How to Write the Perfect Science Essay

How to Write the Perfect Science Essay If you are submitting a science paper or an science essay, your approach to the paper and presentation matter a lot. Science papers require a lot of detailed research. Your paper should reflect how well youve researched the topic at hand. It would do well to go through a lot of references quote them, get help from online science tutors when you are stuck or simply to clarify doubts and present your analysis and critique in a structured manner. Here’s a brief guide to what you can do to get top grades with your science essay. For an essay you will be expected to read extensively about the topic, select the best references and then carefully write critical analysis. Your essay should introduce the topic, discuss it and reach a logical conclusion. The essay should have a title page, introduction, body with appropriate section headings, list of conclusions and references. For example: Title Page + ID Description. Displays your name and The student ID number Describes what the essay is about. Occasionally a title can be provided by your college lecturer. Introduction Places the question in its scientific context Gives the minimum required background for the subject Explains logic or proposition Determines the interpretation of the subject Defines important technical terms Do you intend to approach this topic. Body Different classes provides the appropriate section title. Explains logical development of content that tells you which direction you took. Use the relevant information to support the argument.   Use the figures and tables to support text reference to all sources of information including tables and figures numbers and labels used all tables and figures. The conclusion should provides a brief description of the purpose of the essay. Summarizes the main points in the body of the essay, explains its findings clearly and concisely determines your reasons for your conclusion, indicates future research suggestions and when appropriate provides all the list of references in cites. The title for science essay is important â€" it should summarize your work Having a title that is apt and summarizes your work is essential. Say for instance you are researching about obesity and the genetics behind it; your paper should have a title that clearly conveys this. A title that is misguiding and irrelevant could be very problematic and will surely bring the reader’s interest down and result in poor grades too! The introduction or the statement of purpose This part should clearly convey the statement of purpose and what you have set about to do with your paper. Specificity is the key here and this will help you highlight what the reader can expect out of your paper. Having a smashing intro and concise SOP can help improve the interest one takes in your paper and make it a worthwhile read. Structure the body fro science essay well Think about this logically â€" if you want to present your ideas, it is better to start from the very beginning. After stating your purpose, you have to go about what youve done in a clear and logical manner. Organize the contents properly and make sure that there is a logical flow between paragraphs. Most online science tutors also recommend that you place a lot of importance on the sub-headings. They should be clear, concise and on point. Illustrations and examples work big time for science essay Use illustrations, diagrams, charts and flowcharts wherever possible and support them with references and explanations. Adding an appendix for references would be helpful if the reader wishes to look up something. Clean diagrams and labels also help in better understanding. Have a potent conclusion to science essay Writing a conclusion that is potent and powerful is important as it helps restate the purpose of the science essay, draws attention to your conclusions and theories. Set out reasons for your conclusions and indicate suggestions for the future and lay a foundation for further work in this area. We hope that these suggestions help you come up with a cool science essay that is right on point and helps you garner good grades.

