Das Mädchen Why the Word Girl Is Gender Neutral

Have you ever wondered why the word for girl, das Mauml;dchen, is neuter instead of feminine in the German language? Heres what Mark Twain had to say on that topic: In German, every noun has a gender, and there is no sense or system in their distribution; so the gender of each noun must be learned separately and by heart. There is no other way. To do this one has to have a memory like a memorandum-book. In German, a young lady has no sex, while a turnip has. When Mark Twain claimed a girl has no sex in the german language, he was of course not talking about the act of sex nor the biological sex. He was playing with the still pretty common initial misunderstanding of many German learners that grammatical gender represented by the articles (e.g. der, das, die) equals biological gender, is also called: sex (male, female and anything in between). He did not want to say that a young lady had no biological gender. If you look closer at the german word for â€Å"young lady†, you will notice the following: â€Å"das Mà ¤dchen† does have a gender called neuter – which is indicated by the article â€Å"das†. So, why is a girl in the German language a neuter? Where Does the Word Mdchen Come From? The answer to this question lies in the origin of the word Mà ¤dchen. You might already have stumbled upon minimized things in German – we call them diminutives, for example: Blà ¤ttchen (small leave), Wà ¶rtchen (small word), Hà ¤uschen (small house), Tierchen (small animal) – You might rather know their â€Å"grown-up† original versions: Blatt, Wort, Haus, Tier – but we add the chen-ending to show that they are small or to express that they are cute. And if something is cute, then it is not â€Å"sexy† anymore, meaning that it is not female or male anymore, right? All â€Å"diminutized† words get the article â€Å"das† in German. This also applies to Mà ¤dchen as it is the smaller form of.. well... what? Mà ¤d? Almost. Lets take a closer look. With a bit of fantasy, you might recognize the English word Maid(en) in Mà ¤d and this is exactly what it is. A small maid(en).– and this was the German word for woman until the beginning of the 20th century. It might even be familiar to you – as the German Maid (speak: mite) – wandered through the German-Anglo-Saxon culture and settled down in the English language where it established a quite durable meaning as a kind of house-servant – the maid. A maid in German is denoting a female being which means that it is of female grammatical gender. Therefore it is used with a female article of which there are: die-Nominativedie-Accusativeder-Dativeder-Genitive By the way: Should you want to learn or refresh your articles, we can recommend this song composed by a partner and friend (the song starts somewhere around 03:35) that makes learning them in all cases a Kinderspiel (with help of beautiful Klavierspiel). Of course â€Å"girls† (nor men) do not lose their biological sex/gender by getting the diminutive ending –chen. Its actually pretty interesting that the meaning of maid shifted to its nowadays meaning of girl in German and how that happened in detail, we guess would lead too far here. we hope your curiosity regarding how the Germans can even consider a girl to be a neuter being has been satisfied. How to Diminutize in German Simply remember, whenever you see a word ending with –chen, it is a diminutive of its big original. And there is yet another ending you might come across, especially when you like to read older literature or childrens books: it’s the ending ‘-lein’ like in â€Å"Kindlein† - the little child, for example, or like in â€Å"Lichtlein†, the little light. Or the story Tischlein deck dich by the Grimm brothers (click here for an English version of that article). Germans learn these endings in primary school with this sentence: â€Å"-chen und –lein machen alle Dinge klein.†[-chen and –lein make all things small.] There is no clear rule regarding when to use which of these two endings. But : the –lein – ending is a very old German form and is not really being used anymore and very often there are both forms, like e.g. Kindlein and Kindchen. So if you want to form a diminutive on your own – you better do it with the –chen ending. By the way – did you ever wonder where â€Å"ein Bisschen† comes from? We guess you are able to answer this question now. PPS: A small German man, the Mà ¤nnchen, probably best known in form of the East German Ampelmà ¤nnchen, shares the same fate as German girls.

Pregnancy Discrimination in the Workplace How Far Have...

Pregnancy Discrimination in the Workplace Outline Title: Pregnancy Discrimination in the Workplace: How Far Have We Come? Introduction: Define employment discrimination I. Pregnancy Discrimination Act A. Hiring B. Pregnancy and Maternity Leave C. Health Insurance II. Reasons for increase of complaints A. Staying in the workplace B. Productivity and economy C. Stereotypes III. Employers concerns Conclusion: Know your rights. Pregnancy Discrimination in the Workplace: How Far Have We Come? In a world where there have been so many advancements, is it really necessary to have laws to protect us from discrimination in the workplace? The answer is a definite yes. Unfortunately, in†¦show more content†¦This can be a huge issue when applying for a new job when pregnant because of course the employer is going to be worried about a number of issues that could arise, such as how long the new hire will be available to work, her limitations in the job, and medical insurance. The employer cannot refuse to hire a pregnant woman just for the simple fact that shes pregnant; they also cannot refuse to hire her based on the prejudices of co-workers, clients, or customers (2). Employers are also prohibited under the Pregnancy Discrimination Act from enacting special procedures to determine an employees ability to work. If an employee is unable to perform her job due to pregnancy, the employees must be given the same rights as any other temporarily disabled employee. Pregnant employees also have the right to work as long as they are able to perform their assigned duties. If an employee is absent from work die to a pregnancy-related condition, an employer cannot require the employee to remain on leave until after the baby is born if they recover. Employers also have to hold a job open for a pregnancy-related absence for the same length of time it would be held open for employees on sick or disability leave (2). 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Admission Essay Into Masters Of Science In Nursing Free Essays

