Gender Language Acquisition And Language Use Psychology Essay

Gender Language Acquisition And Language Use Psychology Essay INTRODUCTION Over the last thirty years there has been a sharp increase of research on the differences between men and women, in particular the extent to which men and women use language differently. The purpose of this project is to identify the differences between male and female speech and how societys attitude towards gender has an impact on language acquisition and language use. Firstly this project will introduce the subject of sociolinguistics with a focus on stereotyping, language acquisition and the general differences in speech between males and females. Secondly, current opinions and attitudes will be discussed along with recent research that has been carried out examining if gender stereotyping exists and whether it has an impact on language acquisition and the way language is used. Lastly it will analyse findings from my own research of colour terms used by a sample of 10 children. Sociolinguistics is the study of the relationship between language and society, and how society influences or affects the way in which language is used by individuals or groups (Crystal, 2008). Gender Difference is a branch of sociolinguistics that focuses on how males and females communicate and what differences there are between the two sexes. Over the last 20 years research has been conducted to try and answer such questions as Do women really talk more than men? Do men swear more than women? and Do women gossip more than men. The main differences identified between the way men and women communicate are: mens language is more dominant, aggressive, assertive, confident and forceful and womens language is submissive, cooperative, emotional and sincere (Pearson, 1985). Research has been carried out to examine whether these differences are due to biological or social factors. LITERATURE REVIEW Early research examining the relationship between gender and language was first carried out by Lakoff in 1975 and published in her book Language and Womans Place. Lakoff identified several factors that make womans language different to mens. Womens language contains more: Hedge phrases: sort of, it seems like; Polite forms: would you mindà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦; Tag questions: you are coming to dinner, arent you?; Standard English and tend to avoid using expletives. Lakoff stated that women are reluctant to force their views on another person which explains the use of hedge phrases. This view was supported by McMillan et al (1977). In relation to tag questions, Mulac Lundell (1986) found similar results with their research however studies by Dubois Crouch (1975) contradicts this as they found that men were more likely to use tag questions than women. Holmes (1984) also disagreed with Lakoffs suggestions of tag question and found that in most cases women used them to give the person being spoken to an opportunity to speak. Lakoffs research also found that women notice more detail than men causing women to be more perceptive; they notice things such as tone of voice, facial expression, and body language. She noted that women use a greater variety of descriptions when describing colours, (violet instead of purple or crimson rather than red. Glass (1992) carried out research to identify biological differences and found that in males the right hemisphere of the brain matures faster than the left where as the opposite occurs in females with the left hemisphere of the brain developing first. Therefore men are more adept at right hemisphere tasks such as solving mathematical problems while women are better with left hemisphere tasks such as developing language and vocabulary. Differences that arise due to social factors could be due to the fact that there is an element of sexism in language which instils gender stereotyping. Words that represent women or refer to women tend to have negative connotations (Romaine, 2008). If we look at the words that describe a single male (bachelor) and a single female (spinster), for many people the word bachelor would imply a young, single, professional male with prospects where as the word spinster would suggest a lonely, old female, yet they both mean the same for each gender. Nilsen (1977) carried out research using 500 dictionary words which had either male or female connotations. 