13 Famous Singers With Surprisingly Bad Vocal Habits

13 Famous Singers With Surprisingly Bad Vocal Habits Sign up successful Régine, on the other hand, has trouble hitting accurate pitches in general and tends to go sharp (higher than she intended). Listen to her last note in the song for a good example. How to Avoid Pitchy Singing Like any other skill, learning to match pitch requires practice. If you have a lot of trouble singing in tune, devote five to 10  minutes a day to practicing this. I have my students use Pitch Analyzer  and a keyboard to do this. Just open the app, play a pitch on the keyboard, and try to match it with your voice. Pitch Analyzer helps you figure out if you are flat, sharp, or just right. Nasal Singing Rebecca Black Miley Cyrus Humans can breathe (and therefore sing) through both the nose and the mouth. The soft palate, located on the roof of the mouth behind the hard palate, lifts and lowers to block off the nasal passages from the rest of the breathing apparatus. Singing with a lowered soft palate lets air out through the nose, causing a nasally tone. See this video from Miley Cyrus as an example. How to Avoid Nasal Singing Learn to lift your soft palate. If you have ever “plugged” your nose without touching it (when changing a diaper or jumping into a pool, for instance), you already know how to do this. If not, try making a really nasally sound, then doing the exact opposite. If your soft palate is all the way up, you will not sound any different if you plug your nose with your fingers. Throat Tension Katy Perry Christina Aguilera  (last note especially, at 1:53) Throat tension is not only damaging, it sounds more like yelling than singing. In these videos of Katy and Christina, the vocals often sound closer to yelling than to singing. Note the frayed, pressed tone and the lack of vibrato. If you watch closely, you will also notice that you can see both women’s necks visibly straining. How to Avoid Throat Tension There are two ways to decrease throat tension in singers. First and foremost, try to relax your throat. Work in front of a mirror or place your hand around your neck so you can feel your throat muscles better. You can also move your neck around while you sing (from side to side, as though you are shaking your head “no”) to keep it from stiffening. The second way to decrease throat tension is to focus on the fundamentals of singing. Singers throats usually tense up to compensate for a lack of proper technique. Make sure your breath support is working, your soft palate is up, your posture is relaxed, and your energy levels are high as you sing. Tongue Tension Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam) Sarah Brightman Your tongue is a huge muscle that stretches from the front of your mouth all the way back and down, where it connects to the muscles under your jaw. If any part of the tongue becomes rigid during singing, a distinct, clogged sound emerges. The best example of this that I can think of actually isn’t a singer; it’s Kermit the Frog. If you tense your tongue and talk, you’ll find that you sound like the little green guy. For  singers, this clogged sound results in modified vowels, as well as a general distinct tone quality. Both Sarah Brightman and Eddie Vedder’s sounds are characterized by this sound. Singing with tongue tension causes vocal fatigue and can eventually lead to vocal problems, so it’s not something you should ignore. How to Avoid Tongue Tension Many people are completely incapable of consciously relaxing their tongues, even when they aren’t making sound. Start by resting your tongue on your bottom lip, so you can see it well in a mirror, and relaxing it (a relaxed tongue is fat and motionless). Once you accomplish that, put your tongue back in your mouth and learn how to sing vowels without tensing your tongue. (The mirror is your best friend.) When progressing to words, focus on moving your tongue without making it unnecessarily rigid. Jaw Tension Eddie Redmayne Kathleen Battle When singing, the jaw should be loose and free. Tensing the jaw not only makes it harder to sing, it also sounds (and looks) weird. Eddie Redmayne’s clenched, shaking jaw and matching vocals attest to this. Although Kathleen Battle (an acclaimed classical singer) still sounds lovely, it is obvious from watching her sing that her jaw is doing some bizarre and unnecessary work. How to Avoid Jaw Tension Avoid jaw tension by paying attention. Stretch it out before you sing, look in the mirror, and put your hands on your jaw to feel the muscles. If you notice yourself clenching, stop singing, stretch it out, and try again. Always make sure that you are breathing, standing, and resonating well. Just like the throat, the jaw tends to clench when your singing technique is incomplete. Damaged Vocal Chords Mariah Carey Kelly Clarkson Vocal cord abuse and overuse can damage your vocal cords. Singers who perform lots of taxing music often suffer from vocal cord damage, especially after years of performing in tours and concerts. Kelly still sounds good, but the newly acquired raspy quality and her avoidance of high notes are both red flags. In Mariah’s recording, her cloudy tone quality, squeaking, and inability to hold out notes all point to severely swollen vocal cords. Singers can even get calluses (nodes), polyps, or vocal hemorrhaging (bleeding welts) that require surgery. Adele, Sam Smith, Tove Lo, Keith Urban, John Mayer… the list of celebrity victims goes on and on. How to Avoid Damaged Vocal Chords Be kind to your voice! Don’t scream and yell, and don’t overuse your vocal cords. If you suspect that you have hurt your chords already, or if you don’t know how to sing or speak properly for your health, consult  a voice teacher or a vocal therapist immediately. If it hurts to sing or speak, consider taking a few days off and going on vocal rest (no talking or singing whatsoever). It’s amazing what good a few days of quiet can do. While celebrities sing off-key through their noses, you can learn to sing in tune, with a raised soft palate and healthy vocal cords. Find a good teacher, ask him or her about these vocal faults, and practice a little every day. Soon, you might be singing better than some of your favorite famous singers! Post Author:  Elaina R. Elaina R. teaches opera voice and singing in Ann Arbor, MI, as well as through online lessons. She received her Master of Music from  the University of Michigan, and she has a B.M. from the University of Southern California. Learn more about Elaina here! Photo by  Jana Beamer Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher

Equivalent Decimals

Equivalent Decimals We can say decimals are a kind of fractional numbers. For example, the decimal 0.5 represents the fraction 5/10. We know 5/10 is equivalent to 1/2. In other words we can say decimal number is a number which contains decimal point. It has whole part and decimal part. We can say digits before decimal as whole part and the digits after decimal as decimal part. We have some rules to write the equivalent decimals. Those are, an equivalent decimal has same digits after the decimal point. If we add a number zero at the end of decimal digits the value of that number will not change. If we add zeros before the whole number the value of the number will not change. And the important thing is the place value of a decimal will not change. Example 1: check the decimal 0.45 is equivalent to 00.4500 Solution: Given decimal is 0.45 We need to find the place values of these two decimals First we can find the place values of 0.45 4 is tenth place and 5 is at hundredth place .(1) Now we can find the place values of the digits of 00.4500 The place value of 4 is tenths and place value of 5 is hundredth ..(2) From (1) and (2), The place values of the digits are same. So the given decimals are equivalent. Example 2: check the decimal 0.5 is equivalent to 00.500 Solution: Given decimal is 0.5 We need to find the place values of these two decimals First we can find the place values of 0.5 5 is tenth place .(1) Now we can find the place values of the digits of 00.500 The place value of 5 is tenths ..(2) From (1) and (2), The place values of the digits are same. So the given decimals are equivalent.

A Day in the Life at Oregon State University

A Day in the Life at Oregon State University Melissa, who specializes in English tutoring, writing tutoring, and a number of other subjects, shared her college experience below. She earned her bachelors degree in psychology from Oregon State University in 2012. Check out what she had to say: Describe the campus setting and transportation options. Melissa: I did my undergraduate work at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon. The town had around 60,000 people and the school had around 18,000 students. The University was a huge part of the community and public transportation was free for all OSU students. I usually took the city bus or rode my bike around campus. Corvallis is a safe place and OSU has a very nice campus that is both pedestrian and bicycle friendly. How available are the professors, academic advisers, and teaching assistants? Melissa: Overall, I think the professors and advisers make themselves available, but it depends on the department. I had problems when I was taking statistics with TAs not being available and that was really frustrating. I ended up getting a tutor and did really well, but I really needed the extra help. How would you describe the dorm liferooms, dining options, location, socialization opportunities with other students? Melissa: I lived about a mile off campus. The dining halls were really nice and provided many choices for students and staff. They were almost always busy during day and were a great place to meet friends. Which majors/programs are best represented and supported? Melissa: The College of Engineering, Business, Geoscience, and Fish and Wildlife were the big programs at OSU. I started out studying business and psychology. While taking general requirements, I didnt feel like there was a lot of support, but within the departments, professors seemed more invested and did a good job of providing support for students. The College of Business had a lot of tools and resources to support students with computer labs, internships, and scholarships. How easy or difficult was it for you to meet people and make friends as a freshman? Does Greek life play a significant role in the campus social life? Melissa: At first it was hard for me to make friends and get to know people. Greek life is huge at OSU. I was a member of Phi Theta Kappa and Sigma Kappa Delta at my previous school and I didnt pledge once I got to OSU. There were a lot of big events, game day activities, and things to do on the quad and at the Memorial Union, but I was really busy with work and school so I wasnt able to fully participate. Over time, I made friends with people who I had classes with a lot and through study groups, which was really nice. How helpful is the Career Centerand other student support services? Melissa: The Career Center was always holding big events and recruiting opportunities, but the student support I found most helpful was through the library. The library was open 24 hours a day, and had so many student services including scanning books into digital files, access to online articles, and study rooms. How are the various study areas such aslibraries, the student union, and dorm lounges? Melissa: There are so many places to study on campus at OSU! The Valley Library is huge! The coffee shop in the basement was one of my favorite places to study. I also liked the MU. The buildings are all huge and even though they are busy, they provide enough seating to accommodate a lot of students comfortably. Describe the surrounding town. Melissa: Downtown is a short distance from campus and is a popular destination for students, especially on weekends. There are small shops, coffee shops, restaurants, parks, and a river. Just outside of town, there are great places to go hiking like Marys Peak, Bald Hill, and Peavy Arboretum. How big or small is the student body? Were you generally pleased or displeased with the typical class sizes? Melissa: The student body was big with around 18,000 students. The popular required classes like math and statistics were really big and had between 100 and 150 students per section and those professors usually taught several sections and had several hundred students. In those classes it was impossible to get help from the professors. The upper division classes usually had between 25 and 50. I liked the small classes a lot better. Most of my classes were smaller and I was pleased with the size. Describe one memorable experience with a professor and/or class. Perhaps one you loved the most or one youregretthe most. Melissa: My favorite class at OSU was Geo 300. The professor (Dr. Cook) was one of the most informed people Ive ever met and his lectures were awesome. Although the class was on resource management, he touched on every element of life including personal enrichment, history, politics, business, and ecology. Every year he took a group of students to Albania to work in a village, where he had a library and he would personally fund a scholarship for one student from that village who excelled. He encouraged me and inspired me through his teaching. He was an amazing person and an excellent teacher. Check out Melissas tutoring profile. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Varsity Tutors.

