This in turn complicates the nature of language that we use in the modern world. The learners of languages, and specifically of dominant language like English, should consider the integration of local context and language. Considering the complexity of the process and inputs, learners of the tertiary level of English should be taught at this comprehensive level. Assimilation of Various Cultures for Global InterpretationBarfield and Uzarski have a very interesting notion regarding language integration when they opine that even if an indigenous language is lost, which is happening at an alarming rate all over the world, through integration it can be preserved within another language like English. Interestingly, despite the loss or future loss of an indigenous language, the â€Å"roots† of that indigenous culture can be preserved through the learning of another language, such as English. (Barfield and Uzarski, 2009) This is one notion that can be construed as positive aspect of assimilation of local culture into a Global one.Even though we might have strong opinions regarding local languages and cultures that we have inherited, and feel strongly towards dominance and ultimate displacement that a language like English will do to other local languages, the only way to actually save a part of the culture and local form of language might be through English. In order to achieve this, it would be important to integrate local context and culture in teaching languages like English. On the other hand, because English is fast becoming the lingua franca of the world, there should also be a global ownership of the language.If we consider only one of the cultures of the native speakers then the globalization of the language will not be possible. In order to truly make a language like English a global one, and for all the cultures to feel that they are also a part of this global phenomenon, integration of local culture and context is important. So, at the end, every individual language community can feel the ownership of global English through integration and assimilation. Contrastively, the cultural and local contexts of societies that use English language are varied and it would be impossible to integrate everything about all the cultures.To make it comprehensible in the global arena, we should find out commonalities that exist in all the cultures and localities across the world and try to establish a common contextual and cultural condition for the language to evolve into a Global Language. Such understanding and cohesion will provide â€Å"the abilities to perform effectively and appropriately with members of another language-culture background on their terms† (Barfield and Uzarski, 2009). Conclusion This article has assumed certain developments in English language based on current global trends.It has assumed that English is fast becoming a global language and it will become more so in the future. It has also assumed that the local languages will decline and decay in the face of English as their adversary. Considering these base assumptions, the article has provided insight into understanding the importance of English language and equal importance of using local context and culture while teaching English. In conclusion, we can reaffirm the essence of the whole discussion in the following manner: first, we need to understand that we use English as a method of communication and this language is fast becoming a global anguage. Because we use it in our communication, the language cannot be excluded from the local context and culture because they are what we are likely to be communicating about. There may be differences in opinions regarding how or if local context and culture should be used in teaching English, but it is essential that we integrate local context and culture. Second, use of local context and culture in teaching English will depend on the nature of the local setting. Same system may not be applicab le in all communities.Therefore, how the integration is to be done should be tailored to suit the needs of a particular community or a country. In case of Nepal, this can initiate with development of content corpus based on multilingual communities existing in the country and making a broad plan on what and how to integrate the content thus collected and selected. Third, the use of local context and culture can be done following a procedural format where local context and culture can be given more priority in the earlier stages of learning English language.Slowly, learning of the culture and context of the target language is to be achieved for more comprehensive understanding. When integration is done among various communities and language groups, then English will emerge as a true global language with global ownership. Finally, we should also consider the possibility that many present languages of the world might one day die. And the only possibility of its context and culture to b e passed on may be through integration into a dominant language like English. All these expositions make the use of local context and culture in English Language Teaching a necessity.