385 were found to have male connotations compared to only 132 with female connotations. Nilsen looked at the words for negative connotations and found that the number of words with negative female connotations outweighed the number of male ones by 25%. There has been a lot of research examining whether the impact of gender stereotyping at an early age has had an influence in the use of language. Eisenberg et al (1985) found that parents will more often than not choose toys that are associated with their childs gender. Caldera (1989) looked at the type of toys children play with and the role they have in language development. He found that boys toys such as cars and trains have low levels of teaching and questioning and require little or no interaction with a parent. Boys will often mimic the sounds related to the toy (e.g. beep beep for a car or choo choo for a train) but the toy requires no conversation. In contrast, girls toys such as dolls and prams require a certain amount of role play that elicits constant verbal interaction with the toy with the child giving a step by step account of what will happen next (e.g. it is now time for your nap), which often leads to a parent becoming more involved making comments and questioning ( Caldera, 1989). By the end of a childs first year gender differences are already evident in the way they play and dress and the way adults interact and communicate with them. Parents will typically choose to dress a boy in blue or a girl in pink because that is what gender stereotyping dictates. Pearson Davilla (2001) found that baby boys are often described as strong, solid and independent where as baby girls are described as loving, cute and sweet thus reinforcing gender stereotypes. This type of gender stereotyping has also been found to occur in school textbooks with language often emphasising the ideas of males and females (Cameron, 2007). The use of terms like he, him and his, and men when referring to a person or people reinforces gender language with females made to look inferior to males. Males and females are typically represented in traditional gender roles with women as mothers and housewives, and men as professional breadwinners. Again women are portrayed in more submissive and inferior roles. This was more noticeable with reading schemes from the 1960s and 1970s. Males are also seen as having more opportunities than females as they are portrayed as being more adventurous and physically stronger than women. Females seem more caring and are seen as more interested in domestic matters taking a submissive role to allow male dominance. However Bradley (1981) and Weatherall (2002) have argued that there are no significant differences between male and female speech. METHODOLOGY In order to obtain comparable data I needed to ask a sample of children to look at a picture and give the name of each colour of a specific object within the picture. As this research was to be conducted during the Christmas season I used a sample of children who were attending a Christmas party. I devised a questionnaire which contained a colourful Christmas themed picture of Santa flying his sleigh along with five questions asking to name the colour of different objects within the picture (Appendix 1). The picture chosen had different shades of colour in order to allow a variety of answers for a particular object. The research was carried out on a small scale using a mixture of interpretive and positivist methods. A sample size of 10 children was used ranging from age 4 to 9 with an equal number of males and females to allow a more accurate comparison of data relating to gender. The children sampled were enjoying themselves at a Christmas party. Each child was sat down individually at a quiet table and asked to describe the colour of the various objects in each question. They were also asked their age. The time taken to answer the questions was an average of 4 minutes per child. FINDINGS I have analysed the findings for each question individually in order to compare the differences between genders. Q.1. What colour is Santas hat? In the picture, Santas hat is a standard red colour therefore it is not surprising that red was the answer given by 100% of the children. Q.2. What colour is the sky? The sky is a shade of blue which could be described as a light blue or sky blue. 80% of the boys gave the answer blue where as this answer was only given by 20% of the girls. Sky blue was the most popular answer which was given by 60% of the girls. Light blue was given by 20% of girls and 20% of boys. Q.3 What colour is Rudolph? Rudolph is a brown colour that could be described in a number of ways. 80% of boys answered brown compared to 40% of girls. Interestingly one girl (20%) gave the answer nutmeg while a second girl (20%) answered fawn and a third girl (20%) answering light brown. Fawn brown was also given by 20% of boys. Q.4. What colour is Rudolphs scarf? Rudolphs scarf is a dark shade of green. Green was the answer given by 80% of boys and 80% of girls. Only two other shades were given; moss green (20% boys) and sage (20% of girls). Q.5. What colour is Santas sleigh? Santas sleigh is red but it is a much darker shade of colour than his hat. Of the boys sampled, 80% gave the answer red with only one boy (20%) giving a different answer of burgundy. None of the girls gave the simple answer of red. 60% distinguished that is was a much darker red than Santas hat and therefore described it as dark red. One girl (20%) gave the answer maroon and another girl (20%) gave the answer burgundy. The table below shows the results along with each Childs gender and age: Response to Questions Child Gender Age Q.1 Q.2 Q.3 Q.4 Q.5 A M 8 Red Light Blue Fawn Brown Moss Green Burgundy B M 8 Red Blue Brown Green