5 Horrible Solo Albums From Famous Musicians

5 Horrible Solo Albums From Famous Musicians Mac Going solo isnt easy.  Once you leave a famous band, its hard to achieve  the same level of success on your own. In this article, Jessica Kane from SoundStageDirect  discusses  five solo albums from famous musicians that just  didnt cut it There are unknown reasons as to why some famous musicians feel the need to try to wing it on their own. Some have found great success upon breaking away from their band, while others have only put more nails in their creative coffins. Ready to hear what many consider some of the worst albums by solo artists? Here are five horrible solo albums from famous musicians: 1) Gone Troppo by George Harrison The Beatles are perhaps the most famous rock band of all time. Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr have all had successful and well-received solo albums in their post-Beatles lives. However, Gone Troppo by Harrison is one of the weakest releases of the bunch. To say that George Harrison is full of talent is a massive understatement, but his charm, skill, and focus fell short with this album. Its generally regarded as underwhelming and does not capture the magic that Harrison has brought to other albums. Listen to the title track and hear a part of George you havent  heard before: 2) Two Sides of the Moon by Keith Moon Keith Moon is known as one of the most iconic and powerful drummers in rock history. His thunderous hammering can be heard across all of The Whos powerhouse albums of the 1960s and 1970s. Two Sides of the Moon delivers you on a half hour journey to a much too dark side of Moon that is best left unexplored. The tracks on this album are as lifeless as the actual moon. Keith Moon, while a savage drummer, is a pitiful solo artist. He lacks the talent of most famous singers, and despite an impressive lineup that includes Joe Walsh, Ringo Starr, and a rumored David Bowie,  Two Sides of the Moon plays more like a strung-out mishap. This is what happens when you let someone as wild as Keith Moon alone to his own devices inside of a recording studio, with the intention to do a vocal cover album. 3) This Time by Melanie C The Spice Girls treated the world to energetic, fun, and sexy pop music that bred a cult of millions of Spice wannabes and fashion-deficit followers. Sporty Spice, or Melanie C, tried to capture some of that same success in a post-Spice Girl world but fell flat  on her face. While not one of the worst albums of the last 100 years, This Time is just unoriginal and dull. This was Melanies fourth solo effort and one of her weakest. In contrast, Northern Star was a solid pop experience that had good energy and lasting themes. Let your bleeding ears check it out here: 4) Who I Am by Nick Jonas This album deserves to be ranked among the worst albums of all time on every list of bad albums, ever. The Jonas Brothers are known for their cute pop rock that caters to pre-pubescent teen girls. Nick Jonas tried to set himself apart with this edgy attempt at a solo album. The blues is universal, as everyone feels suffering and angst, but Jonas needs to keep out of the blues world. This track is all the reason to stop listening to Nick Jonas: 5) Oh Yes I Can by David Crosby David Crosby is perhaps best known for his influential work with the supergroup Crosby, Stills, Nash, Young, but as a solo artist, hes been hit and miss. Oh Yes I Can is a definite miss. Released in 1989, this album does not bring the listener the same deep emotional satisfaction that was found in previous releases. Crosby is an excellent songwriter and performer, but he should have kept this one to himself. The impact he found in other hits is missing from this release. Conclusion Youve just experienced five horrible solo albums  back to back. Hopefully your ears are recovering now! If you want to avoid making horrible solo albums yourself, schedule a lesson with a private music instructor and get better at your craft today! Know any other horrible albums from famous musicians? Comment below! Post Author:  Jessica Kane Jessica Kane is a music connoisseur and an avid record collector. She currently writes for SoundStage Direct, her go-to place for all turntables and vinyl equipment, including VPI Turntables. Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher

English Listening Exercise The Future

English Listening Exercise The Future As we enter into the last month of the year 2013, we may start to think about the past and wonder about the future. Talking about predictions and the future can be difficult in English.We use will for general predictions but if we are talking about probability. We can also use could, might, or may. This weeks English listening exercise  uses a TED video featuring Pete Alcorns prediction for the 2200 uses these words frequently.Answer the questions below in comments, and well respond.1. How long does he think we are from a new enlightenment? 2. The worlds population is expected to ____ ___ at something hopefully a bit less than 10 billion. 3. What are the 2 benefits of a declining population? 4. What happened in Europe after the plague? (4 things) 5. Human history is kind of viewed as this _________ ____ from the good old days. 6. Why talk about the future? 7. Fear for the future can lead to some ____ decisions. 8. What does he predict for your great great grandchildren?What do you th ink about the worlds future? What about your countries future? As always if you put your answers in comments Ill correct them. Carlos 1. 150 year2. Top ..3. Few people make investment in properly about that / drives wages increase4. rises wages / land reform / technological innovations / .. the middle class5. downhill fly6. to avoid the nasty murders past7. rush decisions8about.I tried but I couldnt understand any words, Thanks LOIEnglish CarlosGood work.Question #2: top out-it means to level off Question #3: two things: property prices drop and wages increase Question #4: Good! you had it all the verb you are missing is: birth of the middle class.Question #5: downhill SLIDE; when something decreases in value or importance.Question #6: good; murder is the the verb and noun the adjective is: murderous.Question #7: rash-this means too quick without thought. It was a rash decision to buy the house.Question #8: a new enlightenment and a general positive future. Carlos can you try th e writing exercise? Ilka 1. How long does he think we are from a new enlightenment? 150 years. 2. The world’s population is expected to top out at something hopefully a bit less than 10 billion. 3. What are the 2 benefits of a declining population? Price of land drops, wages increase. 4. What happened in Europe after the plague? (4 things) Rising wages, land reform, technological innovation, and birth of the middle class 5. Human history is kind of viewed as this downhill flied from the good old days. 6. Why talk about the future? Because transitions are dangerous times. 7. Fear for the future can lead to some rash decisions. 8. What does he predict for your great great grandchildren? They will forget all about mouths(?) and instead they will be planning for the future and starting to build the 20sth century enlightenment. LOIEnglish Ilkagood listening skills!Question #5: downhill slideQuestion #8: They will forget all about malaise-malaise |m?'laz, -'lez| noun: a general feelin g of discomfort, illness, or uneasiness whose exact cause is difficult to identify: a society afflicted by a deep cultural malaise | a general air of malaise. Ilka Not that good! I need to repeat the listening many times Thanks a lot!

False Friends Spanish and English False Cognates

False Friends Spanish and English False Cognates One of the more difficult things that many Spanish speakers have while learning English is that there are many words that look and sound similar but have different meanings. We call these false friends or amigos malos. Learning English can be tough from the pronunciation to the grammar but false friends are not that difficult to memorize so that you dont make a mistake. The funniest example is: embarrassed in English sounds similar to embarazada in Spanish. If you tell someone in South America that you are embarrassed they will probably congratulate you and ask when you are due to have your baby. On the other hand if you tell someone that you are embarazada in the US or Canada they will probably ask why and ask if you are uncomfortable because embarrassed in English means that you feel awkward, dumb, self conscious, (verguenza).So below are a list of False friends that are commonly used incorrectly:Actual-means real NOT currentExample: The actual cost of the purse was much lower than the price tag.Particular-means special NOT privateYou can not discriminate against a particular group of people.Familiar-well known NOT relativeIm very familiar with the NorthWestern part of the United States, Ive lived there for many years.Casual-relaxed NOT by chanceThe restaurant does not require formal clothing, casual clothes are fine.Casualty-victim NOT by chanceThe war had many casualties.Soap-to wash your hands NOT to eat with a spoon like soupWe need dish soap for washing the dishes.Jam-is sweet and sometimes made from strawberries NOT ham which comes from cured pig meatMy favorite jam is raspberry.Compromise-an agreement or settlement NOT being engagedMy children are learning to compromise with each other by sharing and working out disagreements.Support-to give assistance NOT unbearable (unsopportable-doesnt exist)I gave her all the support she needed when her mother passed away.Molest-is generally used for sexual abuse or hurting someone in a sexual manner NOT to bother someone.Henry Weinstein the hollywood producers is accused of molesting several young actresses.Here Are The Best Tips For English Fluency:When you want to say: all the day/all the year change it to the whole day or the entire year.I was at the doctors office for the whole day!When you say take decisions you should say make decisions.I need to make a decision about her birthday gift.Remember breakfast/lunch/dinner are not verbs so you must say have or eat breakfast/lunch/dinner.What time do you normally eat breakfast? We eat lunch around noon. In Argentina they have dinner at 10PM!We talk in third person a lot for example: When at a restaurant and they ask how many people for the table you should say: There are four NOT we are four.There are five of us 4 adults and one child.We talk in third person on the phone: We say this is Teauna not I am Teauna.Hello! This is Teauna speaking, can I help you?

