ENG100 English

1)In Jakob Mikanowski’s essay “Behemonth, Bully, Thief: How the English Language is Taking Over the Planet,” he borrows the ideas of Abram de Swaan, who divides “languages into four categories” (3). By referencing the specific ideas mentioned in the text, please describe the characteristics of peripheral languages that make them prone to extinction, and describe the differences between a “supercentral” and a “hypercentral” language. What is the key distinguishing characteristic of a hypercentral language, and how is that related to the overall claims made in this argument about the dominance of English? 2) In their article “A Brief History of Solitary Confinement,” Jean Casella and James Ridgeway examine how the use of solitary confinement in US prisons has a particularly destructive impact on a number of minority groups. They argue that the “system is arbitrary, largely unmonitored, and ripe for abuse” (9).What are some of the groups they mention, what data do they provide to support this claim, and why do the authors feel this is a particularly egregious use of solitary confinement?