Red C M 9 Red Blue Brown Green Red D M 4 Red Blue Brown Green Red E M 7 Red Blue Brown Green Red F F 6 Red Sky Blue Nutmeg Sage Maroon G F 7 Red Light Blue Fawn Green Burgundy H F 5 Red Blue Brown Green Dark Red I F 6 Red Sky Blue Light Brown Green Dark Red J F 6 Red Sky Blue Brown Green Dark Red DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS The results show that females take more notice of details than males as the female children were more perceptive when looking at the picture and therefore gave a greater variety of colour descriptions. These results agree with Lakoffs research of Language and Womens Place. Lakoffs research was published more than thirty years ago and her specific claims about the way language is used by woman have been overturned as more recent research does not support them as the research was based on intuition. (Cameron, 2007). However, Lakoffs arguments that language-use, gender and power are all connected is still supported (Cameron, 2007). Individual differences may account for some of the variations in the results. Child A, a male child, gave colour terms of Red, Light Blue, Fawn Brown, Moss Green and Burgundy which suggests that other social factors besides gender stereotyping may have an influence. The way people use language is affected by the context of the situation they are in and to whom they are engaging in conversation with (Cameron, 2007). Holmes (1984) uses the analogy of a tightrope to explain: Women are obliged to walk a tightrope of impression management, continually demonstrating their professional competence while also making clear that they have not lost their femininity that they are not, for example, aggressive or uncaring (Cameron, 2007). Factors such as socio economic background, parent influence and other interests may have a direct effect on language acquisition and needs to be researched further. CONCLUSION The differences between males and females can be attributed to biological and social factors. Research by Glass (1992) shows that the brain develops differently in males and females which results in the two genders having a preference for tasks that are associated with that part of their brain that matures faster. Social factors such as gender stereotyping has a significant influence on language use as it helps to reinforce the roles that society dictates men and women should have. Gender stereotyping occurs from birth Females use language as a way to develop personal relationships where as men use language to assert independence and status. People adapt their language to different contexts therefore gender differences is a difficult area to study. Gender alone cannot account for differences in language use and as such other factors such as socio economic background, education and individual differences should be taken in to account. Much of the research carried out has identified what the differences are between male and female speech but with little suggestions as to why these differences occur. REFERENCE LIST Bradley, P. H. (1981) The Folk Linguistics of Womens Speech: An Empirical Examination. Communication Monographs. 48, pp73-90 Caldera, Y.M. (1989) Social interactions and play patterns of parents and toddlers with feminine, masculine and neutral toys. Child Development, 60, pp70-76. Cameron, D. (2007) The Myth of Mars and Venus. New York: Oxford University Press Crystal, David. (2003) The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language. Second Edition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, p.298 Dubois, B. L., Crouch, I. (1975) The question of tag questions in womens speech: They dont really use more of them, do they? Language in Society, 4(3), pp.289-294. Eisenberg, A.R. et al (1985) Childrens Talk: Learning to use Language. New York: Norton. Glass, L. (1992) He Says, She Says. Closing the Communication Gap Between the Sexes. New York: G.P. Putnams Sons. Holmes, J. (1984) Hedging Your Bets and Sitting on the Fence: Some Evidence for Tag Questions as Support Structures. Te Reo, 27, pp.47-62. Lakoff, R. (1975) Language and Womans Place. New York: Harper Colophon Books. McMillan, J. R. et al (1977) Womens language: Uncertainty or interpersonal sensitivity and emotionality? Sex Roles, 3, pp.545-559. Mulac, A., Lundell, T. L. (1986) Linguistic contributors to the gender-linked language effect. Journal of Language Social Psychology, 5, pp.81-101. Nilsen, A. et al (1977)  Sexism and language. Illinois: National Council of Teachers of English, pp.161-179. Pearson, J. C. (1985) Gender and Communication. Iowa: W.N.C. Brown Publishers. Pearson, J. C., Davilla, R. (2001) The Gender Construct: Understanding Why Men and Women Communicate Differently. In Borisoff, D. Women and Men Communicating. Illinois: Waveland Press. Weatherall, A. (2002) Gender, Language and Discourse. London: Routledge

The Civilized and Self-Cultured Black Man Essay -- Narrative Life Fred

