Paleolithic Age

The Stone Age Social Studies Mrs. Perez By: Alexander Colon 6th grade The Stone Age Now I think we can all admit that The Stone Age was not a good time to be living in the glory and all that. But I bet we would all be having some pretty good times with the things that you were able to do back then. So, let me explain some to you. During the Paleolithic age nomads grouped together into small societies called bands. They also subsisted by gathering plants, hunting, or scavenging wild animals. They did this by using wood or bones carved to use as weapons. They started to use stones in the Neolithic so I will get to that later.Other organic commodities were adapted for use as tools also like leather or vegetable fibers. Although the Paleolithic age is part of the Stone Age nomads did not use stones until the Neolithic age; I’ll get to that now. The beginning of the Neolithic culture is co0nsidered to be in the Levant about 10200-8800 BCE. It formed directly from the Epipaleolithic Nafutian culture in the region, whose people pioneered the use of wild cereals, which evolved into real farming. The Nafutian period was 12000-10200 BCE, and the so-called â€Å"proto-Neolithic â€Å"is now included in the PPNA between 10200-8800 BCE.As the Nafutians had become dependent on wild cereal in their diet and a sedentary way of life had begun among them, the climatic changes and associated with the younger dryas are thought to have forced people to have develop farming. There also were weapons made by stones, flint, and other materials. I did not include this in the intro, but the Mesolithic actually falls between the Neolithic and Paleolithic age. Did you know that in the Stone Age you did not have to have a license for anything? If you wanted to go kill a horse, slap somebody, or even throw a rock at somebody you can do it without anybody telling you so.The term Mesolithic was first used to post-Holocene, but pre-agricultural material in Norwest Europe about 10000-50 00 BCE. It is also an applied material in Levant. As you can see the Stone Age had some pretty fun things to do. You can grab a bow and arrow and hunt down a random animal; you can even go horse-back riding, or even play with fire, nobody cared what you did. There were no laws. Why heck you could have gotten married at the age of five. I guess I just explained to you that we all can have a good time in the Stone Age even if there was no television.

The Going by Thomas Hardy

Hardy almost appears unaware of the years passed distanced from his wife ntil the fifth stanza, suggesting her death has the effect of a virtual awakening, allowing him to finally accept it, yet not settle from mourning it ,as is made evident by the following 1912-13 poems. The Repetition of â€Å"Why' beginning the first, third, and fifth stanza illustrate Hardys rejection of Emma's death, probably resulting from the regret of not having taken advantage of the time she was alive. Hardy feels Emma â€Å"calmly' died with â€Å"indifference†, giving way to intense feelings of remorse in the following stanza's.His uspicion of her carelessness is further highlighted in the second stanza as she is described to have â€Å"never to bid goodbye† – â€Å"or lip [him] the softest call†. Emma's apparent alienation of hardy suggests she deliberately left him in response to â€Å"those days long dead† where she was as good as dead to Hardy. Moreover Hardy rem ains unsettled by the fact that death or Emma offered â€Å"no hint† of her â€Å"going†. Deaths unexpectedness emphasizes its fragility, and tendency to â€Å"quickly – and calmly' occur at any â€Å"moment, and alter all†.The use of the oxymoron, quickly – and calmly' to describe death may suggest Hardys state of confusion due to the swiftness of it all happening, as well as him actually not knowing how she died because he was not there. In addition the aural imagery created through the use of the monosyllabic words, â€Å"up and be gone†, has the effect of emphasizing deaths suddenness. The â€Å"IloW' sound created by the feminine end rhyme of â€Å"where I could not follow – with wing of swallow' has the effect of something continuous, in this case suggesting Hardys growing distance from Emma now that she is dead, as well as oreshadowing the long period of grief to come. The Going† is reference to Emma's gradual fading f rom Hardys memory. Emma death is also described to be a â€Å"swift fleeing† and a â€Å"great going†. Death and the after life are never referred to explicitly. Therefore Hardys use of euphemisms illustrate his avoidance of reality, as well as his fear of acknowledging Emma's death. Furthermore, Hardys commemorations of his courtship with Emma in the fourth stanza further stresses this point. The tone of the poem shifts during this process, as he cadence begins to rise, revealing the Joy Hardy feels whilst remembering Emma alive.It almost seems as if Hardy is attempting to â€Å"follow' Emma through his memories of her. Hardys eventually recollects the moments where him and Emma were most distant and â€Å"did not spear or â€Å"visit together those places that they once visited†. By this point, regret dominates Hardys feelings and the poem. Furthermore, in the first stanza Emma's is described to have passed on â€Å"quickly after the morrows dawn† â⠂¬â€œ the use of the word â€Å"dawn† adds a sense of light to poem, allowing readers to imagine the sun rising.This may symbolize Emma's soul rising from her dead corpse, as well as, portraying an ambiance of increasing light. Hardy deliberately eliminates this semblance of light to depict his increasing sense of grief. In the third stanza, the use of the words â€Å"darkening dankness† and â€Å"yawning blankness† coupled with Hardys description of his wife's hallucination â€Å"at dusk†, convey this diffusion of light. In the final stanza Hardy appears to be undergoing acceptance, suggested by the use of the words â€Å"well, well†. Nevertheless his grief has not yet subsided.The broken yntax alters the rhythm, as well as giving the impression of it faltering forward. Hardy describes himself as a â€Å"dead man held on end to sink down soon†, this conflicts with the â€Å"rising† of Emma in the first stanza, nevertheless, may imply the same idea. Hardy is now plagued with a wish to Join his wife in the after life, yet this does not bring them any closer to her, as Hardy feels he'll â€Å"sink down† instead of rising up. In addition, similarly to the sun â€Å"rising† in the first stanza, the use of â€Å"sink down† may symbolize the sun now sinking, bringing about darkness. The Going by Thomas Hardy Hardy almost appears unaware of the years passed distanced from his wife ntil the fifth stanza, suggesting her death has the effect of a virtual awakening, allowing him to finally accept it, yet not settle from mourning it ,as is made evident by the following 1912-13 poems. The Repetition of â€Å"Why' beginning the first, third, and fifth stanza illustrate Hardys rejection of Emma's death, probably resulting from the regret of not having taken advantage of the time she was alive. Hardy feels Emma â€Å"calmly' died with â€Å"indifference†, giving way to intense feelings of remorse in the following stanza's.His uspicion of her carelessness is further highlighted in the second stanza as she is described to have â€Å"never to bid goodbye† – â€Å"or lip [him] the softest call†. Emma's apparent alienation of hardy suggests she deliberately left him in response to â€Å"those days long dead† where she was as good as dead to Hardy. Moreover Hardy rem ains unsettled by the fact that death or Emma offered â€Å"no hint† of her â€Å"going†. Deaths unexpectedness emphasizes its fragility, and tendency to â€Å"quickly – and calmly' occur at any â€Å"moment, and alter all†.The use of the oxymoron, quickly – and calmly' to describe death may suggest Hardys state of confusion due to the swiftness of it all happening, as well as him actually not knowing how she died because he was not there. In addition the aural imagery created through the use of the monosyllabic words, â€Å"up and be gone†, has the effect of emphasizing deaths suddenness. The â€Å"IloW' sound created by the feminine end rhyme of â€Å"where I could not follow – with wing of swallow' has the effect of something continuous, in this case suggesting Hardys growing distance from Emma now that she is dead, as well as oreshadowing the long period of grief to come. The Going† is reference to Emma's gradual fading f rom Hardys memory. Emma death is also described to be a â€Å"swift fleeing† and a â€Å"great going†. Death and the after life are never referred to explicitly. Therefore Hardys use of euphemisms illustrate his avoidance of reality, as well as his fear of acknowledging Emma's death. Furthermore, Hardys commemorations of his courtship with Emma in the fourth stanza further stresses this point. The tone of the poem shifts during this process, as he cadence begins to rise, revealing the Joy Hardy feels whilst remembering Emma alive.It almost seems as if Hardy is attempting to â€Å"follow' Emma through his memories of her. Hardys eventually recollects the moments where him and Emma were most distant and â€Å"did not spear or â€Å"visit together those places that they once visited†. By this point, regret dominates Hardys feelings and the poem. Furthermore, in the first stanza Emma's is described to have passed on â€Å"quickly after the morrows dawn† â⠂¬â€œ the use of the word â€Å"dawn† adds a sense of light to poem, allowing readers to imagine the sun rising.This may symbolize Emma's soul rising from her dead corpse, as well as, portraying an ambiance of increasing light. Hardy deliberately eliminates this semblance of light to depict his increasing sense of grief. In the third stanza, the use of the words â€Å"darkening dankness† and â€Å"yawning blankness† coupled with Hardys description of his wife's hallucination â€Å"at dusk†, convey this diffusion of light. In the final stanza Hardy appears to be undergoing acceptance, suggested by the use of the words â€Å"well, well†. Nevertheless his grief has not yet subsided.The broken yntax alters the rhythm, as well as giving the impression of it faltering forward. Hardy describes himself as a â€Å"dead man held on end to sink down soon†, this conflicts with the â€Å"rising† of Emma in the first stanza, nevertheless, may imply the same idea. Hardy is now plagued with a wish to Join his wife in the after life, yet this does not bring them any closer to her, as Hardy feels he'll â€Å"sink down† instead of rising up. In addition, similarly to the sun â€Å"rising† in the first stanza, the use of â€Å"sink down† may symbolize the sun now sinking, bringing about darkness.

Alternative Energy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Alternative Energy - Essay Example Small turbines can generate 100 kilowatts and are used to provide electricity to one home. Batteries store the energy from the turbine which powers the home. Large turbines are generally grouped together. These â€Å"wind farms† provide power directly to the electric grid. (â€Å"Energy Basics,† 2011) Horizontal axis turbines consist of two or three blades attached to a rotor that is placed on tall tower structure facing either away from or into the prevailing wind current. The wind is less turbulent and stronger at elevated heights, generally of 100 feet or more. Each blade is curved much like the wing of an airplane to maximize its potential. As the wind blows across a blade, the side of the blade facing downwind creates a lower-pressure pocket. The pressure differential between the front and backside of the blade turns the rotor. This phenomenon is called â€Å"lift†, the same as the wind dynamics on the wing of a plane. The wind striking the front of the blad e is called â€Å"drag† which is much weaker than the â€Å"lift† force on the backside. â€Å"The combination of lift and drag causes the rotor to spin like a propeller, and the turning shaft spins a generator to make electricity.† (â€Å"Energy Basics,† 2011) Vertical axis wind turbines come in two varieties, Darrieus and Savonius. Neither of these types is widely utilized. The Savonius is used for pumping water and grinding grains but due to its relatively slow rotation velocity is impractical for generating electricity. The turbines appear to be S-shaped when viewed from above the unit. The Darrieus, invented in the 1920’s, is usually described as an eggbeater in appearance. This type may become used more often due to its greater amount of lift per rotation. (â€Å"Energy Basics,† 2011) Wind turbines... Horizontal axis turbines consist of two or three blades attached to a rotor that is placed on tall tower structure facing either away from or into the prevailing wind current. The wind is less turbulent and stronger at elevated heights, generally of 100 feet or more. Each blade is curved much like the wing of an airplane to maximize its potential. As the wind blows across a blade, the side of the blade facing downwind creates a lower-pressure pocket. The pressure differential between the front and backside of the blade turns the rotor. This phenomenon is called â€Å"lift†, the same as the wind dynamics on the wing of a plane. The wind striking the front of the blade is called â€Å"drag† which is much weaker than the â€Å"lift† force on the backside. â€Å"The combination of lift and drag causes the rotor to spin like a propeller, and the turning shaft spins a generator to make electricity.† (â€Å"Energy Basics,† 2011) Vertical axis wind turbines come in two varieties, Darrieus and Savonius. Neither of these types is widely utilized. The Savonius is used for pumping water and grinding grains but due to its relatively slow rotation velocity is impractical for generating electricity. The turbines appear to be S-shaped when viewed from above the unit. The Darrieus, invented in the 1920’s, is usually described as an eggbeater in appearance. This type may become used more often due to its greater amount of lift per rotation. Wind turbines produce electricity but does not pollute the atmosphere nor are chemicals used that could contaminate the land.