Its fine

It’s fine The limits of my language are the limits of my world” “Die grenzen meiner sprache sind die grenzen meiner welt” .- Ludwig Wittgenstein; Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus (section 5.6) How often do you go through your day encountering something that creates a response of “that’s fine”? By this I mean “oh, it doesn’t matter, it’s fine, there is nothing to be done about it”. Lets enter the theater of the mind for a second: A: “Hey, sorry I forgot to mention yesterday, but I can’t come to your birthday party after all” B: “Oh, okay, don’t worry about it. It’s fine” or: A: “Is that vase supposed to be cracked like that?” B: “Oh yeah, that’s fine” Think about this for a moment: we routinely encounter situations which we decide to ignore. “It’s fine”, “it doesn’t matter”. All of these statements communicate a  mental event the resolution of potential tension in one’s mind. Having taken a few classes in Blackfoot as a team, we have stumbled on a particularly poignant example of how the language you speak subtly shapes your attitudes and understanding of the world: “it’s fine”. This came about from learning the phrase in Blackfoot: “maatohkaiki”. The structure of word formation in Blackfoot is such that elements are added together to produce single words that produce complex ideas. This feature of the language is called “agglutination”, a feature present in Turkish, Japanese, Malay, Tagalog, Finnish, Estonian, and many others. Even English displays some features of this, for example in the word “un-wholesome-ness”. Maatohkaiki, broken down by element, is roughly equivalent to the phrase “I’m not doing anything about it”. This, of course, struck us as very indicative of what, as language nerds often do, one can derive from a closer look at the particulars of a language one uses casually. So, what can we learn from this? The phrase accomplishes the same task in each language, but, buried deep in the deceptively simple expression, there is a window to a fascinatingly diverse worldview. What can we tell from “it’s fine” or “it doesn’t matter” in English? First of all it is a declarative statement about the outside world. The thing out there possesses a state: mattering or not mattering, being fine or not fine. The phrase declares a state, judged and evaluated by the subject: “it’s fine”. That evaluation is loaded with meaning is the state of the world “correct” or “acceptable”, or is it not? The Blackfoot interpretation is subtly, but significantly different: “I am not doing anything about it” the distinction is not based so much in evaluation, as it is in decision of action. Action, in this case, is the vehicle through which meaning is imparted on the situation or object. Meaning is created and given to the outside world through the action of the subject. Let’s add just one more element of complexity for illustrative purposes: Mandarin Chinese The equivalent phrase here is “???” (méi guan xi) - or “no relationship”, meaning that a certain thing does not matter; has “no relationship” to another thing. The first character means “lack of” and the following two “relationship”. The emphasis of the world view becomes very apparent here: the world is made of relationships, and the speaker is filtering the world through this model. “Chinese culture looks primarily at relationships” is a statement that bears repeating in this case. So, what? It makes sense, then, that a native speaker of any of these languages would internalize their understanding of the simple phrase differently from speakers of other languages. The language of one’s thoughts shape her world in a distinctive way. Of course, a language is filled with these subtle colors, shaping our perception during the language acquisition phase of our childhoods. The beginning example, seen through this lens, can be now re-interpreted: A: “Hey, sorry I forgot to mention yesterday, but I can’t come to your birthday party after all” B: “Oh, okay, don’t worry, I’m not doing anything about it” Or B: “Oh, okay, don’t worry, it has no relationship to me” A: “Is that vase supposed to be cracked like that?” B: “Yeah, I’m not doing anything about it” Or B: “Sure, it has no relationship to me” These re-interpretations do seem to convey a contrast in attitude and perception of the world. Such subtle differences are almost imperceptible to a monolingual speaker. It is only in the learning of foreign languages do we start seeing these changes in perceptions, the way our own minds shift subtly with every new language. We learn from contrast. Seeing the world through another’s eyes is a difficult but necessary task. In order to build productive relationships with those around us, the ability to see the the world as they do is a powerful tool. It is a tool of cooperation and understanding. It seems that a great way to do this is to keep learning no languages and vocabularies. With each new word, our world expands and becomes just a shade more flexible, a bit more capable of empathy and understanding.   