The Civilized and Self-Cultured Black Man In Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Written by Himself, Frederick Douglass faces the problem of detailing his transformation from slave to man in a manner which is acceptable to both his audience and his own authorial purpose. Douglass must walk the thin line between being powerful and being threatening to his white audience. He attempts to avoid becoming a threat by appropriating the image of a self-made man, as defined in William E. Channing's essay entitled "Self-Culture." Douglass constructs his manhood in terms of civilization, a tactic later employed by Ida B. Wells in her anti-lynching campaign. Although physical strength and the escape from civilization into the wilderness was an equally popular construction of manhood at the time, Douglass follows Channing's belief that true manhood is achieved through knowledge, the mastery of letters and cultivation of manners. This conception of masculinity centers around moral uprightness and self-control a s a means of suppressing passions and desires, the latter being something that most of Douglass' masters lacked. If civilization indicates manhood, then the brutal masters described in Narrative are not men at all. This reversal makes Douglass, the slave turned self-cultured man, a representation of true manhood. According to Channing, every man has the potential to be a great man. Through self-culture, and the resulting moral and intellectual growth, men can expand and live up their potentials, becoming ideal men. Channing understands moral sense as the suppression of passions and desires that are inherent in human nature, but are not good for soul. When a man looks into himself, he discovers...d... ... image of this civilized man is reinforced by Douglass' narrative voice which takes on the Harvard style tone, that sounds much like Channing's voice in "Self-Culture." This tactic may have been to support his use of Channing's ideas, but it also gave Douglass the unique position of speaking in the same style as his audience. This would perhaps be unexpected by his white Northern audience, but nevertheless reinforces Douglass' civility. By taking popular conceptions of civilization, self-control and literacy, and applying them to himself, Douglass invents in himself the representation of true manhood. Works Cited: Channing, William E. The Works of William E. Channing. Boston: American Unitarian Association, 1875. Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Written By Himself. New York: Penguin Books USA Inc., 1968.

Interpersonal Communication Problems Essay -- Communication Communicat

Interpersonal Communication Problems Over the telephone my boss gives me an instruction. I hear it, give my recognition, hang up then realize that I am not clear on exactly what it is that I am to do. Something about the proper way to add up my hours is the basic message, but the way she has explained it is not clear to me. Yet. As far as she is concerned, every word she spoke, that is, the way she described her instructions, was perfectly spelled out. She sits in her office confident that her explanation is clear, while I sit behind my desk like some detective trying to solve this great mystery. Although I understood every word she spoke, what she spoke does not register. No eureka bells are setting off. I have trouble decoding her words. I cannot apply the words she's "transmitted." I am experiencing communication problems. This happens all the time. As in the case just described, somewhere between her message and my reception of it, the meaning got lost. To the best of her knowledge, she has gone over a procedure that I have successfully grasped. But it remains unclear to me because I do not understand the way in which she is presenting it. To my boss, it is of course direct and sound, as it is from her mind that the words and thoughts are being emitted. However, as soon as they collided with my own thinking processes they lost complete lucidity. My faculties tell me she is talking but saying nothing sensible. Her faculties tell her her circular sentences are making sense. I periodically acknowledge what she is relaying. She keeps relaying. We are communicating. But are we really? Given this situation, one is led to consider whether it is possible that, that is, can it be that, true communication is impossible? After a... ...y did her presentation of the information pose a problem? Considering we should have understood each other by the virtue of the fact that we speak the same language, this should not have been the case. As a matter of fact, this case shows that even though we were using the same language I could not decipher her meaning. Her mind works in ways that mine does not. And if it is through our minds that we formulate information, then how can it be that what we are communicating will be received in its true form? No two minds work alike nor are their two beings which feel alike. Therefore, how can anyone know exactly what is being communicated? Each of us has a one-of-a-kind make-up. And though, yes, we do understand the use of words and their semantic properties, the fact that we even have to use words to effectively communicate alone makes true communication questionable.