Human Resource Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Human Resource Development - Essay Example As a HR Manager, our company CEO has expressed a similar viewpoint, contending that HRD is unnecessary during the financial crisis and that the HRD budget should be the first to go in case of cost reduction. This is informed by previous actions taken after financial crises, during which this strategy worked. However, the present crisis is starkly different from the earlier ones as it has spread very fast globally and brought world economies close to collapse. This course of action, therefore, may not be as effective as it was earlier. Markets have been steadily decreasing with sales also shrinking; therefore, different solutions are required at company, national, and international level (Caprio, 2012: p54). The current crisis has been compared to the Great Depression, with the remedies used then being implemented by various companies to date (Jungmann et al, 2011: p33). However, serious and vital changes have happened since then. The most important difference is the change in the nat ional economy structures. Compared to the Great Depression era, the service sector has grown in significance with the industrial and agricultural sectors decreasing. This has meant that there has been an extensive strengthening in an area where connection to the material processes has been secondary, even as employment factors have remained significant (Fuchita et al, 2010: p65). Productive capital is to be found embedded into the employee’s and their work. This paper will seek to show that corporate methodology for dealing with the current crisis cannot follow earlier patterns by cutting funding to Human Resource Development L&D. This is informed partly by the character of the present crisis. This is especially factual for a company where intangible assets, have a vital role to play and where production is linked to knowledge instead of tangible assets. The Role of Learning and Development in Times of crisis The management of crisis and their solutions appears time to time i n the media. This usually involves reduction of working time for employees, lay-offs or cuts to Human Resource Development. In most cases, the organizations have no choice with regards to avoiding insolvency or bankruptcy. Cutting funding to Human Resource Development, however, offers short-term solutions while leading to long-term problems (Lazear & Michael, 2009: p44). One assumption made regarding knowledge management is that human capital and information play a more significant role in the input process. A significant part of the organization’s value lies with human capital, i.e. the knowledge in its employees possession, which is a crucial factors as far as improved corporate performance and competitiveness are concerned (Lazear, 1998: p10). Faced by a crisis, however, an organization may begin paying inadequate attention to the retention of knowledge that is lay-offs as well as the improvement of knowledge for its employees. Most companies will utilize a â€Å"lawnmowe r principle† with an aim to reduce costs by trying to economize on their highest components of cost; wages and Human Resource Development (Buckley & Jim, 2009: p22). This strategy, however, is limited in its effectiveness. Cutting costs involves the sacrifice of resources in order to increase profit, with whoever is tasked to examine resource utilization attempting to cut costs by all means possible. Costs, however, occur during operation and not at the investment point. Assets improve profits and costs need

Book Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Book Review - Essay Example Even with the good press associated with the Marshall Plan, revisionists and diplomatic historians from both the United States and the sixteen involved nations from Western Europe—even more than fifty years after its ratification and implementation—still debate on its origins, motives and effects (Agnew and Entrikin 2004, p. 1). For instance, historical revisionists have found that â€Å"the economic impact of the plan has been significantly downgraded as scholars concluded that the crisis of 1947 in Europe was less grave than American policy-makers had thought† (Hitchcock n.d.). With these considerations in mind, two of the most substantial and celebrated books on rethinking and revisiting the Marshall Plan will be reviewed in this paper in order to shed some light on what the real purposes and effects of the Marshall Plan are in relation to the United States’ supposed gigantic role in the economic recovery of Europe. The book by Michael Hogan and two chapters from Agnew and Entrikin’s volume will be compared against each other through their contributions to the rethinking of the Marshall Plan. While the former is very detailed, the message that Hogan wants to state is somewhat lost within the detailing of the various facets of the creation of the Marshall Plan. On the other hand, Agnew and Entrikin’s chapters are composed of separate papers that present an all-encompassing view of the Marshall Plan and its effects. These separate chapters that can stand on their own present a more comprehensive and understandable argument as to the sig nificance of the Marshall Plan in history. It can be said then that quality and readability of a work does not depend on the length and an extreme attention to detail, but on a concise presentation of facts and figures that would make the reader understand and accept the argument presented as true. Although there are a lot of differences between the two books, one of the main causes

Terrorism and patriot act Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Terrorism and patriot act - Coursework Example Over 3000 people lost their lives. While America was still recovering from the shock of this barbaric act on its home soil, President George W. Bush lost no time in pursuit of the culprits. He ordered airstrikes on likely hideouts of Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan. At the administrative level, he promulgated the Patriot Act 2001 and established the Department of Homeland Security to help deal with all further threats and protect the borders of the USA and its people. Some sweeping powers were given to these personnel to track, apprehend and arrest possible suspects who wanted to harm America and its interests. The extent of these powers is a matter of debate, as many opine that it violates the rights of privacy and freedom as guaranteed under the U.S Constitution (Worrall, 2011). The Patriot Act was signed into Law by President Bush on October 26, 2001, just over a month and a half after the events of September 11. The Act has 10 separate sections, one each relating to enhancing domestic security against terrorism, surveillance procedures, anti-money-laundering, removing obstacles to investigations, information sharing, criminal law, terrorism intelligence and border security. Many sections were due to sunset after four years, but they were extended by President Obama in the larger public interest (CLDC, 2012). Among the most contentious of the powers under Section 213 is that of arresting someone on mere suspicion of being a terrorist, and that of searching his or her house without a warrant. Section 218 allows for wiretapping of such suspect’s every means of communication. Under Section 805, anybody even suspected of giving advice or assistance to a terrorist would be liable for arrest and prosecution. Granted that we have to nip terrorism in the bud, but such measures are a close call to violating the privacy and integrity of American citizens and go against the widely held precept of ‘innocent till proven

Editing Strategies Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Editing Strategies - Assignment Example It might be helpful to highlight the transition words and phrases as well to see if the right structures are used to introduce new ideas. Another key point to consider in the essay is its style and form. At this point, the best technique is to read the paper aloud. Reading aloud can help the author to notice the words or phrases that do not fit the context of the paper. As a rule, such vocabulary units include bookish or formal words, colloquialisms, terms used without sufficient explanation. Having pinpointed those words, the writer should consult the dictionary or thesaurus to find a suitable synonym or explain the terms used in the paper. What is more, highlighting or underlining key words in every paragraph can help avoid redundancy and wordiness. Finally, the paper should be checked for spelling, punctuation and grammar errors. Then, it is useful to read a paper again aloud slowly, making logical stress on the topic words and sentences, and then quickly. Reading aloud quickly ca n emulate the readers’ perception. Sometimes the structure of the sentences used by the writer is very complicated and the readers would have to go back to particular areas of the text to get the idea. If the writer finds it hard to find the ideas that should be stressed in the sentences or paragraphs while reading aloud quickly, it means that such sentences would be confusing for the readers. In this case, it is better to opt for restructuring the complex sentences. At the end of this stage, the essay can be submitted.

Researching Cancer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Researching Cancer - Essay Example The part next to the vagina is the  exocervix (or ectocervix).  The 2 main types of cells covering the cervix are  squamous  cells (on the exocervix)  and  glandular  cells (on the endocervix). The place where these 2 cell types meet is called the  transformation zone. Most cervical cancers start in the transformation zone (Cancer.org. What is Cervical Cancer, 2012). The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 12,000 women develop cervical cancer each year in the United States and about 4,200 die from it. Worldwide, it continues to be the second most common type of cancer in women (after breast cancer). Each year, about 500,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer and approximately 250,000 die from it (Labtestsonline: Cervical Cancer, 2012). Most cervical cancers begin in the cells lining the cervix. These cells do not suddenly change into cancer. Instead, the normal cells of the cervix first gradually develop pre-cancerous changes that turn into cancer. Doctors use several terms to describe these pre-cancerous changes, including cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), squamous intraepithelial lesion (SIL), and dysplasia.  There are 2 main types of cervical cancers:  squamous cell carcinoma  and  adenocarcinoma. About 80% to 90% of cervical cancers are squamous cell carcinomas. These cancers are from the squamous cells that cover the surface of the exocervix. Under the microscope, this type of cancer is made up of cells that are like squamous cells. Squamous cell carcinomas most often begin where the exocervix joins the endocervix (Cancer.org, 2012). Most of the other cervical cancers are adenocarcinomas. Cervical adenocarcinomas seem to have becoming more common in the past 20 to 30 years. Cervical adenocarcinoma develops from the mucus-producing gland cells of the endocervix. Less commonly, cervical cancers have features of both squamous cell carcinomas and adenocarcinomas. These are called  adenosquamous carcinomas  or mixed carcinomas

United Kingdom Reforms Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

United Kingdom Reforms - Essay Example The act assists buyers to obtain legal redress when they encounter problems with their purchases. The act requires that the supplier should sell goods that fit their description, serve their intended purpose and are of satisfactory quality. The act benefits suppliers, who comply, as they can use their conformity to their advantage, as they use it to boost their consumer relationships. The act essentially aims to protect individual customers from defected or unsafe goods. The Act covers traded contracts made on or after 1 January 1894. Prior before the passing of the 1995 Act, the sale of goods act 1979, (c 54) was applied. This Act of Parliament regulated English contract law as well as the UK commercial law regarding goods traded. The m1979 act merged the original act of 1893 as well as subsequent legislation that consecutively codified and joined the law. Before the 1995 Act, section 16 barred transferring of ownership in goods to the buyer from the seller until the goods were established. Under s.20A of the 1979 Act, as buyer becomes the owner in common bulk2 of property, in an undivided share, in the bulk transferred to him. S.16 of the 1979 act provides that where there is a contract for selling unascertained goods, the property cannot be passed to the buyer unless or until the goods are identified. The buyer acquires no aptness interest in the goods he paid for since he was regarded as an unsecured creditor for the return in price in the occurrence of insolvency. This rendered for the sellers creditors benefitting with an undeserved windfall 3 as they will claim both goods and money paid for them. When all the requirements have been met, the property ownership of the undivided share is given to the purchaser unless both parties agree. The purchased share is a fraction of the bulk goods as an equal owner. Section 61 (1) of the 1979 Act describes the bulk as a collection of goods of the same type contained in the same area or space and is such that goods in the mass are interchangeable with other goods of the same quantity or number. The goods can be ascertained by separation from the bulk through either exhaustion3 or consolidation4. This act was biased to extents that, even if the seller sold all his goods to different clients, thereby divesting himself all interest in the bulk, no property will be passed to the clients until the quant ities have been ascertained. The same applied if the seller became insolvent while the goods were still in bulk or the seller’s creditor arrested the bulk. This entails that the buyers or buyer will have no claim even if they had paid for the goods fully or partly. The buyer will only claim for damages, breach of contract or return of price only as an unsecured creditor 5but will have no equitable interest in the goods. Furthermore, traders who purchased goods either on land or in the course of the sea were concerned of this problem. In addition, suing carriers of goods by sea was covered on agreement  in a bill of lading6 was under the Bills of lading Act1855, covering the transfer of property in the goods by the bill. Therefore, the buyer of part of the bulk had no right of suing the transporter in contract if the goods in transit were missing or damaged. In addition, Section 16 stressed the Lading Bills did not convey the intended meaning by the parties as outlined by th e known Law commission. The parties’

Subprime Mortgage Crisis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Subprime Mortgage Crisis - Research Paper Example These numerous theories, which have come up to explain the root cause of the subprime crisis. Numerous experts and economists believe that a combination of factors resulted to the crisis (Lynnley 13). This study intends to examine the housing bubble as a major cause of the subprime crisis. Housing Bubble This study reveals that the present mortgage crisis started with the bursting of the U.S. housing bubble, which commenced in early 2001 and ascended to its peak in the year 2005. Essentially, a housing bubble can be defined as an economic bubble whose occurrence in both the local and international platforms in real markets id characterized by almost similar features. The housing bubble is defined by express rise in the valuations of real assets until untenable levels related to income and affiliated affordability indicators are reached (Lynnley 11). This situation leads to the decrease of home prices and debts related to mortgages, which are higher compared to the value of the assets . It is imperative to note that the housing bubble was discovered at the aftermath of the market correction that happened in the U.S in 2006. In 2007, Alan Greenspan, the former Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board indicated that, United States has been having a bubble in the housing sector (Muolo and Padilla 3-7). This came upon the realization that the house prices appeared to be overwhelmingly overvalued. The sentiments were echoed by the Richard Syron, the CEO Freddie Mac and concurred with the Yale University economist Robert Shiller who warned that the necessary correction of the bubble would be done in many years to come wit trillions of dollars being lost. This situation would lead to a double-digit decline in the home values. The housing bubble in relation to the historically low interest rates This study reveals that the majority of the experts and economists believe that the housing bubble in the United States of American was partially caused by the historical low intere st rates. It is imperative to note that the Federal Reserve Board had reduced the short-term interest rates by 5.5% (from 6.5% to as low as 1 %). This was a response of the collapse of the dot-com bubble (Muolo and Padilla 3-7). This happened in early the year 2000 and was followed by the ensuing recession in 2001; however, this response significantly endangered the housing bubble through the decrease in real long-term interest rates. It is essential to note that, the US mortgages rates are set in relation to Treasury bond yields of 10 years. These rates are influenced by the Federal funds rates. This study establishes that the Federal Reserve Board acknowledged the relevance of the connection amid lower interests’ rates, increased liquidity and the higher home values in relation to the general status of the economy. On the other hand, Greenspan disputes the claim that he engineered the housing bubble. Greenspan asserts that the Fed’s decline in rates contributed to th e inflation of the bubble. In 2007, Greenspan argued that, the housing bubble was not in any way related or linked to the Fed’s policy on interest rates, however, Greenspan pointed out on the international surplus in savings, which pushed down the interest rates

The Recent Recession and the Economics of Developing Countries Essay Example for Free

