Definition and Examples of Linguistic Variation

Definition and Examples of Linguistic Variation The term linguistic variation (or simply variation) refers to regional, social, or contextual differences in the ways that a particular language is used. Variation between languages, dialects, and speakers is known as interspeaker variation. Variation within the language of a single speaker is called intraspeaker variation. Since the rise of sociolinguistics in the 1960s, interest in linguistic variation (also called linguistic variability)  has developed rapidly. R.L. Trask notes that variation, far from being peripheral and inconsequential, is a vital part of ordinary linguistic behavior (Key Concepts in Language and Linguistics, 2007). The formal study of variation is known as variationist (socio)linguistics. All aspects of language (including phonemes, morphemes, syntactic structures, and meanings) are subject to variation. Examples and Observations Linguistic variation is central to the study of language use. In fact it is impossible to study the language forms used in natural texts without being confronted with the issue of linguistic variability. Variability is inherent in human language: a single speaker will use different linguistic forms on different occasions, and different speakers of a language will express the same meanings using different forms. Most of this variation is highly systematic: speakers of a language make choices in pronunciation, morphology, word choice, and grammar depending on a number of non-linguistic factors. These factors include the speakers purpose in communication, the relationship between speaker and hearer, the production circumstances, and various demographic affiliations that a speaker can have.(Randi Reppen et al., Using Corpora to Explore Linguistic Variation. John Benjamins, 2002)Linguistic Variation and Sociolinguistic VariationThere are  two types of language variation: linguistic and sociolinguistic. With linguistic variation, the alternation between elements is categorically constrained by the linguistic context in which they occur. With sociolinguistic variation, speakers  can choose between elements in the same linguistic context and, hence the alternation is probabilistic. Furthermore, the probability of one form  being chosen over another is also affected in a probabilistic way by a range of extra-linguistic factors [e.g. the degree of (in)formality of the topic under discussion, the social status of the speaker and of the interlocutor, the setting in which communication takes place, etc.](Raymond Mougeon et al.,  The Sociolinguistic Competence of Immersion Students. Multilingual Matters, 2010) Dialectal VariationA dialect is variation in grammar and vocabulary in addition to sound variations. For example, if one person utters the sentence John is a farmer and another says the same thing except pronounces the word farmer as fahmuh, then the difference is one of accent. But if one person says something like You should not do that and another says Ya hadnt oughta do that, then this is a dialect difference because the variation is greater. The extent of dialect differences is a continuum. Some dialects are extremely different and others less so.(Donald G. Ellis, From Language to Communication. Routledge, 1999)Types of Variation[R]egional variation is only one of many possible types of differences among speakers of the same language. For example, there are occupational dialects (the word bugs means something quite different to a computer programmer and an exterminator), sexual dialects (women are far more likely than men to call a new house adorable), and educational dialects ( the more education people have, the less likely they are to use double negatives). There are dialects of age (teenagers have their own slang, and even the phonology of older speakers is likely to differ from that of young speakers in the same geographical region) and dialects of social context (we do not talk the same way to our intimate friends as we do to new acquaintances, to the paperboy, or to our employer). . . . [R]egional dialects are only one of many types of linguistic variation.(C. M. Millward and Mary Hayes, A Biography of the English Language, 3rd ed. Wadsworth, 2012) Linguistic Variables- [T]he introduction of the quantitative approach to language description has revealed important  patterns of linguistic behaviour which were previously invisible. The concept of a sociolinguistic variable has become central to the  description of speech. A variable is some point of usage for which two or more competing forms are available in a community, with speakers showing interesting and significant differences in the frequency with which they use one or another of these competing forms.Furthermore, it has been discovered that variation is typically the vehicle of language change.(R.L. Trask,  Key Concepts in Language and Linguistics. Routledge, 1999/2005)- Lexical variables are fairly straightforward, as long as we can show that the two variantssuch as the choice between soda and pop for a carbonated beverage in American Englishrefer to the same entity. Thus, in the case of soda and pop, we need to take into account that for many U.S. southerners, Coke (when used to refer to a beverage and not the steel-making fuel or the illicit narcotic) has the same referent as soda, whereas in other parts of the U.S., Coke refers to a single brand/flavour of the beverage . . ..(Scott F. Kiesling,  Linguistic Variation and Change. Edinburgh University Press, 2011)

