Brand Loyalty vs Generic Brands

Brand Loyalty: Brand Names vs. Generic Brands Why do we as, customers and consumers chose to stay loyal to specific brands? Are you guilty of being loyal to one brand and not attempt to try other brand names and/or generic brands? I am. There are so many different products, materials, strategies, etc. that companies compete with each other to try to get us (the consumers) to be loyal to that brand. Example: Coke vs. Pepsi; AT&T vs. Sprint. There are also, people that wonder are their big differences in products when it’s a brand name vs. eneric brand. Upon my research I hope to answer these questions that we all have, a time or two, have wondered about? Definition The extent of the faithfulness of consumers to a particular brand, expressed through their repeat purchases, irrespective of the marketing pressure generated by the competing brands. (www. businessdictionary. com) Brand Loyalty ranges from foods, clothing, cars, places, electronics, etc. How they get us to stay loyal There are many reasons why we stay true to the brands we’ve developed to familiar ourselves with such as: knowing the quality in the product, don’t trust other brands or don’t care to try it, costs, availability, and /or easier resources, such as internet, the reputation of the brand by word of mouth and society standards. Companies are always developing newer and better ways to outdo their products, and old products and the products of their competitors. Brand Name vs. Generic Brand People have also stayed loyal when it comes to comparing the same products, but the difference is one is a brand name and the other is a generic.Such as, Tylenol vs. generic store name such as equate (wal-mart store brand). There is a difference in price? The generic (store brand) is always less in cost but is the product the same? Yes, the generic store brand of Tylenol is the same as the brand name Tylenol, the dosage, effects, risks, safety and strengths are the same, except for the price the store brand is cheaper and that’s because the manufacturer has not had the expenses of making and selling a new drug. Interviews on brand name loyalist: I have interviewed the following people to compare their loyalty to a brand and why?Questions asked: Friend: 1. Q: What brand are you loyal to? And Why? A: Sony, the picture, sound and quality of the different products. Nike, the comfortability of the shoes, larger range of styles, the different professional athletes under that name; meaning that they’re producing more of the products that allows the cost to lower, making it more affordable. Lexus, the quality, the appearance, the non-depreciate value it has compared to other brands and the reputation of the name? 2. Q: How long have you been loyal to the brand?A: Sony, 1995 is when I purchased my first Sony product; Nike, 1984 in High School, I bought a new pair of sneakers; Lexus, 2010. I bought my first Lexus, and currently I’m driving my second Lexus. 3. Q: Have you tired other similar/competitors brands? And what was your outcome? A: Yes. a. before my Sony, I owned a Zenith, RCA, and Magnovox and none of them have compared to the quality of Sony. Sony’s bottom of the line product is better than the Vizio’s top of the line products. All the electronics currently in my house is all Sony. b. I had Adidas sneakers in the past but the quality doesn’t compare to Nike.