The Recent Recession and the Economics of Developing Countries Essay This paper will be looking into the phenomenon of the recent US recession in light of its relationship with the economies of developing countries. It seems that Keynesian Economics managed to save the US Economy from the inefficiencies caused by the free market economy, but how can such a tragedy be handles in small developing countries wherein governments don’t have the same resources to bailout corporations? This writer believes that it is important to analyze the repercussions of this phenomenon as there are many developing countries whose development and more specifically their economies , are modeled after the economy of the United States. In Episode 1, â€Å"The Battle of Ideas,† we saw that Keynes believed that the private sector decisions sometimes lead to unproductive macroeconomic outcomes and therefore, he advocated active policy solutions by states or governments. It was followed by huge economies in order to survive the Great Depression of the 1930s but was dismissed in the late 1970s-1980s (and seemingly) until now for the free market economy or with what Hayek has been advocating decades back. But recently, due to the economic recession that the US and much of the world’s huge economies experienced, it would seem that Keynes can be correct after all. This can be illustrated by the fact that without numerous bailouts from the federal government, US capitalism would have collapsed under its own knees. This statement in Episode 1 by Robert Skidelsky is worth saying to those who have scoffed at Keynes in the years before this recent recession (2007-present), â€Å"Hayek always rejected macroeconomics. He rejected any government intervention during the Great Depression itself, whereas Keynes was an activist. He said in the long run were all dead, and in the long run if we allow things to go on without remedy, we get lots of Hitlers, lots of wars, and lots of Stalins. And who was right? â€Å" What the US Federal government did in bailing out the almost bankrupt financial institutions was much like what Keynes (as mentioned in â€Å"The Battle of Ideas†) has been advocating: Governments should spend against the wind. In good times they should reduce their spending and build surpluses; in bad times, like the Great Depression, they should step up spending, run deficits, and put purchasing power into the hands of working people. † It is worthwhile to first look at the long history of rivalry between Keynesian and Classical/Neo-Classical Economics. Before the Great Depression of the 1930s, the market was left alone (‘laissez faire’) as was advocated by Classical Economists like David Ricardo and Adam Smith until the Great Depression occurred. Industries collapsed, the thriving economy in a slump,jobs lost, people went hungry. After the Great Depression, government adapted the Keynesian Economics and resuscitated the economy back to life. All was well and until the economies become stagnat and inflation sky-rocketed. When welfare states and dependent economies failed, it was the free market economy that went on to give life to sick economies. The transition to this was difficult as we have learned from â€Å"The Agony of Reform†. There may be three reasons that can be pointed out why struggling economies found it difficult to make the transition from having a state-run economy into letting the market work by it : 1. From Episode II, The Agony of Reform† we can see the first reason may be the fear of the shock that the change will make. Price of essential needs will inevitably skyrocket at first while the market evens out itself after price controls have been lifted as what happened to Bolivia. 2. The second reason is the political context in the country wherein the transition will be made. Political leaders fear that they will lose power because of the discontent or worry of people caused by the sudden impact of the transition from state-run economy to market economy (As such with the leadership of Nixon and other Latin American Countries). 3. The third reason is that the leaders themselves have gotten used to dependency and conservatism and are afraid to take risks. The same seems to be true for their citizens. Another reason, I think, that was a factor for struggling economies’ (at least those in the Latin Americas) difficulties in making the transition was because they are pressured into following models prescribed by the bigger and stronger economies such as Britain and the US. In this shift from one paradigm to another, we have seen that the most difficulty was experienced by the developing countries during that time (as shown in the film, particularly Latin America). Going back to the present situation of economies today, there great curiosity on what will happen next with economic giants such as US and UK but how about developing countries? Most developing countries are highly dependent on direct foreign investments. When economies of developed countries are doing well, the supply of investment for developing countries go up but during a recession, supply of investment for developed countries go down. As developing countries are highly dependent on agriculture and usually without their own national industries, lack of foreign investments coming in would mean loss of jobs and decrease in the Gross National Income. No jobs would mean fewer taxes for the government and less support for its jobless citizens on social services. It is indeed a cycle of poverty. This is what happens to developing countries. Due to lack of their own national industries, they do not even have corporations to bail out. Instead, they seem to be mere extensions of the bigger economies instead of being equally connected as is ideal in a globalized economy that is being advocated by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Right now, I believe that developing countries should encourage its own citizens to take part in their economy through small and medium-scale enterprises in order for their economy as they encourage foreign investment. This is for them to have a fall-back in times of a global recession. Also through this way, people will not be so dependent on foreign investment in providing jobs for them. In our course, I have learned the different macroeconomic theories that have worked and failed through the years. Through historical analysis and study of the positive and negative sides of the theories and their applications, I believe that the same obstacles will be faced. Thus the importance of carefully reviewing economic policies that have worked and following or enhancing them and also making sure that those policies that have failed are not enforced again. In order to overcome these obstacles, a balance with the private and the public sector in the economy should be achieved after all, too much of anything can never be good. History has shown us that markets fail because of the abuse of some corporations in their quest for more financial gains therefore better business ethics on the part of corporations should be promoted. On the part of the government/state, regulatory boards and committees should always be present, the roles of which are to draft â€Å"loose† rules particular for each industry in order to ensure that no abuse by market players are being done. By â€Å"loose†, it is meant that these rules should be more of a monitoring mechanism rather than controlling. By establishing institutions such as these, recessions or market inefficiencies can be avoided, also saving the state the need to majorly interfere through providing financial help to the market by creating stimulus programs or bailouts. I believe that achieving the balance between the application of Keynesian and Free Market Economics (Neo-Classical) will ensure the stability of markets thus ensuring development of all nations. .

History of Green Marketing

History of Green Marketing According to the American Marketing Association Green Marketing is the marketing of Products that are presumed to be environmentally safe. Thus Green Marketing incorporates a broad range of activities, including product modification, changes to the production process, packaging changes, as well as modifying advertising. Yet defining green marketing is not a simple task where several meanings intersect and contradict each other, an example of this will be the existence of varying social, environmental and retail definitions attached to this term. History of Green Marketing: The term Green Marketing came into prominence in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The American Marketing Association (AMA) held the first workshop on Ecological Marketing in 1975. The proceeding of this workshop resulted in one of the first books on green marketing entitled. Ecological Marketing Three keys to successful Green Marketing: Show potential customers that you follow green business practices and you could reap more green on your bottom line. Green Marketing isnt just a catchphrase; its a marketing strategy that can help you get more customers and make more money. But only if you do it right. For green marketing to be effective, you have to do three things; be genuine, educate your customers, and give them the opportunity to participate. Being Genuine Being Genuine means that a) that you are actually doing what you claim to be doing in your green marketing campaign and b) that the rest of your business policies are consistent with whatever you are doing thats environmentally friendly. Educating your Customers Educating your Customers isnt just a matter of letting people know youre doing whatever youre doing to protect the environment, but also a matter of letting them know why it Matters Otherwise, for a significant portion of your target market, its a case of So what? And your green marketing campaign goes nowhere. Giving your customer an opportunity to participate: Giving your customer an opportunity to participate means personalizing the benefits of your environmentally friendly actions, normally through letting the customer take part in positive environmental action. Why Green Marketing? As resources are limited and human wants are unlimited, it is important for the marketers to utilize the resources efficiently without waste as well as to achieve the organizations objective. So green Marketing is inevitable. There is growing interest among the customers all over the world regarding Protection of environment. World Wide Evidence indicates people are concerned about the Environment and are changing their Behavior. Benefits of Green Marketing: Companies that develop new and improved products and services with environment inputs in mind give themselves access to new markets, increase their profit Sustainability, and enjoy a Competitive advantage over the Companies which are not concerned for the Environment. Adoption of Green Marketing: There are basically five reasons for which a marketer should go for the adoption of  Green marketing. They are Opportunities or competitive advantage Corporate social responsibilities Government pressure Competitive pressure Cost or profit issues Green Marketing Mix: Every company has its own favorite marketing mix. Some have 4 Ps and some have 7 Ps marketing mix. The 4 Ps of green marketing are that of a conventional marketing but the challenge before is to use 4 Ps in an innovative manner Product The ecological objectives in planning products are to reduce resource consumption and pollution and to increase conservation of scarce resources Price Price is a critical and important factor of green marketing mix. Most consumers will only be prepared to pay additional value if there is a perception of extra product value this value may be improved performance, function, design, visual appeal or taste Green marketing should take all these facts into consideration while charging a premium price Promotion There are three of green advertising:- Ads that address a relationship between a product/service and the biophysical environment Those that promote a green life style by highlighting a product or service. Ads that present a corporate image of environmental responsibility. Place The choice of where and when to make a product available will have. Strategies for Green Marketing: The marketing strategies for green marketing include: Marketing Audit ( Including internal and external situation analysis) Develop a marketing plan outlining strategies with regard to 4 Ps. Implement Marketing strategies. Plan result evaluation Challenges ahead Green Marketing: Green products require renewable and recyclable material, which is costly Requires a technology, which requires huge investment in R D Water treatment technology, which is too costly Majority of the people are not aware of green products and their uses Majority of the consumers are not willing to pay a premium for green products. Conclusion: Green marketing should not neglect the economic aspect of marketing. Marketers need to understand the implications of green marketing. If you think customers are not concerned about environmental issues or will not pay a premium for products that are more eco-responsible, think again. You must find an opportunity enhance you products performance and strengthen your customers loyalty and command a higher price. Green marketing is still in its infancy and a lot of research is to be done on green marketing to fully explore its potential. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The research design which has been formed for this research  article is descriptive research design. The nature of data which is  collected and used for this research article is secondary. The  relevant and required data are collected from secondary sources  such as text books, national as well as international articles