Niccolo Machiavelli

Niccolo Machiavelli (May 3, 1469 – June 21, 1527) lived in Florence, Italy. Machiavelli was an Italian philosopher, politician, writer and perhaps one among the chief founders of political science. Since Machiavelli was a renaissance man, he acted in the capacity of a diplomat, a political philosopher, a musician, a playwright, a poet and a Florentine Republic civil servant. This paper therefore takes to ascertain the extent to which Machiavelli would consider the political ideologies of Thomas Paine, Karl Marx, Adolph Hitler and Franklin D. Roosevelt as feasible or meaningful. Thomas Paine Machiavelli would find the ideas of Paine’s political postulations in Common Sense agreeable to a larger extent. This is more so because; Paine (2006) perceives the government as a punisher, and this role being a derivative of the inherent wicked nature of man. To this effect, the government would act as the restrainer of human vices. The agreeableness with Machiavelli’s ideals is that this ideology marries well with Machiavelli’s postulations about the leader being able to move fast to quash political foes so as to consolidate power (Machiavelli, 1868). It is obvious that the means of extirpating the influence of a political enemy would be state’s instruments of coercion (Paine, 2000). Karl Marx In the same vein, Machiavelli would find the Marxist ideologies propounded by Karl Marx in the Communist Manifesto agreeable since: through Karl Marx’s teachings on the Class Consciousness and Antagonism, Marx explains on how the political elite, the bourgeoisie, exploits by using the state instruments and state forces, the working class (the proletariat) with the two dominant aims of: consolidating political power and ensuring profit maximization from the proletariats (Marx and Engels, 1955). This well agrees with Machiavelli’s political ideology of â€Å"The ends justifying the means†- a maxim Karl Marx crafts to buttress his argument that a ruler must use all means possible to seize and consolidate power, the killing of foes and friends alike, being inclusive of these means. Adolph Hitler Similarly, some ideas propounded by Hitler in his writings, Mein Kampf would be acceptable before Karl Marx. Hitler (1986) is reported as having posited that since the masses are always trivial and less smart, a leader should be one who is calculating, not having qualms to employ propaganda on the masses to achieve a political feat. This still underscores Machiavelli’s idea of the ends justifying the means. Similarly, Machiavelli espouses deeply the use of trickery (propaganda) to maintain power. Hitler’s plans to create more room (Lebensraum) for Germans by entering treaties with UK and Russia as an artifice to help in the recapturing of the Germany’s lost tracts of land confirms Machiavelli’s ideas that a leader must be calculating and very cunning. The cunningness behind this proposed Russia, Germany and UK treaty is that the provision would ward off Germany from the exhaustion of fighting concurrently both in the East and West (Manheim and Hitler, 1969). Franklin D. Roosevelt To a larger extent, Roosevelt’s postulations that are revealed in his inaugural speech that saw his transition from a New York governor to the 32nd US president would be considered as antithetical towards Machiavelli’s. The concept of political morality and stark allusions to values pervade all the spectra of Roosevelt’s speech. Roosevelt is spurred on by morality while Machiavelli on the other hand, political expedience. The only point Machiavelli would accept Roosevelt’s propositions is the fact that Roosevelt saw the need of broad executive powers being vested on the head of the executive in order to allow the occupant of this office deal with an invading foreign foe (Polenberg, 2000). Machiavelli talks of all the instruments at the disposal of the ruler being used to quash ruthlessly an enemy. Conclusion Nevertheless, it is important to consider that although comparing one’s political philosophy to another for scholarly proposes may remain as expedient, yet, any political philosophy has the merit to exist in its own right, provided the philosophy in picture captures the true identity of the state. It is by this virtue that al these philosophies which were advanced by Thomas Paine, Karl Marx, Adolph Hitler and Franklin D. Roosevelt were considered as legitimate in the eyes of respective citizens.