The History and Business of Making Lump Charcoal

The History and Business of Making Lump Charcoal Charcoal is a formless mass of carbon and can be made from most carbonaceous materials. It is one of the oldest of man-made fuels and has been prepared under the ground for a thousand years. Charcoal in lump form is still a major source of energy throughout the world and unfortunately, is one of the main causes of deforestation in the World. Historical Charcoal Production Wood charcoal production dates back to ancient human prehistory when  stacks of wood logs on their ends were formed into a pyramidal pile. Openings were created at the bottom of the pile and attached to a central flue for circulating air. The whole woodpile was either constructed in an earth covered pit or covered with clay above ground. A wood fire was started at the flue base and gradually smoldered and spread up and out. Ancient charcoal pits, under average conditions, yielded about 60 percent of the total wood by volume, but only 25% by weight, of charcoal product. Even by the seventeenth century, advances in technology yielded nearly 90 percent efficiency and was a skill that took years to learn and a major investment in kilns and retorts which had long replaced the pit method. Current Charcoal Production Much like the old process, the modern commercial charcoal process is to heat wood with little or no air present which takes special but simple equipment. In the United States, wood is the primary material used for charcoal and is generally procured in the form of residue from sawmills - slabs and edgings. Sawmills love to find users of this material because of environmental problems with burning and disposal of mill wastes. Where there are sawmills, there is an available raw product. The United States Forest Service has estimated that there are nearly 2,000 charcoal-producing units in the United States, including brick kilns, concrete and masonry block kilns, sheet steel kilns, and retorts (a steel metal building). The state of Missouri produces a significant portion of this national charcoal product (they have until recently had less stringent environmental regulations) and 98 percent of all charcoal is produced in the eastern United States. While charcoal can be made from any number of natural materials, hardwoods such as hickory, oak, maple, and fruit-woods are favored. They have unique aromas and tend to produce a better grade of charcoal. Better grades of charcoal come from raw materials with low sulfur content. The uses of charcoal may surprise you. Besides being the fuel that cooks steaks, hot dogs, and hamburgers on a Sunday picnic, charcoal is used in many other processes. It is used in certain metallurgical purifying treatments and as a filter to remove organic compounds such as chlorine, gasoline, pesticides, and other toxic chemicals from water and air. Activated charcoal, which has a super absorptive surface, is growing in use as a purifier. It is used in purifying and refining metals and in the gas masks that were used during the Gulf War. NutraSweet  uses activated charcoal to transform their product into a powder. Activated charcoal is used as an antidote for many types of poisons and is touted as an effective anti-flatulent. Lump Charcoal as a Business Most charcoal manufacturers sell their product as a briquette. This market has been dominated by several companies to include Kingsford, Royal Oak, and major grocery market brands. These companies may or may not make lump charcoal which is an alternate product that has some advantages and has potential as a small start-up business. Some new and exciting grill technologies actually require charcoal in lump form. An entrepreneur hoping to survive in the charcoal industry will require originality and very good and aggressive marketing. Many small companies have survived but most have not made it big. Theyve found that their potential in the niche charcoal market is by making natural hardwood lump charcoal. Innovative ideas like developing a product in a bag that has a fuse, which when lit will ignite the charcoal. This quick light product combined with an easy-to-use paraffin coated container filled with natural charcoal has been a modest success in some local markets. A major hurdle is creating an appealing package. Technical problems with storage make for unappealing packages and can affect sales. You may find your bag on the bottom shelf in the back of the store because of a plain package. You may also have a problem finding distributors that handle small volumes. There is also the potential for other products. Wood charcoal has a low sulfur content, unlike coal or petroleum products. This wood charcoal can be used where other forms of carbon cannot. Developing a specialty activated charcoal for filtration of consumables like air and water is possible. This low sulfur charcoal product would be sold to a large manufacturer of activated carbon like Calgon Carbon of Pittsburgh, PA. Starting a Charcoal Business In addition to the raw material, you will have to have an area suitable for heating the material while allowing only a minimal amount of air circulation. This may be a brick kiln or you may opt for a type of metal building called a retort. You can expect to pay up to several hundred thousand dollars for one of these. You also must develop a sorting and crushing operation. The wood that has been cooked is smaller than its original size by about one-third. It must be broken down into marketable pieces. This would have to be done by a customized piece of equipment made by a made-to-order machine shop. There is no reasonable cost estimate here - youve got to do a lot of leg work. Then you have to bag or package the carbon. Bagging machines are readily available from bagging equipment supply companies. Charcoal presents somewhat of a bagging problem due to a large variance in the sizes of the piece. These problems are not impossible to correct and a bagging line could cost you as much as $100 thousand. You can get less expensive ones. The best strategy for making a business success in lump charcoal is to keep the market local or regional. You might link up with a grill or outdoor oven company and combine your marketing efforts. Advertise the product as superior, natural charcoal that has advantages over briquettes. Many people are not aware that charcoal is available in this all-natural form. Advantages of Lump Charcoal Lump charcoal is an all-natural, 100 percent hardwood product with no additives.Natural charcoal heats faster than briquettes, so food can be cooked over natural charcoal within 5 to 7 minutes after lighting.Lump charcoal can be lit without lighter fluid and with just a match and some newspaper - this means no off-flavors.One pound of hardwood charcoal produces the equivalent heat of two pounds of briquette charcoal. Disadvantages of Lump Charcoal Although lump charcoal is growing in popularity, consumer demand still lags behind formed charcoal briquettes.Even though lump charcoal is a more efficient heat producer, its current price is nearly twice that of briquettes.Lump charcoal is bulkier, has odd shapes, and crushes more easily. It tends to become dusty and flakes off.