The Origins Of The Welfare State

The Origins Of The Welfare State The term modern Welfare State comes from the Beveridge report of 1941. The words represent that Government provides a minimum level of taxed welfare support for citizens in need. Beveridge and his five giants showed a greater need for an active role by Government in the welfare of its citizens through better housing, education, benefits for the unemployed and an accessible National Health Service. The foundations of this started mainly with the Liberal Reforms of 1906 1914 but this can even go back to the 1601 poor law. The 1601 poor law had control over the poor with very little interference from Government, as it was locally administered by the parish overseers (P. Spicker 2008) but still required the Church to assist. In 1834 the poor law was changed by Earl Grey (Spartacus Schoolnet); workhouses were introduced which meant no able bodied person would receive money or help from the poor law authorities (M. Bloy 2002). Other changes happened to this law; children would get schooling and be clothed and fed while in the workhouse. However, some people spoke out against the workhouses and called them prisons for the poor. Seebohm Rowntree did a study in 1901 and found a number of people living in poverty even though they were working, their wages were below the poverty line and they were struggling to survive (R. Ensor 1980). This led to the Liberal Reforms of 1906-1914, with the introduction of free school meals in 1906 and medical inspections in 1907 paid for by the State, but the treatment was largely unaffordable and relied on the charity of others. This was the start of new ideas in the Social Service State and Liberals made sweeping changes in their reforms; the elderly received an old age pension in 1908 and the sick would be paid whilst being unable to work through the National insurance Act of 1911. Unemployed people did not have to wander the country looking for work with the new labour exchanges set up in 1909, which meant employers could advertise jobs in one place, much like the Job Centres of today. Even with all the laws to help the poor, it still required a lot of help from other sectors (pluralism); the Church still played a major role in providing housing, food and clothing; charities still had to ask the rich to help. Even the poor had to help by sharing what little they had. Families united and pulled together to survive and this built a community spirit. The State didnt want the poor to rely on State help alone. This is the foundation of the modern Welfare State today. The NHS (established in 1948) still relies on outside resources, with charities like St Johns Ambulance helping provide front line assistance and organisations such as BUPA taking some of the pressure off the service from those who can pay. Housing for the poor is now mostly run through charitable associations in most areas and the Welfare State relies on voluntary organisations like Salvation Army and Barnardos to help with problems in society. This partnership with state, church, private business, voluntary organisations and charities has created a safety net for the poor in which children and adults have protection from poverty, abuse, hunger; giving them security and care in times of desperation. Task 2: Explain the contents and evaluate the purpose of the 1834 Poor Law. (540 words not including titles) The 1601 Poor Law had controlled the actions of the poor; making it very difficult for the poor to travel the country begging for food and shelter and helping stop associated anti-social behaviour. The poor could only get aid from charities and the local tax payers from their place of birth. This was costing more every year and the middle and upper classes that were paying through taxes, started to think they were paying for the lazy and those who would not help themselves to find work and better their lives. Charles Grey (2nd Earl Grey) was prime minister at this time and had been making sweeping reforms throughout Government; he set up a poor law commission to examine the poor law. The commission felt that to relieve poverty, the poor had to help themselves. As a result of this the 1834 poor law amendment act was passed. This new act made it so the poor were only able to receive any aid if they entered a poor house. All the parishes of the previous 1601 law now had to group together and set up poor law unions. This gave greater control over the poor and even on the cost to the Government and local tax payers; this was called indoor relief as opposed to outdoor relief. Outdoor relief tried to get the poor to look for work themselves and made those who were lazy and avoided work less eligible for help, with the hope that the fear of the poor house would be a deterrent and make them find work. These places were unforgiving; you would have to work hard to receive any state or charity help. The masters and matrons were harsh and there to be a visible deterrent; conditions hit the papers of half starved inmates even eating the rotting flesh from bones at the Andover workhouse (September 1845; The Times). Parliament had to do something and created a select committee in 1846 and with the result of its findin gs the poor law commission was abolished in 1847. The poor law act of 1834 was intended to be the solution to pauperism and believed the moral character of the working man would be his own saviour. This was shown not to be the case. The Government had to make improvements to this law after anti-poor law propaganda in its early years, to social unrest and riots in Bradford in 1837 where troops had to control the Chartism threat (the peoples charter). These revolts made way for changes to improved conditions for the working populations, such that the threat of the workhouse could be avoided through better sanitisation and clean water to counter sickness. Medical Officers were also introduced in 1871 to control public health issues. The state would provide schooling for 5-10 year olds from 1870 1880 to educate the poor to better themselves and Hospitals were slowly being made available for the most needy, to aid those in the population on low wages. The amendment of 1834 did go some way to improving the poors conditions, but it would not be until a number of years later that the Government chose not to control the poor by harsh measures but by working in partnership with them. Task 3: Outline some of the Liberal Reforms and evaluate their contribution to welfare policy (791 words not including titles) In Manchester 1899, out of 12,000 men offering to fight in the South African war, 8,000 were rejected on grounds such as malnutrition and illness. This led Charles Booth and Seebohm Rowntree to undertake studies of the state of poverty in Britain between 1901 and 1902. Rowntree found that the number of people in York found to be in primary poverty, was 15.45 percent of the wage earning class. Investigations by AL Rowley and AR Burnet found that working class areas throughout England showed much the same (R. Esnor England). This came from low paid jobs in society which made them have a very low standard of living. The Liberals took power in 1906 under Sir Henry Bannerman with a huge majority. They had not promised to bring poor law reforms, but were influenced by Rowntree and Booths reports which showed the laissez faire solution was not working in Britain. In 1906 the Liberals started to reform the poor law starting with the (1906) Education Act; this meant free school meals for the poorest families, making sure a child would receive one healthy meal a day. This was a great success as it encouraged parents to make sure their child went to school and keep them off the streets, but some local councils did not follow it up as it meant they would have to increase local taxes. Some councils did not want to move forward with new reforms for the poorest in society (National Archives). Liberals took this act further with the introduction of compulsory school medical inspections in 1907; these ensured children would be healthy but the downfall meant if the child needed treatment, they would still have to pay. The poorest of families would not have been able to afford this and would have had to go to charities for help. This changed in 1912 with the introduction of School Clinics; by this time the Government had introduced the new Childrens Act of 1909 which protected children from persecution / neglect from the family or their environment. The Liberals also helped the old with the introduction of a Pension Act in 1908 for those aged 70; they would receive 5 shillings a week and if married, 7 shillings 6d. This took away the affects of the workhouse for the elderly and protected them to a certain extent from working themselves to an early death, whilst taking away the pressure placed on poor families to look after an elderly family member. This would be funded by general taxation and had many critics. Many believed that the elderly had wasted money throughout their youth (National Archives) and now it would be down to the middle to wealthy classes to pay for their old age. To qualify people had to live in Britain for twenty years. Criminals and those felt to be idle did not receive any pension. They would still have to find work or enter the workhouse. This seemed fair as if you contributed to taxes you would be entitled to the pension; if not then you would be looking for the charity of others or the workhouse. Under Lloyd George the National Insurance Act of 1911 (Part 1 Health) would protect the sick if they became ill whilst working and help them and their family avoid ending up in the workhouse or in poverty. The worker would contribute 4d into the scheme while the employer would add another 3d, while Government added another 2d; this would give the worker 9d for only paying 4d. If the worker became ill, he would receive 10 shillings per week for up to 26 weeks and after that if he still was injured, 5 shillings disability pension. This scheme relied on the worker to protect himself from possible sickness / injury and built a structured work ethic for the working classes with a safety net if required; this is what Lloyd George hoped. The National Insurance Act of 1912 then came in to protect those who worked in jobs that lasted for short periods, like ship builders and construction workers. They paid into the scheme and could claim 7 shillings for 15 weeks whilst out of work until they either went back to their previous job or found another job. This was made easier with the set up of the Labour Exchanges in 1909, where employers could advertise positions of work in a designated place to save time for the jobseeker travelling from area to area. By 1910 eighty three exchanges had been set up. This system can still be seen today with the local Job Centres helping skilled and unskilled workers find employment to keep the costs of welfare to a minimum and ensure no-one had the option to be idle. Task 4: Describe and discuss Beveridges 5 giant evils and outline the key points of the Beveridge report and evaluate their significance. (1,274 words not including titles) William Henry Beveridge (1st Baron Beveridge 1879 1963) studied law in Oxford and became interested in the social service state while writing for the Morning Post Newspaper. Under a Liberal Government of 1906 1914 he became a prominent member of Lloyd Georges pensions and National Insurance scheme and was also involved in setting up labour exchanges throughout the country. After his book called Unemployment (1909), he altered expert opinion from one where low wages were seen as the cause of poverty, to one where people only being casually employed and not working all the time, meant they were unable to get themselves out of poverty. At the time of the Second World War, Beveridge was asked by the coalition Government to commission a report of how to rebuild after the war. Beveridge published his findings in 1942, but the words welfare state actually entered print in the early part of the war in 1941. In December 1942, the BBC broadcast to Nazi occupied Europe that Britain is grappling with its social problems through Beveridges proposals, even through war. This could have been seen as propaganda. As part of his report, Beveridge identified 5 giant evils that caused poverty. They were: Want. He identified that people lacked the security of an income, which in turn left them short of funds to live off. These were usually unemployed, sick, old or widowed and possibly unable to work through no fault of their own. To counter this problem, Beveridge created a means tested benefit system that would give the poorest people a safety net in times of crisis. This would be paid for by a compulsory flat rate National Insurance Scheme paid by the employee and employer. It would use the Rowntree calculations of basic needs to tackle poverty (Thane 1982). Beveridge also suggested that social insurance schemes like child benefit became universal and not means tested as this would help with the extra costs of having children preventing them becoming a burden to the family. Disease. Beveridge felt that better provision of non means tested health care by state funding should be comprehensive and available to everyone. This would improve the nations health and make people more able to get back into work and less dependent on the welfare system. Ignorance. This would be dealt with by a universal and compulsory state education system, particularly through provision of state funding with everyone able to have secondary education. This would improve the chances of the country, giving a better future for all. Squalor. Better housing and social environment improvements would provide subsistence and help the country become united for future prosperity, with the development of affordable homes as council houses for rent. This would also make jobs for the nation before and after the war through a building program. Idleness. Beveridge did not want what happened in the 1930s (mass unemployment) to be repeated again. This increased poverty and made some people become idle and brought back the problems of anti-social behaviour. He wanted more involvement from Government to create jobs and building programs to get the country to work, which would be self generating for prosperity. Beveridges report covered these 5 giant evils and aimed to address them. He proposed that the welfare state should focus on key points of; being comprehensive, universal for all, non means tested, compulsory for everyone, and funded through insurance type payments. The key points of his report guided changes in Government legislation in the following years, with huge significance for the country. Under Churchill, the Government moved on the Beveridge report with the undertaking of the Town and Country Planning Act (1943). The country needed to be rebuilt and this would go some way towards removing Squalor, but it wasnt until 1946 until most of Beveridges ideas of tackling this problem were undertaken by a Labour Government under Clement Attlee. Between 1946 and 1949, Housing Acts gave financial support to local authorities for rebuilding after the war. Between 1945 and 1951 1.25 million new council affordable homes were constructed. A Rent Control Act also came in in 1946 which would stop landlords increasing rents or providing shoddy housing; it also gave tenants the right to inform on unscrupulous landlords. Under this Act the councils could build new towns in the country and in 1949 Countryside Act, people had the right to roam, which in turn kept them fit and healthy. At much the same time, the Education Act (1944) was passed. This Act raised the school leaving age to 15 which later increased to 16. This could not be put into place as the Conservative Government had no way of funding it. When Labour came into power in 1947 the Act was passed and paid for by the state. This was a time of change and Labour started a nationalisation program to bring the country more in line with socialist ideas, being able to bring profits by other means than taxing heavily and creating a fairer society. In 1948 they introduced the Employment and Training Act which would tackle two of Beveridges problems, Idleness and Ignorance, making people go into work schemes, creating a skilled workforce for a better future. This was aimed at areas such as South Wales and the North East where there was high unemployment. This would make people feel part of the new ideas and make it hard for them to expect handouts. In 1945 the family allowance came into effect. This meant all those who had children would receive help from the state; this would be a universal benefit which would not be means tested which would make everyone feel it was comprehensive for all. In 1946 the National Insurance Act tackled the problems of the poor and Beveridges evil of Want. If someone became unemployed they would receive benefits to provide a minimum standard of living; this was also available to pregnant women and helped to fund old aged pensions. This also covered the sick and provided a comprehensive policy to solve the social problems from the cradle to the grave. To protect people from injuries at work, another act came into force, the Industrial Injuries Act (1946) which made employers take more care of the workers so they didnt claim compensation. In 1948 the National Assistance Act protected the poorest in society and this was the final nail that abolished the poor law. To fund this, everyone working and employers would pay into the scheme; this was compulsory and universal for all. The jewel in the crown for a more fair society in tackling Disease was the 1946 National Health Service. This provided free comprehensive health care, universal and regardless of means. This was put into place by Aneurin Bevan in 1948 under Labour. By 1949 187 million people had received prescriptions and another 8.5 million had free dental care which was very expensive for the country. By 1951 some services had to be paid for by its users to help fund the NHS but in general it still provided free health care for all while, in most cases, not being means tested. Beveridges ideas had now been introduced into society, with many changes since their introduction, but in general they accomplished their aims. They would provide a comprehensive package to all from cradle to grave. Benefits would be universal, regardless of means. They would be funded by the people for the people by insurance based payments. It would be compulsory for all to pay a flat rate payment and would provide subsistence to those living below the poverty line. Even those who were above this line would receive universal non-means tested benefits. References: Spicker, P (Unknown): UK Social Policy: Available. An Introduction to Social Policy; www.rgu.ac.uk/publicpolicy ; Last accessed 14/10/2010 Bloy, M (2002): Workhouses and the Poor Law: Available. The Victorian Web; www.victorianweb.org; Last accessed 14/10/2010 Driver, F (1993): Power and Pauperism: Available. Spartacus Schoolnet; www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Lpoor1834.htm ; Accessed 14/10/2010 Sutton Pocket Histories: Class Handout Social Welfare 2010 Ensor, R (1980): England 1870 1914: Book Club Associates London; chapter 14; p 515

Parents affect on their childrens sporting lives Essay -- essays resea

Parents have a great affect on their children. Parents like their kids to be involved in many different activities to make the child a well rounded person. Sports is a main activity that parents get their children involved in. Sports develops character, as well as discipline, self respect, etc†¦ Sometimes parents don’t realize that even though the sport itself teaches the child, they are the most visible teacher to the child. Parents are often the ones who get out of control at sporting events. When the children see this behavior, they now must question. Is this acceptable? Then a child may think it is and engage in violent or destructive behavior themselves.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This past summer a scandal erupted during the Little League World Series. A young man, Danny Almonte, was ineligible to play. The rules state that you cannot be older than 12 by August 1st. He is 14. The child was obviously more developed than his teammates. His talent exceeded that of any player in the tournament. He was throwing 70 mile an hour fastballs. That’s the equivalent of a 90 mph fastball at the major league distance. Many people took place in this scandal, not just his father. The Rolando Paulino Little League insisted that he was 12. They said he was born April 7, 1989, in Moca, Dominican Republic. Lynn 2 When in fact he was 14 and born on the same day, but in 1987. When the league found the official documents about his true age, the team was stripped of their 3rd place status... Parents affect on their childrens sporting lives Essay -- essays resea Parents have a great affect on their children. Parents like their kids to be involved in many different activities to make the child a well rounded person. Sports is a main activity that parents get their children involved in. Sports develops character, as well as discipline, self respect, etc†¦ Sometimes parents don’t realize that even though the sport itself teaches the child, they are the most visible teacher to the child. Parents are often the ones who get out of control at sporting events. When the children see this behavior, they now must question. Is this acceptable? Then a child may think it is and engage in violent or destructive behavior themselves.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This past summer a scandal erupted during the Little League World Series. A young man, Danny Almonte, was ineligible to play. The rules state that you cannot be older than 12 by August 1st. He is 14. The child was obviously more developed than his teammates. His talent exceeded that of any player in the tournament. He was throwing 70 mile an hour fastballs. That’s the equivalent of a 90 mph fastball at the major league distance. Many people took place in this scandal, not just his father. The Rolando Paulino Little League insisted that he was 12. They said he was born April 7, 1989, in Moca, Dominican Republic. Lynn 2 When in fact he was 14 and born on the same day, but in 1987. When the league found the official documents about his true age, the team was stripped of their 3rd place status...