Monitor Disease And Spread Health And Social Care Essay

Epidemiologic surveies are meant to supervise disease and spread within assorted populations. The results of surveies are meant to supply valid, accurate information about causes, bars, and interventions for disease ( Ashengrau & A ; Seage, 2008 ) . Experimental surveies are believed to supply more scientifically accurate information than experimental surveies. When get downing an experimental survey, before enrolling participants, research workers must take a survey design and suggest a hypothesis. The hypothesis will explicate the intent of the survey, the survey design, and the exact lineation, timeline, and execution of the survey. For illustration, a survey conducted by Berman, Jones, & A ; McCloskey ( 2005 ) was proposed to turn out that the side effects of Valium cause suicidal, self- aggressive Acts of the Apostless. Research workers wanted to carry on the survey in a research lab puting where three randomly- assigned groups would be administered a placebo, 5 milligram, or 10 mg Valium. Self- aggressive behaviour was measured by research workers after the capsules were distributed to all experimental groups. Participants were so provided the opportunity to self- administer electric dazes to themselves. After the survey was approved, participants were recruited based on the eligibility criterions and include inclusion and exclusion standards. Inclusion standards were based on the participant ‘s wellness history. Diazepam respondents were screened by telephone, to unwrap medical information that would except them from the survey, such as chronic or neurological unwellness and prescription drug use. The exclusion standards were incompatibilities to the surveies agents, or participants intending the participants had features that made them ineligible for the survey. Using either a random or non-random method to delegate persons into a survey group, during an experimental survey participants are separated into either two or more groups. In the Valium survey, 46 healthy grownups, 27 work forces and 19 adult females, that are a average age of 22.87 old ages old ( Berman, Jones, & A ; McCloskey, 2005 ) . One group is treated with the agent while the control group is receives inactive intervention, or no intervention at all. Research workers will so administer the interventions and observe participants. The concluding phase is known as the follow-up phase where the testers collect consequences. â€Å" If the end of the survey is to forestall the happening of disease, the result may include the precursors of disease or the first happening of disease. On the other manus, if the survey is proving a new intervention among persons who already have a disease, outcomes may include disease return, symptom betterment, length of endurance, or side effects † ( Ashengrau & A ; Seage, 2008, p. 172 ) . Diazepam participants were observed 40 proceedingss after taking the medicine. Consequences proved that Valium is related to self- aggressive behaviours. â€Å" Diazepam ( 10 milligram ) was associated with higher norm shock self-administered than placebo. Subjects having 10 mg Valium were besides more likely to try to self-administer a daze that they were led to believe was â€Å" terrible † and painful † ( Berman, Jones, & A ; McCloskey, 2005, p.100 ) . Experimental surveies besides have benefits. They are considered to be more relaxed surveies because they, â€Å" take advantage of the fact that people are exposed to noxious and/or healthy substances through their personal wonts, business, topographic point of abode, and so on † ( Ashengrau & A ; Seage, 2008, p. 140 ) . There are two different types of observation surveies, one being cohort surveies and the other being case- control surveies. Although experimental surveies provide utile scientifically accurate information they can be impractical because they are dearly-won, sometimes unethical, and participants are non ever willing to be involved in a survey that involves digesting non-prescribed medicine ( Ashengrau & A ; Seage, 2008 ) . Because of this, experimental surveies are used most frequently by epidemiologists. Cohort surveies look at one or more instances of exposure, intending participants with similar features are looked at based their initial exposure position and followed over a period of clip to find the wellness results. For illustration Tomson, Perucca, and Battino ( 2004 ) conducted a survey on adult females of childbearing age with epilepsy and the effects of antiepileptic drugs on gestation results. The populations studied in cohort surveies are: unfastened, fixed, or closed. No affair the survey chosen, participants are still grouped harmonizing to their exposure and followed over clip. Open cohort surveies involve participants who leave the survey if they are no longer eligible. For illustration, research workers are carry oning a cohort survey of birth defect frequence among Arizona occupants, aged 20-40, who are female, between the old ages 2000-2012, who have epilepsy. This specific population is being used to understand the high hazard of birth defects within people with those features. If person turned 41, and moved to New York they would no longer be eligible for the survey. A fixed cohort is one in which a participant is involved in an irrevokable event, â€Å" for illustration, undergoing a medical process, giving birth to a kid, functioning in the military, eating contaminated nutrient at a field day, or being present a adult male made or natural catastrophe † ( Ashengrau & A ; Seage, 2008, p. 204 ) . Cohort surveies use clocking to find a participant ‘s exposure to disease. Prospective surveies group instances based on past or current exposure and follow them to understand their wellness results in the hereafter. Retrospective survey participants are grouped based on past exposure and research workers look at results that have already occurred. In ambidirectional cohort surveies elements of both prospective and retrospective surveies are used. Cohort surveies, like experimental surveies, test a hypothesis based on exposures, results, and other lending factors. For illustration, research workers follow participants by roll uping medical records and consequences, interviews, physical scrutinies, and detecting their environment ( Ashengrau & A ; Seage, 2008 ) . While analyzing the effects of antiepileptic drugs on gestation, research workers followed adult females by carry oning phone interviews monthly and administering studies. These adult females were diagnosed epileptics taking medicine ; the research workers followed them throughout their gestations to understand the affects of different anti-epileptic drugs on birth results ( Tomson, Perucca, & A ; Battino, 2004 ) . A case-control survey is another experimental survey that is similar to a cohort survey. Case- control surveies look at the correlativity between exposure and disease. They can be used alternatively of cohort surveies if, â€Å" the exposure informations is hard or expensive to obtain, the disease is rare, the disease has long initiation and latent period, small is known about the disease, or the implicit in population is dynamic † ( Ashengrau & A ; Seage, 2008, p. 234 ) . Alternatively of making a hypothesis, in case- control surveies research workers create a instance definition and they separate their participants into groups based on whether or non they have the disease or do non hold the disease. The ground that case- control surveies are less expensive is because research workers collect informations from infirmaries, clinics, decease certifications, studies, particular describing systems, friends, and relations of instances ; control groups are besides selected from the se resources. Control groups are the population that provides information on exposure distribution ( Ashengrau & A ; Seage, 2008 ) . Data collected is similar to cohort surveies. Depending on the survey, research workers will carry on personal interviews ; administer studies, request research lab consequences, and medical records to find the disease rates. All surveies have their advantages and disadvantages. Experimental surveies provide utile statistics that prove whether agents involved in intervention of a disease work. But, there are multiple disadvantages to experimental surveies. They are expensive and some surveies are considered unethical. Medical professionals and the general population are non willing to take part in a survey where absolutely healthy persons could have intervention for a status they do non hold. Experimental surveies are popular among epidemiologists because they are less expensive, unlike experimental surveies. Cohort surveies can straight mensurate disease, incident, or hazard. They can besides measure multiple effects of an exposure, but they are still expensive and inefficient when used on diseases that began a long clip ago with hibernating periods. Case- control surveies are utile when analyzing rare diseases within a big population. All three surveies are used by epidemiologists. Different surveies ar e chosen depending on the research being conducted and the population being studied.