It’s fine The limits of my language are the limits of my world” “Die grenzen meiner sprache sind die grenzen meiner welt” .- Ludwig Wittgenstein; Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus (section 5.6) How often do you go through your day encountering something that creates a response of “that’s fine”? By this I mean “oh, it doesn’t matter, it’s fine, there is nothing to be done about it”. Lets enter the theater of the mind for a second: A: “Hey, sorry I forgot to mention yesterday, but I can’t come to your birthday party after all” B: “Oh, okay, don’t worry about it. It’s fine” or: A: “Is that vase supposed to be cracked like that?” B: “Oh yeah, that’s fine” Think about this for a moment: we routinely encounter situations which we decide to ignore. “It’s fine”, “it doesn’t matter”. All of these statements communicate a  mental event the resolution of potential tension in one’s mind. Having taken a few classes in Blackfoot as a team, we have stumbled on a particularly poignant example of how the language you speak subtly shapes your attitudes and understanding of the world: “it’s fine”. This came about from learning the phrase in Blackfoot: “maatohkaiki”. The structure of word formation in Blackfoot is such that elements are added together to produce single words that produce complex ideas. This feature of the language is called “agglutination”, a feature present in Turkish, Japanese, Malay, Tagalog, Finnish, Estonian, and many others. Even English displays some features of this, for example in the word “un-wholesome-ness”. Maatohkaiki, broken down by element, is roughly equivalent to the phrase “I’m not doing anything about it”. This, of course, struck us as very indicative of what, as language nerds often do, one can derive from a closer look at the particulars of a language one uses casually. So, what can we learn from this? The phrase accomplishes the same task in each language, but, buried deep in the deceptively simple expression, there is a window to a fascinatingly diverse worldview. What can we tell from “it’s fine” or “it doesn’t matter” in English? First of all it is a declarative statement about the outside world. The thing out there possesses a state: mattering or not mattering, being fine or not fine. The phrase declares a state, judged and evaluated by the subject: “it’s fine”. That evaluation is loaded with meaning is the state of the world “correct” or “acceptable”, or is it not? The Blackfoot interpretation is subtly, but significantly different: “I am not doing anything about it” the distinction is not based so much in evaluation, as it is in decision of action. Action, in this case, is the vehicle through which meaning is imparted on the situation or object. Meaning is created and given to the outside world through the action of the subject. Let’s add just one more element of complexity for illustrative purposes: Mandarin Chinese The equivalent phrase here is “???” (méi guan xi) - or “no relationship”, meaning that a certain thing does not matter; has “no relationship” to another thing. The first character means “lack of” and the following two “relationship”. The emphasis of the world view becomes very apparent here: the world is made of relationships, and the speaker is filtering the world through this model. “Chinese culture looks primarily at relationships” is a statement that bears repeating in this case. So, what? It makes sense, then, that a native speaker of any of these languages would internalize their understanding of the simple phrase differently from speakers of other languages. The language of one’s thoughts shape her world in a distinctive way. Of course, a language is filled with these subtle colors, shaping our perception during the language acquisition phase of our childhoods. The beginning example, seen through this lens, can be now re-interpreted: A: “Hey, sorry I forgot to mention yesterday, but I can’t come to your birthday party after all” B: “Oh, okay, don’t worry, I’m not doing anything about it” Or B: “Oh, okay, don’t worry, it has no relationship to me” A: “Is that vase supposed to be cracked like that?” B: “Yeah, I’m not doing anything about it” Or B: “Sure, it has no relationship to me” These re-interpretations do seem to convey a contrast in attitude and perception of the world. Such subtle differences are almost imperceptible to a monolingual speaker. It is only in the learning of foreign languages do we start seeing these changes in perceptions, the way our own minds shift subtly with every new language. We learn from contrast. Seeing the world through another’s eyes is a difficult but necessary task. In order to build productive relationships with those around us, the ability to see the the world as they do is a powerful tool. It is a tool of cooperation and understanding. It seems that a great way to do this is to keep learning no languages and vocabularies. With each new word, our world expands and becomes just a shade more flexible, a bit more capable of empathy and understanding.