Behavior and Leadership :: Relationship Oriented Leader

Welcome to this presentation on behavior and leadership. During this presentation there will be many details discussed about various types of personalities of leaders. Some styles may be familiar and some may not. There are many styles of leaders and this presentation focuses of comparing and contrasting four different styles. The final recommendation for an organization choosing a leadership style is to allow the employees to have an input on what they prefer—this may increase retention rates. There are four major types of behaviors and personalities of leadership that will be covered during this presentation. Those four types are relationship-oriented versus task-oriented and emotional intelligence versus cognitive intelligence. The relationship-oriented leader (ROL) likes to know team members very well including their most emotional traits. The ROL is very serving to team members and is the most likely type of leader to help the team with tasks when they are overwhelmed. These types of leaders strongly believe that every worker has the drive to accomplish goals and some may have been damaged by previous leaders to where they just need some the correct care showed to them. ROL’s have an open-door policy and like to communicate their values. They feel that all team members must be on the same page to operate successfully. ROL’s excel at aligning new team members into existing teams. This type of leader is service-oriented meaning that he or she puts the needs of the team before his or her own and expects team members to want to be confided in. The ROL’s moral personality makes team members trust them easily (Dubrin, 2010). The task-related leaders care deviates away from the person and towards the task the majority of the time. A task-related leader has the tendency to look down on people that have less strength than others. These types of leaders can quickly assess team members’ weaknesses, likely too quickly for a team member to feel he or she got a chance to express his or herself—fully intending to show good personality. Employees with many weaknesses in relation to the tasks will be supervised much more than stronger employees—both types of team members will be given frequent feedback about how well they are performing tasks. These types of leaders enjoy being innovative with designing electronics and devices that may assist team members in performing their tasks with ease and efficiency.

speech :: essays research papers

Persuasive Essay   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the world today one never knows what to expect, The Attacks of September the 11th were only the beginning of our nation being challenged. Lately there has been a large amount of worldwide media coverage showing the damage of the world, attacks on churches, embassies, hotels, as well as schools. Any particular areas were Americans are or where there are large groups of people inhibit. And yet this is not only Americas war it is a war that we are all receiving impact from. Many Israeli’s may feel that Americans deserve to be punished, and many are upset with Yasir Arfat, as a result of their anger suicide bombers feel that they need to take a stand for their cause at the expense of themselves as well as other’s primarily Americans. In order to create change The Israeli people need to take a stand to help stop the attacks on innocent lives our lives and the lives of those we love.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  March 18,2001 two Americans died as well as three others when two terrorists threw grenades into a Prostant church near the American embassy, this attack was aimed at Americans, killing embassy employee Barbara Green and her teenage daughter. Many Americans feel outrage at the attacks that are currently taking place, however the attack with Barbara Green hits close to home two innocent Americans killed by grenades while visiting a foreign country bodies blown into undescriable bloody images. This is an outrage, and the Israeli people need to take a stand to help stop these terrorists attacks from happening, just as our innocent Americans are be killed, an Israeli can be harmed in the process. Is that what needs to happed before Israeli’s take a stand? After the attack on September 11th America had a tragic loss, the mass deaths of a wide rage of nationatalities were to be accounted for on American soil. We as a country have accepted our lose and have moved in, in hopes for peace in our society. And yet whenever we begin to feel safe there has been another attack on either on of our churches, or our people. Daily there are attempts being made to harm innocent Americans. When will you help to make the Attacks stop? Violence is all many know however peace has an overall justice that out weight the effects of violence.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With Passover just under we were hoping for a peace treaty to come into effect, especially after the attacks killing two Americans on March 18,2001. speech :: essays research papers Persuasive Essay   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the world today one never knows what to expect, The Attacks of September the 11th were only the beginning of our nation being challenged. Lately there has been a large amount of worldwide media coverage showing the damage of the world, attacks on churches, embassies, hotels, as well as schools. Any particular areas were Americans are or where there are large groups of people inhibit. And yet this is not only Americas war it is a war that we are all receiving impact from. Many Israeli’s may feel that Americans deserve to be punished, and many are upset with Yasir Arfat, as a result of their anger suicide bombers feel that they need to take a stand for their cause at the expense of themselves as well as other’s primarily Americans. In order to create change The Israeli people need to take a stand to help stop the attacks on innocent lives our lives and the lives of those we love.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  March 18,2001 two Americans died as well as three others when two terrorists threw grenades into a Prostant church near the American embassy, this attack was aimed at Americans, killing embassy employee Barbara Green and her teenage daughter. Many Americans feel outrage at the attacks that are currently taking place, however the attack with Barbara Green hits close to home two innocent Americans killed by grenades while visiting a foreign country bodies blown into undescriable bloody images. This is an outrage, and the Israeli people need to take a stand to help stop these terrorists attacks from happening, just as our innocent Americans are be killed, an Israeli can be harmed in the process. Is that what needs to happed before Israeli’s take a stand? After the attack on September 11th America had a tragic loss, the mass deaths of a wide rage of nationatalities were to be accounted for on American soil. We as a country have accepted our lose and have moved in, in hopes for peace in our society. And yet whenever we begin to feel safe there has been another attack on either on of our churches, or our people. Daily there are attempts being made to harm innocent Americans. When will you help to make the Attacks stop? Violence is all many know however peace has an overall justice that out weight the effects of violence.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With Passover just under we were hoping for a peace treaty to come into effect, especially after the attacks killing two Americans on March 18,2001.