Technology Appliance in Saudi Arabic Education Term Paper

Technology Appliance in Saudi Arabic Education - Term Paper Example This finding is relevant for the context in which Kay (1990) and Mackowiak (1989) have found out that cognitive attitude and experience are the best predictors for the commitment to the use of computers. Gardner (1985) has also drawn attention to the importance of attitudes in the learning process. Though the students seem to be greatly excited by the task of making instructional materials, they are found to be more interested in the practical part of it rather than going deep into the wider theoretical aspect which can be attained from sources like books. As this study has been conducted among students of a teacher's college, it has shown that the coming generations of teachers are very much aware of the utility value of instructional technologies which was also been proven by researchers like Brooks and Koop (1990), Hmissat (1997) and Hamdi (1991). Another very interesting finding has been that the students are getting more aware of the importance of instructional technology and co mputers in education, as they move ahead in their academic learning. It has also been shown that the students, in general, have been getting more confident with the use of instructional technology and computers in their learning process and that they are overcoming the fear of the new gadgets involved, very fast. This is evident from the lower mean obtained in the responses to item 33. But the findings have also revealed that a gap exists between realizing the usefulness of instructional technology and really using it in education in Saudi Arabia. This study has thus shown that the application of instructional technology in education has been lagging behind the actual preparedness of the students to use it in education in this country. The lack of any difference in responses of students who own computer and who do not, and students who use the Internet and who do not, cannot be fully explained by the findings of this study alone. This phenomenon has to be analyzed by way of further research. Again, this study has proven that students irrespective of their age and academic specialization area, realize the significance of instructional technology. This finding, again indicates that the student community as a whole is getting all relevant information about instructional technology simultaneously with their attaining a certain age and maturity. In this study, the respondents were students having age between 19 and 29, this inference can be strongly drawn.

The relevance of personal networks (social contacts) in China and, Essay

The relevance of personal networks (social contacts) in China and, especially, in Germany - Essay Example Personal networks serve as sources of information on business, education, jobs and wage prospects. Hence, personal networks or social contacts remain more valued when they comprise contacts of individuals from a range of diverse networks. This essay presents a qualitative research analysis based on interviews conducted on five Chinese students in Germany. Following an interview with Kenny (Chinesestudent_De_02_Kenny N.d.:1-18), personal networks enable individuals to gain a wider perspective of ideas and thoughts when faced with challenging situations or issues requiring appropriate decision making. In addition, social networks in Germany enabled Kenny to arrange everything for his studies abroad thereby easing the whole process. Chinese students studying in Germany have created a website forum where they interact establish social contacts and receive answers to problems they encounter while in Germany. This forum remains useful as the Chinese in Germany experience similar problems and could obtain useful feedback from their colleagues who have stayed long enough in Germany or had similar experiences. The main difference between personal networks in in China and Germany would be that those in China are honest while those in Germany know more about the world and have exposure to more things. Kenny goes on further to state that social contacts possess lifestyle attitudes which vary in both China and Germany. Social networks also facilitate the discovery of ideas that an individual may have not thought of in advance or missed out. Moreover, certain things an individual could do relies much on the type of social contacts a person has. According to Kenny, establishing personal networks in China remain rather easier than in Germany. More so, he indicates that an individual needs to have personal networks of those people he or she likes and who possess similar

Business Portfolio Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5500 words

Business Portfolio - Essay Example The essay "Business Portfolio" discusses the business concept of Herbal Medicine as an independent business which offers massage therapy and also sells homemade herbal products. To work as a massage therapist in a well-known spa clinic (as a part-time employee). I am particularly interested in specializing in Aromatherapy massage, hot stone massage, yoga and Pregnancy Massage. My current engagement in the Spa as a massage therapist would help me to gain the essential evidence to run my business successfully later on. To take up the job of a freelance massage therapist in my free time in local health spas in my region. This would enrich my experience and also provide me the much required financial support. To save a proportion of the income earned from these engagements and invest the saving to make a set up in my house for starting my business as an Herbal Medicine practitioner. To furnish the three rooms on the ground floor of my house and set them up as the massage center and the r etiring room. I have already been trading in homemade products from my place, which implies that my place has already gained popularity in the locality. I have a good customer base. Besides, there is no specialist herbal medicine therapist practicing in the locality. To make massage therapy accessible to the target market, such as, obese people, pregnant women, and women with the gynecological disorder, through routine massage schedules and also by conducting special workshops for people that belong to the lower income class. I also intend to provide service in the workshops delivered by the National Childbirth Trust (NCT) in London and its outskirts. I do not intend to limit my practice to some particular clients. However, I desire to put special attention on women and children, since I have found out through thorough research that there is a gap in the market in terms of facilities available to the female population in the low income group. Therefore, these areas have caught my sp ecial interest and the in-class discussion has