Nuclear Power Technology Essay

The discovery of nuclear power had brought mankind to one of its greatest success throughout history. Nuclear technology is considered as a â€Å"gift† from the Italian-American physicist, Enrico Fermi, who was given the title as the â€Å"new Promethean†, similar to the ancient Greek mythological figure. Extending this analogy, it was the Prometheans who gave the entire human race a type of fire within the atomic nucleus. Angelo related that on December 2, 1942 at the University of Chicago, Fermi and his team of scientists operated the first nuclear reactor ever built (1). Pioneering this experiment has started the new era of technology, in where the human race can harvest energy wisely and in a controlled manner within the atomic nucleus. Effects In the discussion of the effects of using nuclear power technology, it is only fair and proper to present both sides of the argument. The benefits of embarking on such projects will first be discussed. A major premise for the use of nuclear power will be that it is cheaper than alternative sources for the production of electricity bulk. In the past sixty years, humanity has seen the successful transformation of the atom from a military weapon to a vast source of electricity that benefits the public’s lives, powering everyday activities from using washing machines to surfing the Internet. Expansions in the use of advanced nuclear reactors for power generation had increased global convenience without emitting noxious chemicals such as carbon monoxide, the gas which endangers the Earth’s atmosphere. Thus, nuclear technology does not contribute to the increasing catastrophe of the greenhouse effect. On the other hand, no technology can completely escape the circumstances under which it was first developed, and nuclear power reactors cannot avoid some of the negative reaction aimed at the technology. Building a nuclear power plant always lead to the enormous amount of materials, land and energy needed to utilize the construction, so feeding a plant requires the mining of a large amount of uranium ore. Decommission of an aging power plant additionally requires large quantity of energy and materials. Also, during a power plant’s operation, the use of water needs to be in a large quantity for the cooling process of the plant itself, thus releasing great amount of heat waste. Short-Term Consequences It is undeniable that people benefit from the electricity generated by nuclear power plants to facilitate their everyday life. More and more, people are dependent on electricity that these plants have proven to bring. The widespread use of radioactive isotopes and X-rays is still benefiting the practice of medicine. Also, the use of such energy is already contributing to the decrease of the emission of noxious gases to the atmosphere, thus somehow preventing the pending disaster of the greenhouse effect. Believers in nuclear technology, to the degree that they recognize these hazards, dispute that nuclear technology carries advantages that more than give back for its intrinsic dangers. From a scientific perspective, when used wisely and carefully, the various forms of nuclear technology have and will provide great benefits. Long-Term Consequences Investment in the construction of well-contained nuclear power plants is very expensive on a first glance, but the long term advantage of humongous savings on electricity generation can potentially alleviate the current economic crisis that the world over is experiencing right now. Supporters of nuclear power contend that nuclear electricity offers the only realistic prospect of sustained economic growth once fossil fuels begin to run out or cause unacceptable environmental problems. On the flip side, using a large amount of resources for keeping a nuclear power plant alive can lead to environmental degradation in the long run. Likewise, the release of a great amount of heat waste disrupts nature as well as animals by this extreme thermal pollution. The continuous expansion of mankind through the use of nuclear technology to sustain global achievements might also increasingly leave a mark of disruptive wastes. Future Developments Human civilization is at an important crossroads with respect to nuclear technology. If people fail to use nuclear technology wisely, the magnificent accomplishments of the human race could easily crumble into radioactive dust. Current and future generations of humans can productively harness the energy locked deep within the atomic nucleus to achieve sustainable global civilization. A societal decision to harvest only the beneficial aspects of nuclear technology is also a manifestation of the ultimate good that can arise from the creative spirit of the human mind. In this context, nuclear technology might come to be viewed in the future as that uniquely powerful technology that serves as protector of Earth. Conclusion The discussion of nuclear power has been lengthy because of the potential importance of nuclear energy in controlling the atmospheric greenhouse. Nuclear power is out of Pandora’s Box: it offers enormous benefits; there are enormous risks. More than any kind of energy and type of technology we are using, nuclear technology is indeed the most influential force in this changing world. Integration of all technological aspects would be much difficult than any other kind of technology, thus there is a continuous seeking for its options and analyzing the consequences and benefits as well. Nuclear technology has brought confusing questions in which historians and experts made a remarkable debate. Would this modern technology lead the human race to a more sustainable economic growth; or does this clean and quite, yet extremely destructive power will consume the planet? There are a lot of questions that can not be answered accurately, but for the betterment of the entire human race as well as for our future generations, living with this extraordinary technology, if used in a contained and humane manner, would be the right decision to make. WORK CITED Angelo, Joseph. Nuclear Technology. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2004.