Phonetics as a Branch of Linguistics

GLOSSARY Academic style – also scientific style, a style of speech used in lectures, scientific discussions, conferences, etc Accent – 1) type of pronunciation, that is the way sounds, stress, rhythm and intonation are used in the given language community. 2) see stress. Accommodation – modifications of consonants under the influence of the neighbouring vowels and vice versa. Acoustic Phonetics – science which deals with the physical property of sounds.Affricates – noise consonants produced with a complete obstruction which is slowly released and the air stream escapes from the mouth with some friction. Allophones – variants of a phoneme, usually occur in different positions in the word, cannot contrast with each other and are not used to differentiate the meaning. Alveolar – sounds produced with the tip of the tongue against the upper teeth (alveolar) ridge. American English – the national variant of the English language spoke n in the USA.Amplitude – the distance to which the air particles are displaced from their position of rest by the application of some external force. Apical – sounds articulated with the tip of the tongue. Applied Phonetics – a branch of phonetics used for practical purposes in speech therapy and logopedia. Articulatory Phonetics – also Physiological Phonetics, a branch of phonetics which is concerned with the study of speech sounds as regards their production by the human speech organs. Ascending head – a type of head in which syllables form an ascending sequence.Assimilation – The modification of a consonant by a neighbouring consonant in the speech chain. Auditory Phonetics – a branch of phonetics which is concerned with the way our auditory mechanism works to process speech information, also Perceptual Phonetics. Back vowels – vowels formed with the tongue in the back part of the mouth. Back-advanced vowels – vowels formed with the tongue in the back-advanced position in the mouth. Back-lingual – see velar. BBC English – the accent used on BBC radio and TV channels, is considered a standard English spoken in Great Britain, also Received Pronunciation.Bilabial – sounds produced when both lips are active. Bilingualism – the command of 2 different languages by a person. British English – the national variant of the English language spoken in Great Britain. Broad transcription – also phonemic transcription, provides special symbols for all the phonemes of a language. Broad variations – a subclass of the vertical positions of the tongue which in this case is placed slightly lower in the mouth cavity. Cacuminal – sounds articulated with the tip of the tongue curled back.Central vowels – sounds articulated when the front part of the tongue is raised towards the back part of the hard palate. Checked vowels – short stressed vowels fol lowed by strong voiceless consonants. Checkness – a vowel property which depends on the character of articulatory transition from a vowel to a consonant Close vowels – sounds articulated when the tongue is raised high towards the hard palate. Closed syllable – a syllable which ends in a consonant. Coda – one or more phonemes that follow the syllabic phoneme.Communicative centre – a word or a group of words which conveys the most important point of communication in the sentence or the utterance. Commutation test – the procedure of substituting a sound for another sound in the same phonetic environment with the aim of establishing the phonemic system of a language Comparative Phonetics – a branch of phonetics which studies the correlation between the phonetic systems of two or more languages Consonant – a sound made with air stream that meets an obstruction in the mouth or nasal cavities.Conversational style – also convers ational style, a style of speech used in everyday communication. Declamatory style – a style of speech used in stage speech, recitations, etc. Delimitation – segmentation of speech into phrases and intonation groups. Dental – sounds produced with the blade of the tongue against the upper teeth Descending head – a type of head in which syllables form an descending sequence Descriptive Phonetics – a branch of phonetics that studies the phonetic structure of one language only in its static form, synchronically.Devoicing – a process that results in a voiced consonant being pronounced as voiceless. Dialect – a variety of language which differs from others in vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation. Diglossia – a phenomenon when an individual may speak RP in one situation a native local accent in other situations. Dynamic stress – force accent based mainly on the expiratory effect. Diphthong – a vowel which consists of tw o elements, strong (a nucleus) and weak – (a glide).Diphthongoid – a vowel articulated when the change in the tongue position is fairly weak, in this case the articulated vowel is not pure, but it still consists of one element. Direct methods – methods of phonetic investigation which consist in observing the movements and positions of one's own or other people's organs of speech in pronouncing various speech sounds, as well as in analysing one's own kinaesthetic sensations during the articulation of speech sounds and in comparing them with the resultant auditory impressions. Discourse – a larger context in which sentences occur.Dorsal – sounds produced when the blade of the tongue is active. Duration – the quantity of time during which the same vibratory motion, the same patterns of vibration are maintained. Elision – complete loss of sounds, both vowels and consonants, often observed in spoken English. Enclitic – unstressed wo rds or syllables which refer to the preceding stressed word or syllable. Estuary English – a variety of modified regional speech, a mixture of non-regional and local south-eastern English pronunciation and intonation. Estuary English speakers place themselves â€Å"between Cockney and the Queen†.Experimental Phonetics – a branch of phonetics which deals with research work carried out with the help of different technical devices for measurements and for instrumental analysis Extra-linguistic factors – non-linguistic factors, such as the purpose of utterance, participants and setting or scene of speaking, which result in phonostylistic varieties. Familiar style – see conversational style. Forelingual – sounds articulated with the front part of the tongue Fortis consonants – voiceless consonants pronounced with strong muscular tension and strong expiratory effect.Free variants – variants of a single phoneme which occur in a langua ge but the speakers are inconsistent in the way they use them, as for example in the case of the Russian words â€Å"/ †. Free vowel – a weak vowel followed by a weak (lenis) voiced consonant or by no consonant at all. Frequency – a number of vibrations per second. Fricative – constrictive noise consonants articulated when the air escapes with friction through the narrowing formed by speech organs. Front vowels – vowels in the production of which the body of the tongue is in the front part of the mouth cavity and the front of the tongue is raised.Front-retracted vowels – vowels produced with the body of the tongue in the front but retracted position in the mouth cavity. Functional Phonetics – see phonology. General American – the national standard of the English language spoken in the USA. General Phonetics – a branch of phonetics that studies all the sound-producing possibilities of the human speech apparatus and the wa ys they are used for purposes of human communication by means of language. Glide – the second weak element of English diphthongs. Glottal – sounds articulated in the glottis.Glottal stop – a sound heard when the glottis opens suddenly and produces an explosion resembling a short cough. Glottis – the opening between the vocal cords, through which the air passes. Hard palate – the roof of the mouth. Head – part of the intonation group, contains stressed syllables preceding the nucleus with the intervening unstressed syllables. Hesitation pause – silent or filled pause mainly used in spontaneous speech to gain time to think over what to say next. Historical Phonetics – a branch of phonetics that studies the phonetic structure of a language in its historical development, diachronically.Idiolect – individual speech of members of the same language community Informational style – a style of speech used by radio and telev ision announcers conveying information or in various official situations. Instrumental methods – methods of phonetic investigation based upon registering or computing machines and technical devices Intensity – a property of a sound produced by the amplitude of vibrations. Interdental – sounds articulated with the tip of the tongue projected between the teeth. International Phonetic Alphabet – a set of symbols adopted by theInternational Phonetic Association as a universal system for the transcription of speech sounds. Intonation – pitch (or melody) variations used to convey meaning. See also prosody Intonation group – an actualized syntagm. Intonation pattern – pitch movements together with loudness and the tempo of speech extending over an intonation group. Intonation style – a complex of interrelated intonational means which is used in a social situation and serves a definite aim of communication. Intonogramme – the pi cture of the sound wave of a syllable, word or an utterance received with the help of intonograph.Intonograph – a technical device which gives pictures of sound waves of syllables, words and utterances. Kinetic – relating to motion. Labial – sounds articulated by the lips. Labiodental – sounds articulated with the lower lip against the edge of the upper teeth Laryngoscope – a special device which helps to observe the vocal cords, epiglottis and the glottis. Larynx – part of the vocal tract containing the vocal cords. Lateral – sounds produced when the sides of the tongue are active. Lateral plosion – sudden release of air which escapes along the sides of the tongue.Lax – historically short vowels in the articulation of which muscular tension of speech organs is weak. Lenis consonants – voiced consonants pronounced with weak muscular tension. Lip rounding – a position of the lips when their corners are broug ht toward one another so that the mouth opening is reduced. Loudness – the intensity of sound is produced by the amplitude of vibrations. Manner of articulation – one of the principles of consonant classifications which is connected with the type of obstruction to the air stream.Maximum onsets principle – Medio-lingual – sounds produced with the front part of the tongue raised high to the hard palate Minimal pair – a pair of words or morphemes which are differentiated by one sound only in the same position. Modifications of sounds – positional and combinatory changes of sounds in connected speech. Monophthong – a vowel articulated when the tongue position is stable, in this case the articulated vowel is pure, it consists of one element. Mouth cavity – the cavity between the teeth and the pharynx. Narrow transcription also phonetic transcription, provides special symbols for all the allophones of the same phoneme Narrow variatio ns – a subclass of the vertical positions of the tongue which in this case is raised slightly higher in the mouth cavity Nasal consonants – sounds articulated when the soft palate is lowered and the air stream goes out through the nose. Nasal Cavity – the cavity inside the nose which is separated from the mouth cavity with the soft palate and the uvula. Nasal plosion – sudden release of air by lowering the soft palate so that the air escapes through the nose.National variants – the language of a nation, the standard of its form, the language of its nation’s literature. Neutral vowel – a mid central vowel, also schwa. Neutralisation – the loss of qualitative and quantitative characteristics of vowels in unstressed positions. Noise consonants – consonants in the production of which noise prevails over voice, the air stream passes through a narrowing and produces audible friction (compare with sonorants). Normative Phonetic s – see Practical Phonetics. Notation – another term for transcription.Nuclear tone – a significant change of pitch direction on the last strongly accented syllable in an intonation pattern. In general nuclear tones may be falling, rising and level or a combination of these movements. Nucleus – 1) the last strongly accented syllable in an intonation pattern; 2) the most prominent part of a diphthong; 3) the centre of a syllable, usually a vowel. Obstructer mechanism – a group of speech organs which form obstructions during articulation of consonants, it includes tongue, lips, hard and soft palate and teeth.Occlusive – sounds produced when a complete obstruction to the air stream is formed. Onset – sounds that precede the nucleus of a syllable. Open syllable – a syllable which ends in a vowel. Open vowels – vowels produced when the tongue is in the low part of the mouth cavity. Opposition – see phonetic oppositions . Oral consonants – sounds articulated when the soft palate is raised and the air stream goes out through the mouth. Organs of speech – the human organs which together with biological functions take part in sound production.Palatal – sounds produced with the front part of the tongue raised high to the hard palate. Palatalisation – softening of consonants due to the raised position of the middle part of the tongue towards the hard palate. Palato-alveolar – sounds made with the tip or the blade of the tongue against the teeth ridge and the front part of the tongue raised towards the hard palate, thus having two places of articulation (two foci). Paralinguistics – a branch of linguistics which is concerned with non-verbal means of communication. Perceptual Phonetics – see Auditory Phonetics.Pharynx – the part of the throat which connects the larynx to the upper part of the vocal tract. Phonation – voicing, the vibration of the vocal cords. Phone – a sound realised in speech and which bears some individual, stylistic and social characteristics of the speaker. Phoneme – the smallest further indivisible language unit that exists in the speech of all the members of a given language community as such speech sounds which are capable of distinguishing one word of the same language or one grammatical form of a word from another grammatical form of the same word.Phonemic transcription – see broad transcription. Phonetic mistakes – pronunciation mistakes made when an allophone of some phoneme is replaced by an allophone of a different phoneme. Phonetic oppositions – comparison of sounds, words and morphemes in order to single out their minimal distinctive features. Phonetic transcription – see narrow transcription. Phonetics – a branch of linguistics which is concerned with the human noises by which the thought is actualized. Phonetics analyses the nature of thes e sounds, their combinations and their functions in relation to the meaning.Phonological analysis – analysis whose aim is to determine which differences of sounds are phonemic/non-phonemic and to find the inventory of the phonemes of this or that language Phonological mistakes – pronunciation mistakes made when an allophone of the phoneme is replaced by another allophone of the same phoneme; in this case the meaning of the word is affected. Phonology – also Functional Phonetics, a branch of phonetics that is concerned with the social functions of different phonetic phenomena.Phonosemantics – a branch of psycholinguistics that studies the relations between the sound structure of a word and its meaning. Phonostylistics – a branch of phonetics that studies the way phonetic means of the language function in various oral realizations of the language. Phonotactics – the study of the possible phoneme combinations of a language. Physiological Phonet ics – see Articulatory Phonetics. Pitch – the auditory characteristic of a sound, it corresponds to the fundamental frequency (the rate of vibrations of the vocal cords). Pitch level – a particular height of pitch.Pitch range – the interval between two pitch levels or two differently pitched syllables or parts of a syllable. Place of articulation – the place in the vocal tract where the air stream is obstructed. Plosives – consonants produced when the air stream is completely stopped for a short time, also stops. Post-alveolar – sounds articulated with the tip or the blade of the tongue against the back part of the teeth ridge Power mechanism – a group of speech organs which supplies energy for sound production, it includes lungs, diaphragm, windpipe, bronchi.Practical Phonetics – a branch of phonetics which teaches how to pronounce sounds correctly and what intonation to use to convey this or that meaning or emotion. It is called Normative Phonetics because teaches the â€Å"norm† of English pronunciation. Pragmalinguistics – a branch of linguistics that studies what linguistic means and ways of influence on a hearer to choose in order to bring about certain effects in the process of communication. Pragmaphonetics – a branch of Pragmalinguistics whose domain is to analyse the functioning and speech effects of the sound system of a language.Pre-head – the unstressed syllables which precede the first stressed syllable of the head. Primary stress – the strongest stress compared with the other stresses in a word. Principal allophone – allophones which do not undergo any significant changes in the chain of speech. Proclitic – unstressed words or syllables which refer to the following stressed word or syllable Prosody – a complex unity formed by significant variations of pitch, tempo, loudness and timbre. Psycholinguistics – a branch of ling uistics which covers an extremely broad rea, from acoustic phonetics to language pathology, and includes such problems as acquisition of language by children, memory, attention, speech perception, second-language acquisition and so on. Publicistic style – a style of speech used in public discussions on political, judicial or economic topics, sermons, parliamentary debates Qualitative – connected with the spectral characteristics of a sound. Quantitative – referring to the length of a sound. Received Pronunciation (RP) – the national standard of the English language spoken in Great Britain. Reduced vowel – a weakened vowel.Reduction – weakening (either qualitative or quantitative) of vowels in unstressed positions. Resonator mechanism – a group of speech organs which can change their shape and volume, thus forming the spectral component of the sound, it includes nasal and mouth cavities. Rhyme Rhythm – recurrence of stressed syl lables at more or less equal intervals of time in speech. Rhythmic group – a speech segment which contains a stressed syllable and a number of unstressed ones. The most frequent type of an English rhythmic group includes 2-4 syllables, one of which is stressed.Rounded – a sound articulated with added lip rounding. Schwa – see neutral vowel. Scientific style – see academic style. Secondary allophones – allophones which undergo some predictable changes in different phonetic context. Secondary stress – a less strong stress than the primary one, usually precedes the primary stress in a word. Segmental Phonetics – a division of phonetics which is concerned with individual sounds (â€Å"segments† of speech) Segmentation – division of speech into phrases and intonation groups. Semantic centre – see communicative centre.Sentence stress – the greater degree of prominence given to certain words in an utterance. Socio linguistics – a branch of linguistics that studies the way the language interacts with society. Soft palate – the back, soft part of the hard palate. Sonorants – consonants in the production of which noise prevails over voice, the air stream passes through a narrowing and produces audible friction (compare with sonorants). Sonority – a degree of loudness relative to that of other sounds with the same length, stress and pitch.Special Phonetics – a branch of phonetics which is concerned with the study of the phonetic structure of one language only. Spectrogram – a picture of the spectrum of sounds, their frequency, intensity and time. Spectrograph – a device which carries out the spectral analysis of speech. Stops – see plosives Stress – a greater degree of prominence