Modern and Post-Modern Views of a Great Company Research Paper

Modern and Post-Modern Views of a Great Company - Research Paper Example The company selected for this assignment is General Dynamics Information Technology. It is the IT wing of General Dynamics and the world’s 5th largest defense contractor, provides information technology (IT) services, professional services and systems engineering services to customers ranging from federal and state governments, homeland security, defense, health, and commercial sectors. It is also involved in simulation and training with worldwide professionals accounting to approximately 17,000. A trusted name with over 50 years as a pioneer in systems integrator, this company manages large-scale and often mission-critical IT operations and enterprise solutions. The advent of information technology (IT) has resulted in changes in the U.S. military warfare and tactics thereby leading to a transformation in General Dynamics. General Dynamics Information Systems and Technology business segment has four business units and General Dynamics Information Technology is one of them. Ea rlier General Dynamics was known as provider of tanks, submarines and ships to the Department of Defense. Today General Dynamics leads the market in providing the United States government and its allies with technologies. It also is the market leader in mission-critical information systems. General Dynamics’ largest and fastest growing segment is its Information Systems & Technology group. Worldwide it boasts of employee strength of 91,700 approximately while the headquarters of GDIT is in Fairfax, Virginia. General Dynamics is the market leader in the following: †¢information systems and technologies †¢shipbuilding and marine systems †¢armaments and munitions †¢land and expeditionary combat systems †¢Business aviation. ... It also is the market leader in mission-critical information systems. General Dynamics’ largest and fastest growing segment is its Information Systems & Technology group. Worldwide it boasts of employee strength of 91,700 approximately while the headquarters of GDIT is in Fairfax, Virginia. General Dynamics is the market leader in the following: information systems and technologies shipbuilding and marine systems armaments and munitions land and expeditionary combat systems Business aviation (General Dynamics Information Technology, 2011). John Philip Holland started the parent company of Holland Torpedo Boat Company (parent company of General Dynamics) which was responsible for developing the first submarines of US navy. The company after the acquisition of Canadair in 1946 and its subsequent expansion in aircraft production was then renamed to General Dynamics on 24 April 1952. The U.S. defense conglomerate is the world’s fifth largest defense contractor today. Althou gh the company has now diversified and caters to a much wider variety of commercial businesses, from healthcare to mobile service networks, the company still remains principally a defense contractor, providing services and products to Army, State and Federal Governments. Modern and Post-Modern Theories One major difference between the two theories is their dates of inspiration-Modern 1960-1970 and Post-Modern 1990s (Hatch & Cunliffe, 2006, pg. 6). The modernist feel that you must commit to limitations based on knowledge of our five senses (Hatch &Cunliffe, 2006, pg. 15). It is all in what a modernist call their reality based on the data form their five senses. According to Hatch &Cunliffe (2006) the post-modernist perspective commits to uncovering and

W3a2-modernism Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

W3a2-modernism - Assignment Example Statement of the house was written and designed by Walter burley griffin around 1909-1910 during the period when he was under the control of his earlier employer, Frank Lloyd Wright the structure was eventually erected in the year 1910. The designer had suggested application of cross-shaped plan that had low flanking wings and additional broad gables which were similar to preceding Wrights design entailed in design of the Ward In contrast, the prairie school is a design of the late 19th century which was constructed in Chicago city, Illinois. The design became very notable in the region considering the distinction of the building architecture. The influence of the architecture spread geographically far wide into the north and central Europe and far into Australia (Mulfinger, Dale & Eileen, 90). The design of the building exposed an excellent combination and integration of the ambience landscape , hipped roofs , broad eaves horizontals lines horizontal assembling of the windows, skillful craftsmanship, solid construction and sparing application of the decorations. The eminent horizontal lines facilitated the unison of the structure with the existent local prairie landscape notable in the Midwest. The design of the building brought up several ambitious architectures who shared a desire to alter customized architecture and bring in new transformational models that would be reflective of new mindset. The youn g designers included Frank Lloyd Wright and Louis H. Sullivan and the term prairie became associated with the new blood of architect involved in this project (Gelfand, Lisa & Eric,

Income Inequality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Income Inequality - Essay Example The main reason he foresaw an evolution was due to the recurrent nature of income inequality. In an income inequality situation, the richer keep getting richer due to a better income, while the poor keep getting poorer. The gap between the top earners and the low-income earners keeps widening in an income inequality situation. In America, almost 95% of the national wealth is under 5% ownership; this situation leaves 95% of the population to scrounge for the limited 5% wealth (DeNavas et. Al, 2005). For economic inequality study, a family makes the ideal study unit. In the study, the family’s income is under analysis, and then the family members ranked from the lowest income earner to the highest income earner. After the ranking, the incomes aid in establishing a Lorenz curve that is important in analysis of income. In order for a Lorenz curve to be correct, the incomes of the family members have to be divided into fifths (Lorenz, 1905). A Lorenz curve enables analysis of data by adding the percentage value of the lowest fifth to the next higher fifth, which becomes the first point of the curve. The second point in the curve comes about through adding the first point to the middle fifth of the derived incomes. The process of plotting continues until exhaustion of all cumulative values of member incomes (Lorenz, 1905). For a perfect Lorenz curve, all members in a family would earn the same amount and the Lorenz curve would be a diagonal with the lowest point being the lower left hand corner moving progressively towards the higher right hand corner. This diagonal shows an ideal situation and it is the baseline in determining income inequality. Since not all family members receive an equal income, the Lorenz curve turns out as a curve instead of a diagonal. The area between the curve and the diagonal dictates the measure of inequality from one member of a given family to the next member (Lorenz, 1905). Income

Starbucks Coffee Essay Example for Free

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Study of cognitive linguistics