Developing a Personal Leadership Style Research Paper

Developing a Personal Leadership Style - Research Paper Example This style is considered outmoded and inappropriate in the modern society overfilled with democratic points of view.  This type can be characterized as â€Å"one person rules†. It means, the decision-making process is conducted only by one certain person, and other participators of the process are obliged to act according to the demands of that person. Thus, a communication between the leader and inferiors develops only on the professional level. However, sometimes it is the only way of acting that can help achieve the target aims. For instance, the police officer that is giving the commands to the criminal, or the tutor that is telling the student to complete the certain task, utilize this style of headship. At the same time, Salin and Hoel (2010) argue that this type of headship leads to appearance of climate of fear, which can be a great pitfall on the way to goals’ achievement. Nevertheless, if the person needs this type to be developed, he or she should train the ability to establish certain tasks and be responsible for all the outcomes.Paternalistic This type can be characterized as cooperating with inferiors like father with children. The main advantage of this style is high level of trust between the person in charge and the participators of certain space. Nevertheless, this can also lead to the situation when several participators could become favorites while others may remain unheeded. This, in turn, can be the reason for many dismissals of the participators that simply wish to become more valuable.

Womens Attitudes towards Online Shopping Dissertation

Womens Attitudes towards Online Shopping - Dissertation Example This essay discusses that women are traditionally responsible for household shopping. And according to several studies, shopping is a task more preferred by women and they express more favourable attitudes towards catalogue shopping and ‘brick-and-mortar’ store than men. Nevertheless, the innovative shopping medium presented by the Internet has been discovered to lead to an unusual, if not reverse, buying behaviour between women and men. Even though some studies have discovered that there is no significant disparity between non-shoppers and online shoppers as regards to gender, males were discovered to buy more online than females. According to Alreck and Settle, the attitudes of men towards online shopping were roughly similar to or even more positive than females’ perceptions. The Internet was previously designed mostly for men and for a purposeful assessment intended for the product information and price comparison. In the recent decades online shopping has tur ned out to be more pleasant, with customer evaluations and testimonials and a richer array of products/services and online experience. This development has encouraged women, as well. Furthermore, it appears that most people no longer find any considerable shortcomings of online shopping. A decade ago people were in the habit of worrying about the safety or trustworthiness of making payments online and the guarantee of delivery. These issues are no longer a problem today, with innovative means like secure online money transfers and a record of encouraging experiences (Park & Stoel 2002). As stated by Khosrowpour (2004), the progress of online shopping is distinguished by the finding that people have been allotting much more time for online activities since 1998. In general, there are dissimilarities between the buying behaviour of men and women. Women would prefer, more than men, to look for relevant information on products/services and to be encouraged; this is the same behaviour ob served in traditional shopping. Men would prefer to decide quickly. It is the shopping