which is caused by loudness, pitch, the length of a syllable and the vowel quality. Stress-timed languages – in these languages stressed syllables ten d to occur at relatively regular intervals irrespectively of the number of unstressed syllables separating them.Strong vowel – the full form of a vowel in the stressed position. Stylistic modifications – sound changes which happen under the influence of extra-linguistics factors. Subsidiary allophone – see secondary allophone. Suprasegmental Phonetics – a division of phonetics whose domain is larger units of connected speech: syllables, words, phrases and texts Syllable – a sound sequence, consisting of a centre which has little or no obstruction to airflow and which sounds comparatively loud; before and after this centre there will be greater obstruction to airflow and less loud sound.Syllable-timed languages – in these languages all syllables, whether stressed or unstressed, tend to occur at regular time-intervals and the time between stressed syllables will be shorter or longer depending on the number of unstressed syllables separating th em. Syntagm – a group of words which is semantically and syntactically complete. Tail – any syllables between the nucleus and the end of the utterance. Tamber – the same as timbre. Tempo – the rate of the utterance and pausation. Tense – historically long vowels in the articulation of which muscular tension of speech organs is great.Terminal tone – the nucleus and the tail of the utterance. Tertiary stress – a less strong stress than the primary one, usually follows the primary stress in a word. Theoretical Phonetics – a branch of phonetics which is mainly concerned with the functioning of phonetic units in the language. It discusses the problems of phonetics in academic terms and gives a scientific approach to the phonetic theory. Timbre – voice quality. Tone languages – the meaning of words in these languages depends on the variations of voice pitch in relation to neighbouring syllables.Tongue – the most movable and flexible speech organ. Transcription – the system of symbols to represent speech in written form. Unstressed – bearing no stress. Utterance – a spoken sentence or a phrase. Uvula – the end of the soft palate. Velar – consonants produced with the back part of the tongue raised towards the soft palate Vibrator mechanism – a group of speech organs which vibrate while the air passes through, thus producing voice, it includes larynx, vocal cords, glottis. Vocal cords – two soft folds in the larynx which can be brought together and apart, thus producing voice.Voice quality – timbre. Voiced consonants – sounds produced when the vocal cords are brought together and vibrate. Voiceless consonants – sounds produced when the vocal cords are brought together and vibrate. Vowel – a sound in the production of which no obstructions are made. Weak form – the unstressed form of a sound or a word. Windpipe – trachea or air passage. Word stress – a greater degree of prominence on one of the syllables in a word. I. PHONETICS AS A BRANCH OF LINGUISTICS. BRANCHES OF PHONETICS. METHODS OF INVESTIGATION 1. 1 IntroductionKnowledge of the structure of sound system and its articulatory and acoustic characteristics is very important in teaching and learning foreign languages. The teacher has to know the starting point from which to begin teaching; he must be able to point out the differences between the pupil’s mother tongue and the language to be learnt. He should be able to choose adequate training exercises. That’s why it is vital to know, at least, the basic principles of this science. The term â€Å"phonetics† comes from the Greek words meaning â€Å"sound or matters pertaining to voice†. What does phonetics study?It is concerned with the human noises by which the thought is actualized (that is the oral aspect of speech communication). However phon etics takes the content level into consideration too. Only meaningful sound sequences are regarded as speech and phonetics is concerned only with such sounds which are carriers of organized information of a language. Phonetics analyses the nature of these sounds, their combinations and their functions in relation to the meaning. No kind of linguistic study can be carried out without constant consideration of the material on the expression level.Consequently, phonetics is important in the study of a language. An understanding of it is a basis for any adequate understanding of the structure or functioning of a language. It follows from this that phonetics is a basic branch – many would say the most fundamental branch of linguistics, because it gives a language a definite form. The vocabulary and grammar of a language can function only when the language has a phonetic form. So grammar and vocabulary depend on phonetics, they cannot exist outside of phonetics, because all lexical and grammar phenomena are expressed phonetically.Neither linguistic theory nor linguistic description can do without phonetics and is complete without it. Phonetics, being a branch of linguistics, occupies a peculiar position. On the one hand it serves as a means of expressing grammatical and lexical phenomena. On the other hand it has laws of its own which are independent of grammar and vocabulary. Besides it is closely connected with a number of other sciences, such as physics, biology, physiology, psychology etc. The more phonetics develops the more various branches of science become involved in the field of phonetic investigation.Phonetics is not a new science. It was known to the ancient Greeks and to the ancient Hindus. The scientists of that time were concerned with speech sounds only. It may be said that the orthography of all written languages which use alphabets developed in the course of a very detailed phonetic analysis. Nevertheless, phonetics as an independent science began to develop only in the 19th century, before that it used to be a part of grammar. There has been considerable progress and growth in the 20th century. New concepts, methods of investigation, new theories and schools have been developed.Not only has the sphere of investigation in phonetics become wider, but several new branches of phonetics have also arisen. So our further point will be made on the branches and divisions of phonetics. 1. 2 Branches and Divisions of Phonetics Everyone who starts learning a foreign language first of all is introduced into practical or normative phonetics. It studies the material form of phonetic phenomena in relation to meaning. It teaches how to pronounce sounds correctly and what intonation to use to convey this or that meaning or emotion. It is called normative because we are to teach the â€Å"norm† of English pronunciation.Theoretical phonetics is mainly concerned with the functioning of phonetic units in the language. It discusses t he problems of phonetics in academic terms and gives a scientific approach to the phonetic theory. Other two important branches of phonetics are special and general phonetics. Special phonetics may be subdivided into descriptive and historical. Special descriptive phonetics is concerned with the study of the phonetic structure of one language only in its static form, synchronically and the domain of special historical phonetics is the phonetic structure of a language in its historical development, diachronically.Historical phonetics is part of the history of a language. Its aim is to trace and establish the successive changes in the phonetic system of a given language at different stages of its historical development. It is very important for the study of the modern phonetic system because without a historical approach it is impossible to understand how this modern phonetic system has developed and what further changes it is likely to undergo.General phonetics studies all the sound- producing possibilities of the human speech apparatus and the ways they are used for purposes of human communication by means of language, it finds out what types of speech sounds exist in various languages of the world, how they are produced and what role they play in forming and expressing thoughts; it also determines the nature, types and role of other phonetic means, such as word stress and intonation.General phonetics is based on the material which the special phonetics of a great number of languages provides; it also uses data of other sciences: physics, biology, psychology, speech pathology, etc. So it makes a number of general conclusions concerning the complex nature of speech sounds, analyses phonetic phenomena from different points of view and formulates phonetic theories. On the one hand general phonetics is based on the data of special phonetics; on the other hand it provides valuable theoretical material which enables us to understand and to interpret correctly differe nt phonetic phenomena of concrete languages.Another important division is into phonology and phonetics. According to the conception of the Prague Linguistic School phonetics and phonology are two independent branches of science, phonetics is a biological science which is concerned with the physical and physiological characteristics of speech sounds, and phonology is a linguistic science which is concerned with the social functions of different phonetic phenomena. Another term for this branch is functional phonetics. The father of Phonology is Prince Nicholas Trubetskoi.His work â€Å"Fundementals of Phonology† separates phonetics and phonology, saying that they are not related and that phonetics is not part of linguistics, but a biological science that deals only with the physiological aspect of speech sounds. Nevertheless it doesn't seem logical to separate function from phonetic forms, thus excluding phonetics from the linguistic sciences. So nowadays most phoneticians cons ider both phonetics and phonology part of linguistics. Phonetics itself is subdivided into 3 sub branches, each dealing with special aspects of sounds, their production by a speaker and perception by a listener.Phonetic processing starts on a neurophonetic level, in the brain of a speaker, where the formation of the concept takes place. The human brain controls the behaviour of the articulatory (or speech) organs and makes them move in a particular way. The branch of phonetics which is concerned with the study of speech sounds as regards their production by the human speech organs is called articulatory (physiological) phonetics. In other words it deals with the way human organs join to produce sounds.Articulatory basis of a language is a set of articulation tendencies characteristic for a particular language community, so articulatory gesturing is culturally specific and not universal. Different articulations produce different acoustic effects, or different speech sounds. Consequen tly, speech sounds have a second aspect, a physical or, more exactly, an acoustic one, which constitutes the domain of acoustic phonetics. Acoustic phonetics involves knowledge of physics as it deals with the physical property of sounds. Any sound is a pressure disturbance transmitted through an elastic medium.When articulatory gesturing starts it causes disturbance (a sound wave) in the medium, which is transmitted from one particle of the medium to another and is reproduced as a sound wave travels from the source to the listener. Perceptual or auditory phonetics is concerned with the way our auditory mechanism works to process speech information. There is a boundary line between reception (which doesn't involve understanding) and perception (which involves decoding and understanding). Phonetic perception is a product of sensation and interpretation of speech elements which take place in a human brain.Phonetics is also divided into two major components: segmental phonetics, which i s concerned with individual sounds (â€Å"segments† of speech) and suprasegmental phonetics whose domain is larger units of connected speech: syllables, words, phrases and texts. There are a number of other divisions of phonetics. We may speak about comparative phonetics whose aims are to study the correlation between the phonetic systems of two or more languages and find out the correspondences between speech sounds and intonation structures.Its data are extremely useful in teaching and learning a foreign language as they show differences and similarities of the phonetic systems of two or more languages and predict possible difficulties for the learners. It should be mentioned that the most difficult phonetic phenomena are those absent in the mother tongue. For example, the sounds [? -? ] cause a lot of difficulties for the Russian students of English, as there are no sounds with similar articulations in the Russian language.On the other hand the most stable and persistent p ronunciation mistakes are made in those phenomena which are similar in the two languages but not exactly the same. For example, falling intonation. In English it goes to the very bottom of the voice, while in Russian it is not so steep and it does not reach the same low note as in English. The data of applied phonetics are essential for practical purposes in speech therapy and logopedia. It helps to correct speech defects and to teach deaf-mutes (or people who do not speak as a result of an accident or some disease) to speak.Experimental phonetics deals with research work which is carried out with the help of different technical devices, machines for measurements and for instrumental analysis. Phonetics as a whole and all of its branches have not come into being all at once: they developed gradually, and their development was closely connected with and determined by the development of other branches of linguistics and other sciences. 1. 3. Phonetics and Social Sciences So our furthe r point should be made in connection with the relationship between phonetics and social sciences. Language is not an isolated phenomenon; it is a part of society.No branch of linguistics can be studied without taking into consideration at least the study of other aspects of society. In the past two decades we have seen the development of quite distinct interdisciplinary subjects, such as sociolinguistics (and sociophonetics correspondingly), psycholinguistics, mathematical linguistics and others. As their titles suggest, they are studied from two points of view and thus require knowledge of both. Sociophonetics studies the ways in which pronunciation functions in society. It is interested in the ways in which phonetic structures vary in response to different social functions.Society here is used in its broadest sense, it includes such phenomena as nationality, regional and social groups, age, gender, different situations of speaking – talking to equals, superiors, on the â₠¬Å"job†, when we are trying to persuade, inform, agree and so on. The aim of sociophonetics is to correlate phonetic variations with situational factors. It’s obvious that these data are vital for language learners who are to observe social norms and to accommodate to different situations they find themselves in. One more example of interdisciplinary overlap is the relation of linguistics to psychology.Psycholinguistics covers an extremely broad area, from acoustic phonetics to language pathology, and includes such problems as acquisition of language by children, memory, attention, speech perception, second-language acquisition and so on. Phonosemantics studies the relations between the sound structure of a word and its meaning. There is some data proving that the sounds that constitute a word have their own â€Å"inner† meaning, which causes certain associations in the listener’s mind. For example, close vowels produce the effect of â€Å"smallness†, and voiceless consonants sound more â€Å"unpleasant† and â€Å"rude† than their voiced counterparts, etc.Some sounds are associated with certain colours. These data may be helpful in teaching, for example, â€Å"tying† together the sound structure of a word and its meaning, thus facilitating the process of memorising new words. Scientists have always been interested how children acquire their own language without being taught. They hope that these data might be useful in teaching grown-up people a foreign language, too. Pragmalinguistics is a comparatively new science, which studies what linguistic means and ways of influence on a hearer to choose in order to bring about certain effects in the process of communication.Correspondently the domain of pragmaphonetics is to analyse the functioning and speech effects of the sound system of a language. Phonetics is closely connected with a number of other sciences such as physics (or rather acoustics), mathematics, biology, physiology and others. The more phonetics develops the more various branches of science become involved in the field of phonetic investigation. Phonetics has become important in a number of technological fields connected with communication.Phoneticians work alongside the communication engineers in devising and perfecting machines that can understand, that is respond to human speech, or machines for reading aloud the printed page and vice versa, converting speech directly into printed words on paper. Although scientists are still dissatisfied with the quality of synthesized speech, these data are applied in security systems, answering machines and for other technical purposes. 1. 4. Methods of Phonetic Investigation Methods applied in investigating the sound matter of the language have changed greatly with the development of technology and computer science.From the beginning of phonetics the phonetician has relied mainly on what he could feel of his own speech and on what h e could hear both of his own and the informant’s speech. Such methods are called direct and consist in observing the movements and positions of one's own or other people's organs of speech in pronouncing various speech sounds, as well as in analysing one's own kinaesthetic sensations (muscle tense) during the articulation of speech sounds and in comparing them with the resultant auditory impressions.Investigation by means of this method can be effective only if the persons employing it have been specially trained and have acquired considerable skills in associating the qualities of the perceived sound with the nature of the articulations producing it. Instrumental methods were introduced into phonetics in the last century to supplement the impressions deriving from the human senses. These methods are based upon registering or computing machines and technical devices, such as spectrograph, intonograph, x-ray photography and cinematography, laryngoscope and some others.The intr oduction of machines for measurements and for instrumental analysis into phonetics has resulted in their use for detailed study of many of the phenomena which are present in the sound wave or in the articulatory process at any given moment. These techniques can be very useful both for discovering in detail how English speakers produce their speech sounds, and for demonstrating to learners of English their pronunciation. Computers can provide additional pronunciation training, displaying useful information on the screen and being a powerful visual aid for effective phonetic practice.One more advantage of the modern experimental study of speech is the enormous amount of varied spoken speech data stored on computers. It facilitates the process of looking for cross-language differences and similarities. The data obtained from instrumental analysis supplement and verify those obtained by means of direct observation, thus making the research results more detailed and precise. II. THE ARTI CULATORY CHARACTERISTIC OF THE ENGLISH SPEECH SOUNDS 2. 