Study of cognitive linguistics Before we go to cognitive linguistics, we should answer some questions, which are very important to those who make a study of linguistics. Everybody knows that there are many rules in language. à ¥Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ «, for example, is used to show our warmth to people: à ¥Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ «Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¯Ã‚ ·Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¿Ã¢â‚¬ º, à ¥Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ «Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¯Ã‚ ·Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ Ã‚ , à ¥Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ «Ãƒ ¥- Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ Ã‚ ¯Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ °Ã‚ ´, à ¥Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ «Ãƒ ¥- Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ Ã‚ ¯Ãƒ ¨Ã…’ ¶, à ¥Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ «Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ Ã†â€™Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ªÃƒ ¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ã‚ ¹Ãƒ ¦Ã… ¾Ã…“à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ However, à ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚ ¢is used to indicate goodbye: à ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚ ¢Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ µÃ‚ °, à ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚ ¢Ãƒ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚ ¢Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ Ã†â€™, à ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚ ¢Ãƒ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚ ¢Ãƒ ¥- , à ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚ ¢Ãƒ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚ ¢Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ Ã…  , à ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚ ¢Ãƒ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚ ¢Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¾(Cantonese), à ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚ ¢Ãƒ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚ ¢Ãƒ ¥Ã… ½Ã¢â‚¬ ¹(Cantonese, said to someone who goes cycling), etc. Because these rules in Chinese do not exist in English, we cannot say *Come in quickly, *Sit down quickly, or *Walk s lowly. Rules like this are concerned with use of words. At the same time, there are rules in grammar. In English, for example, I is followed by am, and you by are, and he by is. 1) Are such rules in language formed gradually through everyday use or prescribed by linguists? (It is very important for us to answer such questions correctly before we are engaged in making a study of linguistics.) 2) All language users can speak their mother tongue correctly, fluently and appropriately. An illiterate woman in Guangzhou, for example, can speak Cantonese correctly, fluently and appropriately. Do you think she knows Cantonese grammar? 3) Some people, even some university teachers say that many great scholars have made a lot of research and published many books on linguistics and grammar. These people think that the famous scholars have solved all language problems and theres nothing left for us to make a study. Whats your opinion about this? 4) Language is always changing. It is one of the properties of language. Do you think it is possible to avoid its change or it is necessary to do so? 5) There are many linguistic schools studying language in the world. Can you explain why there are so many schools? (Cognitive linguistics is one of the so many schools. I dont know if you are interested in it or not. For me, I firmly believe it and also interested in it, because it can explain many phenomena in language. The explanations from the perspective of cognitive linguistics help us know about how language is formed and why it is formed in this way instead of the other way. Most importantly, such explanations can help both teachers teach foreign languages and learners learn them effectively.) 6) Where is meaning? In order to understand these sentences we must call upon our knowledge about the world, which does not reside in the sentences or in any of the words of the sentences. (Scollon Scollon 2000: 7) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦we tend to look for meaning in words themselves, but we are incorrect if we think that words possess meaning. It is more accurate to say that people possess meaning and that words elicit these meanings. (Samovar et al 2000: 123) Language does not itself do the cognitive building-it just give us minimal, but sufficient, clues for finding the domains and principles appropriate for building in a given situation. Once these clues are combined with already existing configurations, available cognitive principles, and background framing, the appropriate construction can take place, and the result far exceeds any overt explicit information. This fundamental property of language is counterintuitive: In our folk theory, it is the words that carry the meaning: We say what we mean, we put meaning into words, and so on. The difference between the folk-theoretic conception and the actual (backstage) reality goes unnoticed for very interesting reasons. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ We notice only the tip of the iceberg-the words-and we attribute all the rest to common sense. (Fauconnier 1994: xviii) Language does not carry meaning, it guides it. As Mark Turner felicitously put it: Expressions do not mean; they are prompts for us to construct meanings by working with processes we already know. In no sense is the meaning of (an) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ utterance right there in the words. When we understand an utterance, we in no sense are understanding just what the words say; the words themselves say nothing independent of the richly detailed knowledge and powerful cognitive processes we bring to bear (Turner 1991: 206) Language, as we use it, is but the tip of the iceberg of cognitive construction. As discourse unfolds, much is going on behind the scenes: New domains appear, links are forged, abstract mappings operate, internal structure emerges and spreads, viewpoint and focus keep shifting. Everyday talk and commonsense reasoning are supported by invisible, highly (p. xxii) abstract, mental creations, which grammar helps to guide, but does not by itself define. (Fauconnier 1994: xxiii) On this view, words do not really have meanings, nor do sentences have meanings: meanings are something that we construe, using the properties of linguistic elements as partial clues, alongside non-linguistic knowledge, information available from context, knowledge and conjectures regarding the state of mind of hearers and so on. (Croft Cruse 2004: 98) The core idea in Cognitive Linguistics is that meanings are mental entities in conceptual space. Meanings are in peoples minds. They are not independent entities in the external world, as is the case in objectivist models. The external world is only indirectly relevant in that meanings are constrained by how human beings perceive of the world. The second question concerns the relation between lexical items and meaning. Lexical items map on to concepts, and meaning is the relation between the lexical item and the domain matrix that it activates. Lexical meaning is constrained by