Rhetorical Analysis Bittman

The Rhetorical Analysis of the Seriousness of Food Thinking about the importance and significance of food respective to our health, ethnic culture and society can cause cavernous, profound, and even questionable thoughts such as: â€Å"Is food taken for granted? †, â€Å"Is specialty foods just a fad or a change in lifestyle? †, and even â€Å"Is food becoming the enemy. † Mark Bittman, an established food journalist, wrote an article called â€Å"Why take food seriously? † In this article, Bittman enlightens the reader with a brief history lesson of America’s appreciation of food over the past decades.This history lesson leads to where the social standing of food is today and how it is affecting not only the people of America, but also the rest of the world. Bittman attempts to display awareness in his audience by supporting his argument and encouraging his readers to see his perspective through three proofs of persuasion: ethos, logos, and pathos. Bittman’s ethos is immediately realized simply through who his stature. Bittman has been a food journalist for the past thirty two years. Within that time, he has managed to write bestselling books including: â€Å"How to Cook Everything†, â€Å"How to Cook Everything Vegetarian†, and â€Å"Food Matters. He also writes for the New York Times in his own weekly column called â€Å"The Minimalist. † Along with professional experience, there is personal experience. The article opens with Bittman stating, â€Å"Our relationship with food is changing more rapidly than ever, and like many others, I’ve watched in awe. † Bittman has been a food journalist since 1980. Therefore, he has witnessed the ever changing perspective of food in society with an â€Å"unusual† perspective. He has observed and followed the effects of which foods has brought forth to health, media, and the rest of the world.This gives the reader a sense of trust because h e has experienced it first hand. Even with his palpable experience and expertise with food, his ethos is continued throughout the article. Bittman exemplifies his ethos through his use of sarcasm. He says, â€Å"Each year, each month it sometimes seems, there are more signs that convenience, that mid-20th-century curse word, may give way to quality — even what you might call wholesomeness — just before we all turn into the shake-sucking fatties of â€Å"Wall-E. † The movie â€Å"Wall-E† is an extremely recent and popular Pixar film.It is about Earth no longer providing living conditions for life. This causes humans to live in a space craft where robots did essentially everything for them; the result, â€Å"shake-sucking fatties. † Bittman’s use of sarcasm throughout the entire article adds a comic relief giving the reader a sense that Bittman is just a normal funny guy. Along with using his humor, Bittman makes references to well known figu res in today’s society, like â€Å"Wall-E. † By doing this, Bittman shows that he is current and up to date with media and society.He references, â€Å"We were ripe for the Food Network’s Emeril, Rachael, Mario and Bobby, who created a buzz based on celebrity that grabbed not only the middle-aged and the young but also the very young. † Food network is incredibly popular along with the network’s stars that Bittman referenced. Bittman displays that he is well knowledgeable of who is who and what is what in today’s society. Bittman’s ethos is exemplified through his professional and personal experiences, along with his humor and up to date knowledge of media. Bittman goes on to establish logos through structure.He begins with a quick introduction of who he is and discloses the problem of society’s relationship with food and it â€Å"changing rapidly. † Bittman then presents a brief history lesson starting with before the 1 950’s leading to today. He says, â€Å"Until 50 years ago, of course, every household had at least one person who took food seriously every day. But from the 1950s on, the majority of the population began contentedly cooking less and less, eating out more and more and devouring food that was worse and worse, until the horrible global slop served by fast-food and â€Å"casual dining† chains came to dominate the scene.One result: an unprecedented rise in obesity levels and a not-unrelated climb in health-care costs. † Bittman continues to go through each decade presenting new facts about what was the â€Å"thing† or â€Å"latest fad† at that time. For example he says, â€Å"Of course, food continues to be fetishized;  organic food  has been commodified; the federal government subsidizes almost all of the wrong kinds of food production; supermarkets peddle way too much nonreal food (â€Å"junk food† or, to use my mother’s word, â₠¬Å"dreck†); and weight-loss diets still discourage common-sense eating. By individually going through each decade, it helps the reader see the evidence Bittman presents. It then furthers what society’s relationship towards food has evolved