Nursing, I believe, is a profession that requires a caring attitude. This is the attitude that I currently foster as I trod down the path towards being a Licensed Practical Nurse. In the course of my research, I have learned about the Masters of Science in Nursing , Family Nurse Practitioner (MSN-FNP) Track program at the University of Tennessee, Memphis. We will write a custom essay sample on Admission Essay Into Masters Of Science In Nursing or any similar topic only for you Order Now The contents of the course seem very challenging as it involves several methods of instructing and equipping of the students. I have learned that the curriculum is a competency-based curriculum where the student can learn through a modified self-paced manner. The features in the course curriculum that appeal to me most are the nursing skill laboratory demonstrations as well as using audiovisual and computer educational programs and equipment. These two features are very vital in immersing students in the most thorough way possible in the Masteral aspects of Nursing. I was impressed upon seeing that clinical experts are actively involved in programs of practice. Even the courses are technologically advanced as the courses in the MSN program are Web-mediated. The MSN program helps develop an advanced level of clinical competence that will surely give consumers with competent health care. It shall also develop a research base for a systematic review, testing and evaluation of nursing care actions. That means, there is a responsibility built into it. The research and practice foundation are also up to par with the higher studies that could be pursued later. As a nurse, one is responsible for the recovery and the safety of people who are immensely ill or injured people. A nurse is also tasked to maintain the health of those people who are already healthy. This role is important because of the range and scope of conditions that a nurse has to attend to. Knowing all of this, I have looked back and have seen that my passion for caring for other people when they are physically unable to care for themselves has prompted me to serve others as a nurse. I have also been exposed to the plight of the several millions of people in the world who are in need of medical and physical aid. This is one of my burdens as an applying masteral student of nursing—to know advanced skills in the care of the sick and to help cope with their pain and replace it with relief and cure. My academic goals are to be able to start strong and finish strong. I expect and want nothing else but the highest marks in each and every subject as I truly have a passion for the nursing profession. I hope to become a highly competent nurse and I am dead-set on making it a reality. I have also discovered that there are nursing career advancement opportunities available for those who are already registered nurses. These programs are specifically tailor-fit to my professional goal that is to continue on improving my career and myself. The programs for advancement focus on the strengthening of leadership capabilities and improvement of quality of care. I hope to be able to respond better in situations when utmost care is needed. For instance when I was assigned in the n the emergency room, I noticed an informal power structure that emerges as a result of routine interaction among multi-disciplinary healthcare staff that variably consists of ER aids, nurses, physicians, and social workers; sometimes even housekeeping and accounting staff. Here, power emanates not from hierarchy or status but from the demands of particular emergency situations. Usually the person who has more knowledge and ability to respond to the problem at hand exercises more power and induce others to take his lead. This informal power structure depends more on interdependence among department staffs since they are not within a bureaucratic relationship; that is, they do not have a boss-subordinate relationship. Circumstances compel them to share on the responsibility and accountability for particular situations, especially those involving life and death. Taking responsibility for my life now involves self-management competency. I believe in effective self-management that will do well in this new phase of my life. Often, when things do not go well, people tend to blame their difficulties on the situations in which they find themselves or on others. I have learned that effective self-management does not fall into this trap. Self-management competency includes integrity and ethical conduct and personal drive and resilience. My learning insight is that self-management does require much time and effort. I remember what Dee Hock, the man who built the powerhouse Visa card used by half a billion customers worldwide when he would often say to managers, â€Å"Invest at least 40 percent of your time managing yourself—your ethics, character, principles, purpose, motivation and conduct.† That is why I would like to invest myself in becoming an efficient and effective nurse at this University. I have the drive to do well in my batch and I also have the passion and burden for helping those who are physically ill. As a nurse, I will be able to both fulfill my professional goals as well as take the career path that I always see myself in. I will always be happy as a nurse because I am assured that I am doing a great service to those who are in need. REFERENCE Master of Science in Nursing. The University of Tennessee. Retrieved Feb. 1, 2007 at: http://www.utmem.edu/nursing/academic%20programs/MSN/index.php How to cite Admission Essay Into Masters Of Science In Nursing, Essays

Book the Facebook free essay sample

â€Å"Ive sent you a friend request on Facebook. Please accept it.† I was shocked to hear these words from my seven-year old cousin. I wondered, ‘What on earth is a seven-year old in a need of a Facebook ID?’ This is not just the case of my cousin but of every breathing kid. The craze of Facebook is increasing every day and this craze is increasing at its pace among kids. Almost every school-going kid has his/her ID on Facebook. But is this fad correct? A prudential answer to this question is ‘No’. The number of people having a Facebook ID is maximising every second. Among this increasing population, the dominating age group is that of children. Kids today enjoy a lot of time on the so-called ‘Facebook’. May it be day or night, they are seen chatting, poking, tagging, liking or commenting on it. In this era of ever-increasing competition, kids are required to pave a safe for themselves for which they should devote their time to studies. We will write a custom essay sample on Book the Facebook or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page But, speaking on a sad note, instead of giving time to studies, kids spent long hours on Facebook. Internet, a cobweb of information can be used to increase knowledge by kids. But the use of internet has recently been confined to ‘www.facebook.com’. Looking at today’s youth, it seems as if Facebook has become their life. It has successfully emerged as an addictive addiction. Well, saying Facebook is evil and should be completely banned would be a wrong act. A look on the bright side of Facebook reveals that if it is used in a limited manner, it can prove as a boon too. Instead of spending, in fact wasting prolong hours on Facebook, just dedicating a short span of time to it is what can be called a ‘good thing’. On the balance of time, the scale of books should weigh more than the scale of Facebook. After all, it is the amount of knowledge we possess which helps us in the future and not the amount of friends we possess on our Facebook ID. Act wise and minimise the hours spent on Facebook to minutes and maximise the minutes dedicated to books to hours. Give the position of Facebook to books i.e. book the Facebook.