encyclopaedic knowledge, conventionalized mappings between lexical items and concepts, conventional modes of thought in different contexts and situational frames. (à ¥Ã… ½Ã… ¸Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ³Ã‚ ¨Ã‚ ¼Ã… ¡In cognitive approaches to meaning, all linguistic expressions are profiled according to a base (Langacker 1987a), or a frame (Fillmore (1982), an idealized cognitive model of a situation (Lakoff 1987) or a cycle of contextualization and decontextualization of word meaning based on linguistic and encyclopaedic knowledge (Warren 1999). All these constructs represent presupposed information in an expression that the speaker infers in situations. In my model the appropriate construal is employed on the basis of such knowledge. See also Croft (forthcoming) for a similar approach to verbs.) Meanings are thus not inherent in the lexical items as such, but they are evoked by lexical items. Moreover, there is no purely linguistic level of representation that is intermediate between concepts and lexical items, and there is no static one-to-one relationship between lexical items and meanings. (à ¥Ã… ½Ã… ¸Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ³Ã‚ ¨Ã‚ ¼Ã… ¡This is the case in approaches to meaning that assume a lexicon consisting of formal features, e.g. Bierwich Schreuder (1992), Levelt (1989), Pustejovsky (1998), Borschev Partee (2001), Jackendoff (2002).) Multiple readings are natural and expected in a dynamic usage-based model. The components of the framework are shown in Figure 1. The third question concerns the dynamics of language in terms of synchronic flexibility and diachronic change. Different readings in different contexts emerge from the intention that activates the expression or the wish to interpret the expression in a relevant way in order to obtain socially viable (capable of working, functioning, or developing adequately; capable of existence and development as an independent unit) mappings between words and concepts. In other words, cognitive processes (construals) operate on the conceptual structures on all occasions of use. These operations are the source of all readings, conventional as well as ad hoc (used for specific or immediate needs) contextual readings, and possible lexical change takes place through new conventional, entrenched links between linguistic expressions and conceptual structures (Paradis 2003b). (Paradis, 2004: 53) The precise semantic contribution of any word is a function of the utterance context in which it is embedded, and, moreover, the sorts of (conceptual) knowledge these lexical entities provide access to. In other words, words dont have meanings in and of themselves. Rather meaning is a function of the utterance in which a word is embedded, and the complex processes of lexical concept integration. (Evans, 2006:492) More recently, a number of scholars have suggested that in fact word-meaning is less a discrete body of circumscribed knowledge. Rather, words serve as points of access to larger-scale encyclopaedic knowledge structures, which are potentially vast in scope as argued in detail below. On this view, words provide access to what I will refer to as a semantic potential, with different sorts of knowledge being potentially activated. (Evans, 2006: 493) One way of thinking about the meaning of words is to see them as tools for causing speakers to access specific parts of their knowledge base (Moore Carling 1982:11, quoted in Lee, 2001:5). At any given moment, individuals have a huge store of knowledge available to them (Lee, 2001:5). Meaning is not a property of utterances but a product of the interaction between an utterance and a human beings knowledge base (Lee, 2001:12). The function of the noun cat in the utterance The cat wants something to eat is to cause the addressee to home in on (meaning to find) a very specific region of that knowledge base-specifically on those neural structures that constitute her store of knowledge concerning cats in general and the family cat in particular. (Lee, 2001:5) Meaning in language can be summarized as: 1) To understand words or sentences is to call upon the knowledge about the world. 2) The knowledge does not reside in the sentences or in any of the words of the sentences. That is, words do not possess meaning. 3) People possess meaning and words as tools elicit meanings. 2. What is cognitive linguistics? 2.1 The importance of cognitive linguistics Cognitive linguistics is expected to be one of the most important approaches in the field of linguistics in the 21 century. Some linguists even say that the 21 century will belong to cognitive linguistics. Cognitive linguistics originated from America in 1970s the last century. Many linguists in China have turned to cognitive linguistics. Papers about cognitive linguistics, papers introducing cognitive linguistics and papers analyzing language structures with cognitive approaches can be found in almost every academic journal or magazine related to language study in China in recent years. If we pay little attention to this approach, we are sure to lag behind. That is why we offer you the course of cognitive linguistics. 2.2 The definition of cognitive linguistics As you know, each linguistic school has its own attitudes towards language and its own approach to language. So does cognitive linguistics. According to this textbook, cognitive linguistics is an approach to language that is based on our experience of the world and the way we perceive and conceptualize our experience of the world (p.F36). (Who would like to explain conceptualize our experience? When we say conceptualize our experience, we mean that we have the idea for our experience or that we form concepts of our experience.) 2.3 The objective of cognitive linguistics The objective of cognitive linguistics is to investigate and to study cognitive or mental structure and organization by analyzing cognitive strategies used by humans in thinking, storing information, comprehending, and producing language. (Bussmann, Hadumod. 2000. Routledge Dictionary of Language and Linguistics. p.80. Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press Routledge) 2.4 Two different meanings of the term cognitive linguistics It is very important to notice that cognitive linguistics has two different meanings, which come from the word cognitive. It has the following two meanings: 1) cognitive related to knowledge (This is the logical view. This view accepts logical rules and objective definitions.) 2) cognitive related to human experience based on practical and empirical knowledge.(This is the cognitive linguistics we mean. Such cognitive linguistics includes three views or approaches: the experiential view, the prominence view and the attentional view.) 3. Experiential view: Different explanations of Our car has broken down 3.1 Traditional explanation Traditionally, most teachers use the following methods in class: 1) paraphrasing the meanings of words 2) analyzing the clause pattern 3) discussing the use of the present perfect tense How do you help your students with this sentence? Talk about your teaching, please? If someone does not know the word car, the teacher just tells him that it means 4-wheeled motor vehicle. Usually the teacher takes into consideration the so-called difficult points. In this sentence, the difficult point may be the phrasal verb break down, which has at least as many as 35 meanings according to a dictionary. The first four meanings are: 1) to become separated into pieces or fragments 2) to become cracked or split 3) to give way; collapse 4) to become unusable or inoperative/stop operating or functioning e.g. The television broke down. The 4th meaning is suitable to explain the phrasal verb break down, so the teacher chooses stop operating or functioning to replace the original phrase, such as Our car has stopped operating or Our car has stopped functioning. 