Ethics in Economics and Finance Essay Example for Free

Ethics in Economics and Finance Essay Ethics is defined as a standard of human behavior that offers how to act in many situations with friends, family members, employees, business people, professionals, etc. It is necessary to mention that to make really ethical decision means to use trained sensitivity to ethical issues. In other words, ethics is associated with acceptable human behavior in this or that everyday or scientific field. Ethics incorporates norms of conventional morality to distinguish ‘wrong’ behavior from ‘right’ behavior. Generally, ethical norms suggest honesty, truthfulness, fairness, integrity, justice and respect for others. Ethics is applied to all aspects of life as, for example, medicine, psychology, business, finance and economics. Financial and economic ethics is considered subset of general ethics. (Frowen, 1995, p. 46) Ethics and Ethical Norms Researches argue that ethical norms and values play important role in maintaining harmony and stability in social life as ethics suggests proper ways of human-human interactions. Ethics recognizes human needs and aspirations, as well as cooperative efforts, fairness and truthfulness. Ethics contributes social stability and ensures balance in all spheres of life and business. Social evolution has developed instinct care in humans to take care of ourselves and of others. Ethical norms are necessary for guiding human behavior and it is refereed to when it is necessary to resolve conflicts between selfishness and selfishness, between conscience and material needs. In finance and economics ethical violations are associated with inconsistency in modern financial-economic theory. Violations are also attributed to inconsistencies in use if principal-agent model of relations in economic and financial transactions. It is noted that the financial-economic theory is based on the rational-maximizer paradigm which promotes capitalist system stressing that individuals are egoistic and they tend to behave rationally when looking for ways of maximizing their own interest. The problem is that modern financial-economic theory contradicts ethical norms of loyalty, fidelity, trustworthiness and stewardship. Moral values are the core of traditional concept of agency, but if humans are claimed to be rational maximizers, then traditional sense is impossible. (Frowen, 19995, p. 47-49) For example, Duska argues that â€Å"to do something for another in a system geared to maximize self-interest is foolish. Such an answer, though, points out an inconsistency at the heart of the system, for a system that has rules requiring agents to look out for others while encouraging individuals to look out only for themselves, destroys the practice of looking out for others†. (Duska, 1992, p. 61) Ethics in Finance Ethics in finance plays important role as it aims at ensuring fair deals and transactions. Moreover, ethics in finance addresses corporate governance, and agency relationships which should be purely contractual. In financial sphere, ethical behaviour should be based on carrot-and-stick approach. In corporate governance the conflict between stockholder and management is described as agency problem. To deal with this problem an agency theory was developed. It stresses that the principal and agent are both self-interested aiming at generating their gain. (Dobson, 1993, p. 7) Researchers say that we tend to entail our needs as, for example, management of retirement savings or stock and bond investing, to financial services as we may fail to carry them effectively. We are not as organized as financial managers, but we are not aware of agency problem. Lack of necessary information limits our ability to monitor managers’ behaviour. Therefore, modern world is characterized by selfish behaviour as people are willing to get their things done by others. Such paradoxical situation explains ethical problems in financial sphere stressing that declining in morality is observed. (Dobson, 1993, p. 8) Ethical violations in finance are rather frequent nowadays and that mainly associated with stakeholder interest, insider trading, investment management and camping financing. Loyalty and trust in public and private dealings are often violated. The most common occurrences are fraudulent financial dealings, corruption in government and public institutions, influence peddling, cheating customers about their trading profits, insider trading, unauthorized transactions, misuse of customer funds in order to obtain personal gain, larceny and corruption in banks, improper pricing of customer trades, etc. Most frequently, unethical behaviour is associated with insider trading which is defined as trading in securities of particular company or organization with an effort to take advantage of information about material side of the company. In such a way, trade is provided with unfair advantage over other competitors in the same security. (Dobson, 1993, p. 59) Therefore, ethical codes are very important in financial filed as they set standards of acceptable behaviour, fair dealing and honest relations with customers. Ethical codes in finance tends to replace egoistic paradigm and to create such system which would promote, honesty, altruism and virtuous traits. It is rather common to fid ethical codes in modern financial markets and financial corporation. In financial markets such ethical codes are established by official regulatory agencies which are trying to ensure ethical and responsible behaviour as important part of all operations and transactions. Furthermore, re-examining of the core principle of capitalist society helps to address ethical problems in both financial and economic fields. Financial ethics suggests that individual should be presented as honest and altruistic promoting honesty and fairness in public and private dealings. The primary purpose of ethic in financial sphere is to set standards of internal good. (Dobson, 1993, p. 60-61) Ethics in Economics Ethics is related with economic sphere in three ways: economists should follow ethical values trying to shape the way they are doing economics; economic actors have ethical values which shape their own behavioural standards; finally, ethical values are important for economic policies and institutions as they affect people differentially. However, from economic perspective ethics is defined as a matter of choice for everyone. Many economists argue that ethical values contribute positively economic welfare. However, there are ideas that economics is ethically neutral. Economists are interested in implication of Adam Smith’s idea that all human are driven by self-interest and egoism. Smith argued that self-interest led to the common good of nation. (Wilber, 1996, p. 135) However, he agreed that human should act in terms of internationalized moral law and police power of the state. Therefore, it is recognized that in economic sphere all figures should act on the basis of acknowledged ethical norms as economy of every country needs efficient ethical behaviour to improve country’s reputation at the world scene. In economics ethics suggests avoiding corruption in government and promoting fair decision-making. It is a matter of fact that ethics is not an easy task for economic system and business as there will be always interest groups which will challenge ethical standards and values. Therefore, economics should pay more attention to ethics and social responsibility, as well as to set ethical codes of behavior. For example, businesses are defined as important institutions in any economic structure. Therefore, they are expected to follow ethical norms when deciding how to organize the work and to produce necessary goods and service. Businesses reflect the overall economic system and unethical behavior may create unfavorable reputation. (Wilber, 1996, p. 139) Conclusion Ethics plays crucial role in all aspects of life, especially in financial and economic sphere. In financial field ethics is associated with fair transactions and dealings, honest buyer-customer relations and avoidance of corruption. In economic field ethics is associated with social responsibility, ethical decision-making as the whole nation depends on them, and, of course, with no corruption on national level. Ethics is necessary not only for maintaining balance and harmony, but also for improving reputation of company, organization, and even country. (Frowen, 1995, p. 68)

