Why do you think every language has a standard dialect (at least one)?

 

 

Sample solution

Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell. 

In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.

God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.

Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.

To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.

 

References

Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.

Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies4(8), 487.

Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.

Sample Solution

Sample Solution

Every language has a standard dialect, at least one, for several reasons. These standard dialects serve as a reference point for communication and play a crucial role in maintaining linguistic unity and facilitating effective communication within a speech community. Here are some reasons why every language has a standard dialect:

  1. Communication and Mutual Intelligibility: A standard dialect provides a common ground for speakers of a language to understand and communicate with each other. It serves as a shared linguistic code that enables effective communication across regions and social groups within a speech community. By adhering to a standard dialect, speakers can ensure mutual intelligibility, even if they come from different geographical or social backgrounds.
  2. Education and Literacy: A standard dialect is often associated with formal education and literacy. It becomes the basis for teaching and learning a language in schools, as well as for developing written materials, textbooks, and dictionaries. Having a standard dialect ensures consistency and uniformity in educational materials, making it easier for learners to acquire language skills and access knowledge.
  3. Cultural Identity and National Unity: A standard dialect often becomes a symbol of national or regional identity. It represents the linguistic heritage and cultural identity of a particular community or nation. By having a standardized form of the language, speakers can foster a sense of unity and belonging, promoting social cohesion and national pride.
  4. Media and Mass Communication: A standard dialect is crucial for effective mass communication, including radio, television, newspapers, and online media. Media outlets typically use a standardized form of the language to reach a broader audience and ensure that their content is accessible to the majority of speakers. This standardization allows for the dissemination of information and ideas across different regions and social groups.
  5. Linguistic Norms and Stability: A standard dialect helps establish linguistic norms and stability within a language. It provides a reference point for grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, and other linguistic features. By adhering to a standard dialect, speakers can maintain linguistic consistency, reducing the risk of language fragmentation or the emergence of mutually unintelligible varieties.
  6. International Communication and Globalization: In an increasingly interconnected world, a standard dialect facilitates international communication and promotes globalization. It serves as a lingua franca, enabling speakers of different languages to communicate effectively in various domains, such as business, science, diplomacy, and tourism. A standardized language can enhance cross-cultural understanding and facilitate international cooperation.

In conclusion, every language has a standard dialect because it promotes effective communication, facilitates education and literacy, fosters cultural identity and national unity, supports mass media and mass communication, establishes linguistic norms and stability, and enables international communication in an interconnected world. Standard dialects play a vital role in maintaining linguistic unity and ensuring mutual intelligibility within a speech community.

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