3.2 Explanation with the logical view (of modern linguistics) In the logical view, some objective semantic features must be found. The following are a set of objective semantic features of car: 1) inanimate 2) concrete 3) movable 4) self-propelled The meaning of car in this explanation equates objective features. This explanation seems to be cognitive, because it is related to knowledge. But it is not the cognitive linguistics we are studying. The cognitive linguistics we mean is not based on logical knowledge, but on practical and empirical knowledge. The logical view cannot explain the phrasal verb break down, because the phrase is used as a metaphor, which is excluded from the study of the logical view. 3.3 Explanation with the experiential view 1) Meaning is in our experience. a. attribute Before we explain this sentences with the experiential view, we must first pay special attention to the term attribute, which is frequently used in cognitive linguistics so it is a very important term in cognitive linguistics, especially when we explain language with the experiential view. Simply to say, attribute is characteristic of an entity (Word Web) What are the attributes of car? The answer is on P. F37, where you can see that the concept car has 9 attributes in all. Both our communal experience and personal or subjective experience are related to the word car. Of the 9 attributes, some are shared by most peoples experience and some others are very personal and subjective. The attributes of first love affair and injury are very personal and subjective. The meaning of car in this explanation is communal experience + personal (subjective) experience. These two types of experience equate attributes in all. b. Two important aspects of attributes a) Attributes are from laypersons We should notice that such attributes are collected from laypersons (common people/ persons who are not trained in linguistics) instead of dictionaries or scholars. So to a great extent, these attributes can reflect the way every language user perceives the world and interacts with it. b) Attributes help identify similar objects To every word dictionaries give definitions which are sometimes not helpful. The word car, for example, is defined as 4-wheeled motor vehicle. This definition cannot help people identify a 3-wheeled motor vehicle when they see such a vehicle for the first time. But it is obvious that attributes from laypersons can do that. People can identify it as a car because it agrees with some of the attributes. That is why the experiential view is superior to the logical view. 2) Meaning in figurative language. The original meaning for break down is fall apart, collapse. When it is used to express the event that the car suddenly stops working, it is a metaphorical use because the car does not become separated into pieces or fragments. Metaphor is no longer regarded as just a rhetorical device. In logical view, metaphor is excluded from the study of linguistics. But the fact is that metaphor is frequently used by everyone in their utterances every day. It goes without saying that heart as in Beijing is the heart of China is a metaphor. So is the eye of heaven in Sonnet 18 by Shakespeare. Everybody can identify this kind of metaphor. But metaphor in cognitive linguistics is in a much broader sense. The following are also examples of metaphor: (1) You appear at the head of the list. (2) the leg of a table (3) He got into trouble yesterday. In literature, get into trouble is no metaphor at all, but in cognitive linguistics it is because trouble is regarded as a container. Actually, people tend to make use of metaphor. In a metaphorical way it is easier to express abstract ideas or unfamiliar things. So concrete concepts are used to express abstract concepts and familiar things are used to indicate unfamiliar things. We can say, metaphor is pervasive in language, that is to say, figurative language is everywhere in language. If a linguistic theory pays no attention to metaphor or figurative language, such a theory can be said not to be immature. A good linguistic theory should explain every phenomenon in language. Cognitive linguistics is such a linguistic theory which makes a study of every aspect of meanings in language. 4. Prominence view The prominence view concerns the selection and arrangement of the information that is expressed. It is actually an explanation of how the information in a clause is selected and arranged. Compare the following pairs of examples: (4) a. The garden is swarming with bees. b. Bees are swarming in the garden. In traditional grammar, the two sentences are regarded as the same in meaning. But in fact they do not mean the same because prominence in the sentences are different. (4a) means that there are bees everywhere in the garden, but (4b) means that there are bees in part of the garden. 5. Attentional view The attentional view is an approach based on the assumption that what we actually express reflects which parts of an event attract our attention (p. F39). That is, an utterance reflects what is paid attention to. In language the same event can be expressed in different ways because of our different attentions. Take learn and teach for example: (5) a. Xiao Li learned English from Mr. Smith. b. Mr. Smith taught Xiao Li English. When the speakers attention is on Xiao Li, he uses the first sentence, but when his attention is on Mr. Smith, he uses the second one. In paraphrase, we usually tell the students that the two sentences are in the same meaning, but in the attentional view, their meanings are in fact different. 6. The contents of this book 1) This book contains six chapters, with Chapters 1, 2, 3 introducing the experiential view, Chapter 4 dealing with the prominence view, Chapter 5 discussing the attentional view and Chapter 6 briefing iconicity, grammaticalization, lexical change and language teaching. 2) This book talks chiefly about the three views of cognitive linguistics. It is important for you to make clear the three views first, because they are initiated by cognitive linguistics and therefore they are basic theories of cognitive linguistics. And then you should also go on to study iconicity, grammaticalization, lexical change and language teaching. Though iconicity and grammaticalization are not initiated by cognitive linguistics, many scholars are working at them because the two approaches can also explain many language problems. The last section of this book also talks about foreign language learning and teaching. For us, this section may be helpful. But until now, few people have discussed this topic, so what is presented in the last section of this book is just the potential of cognitive approach to foreign language teaching. We can benefit from the discussion about foreign language learning and teaching in this book so as to begin with our own researches of English teaching and learning. Exercises: What is cognitive linguistics? Whats the difference between the logical view and the experiential view? How do you understand the term attribute in cognitive linguistics? Talk about attributes of bicycle.