1. The Anatomo-mechanical Aspect of Sound Production Speech is impossible without the speech mechanism.So now our attention will be focused on the articulatory aspect of speech sounds. Speech sounds are acoustic effects of the articulatory movements and positions of the human speech organs. The immediate source of speech sounds is the human speech mechanism developed and perfected in the process of the historical development of man. The organs of speech are the object of linguistic investigation mainly from the point of view of the functions they perform in speech production. So before analysing the linguistic function of phonetic units we need to know how the speech mechanism acts in producing oral speech.According to their main sound-producing functions the speech organs can be roughly divided into the following four groups: the power mechanism (lungs, diaphragm, windpipe, bronchi), the vibrator mechanism (larynx, vocal cords , glottis), the resonator mechanism (nasal and mouth cavities) and the obstructer mechanism (tongue, lips, hard and soft palate, teeth). From the lungs through the wind-pipe the air-stream passes to the larynx, containing the vocal cords. The opening between the vocal cords, through which the air passes, is called the glottis. The linguistic function of the vocal cords onsists in providing the source of energy necessary for speech production. When the vocal cords are kept wide apart (i. e. the glottis is open) the air passes between the cords and the result is non-phonic breath. Then the vocal cords may be drawn together tightly, so that air cannot pass between them. The sudden opening of the glottis produces an explosion resembling a short cough; this sound is called the glottal stop. It often occurs in English when it reinforces or even replaces the sounds [p], [t], [k] or even when it precedes the energetic articulation of vowel sounds.The most important role of the vocal cords i s their participation in the production of voice. The effect of voice is achieved when the vocal cords are brought loosely together, creating an obstacle to the air stream; when the air pressure becomes very strong the air forces its way between the vocal cords thus making the, vibrate. When, as is usual, these vibrations are regular, they produce vocal tone, or voice, whose pitch depends on the frequency of vibrations. We are able to vary the speed of vibration of our vocal cords and thus to change the pitch.Conscious variations of pitch are responsible for intonation. We are also able to modify the size of the puff of the air which escapes at each vibration, thus changing the amplitude of the vibration, which corresponds to the loudness of the sound heard by a listener. The air-stream, having passed through the vocal cords, is now subject to further modification, according to the shape of the pharynx, mouth and nasal cavities. The direction in which the air-stream will follow from the pharynx depends on the position of the soft palate.When it is lowered, the pharynx opens into the nasal cavity. When it is risen, the air-stream comes to the mouth cavity. As in the mouth cavity a lot of movable speech organs are situated it can easily change its shape, thus forming the majority of speech sounds. The movable (or active) speech organs, situated in the mouth cavity are: the tongue, the soft palate with the uvula, the lips and the lower jaw. Of all the movable organs within the mouth cavity the tongue is the most flexible and active.For convenience, the surface of the tongue or divided into several parts: the most flexible part of the tongue, which normally lies opposite the teeth ridge, is called the blade, the tip of the tongue being its extreme point. The part of the tongue next to the blade is called the front of the tongue. Then come the back and the root of the tongue. The tongue being the most active speech organ in the mouth cavity, the main principles of the majority of articulatory classifications of vowels are based on the movements and positions of the tongue. 2. 2. The system of English VowelsThe movements of the body of the tongue provide a convenient articulatory basis for classifying vowels according to two principles: 1) horizontal and 2) vertical movements of the tongue. According to the horizontal movement five classes of English vowels are distinguished. They are: 1) front [i:], [e], [e? ], [ ], [? ] 2) front-retracted [? ], [ ] 3) central [? ], [? :], [? ], [ ], [a? ], [a? ] 4) back [? ], [? :], [u:], [a:], [ ] 5) back-advanced [? ], [ ] Not all phoneticians single out the classes of front-retracted and back-advanced vowels. So both [i:] and [? vowels are classed as front, and both [u:] and [? ] – as back. The point is that the vowels in these two pairs differ in quality which is partially due to the raised part of the tongue. So in this case a more detailed classification seems to be a more precise one, since it adequately reflects the articulatory distinctions actually present in the language. Now let's view another articulatory characteristic of vowels, which is based on the vertical movement of the tongue. The way phoneticians of different schools approach this aspect is also slightly different.Some scholars distinguish three classes of vowels: high (or close), mid and low (or open) vowels. But to mark all significant changes in vowel quality it is not enough to single out these three groups of vowels. For instance, both English vowels [i:] and [? ] belong to the group of close vowels, but when the vowel [? ] is articulated the front of the tongue is not so high in the mouth as it is in the case of the vowel [i:]. Russian phoneticians made the classification more detailed distinguishing two subclasses in each class: broad and narrow variations of the 3 vertical positions of the tongue.Thus the following 6 groups of vowels are distinguished: 1) close a) narrow [i:], [u:] b) broad [? ], [? ], [ ], [ ] 2) mid a) narrow [e], [? :], [? ], [e? ], [ ] b) broad [? ], [? ] 3) open a) narrow [ ], [? :], [ ] b) broad [? ], [a? ], [a? ], [? ], [a:]. In addition to the above-mentioned principle of the classification of vowels phoneticians suggest five other criteria: 1) stability of articulation 2) lip position 3) character of the vowel end 4) length 5) tenseness The stability of articulation specifies the actual position of the articulating organ in the process of the articulation.There are two possible variants: a) the tongue position is stable, in this case the articulated vowel is pure, it consists of one element and is called a monophthong; and b) the tongue position changes, in this case a vowel consists of two elements, the first one is strong, it is a nucleus, the second element is very weak – it is a glide. There exists a third variety, when the change in the tongue position is fairly weak, in this case the articulated vowel is not pure, but it still consists of one element, such vowels are called diphthongoids.So according to this principle the English vowels are subdivided into: a) monophthongs [? ], [? ], [e], [? :], [? ], [? ], [? :], [? ], [? ], [a:] b) diphthongs [ ], [ ], [e? ], [ ], [ ], [a? ], [a? ], [ ] c) diphthongoids [i:], [u:] Some phoneticians, however, do not share this way of thinking and do not distinguish diphthongoids. But for the learners of English it is important to know this differentiation as it is useful for teaching purposes. Besides in modern English the tendency for diphthongization is becoming gradually stronger. Another feature of English vowels is lip rounding.Traditionally three lip positions are distinguished: spread, neutral and rounded. In English lip rounding is not relevant phonologically (it means that no two words can be distinguished on its basis). Our next point should be made about another characteristic of English vowels. It's checkness. The quality of all English monophthongs in the stressed pos ition is strongly affected by the following consonant. If a stressed vowel is followed by a strong (fortis) voiceless consonant it is cut off by it. In this case the end of the vowel is strong and the vowel is called checked.If a vowel is followed by a weak (lenis) voiced consonant or by no consonant at all the end of it is weak. In this case the vowel is called free. Now it should be useful to consider another articulatory characteristic of English vowels, that is their length or quantity. The English monophthongs are traditionally divided into short [? ], [e], [? ], [? ], [? ], [? ], [? ] and long ones [i:], [a:], [? :], [? :], [u:]. It should be noted that vowel length or quantity has for a long time been the point of disagreement among phoneticians. The problem is whether variations in quantity are meaningful (relevant) or not.Let's look at the pairs of words: [b? d – bi:d], [s? t – si:t]. Are they distinguished from one another by the opposition of different lengt h (that's the approach of D. Jones, an outstanding British phonetician) or is the difference in quality (or in other words the position of the active organ of speech) decisive here? Most Russian phoneticians are in favour of the second conception. They state that a feature can be systemic if it does not depend on the context. As to the length of English vowels, it varies and depends on a lot of factors, the first being phonetic context.The shortest are vowels followed by voiceless consonants and the longest are in free position. For example in â€Å"meat† [i:] is half as long as the [i:] in â€Å"me†, but may approximately have the same duration as the [? ] in â€Å"mid†. But still these words â€Å"mid† and â€Å"meat† are perceived as different words because the vowels are different in quality. So no matter what time is required for the articulation of these vowels, the main distinctive feature is quality, not quantity. As for tenseness we shall only mention that special instrumental analysis shows that historically long vowels are tense, and historically short ones are lax.To sum it up we may conclude that among all the articulatory features of English vowels only two are relevant: the stability of articulation and tongue position. 2. 3. The System of English Consonants Before passing on to the classification of English consonants the difference between consonants and vowels should be considered. Acoustically consonants are noises, not musical tones like vowels. From the articulatory point of view the difference is due to the work of speech organs. In case of consonants various obstructions are made. As to the classification of English consonants there are few ways of seeing the situation.One of them is the classification according to the type of obstacle. On this ground two large classes of consonants are distinguished: 1) occlusive, which are produced when a complete obstruction is formed: [t, d, p, b, k, g], [m, n, ? ]; 2) constrictive, which are produced when an incomplete obstruction is formed: [s, z, f, v, O, ? , ? , ? , h], [w, r, l, j]. Each of the 2 classes is subdivided into noise consonants (these are those in the production of which noise prevails over tone) and sonorants (in the production of which tone component prevails).Noise occlusive consonants are called stops because the air stream is completely stopped at some point of articulation and then released with an explosion, that is why they are also called plosives: [t, d, p, b, k, g]. Constrictive noise consonants are called fricatives, because the air escapes through the narrowing with friction: [s, z, f, v, O, ? , ? , ? , h]. Occlusive-constrictive consonants or affricates are noise consonants produced with a complete obstruction which is slowly released and the air stream escapes from the mouth with some friction. There are only two affricates in English: [? ,? . Other phoneticians suggest that the first and basic principle of clas sification should be the degree of noise. So consonants are divided first into noise consonants and sonorants and then each group is divided into smaller groups. Another very important principle is the place of articulation. According to this principle English consonants are classed into labial, lingual and glottal. I. Labial consonants in their turn are subdivided into a) bilabial (produced when both lips are active) [w, m, p, b]; b) labio-dental (articulated with the lower lip against the edge of the upper teeth) [f, v]. II.Among the class of lingual consonants three subclasses are distinguished: a) forelingual; b) medio-lingual; c) back-lingual. Forelingual consonants are also of three kinds: 1) apical (articulated with the tip of the tongue) [t, d, s, z, O, ? , ? , ? , ? , ? , n, l]. 2) dorsal (produced when the blade of the tongue is active). There are no dorsal consonants in English. In Russian these are the sounds [?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?]. 3) cacuminal (articulated with the t ip of the tongue curled back). There is only one cacuminal consonant in English – [r]. According to the place of obstruction forelingual consonants may be: – interdental, rticulated with the tip of the tongue projected between the teeth: [O, ? ]; – dental, produced with the blade of the tongue against the upper teeth: the Russian [?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?]; – alveolar, produced with the tip of the tongue against the upper teeth ridge: [t, d, s, z, n, l]; – post-alveolar, articulated with the tip or the blade of the tongue against the back part of the teeth ridge: [r]; – palato-alveolar, made with the tip or the blade of the tongue against the teeth ridge and the front part of the tongue raised towards the hard palate, thus having two places of articulation (two foci): [? ? , ? , ? ]. b) mediolingual consonants are produced with the front part of the tongue raised high to the hard palate, so they are always palatal: [j]. c) backlingual consonants are also called velar, because they are produced with the back part of the tongue raised towards the soft palate: [k, g, ? ]. III. The glottal consonant [h] is articulated in the glottis. There are no glottal consonants in Russian. One more articulatory characteristic which should be mentioned is the position of the soft palate.According to this principle consonants may be oral and nasal. There are only three nasal consonants in English, which require the lowered position of the soft palate: [m, n, ]. The rest of the consonants are oral because in their production the soft palate is raised and the air escapes through the mouth. Our next point will be made in connection with another sound property, that is voice-voiceless characteristic. When the vocal cords are brought together and vibrate we hear voice and the consonants are voiced: [b, d, g, v, z, ? , ? , ? . When the vocal cords are apart and do not vibrate we hear only noise and the consonants are voiceless: [p, t, k, f, s, O, ? , ? ]. It should be noted that the difference between such pairs as [p, b], [t, d] and so on is based not only on the absence or presence of the voice component, as voiced consonants are not fully voiced in all word positions, in word final position, for example, they are partially devoiced. There's also energy difference. All voiced consonants are weak or lenis and all voiceless consonants are strong or fortis.Summing it up, it should be mentioned that the most important articulatory features, which could serve as a criterion for grouping consonants into functionally similar classes, are: type of obstruction; place of articulation and the active organ of speech; force of articulation. The rest of the characteristics are considered to be irrelevant, as they are of no importance from the phonological point of view, but they provide necessary and useful information for teaching purposes. It is for this reason that they are normally included into the classification. III.THE ACOUSTIC AND AUDITORY ASPECTS OF THE ENGLISH SPEECH SOUNDS The auditory aspect of any sound is inseparable from its acoustic aspect and acoustic phonetics is closely connected with auditory phonetics and both may, therefore, be considered together. Objectively sound is a physical phenomenon, a kind of moving energy generated by some vibrating body. Subjectively sound is our perception of the vibrations of the air next to our ear-drum. People can perceive not all vibrations of the air but only when they occur at the rate of sixteen to twenty thousand times per second.Sounds may be periodical and non-periodical. If the vibrations of a physical body (vocal cords in our case) are rhythmical, the sound waves are periodical. The auditory impression of such periodical waves is a musical tone or a speech tone. If the wave is non-periodical, it is perceived as noise. Sound has a number of physical properties which all exist and manifest themselves simultaneously. They can be singled out from the others o nly for purposes of analysis. The first of these properties is frequency which is a number of vibrations per second.Our perception of the frequency is the pitch of the sound. The greater the frequency, the higher the pitch and vice versa. The frequency depends on certain physical properties of the vibrator, such as its mass, length and tension. The greater the mass of the vibrator, the slower its vibrations and the lower the pitch. The longer the vibrator, the slower the vibrations and the lower the frequency and the pitch. Here the difference between men and women and adults and children voices lies. Men's and adults' voices are lower than women's and children's are, because their vocal cords are thicker and longer.Tension depends on the elasticity of the vocal cords. The vocal cords of elderly people are not as elastic as the vocal cords of younger people, children especially, so their voices sound rather low. As the tension increases – the frequency increases and the pitch rises. The second physical property of sound is intensity, changes in which are perceived as variations in the loudness of sound. The intensity of sound is produced by the amplitude of vibrations (that is by the distance to which the air particles are displaced from their position of rest by the application of some external force).Intensity is measured in decibels. The intensity and frequency of sound are closely interdependent. The same amount of energy will produce either greater amplitude with a lower frequency or a higher frequency with smaller amplitude. Therefore if you increase the frequency without increasing the amount of energy you will shorten the amplitude and therefore reduce the intensity, that is produce a less loud sound. People are able to produce vowel sounds of various qualities or timbres. This is achieved through the action of the resonator mechanism.So the production and differentiation of vowels is based on the acoustic phenomenon that is called resonance. So unds coming from different resonators travel different lengths (distances) or have different carrying power. The distance is proportional to the volume of the resonator and the size of its orifice. Any sound has a certain duration or length. In other words it can exist and move only in time. The duration or length of a sound is the quantity of time during which the same vibratory motion, the same patterns of vibration are maintained. For this reason, the duration of a sound is often referred to as is quantity.The duration is measured in millisecond. We perceive the variations in duration as tempo or speed of utterance. In speech there are not definite boundaries between different speech sounds. So it’s very difficult to measure the length of separate sounds. In addition it should be mentioned that along with various articulatory classifications of speech sounds, there exist acoustic descriptions and classifications. The chief drawback of articulatory classifications is that t hey don’t describe and define all shades of typologically identical speech sounds, especially vowels.Besides, one and the same speech sound can be pronounced by different people with slightly different positions and movements of their speech organs. Acoustic classifications seem to overcome these difficulties as they are more detailed and accurate. The first acoustic classification was based on spectrographic analysis. It was worked out by Roman Jakobson, C. G. M. Fant and M. Halle. However, acoustic classification, though more precise, are not practically applied in teaching. The acoustic features of speech sounds can not be seen directly or felt.But there are some other fields of the application of acoustic phonetics: speech synthesis, health service, security systems, etc. IV. THE FUNCTIONAL ASPECT OF SPEECH SOUNDS 4. 1 Phoneme and Allophones Phoneticians not only describe and classify the material form of phonetic units. They are also interested in the way in which sound phenomena function in a particular language and what part they play in communication. The branch of phonetics that studies the linguistic function of consonant and vowel sounds, syllabic structures, word accent and prosodic features is called phonology.Unlike phonetics itself, whose domain is articulatory and acoustic features, phono