Jerry Springer Compared To Oprah Winfrey :: essays research papers fc

Springer vs. Winfrey   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the world of entertainment, TV talk shows have undoubtedly flooded every inch of space on daytime television. Many of us have seen and heard the often recycled topics found on such veteran shows as Geraldo and Sally Jesse Raphael. Anyone who watches talk shows on a regular basis knows that each one varies in style and format. One might enjoy watching the sometimes trashy subject matter found on Jenny Jones, while someone else might prefer the more serious and light-hearted feel of the Maury Povich show. But no two shows are more profoundly opposite in the content, while at the same time standing out above the rest, than the Jerry Springer and Oprah Winfrey shows.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jerry Springer could easily be considered the king of â€Å"trash talk.† The topics on his show are as shocking as they come. For example, the show takes the ever common talk show themes of love, lust, sex, sexuality, adultery, cheating, guilt, hate, conflict and morality to a different level. In a vintage Springer show, one finds women who cheated on their boyfriends and are ready to confess. But the boyfriends are in for an even bigger surprise when they find out who their girlfriends have been cheating with. As the secret lovers are patiently waiting back stage, the girlfriends confess that they have been cheating on their men with other women. Another episode seemed reminiscent of the John and Lorenna Bobbitt case, only more twisted. A man cuts off his own genitals because he claimed that his homosexual neighbor was stalking him. Shocking, indeed, but the list of talk material goes on from dangerous love triangles, broken homes, pregnant strippers, teen age prostitutes, adult film stars, devil worshippers, and the always popular rates booster, the KKK. Clearly, the Jerry Springer Show is a display and exploitation of societies moral catastrophes; yet people are willing to eat up the intriguing mishaps of other people’s lives.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Oprah Winfrey was once a follower of the trash TV format, but her long running popular TV talk show has since been reformed. Like Jerry Springer, the Oprah Winfrey Show takes talk TV to its extreme, but Oprah goes in the opposite direction. Oprah’s show is probably the most immaculate talk show there is. It is unlikely that you will find guests on Oprah that have committed adultery, or have sold their souls to the devil. Instead, the show focuses on the improvement of society and an individual’s quality of life.