Show how Blake creates opposing attitudes and ideas in his songs of Ess

Show how Blake creates opposing attitudes and ideas in his songs of Innocence and Experience. Show how Blake creates opposing attitudes and ideas in his songs of Innocence and Experience.David Jessup 11A1 Blake creates opposing attitudes and ideas by using contrasting, emotive language and also by using characters with opposing opinions and attitudes. In "The Chimney Sweeper" Blake uses characters with different situations and lifestyles to show how distraught the chimney sweeps can be when they are sent away from their families to work at a very young age. In "The chimney Sweeper from "Songs of Innocence" the young boy is described as an "angel" and also as a "lamb", both often used as symbols of innocence and purity. Blake uses symbols of innocence as an alternative way of describing the children as innocent. He used various similes and metaphors in the Innocence poems to make the poems more light hearted and to also convey a sarcastic tone because of the obviously false descriptions. "All of them in coffins of blackà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦an angelà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦opened the coffins and set them all free", the coffins of black suggest that by fulfilling their tasks as chimney sweeps the children are going to their eventual death from suffocating or some other form of detath in the dark, smoky chimneys. With language like this Blake managed to portray his beliefs without going against the Church or the State directly. This meant that although he was criticised he could look at both sides of the lives of children without being accused of being single minded or patronising. In "The Chimney Sweeper" from Innocence the narrator is the chimney sweep himself; this is an effective method because Blake can then use the child's... ...he year that orphan children are paraded through the streets in bright colours as soldiers. Blake uses this viewpoint so that a neutral opinion can be gained of both a sinister viewpoint of the parade and a gratuitous viewpoint. "With wands as white as snow," show the beadles as pure and leading the children in a good cause but in Experience the beadles are shown in a different manner. "Fed with a cold and usurous hand?" showing the beadles cruelty and content to be selfish and treat the children as objects not human beings. The poem I like best of all six is "The chimney Sweeper from Experience because it takes the misuse of chilren in a bad situation and describes it in an even darker manner. "They clothed me in the clothes of death", the childs knowledge is invaluable that he knows of his inevitable detah even though he is only a young child.

Values and Technology in Ibsens An Enemy of the People and Becketts Waiting for Godot :: comparison compare contrast essays

Values and Technology in Ibsen's An Enemy of the People and Beckett's Waiting for Godot Literature has been an outlet for authors to express the importance of human values to the literate public. However, even before a good majority of the general public was literate, there were people who learned various stories either from the bible, historical stories, etc. This gave the public a chance to see a story and take the different lessons out of the play. The public could decide whether or not to utilize the lessons in their daily lives. In two different plays ("An Enemy of the People" and "Waiting for Godot"), both authors develop very different societies that display different human values, different situations that one could face in his or her own life, and how technology has helped or hindered the new developing society of today. In Arthur Miller's adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's play "An Enemy of the People," the Stockman Family is faced with many different difficult decisions to make. Dr. Stockman tests the water at a local therapeutic spa; however, when he gets the results back, no one cares to hear the truth. Dr. Stockman represents the importance of honesty in a job. Dr. Stockman has a wealth of knowledge about the chemistry and the bacteria that is causing illness to all of the people that visit this healing place. In contrast to Dr. Stockman, Peter Stockman, his brother, shows the possible corruption that can occur in positions of power. Peter Stockman ultimately shows disloyalty to his brother and is responsible for Dr. Stockman and his family's outcast and downfall. Peter Stockman is obsessed with how he is viewed in the townspeople's eyes, his re-election. This decision to betray his brother led to his nephews fighting at school, rocks being thrown into his family member's home, and possibly the death, even though it is not specifically stated in the play, of his own family members. Where is the line drawn for personal gain and happiness when it interferes with other people happiness and well being? Ibsen shows what can happen to someone (Dr. Stockman) if he is not aware of the opposing forces that are out in the world in many different forms (Peter Stockman). Ibsen shows the importance of compromise, honesty, teamwork, knowledge, and intelligence.