Posts

Knowing English as Knowing the Computer : Knowledges and Language Skills

By Obododimma Oha **'* It is interesting to have language and the computer interact. For one thing, both involve knowledge and skills. How do these knowledges and skills relate? Or don't they relate? To be able to use language, we have to have a capacity for it. There is a language center on the brain. Our speech and writing can be impaired in certain conditions of aphasia. Once the circuit is affected, language runs into trouble. Chomsky calls the language ability in us Language Acquisition Device (LAD). We are language-using agents or homo loquens, as Fries argues. And we demonstrate our language skills in interactions. With the invention and involvement of theh computers in human interactions, there is a greater enhancement. We also need to possess computer skills to boost our language skills. What computere skills are relevant? A Little Historical Excursion: Inquiring how the Computer might be useful in language scholarship is interesting. Some of us while some elders used

Globalization of English in the Age of the Computer

By Obododimma Oha *** English has been traveling, to recall its history. If by traveling it has got to many parts of the world and has also got hold of the Internet, one should not be surprised. This lecture discusses its being global at last and what this implies. How a language can become global : (1) Through political imposition  assuming it becomes the language chosen by the ruler and the ruler has global rulership. (2) Imposition by technology and the technology owner has given that language for the use of the  devices. (3) If the language is developed and used in knowledge-dissemination. Other factors that helped English to be globalized: (1) Colonization of various parts of the world by native speakers of English. (2) Warfare and conquest (3) Trade, religion, cultural exchanges, and research. (4) Etc Global  English and Americanization: American influence in the world has helped English. Sometimes globalization is called Americanization and the latter has English as a companion.

Language and Computation

By Obododimma Oha Language is understood here as human vocal communication involving the use of the so-called speech organs. This is the spoken form, but language is also written. We also in a special sense refer to nonlinguistic symbols carrying meaning in a text as a language. This usage is merely metaphorical.  Computation, on the other hand, refers to counting or quantification.  It would appear as if computation is the sole business or character of mathematics and statistics, while those in disciplines like English can afford to wrestle with words and waste words. No. There are occasions for computation in English Studies.  The following are some of the occasions for computation to feature in English Studies.  - when count is necessary as evidence due to the expression used, as in "Most of the film producers are Igbo. Any proof? This claim needs to be supported or backed up.   - when the hypothesis also borders on numerical strength, e. g." Many male writers think they a