Defining Team Members’ Roles

What are team members’ roles? Why are they necessary to the team? After defining each person’s role on a team, what are their responsibilities? Can a team have dual roles and responsibilities? Does your personality have to match your role on the team? What are the benefits and advantages in working within a team? These are all questions that are not clearly defined in the beginning. This causing the overall scope of the project to be difficult, lack of communication between team members and team members often to have conflict. As members are placed, the first task is to determine the overall mission of the team. Each member should feel comfortable to voice his/her strategies for the overall purpose. Members must have equal say on the scope and consideration of their ideas toward the success of the project. After defining the overall objectives, the team must decide on the implementation of shared responsibilities. Shared responsibilities of the team would include scheduling project meeting times, determining when to meet, how often to meet, where to meet, who will be responsible for scheduling meeting request(s), who will be responsible for preparing and sending out agendas routinely, who will be responsible for taking and publishing minutes, and status updates for in-between the scheduled meetings. The team could also focus on document review deadlines and approvals for the project. There are various roles a team must outline inside of a team for the success in completing a project. According to the required reading this week, there can be several role descriptions for a team, they are as follows: Coach – one who tries to create harmony by creating a positive atmosphere, motivate everyone else on the team and building a great rapport Champion – one who brings ideas and thoughts to the team. This person often bring out the priorities and focus of the team Explorer – one who uncovers better ways of doing things; an improvement. Innovator – one who uses their imagination to dream up new concepts Sculptor – one who brings things about to get to the goal of the team. Curator – one who brings clarity, ask questions to get a full understanding of what the goals and scope of the team project. Conductor – one who organizes things into a systematic structure Scientist – one who analyize and give explanation of the team’s goals or projects. Usually a team member may already perform some of these roles defined above, but may perform more of one role verses another. Members may also have what is known today as a dual role. A dual role means taking on two roles at the same time. Based on the roles defined above, the coach and champion can be the same individuals based upon the coach’s life experience most likely contribute to his role as a team player or champion. For example: Being a champion and having a passion for what you love, after your career in a particular team setting is over, you are wanting to go forward and teach others what you know. This would go into the coaching aspect of the role. In every champion there is a future coach, and in every future coach there is a champion. After determining the roles that exist for each team member, the team must decide which member’s personality matches a particular role. If you take an individual’s personality that is warmhearted, conscientious, and cooperative; want harmony in their environment, work with determination to establish it; Like to work with others to complete tasks accurately and on time; Loyal, follow through even in small matters; Notice what others need in their day-by-day lives and try to provide it; Want to be appreciated for who they are and for what they contribute. Myers Briggs). This personality type would be a great coach. Once the roles and responsibilities of each team have been defined, there are several advantages and disadvantages for working on a team. Some of the advantages would be cross-training, greater cooperation and new approaches to a particular task maybe discovered. Some of the disadvantages for working on team would be time management issues, members’ may think it is less motivating or may not be conducive with various roles within a team. Since I am a team leader in the Order of Eastern Stars, there are many members under my leadership. These members entrust my judgment, integrity, fairness, and knowledge. My primary duties are to protect the interest of each team member and the overall chapter. The advantages for my position is to assist and aid each member, help the overall community and being a strong driving force for humanity. Some of the disadvantages as being viewed as a leader comes with a heavy burden. Being known as the fixer, taking on all individuals’ pumultuous issues and trying to come up with the best solution regarding the problem at hand. The greatest burden would not be able to separate other people’s issues and problems as my own. References Myers, Isabel Briggs with Peter B. Myers (1980, 1995). Gifts Differing: Understanding Personality Type. Mountain View, CA: Davies-Black Publishing. ISBN 0-89106-074-X.