into. Also, it allows the reader to understand and relate. The reader, depending on their age, can mentally travel back to previous decades and think back to instances they remember experiencing themselves. Bittman establishes logos through structuring a time line for the reader to understand and relate to. Lastly Bittman exerts pathos through his mood and tone. The mood of the article transfers into awareness and humorous but possibly the actual reality.The reader can distinguish Bittman’s attempt to raise awareness for the topic from his presentation of what he believes to be the real issues, â€Å"The real issues — how do we grow and raise, distribute and sell, prepare and eat food? And how do our patterns of doing t hese things affect the rest of the world (and vice versa)? — are simply too big to ignore. † By Bittman directly pointing out what the â€Å"real issues† are, the reader is automatically more aware of the problems with food. The reader now ponders what they can change and do or learn to help relinquish the issues at hand.Bittman continues to raise awareness, more so in a comical way, when he states: â€Å"This has led  many Americans to think as much about food as they do about â€Å"Survivor† or the  N. F. L  Ã¢â‚¬â€ which is to say a lot — and its preparation is no longer limited to what was once called a housewife. † Bittman’s is saying this too purposely so the reader has an eye opener moment, while others may get a chuckle out of it. Either way, Bittman is trying to compel the reader to be conscious of what the importance and significance of food has become. Bittman uses his sarcasm to enforce awareness upon the reader.Bitt man’s tone throughout the article ranges from sarcastic to passionate to a want for change. He says, â€Å"I’ve never been more hopeful. (In fact, I was never hopeful at all until recently. )† Bittman is stating that he believes there is potential for change and people are realizing that food needs to be taken seriously. He continues to express his sense of humor intermixed with his passion and hope for change when he concludes the article with, â€Å"Perhaps just in time, we’re saying, â€Å"Hold the shake,† and looking for something more wholesome. † Bittman is ending the scene and leaving the reader with something to ponder.Bittman sets his tone and the mood of the article to leave a lasting impression on the reader. Mark Bittman used the three proofs of persuasion to better appeal to his audience. He exemplifies ethos by using his professional and personal experiences. Bittman then moves on to establish logos through the structure of a t ime line of facts for the reader to understand and relate to. Lastly, Bittman creates pathos with his spewing emotion of passion, awareness, and sarcasm. He portrays these emotions through his tone and mood. Bittman uses the three proofs of persuasion to open the readers eyes to the seriousness of food.

Lithuanian Footwear Manufacturing Industry Analysis According to Porter‘S Five Forces

Lithuanian Footwear Manufacturing Industry Analysis According to Porter‘s Five Forces Introduction For all times footwear has been a basic necessity and just recently it has become a matter of fashion and prestige, thus making huge changes in footwear industry: it expanded and became well differentiated. Therefore, in order to perform and compete effectively, companies have to analyze their external environment. This paper will concentrate on Porter’s five forces that shape competition in Lithuanian footwear com/chapter-practice/">manufacturing industry. Rivalry A decade ago there were much more footwear manufacturers in Lithuania.However, right after Lithuania joined the European Union, footwear imports from China to the European Union increased eight times. It caused huge profit losses for Lithuania’s footwear manufacturers and many of them withdrew from the market. Today there are two main footwear manufacturers UAB â€Å"Sabalin† and UAB â€Å"Lituanic a†, a few smaller manufacturers such as UAB â€Å"Paliutis† and UAB â€Å"Evenida† and there are also some individual businesses which do not mass-produce but manufacture shoes just for individual orders. As we can see there are not many Lithuanian companies but their competition creates the rivalry a positive sum.The largest companies UAB â€Å"Sabalin† and UAB â€Å"Lituanica† produce leather shoes for the whole family and export most of their production to other European countries, especially to Great Britain, Latvia and Finland (http://www. lituanica. info/m93-1. html, http://www. visalietuva. lt/imones/info/sabalin-uab). Smaller manufacturers concentrate on specific footwear production such as boots and working shoes or take orders from Lithuania’s companies and produce big quantities of specific safety shoes or shoes which are part of employees’ uniform.Footwear manufacturing usually is not their only scope so when they have hard times in shoes manufacturing, they concentrate on other fields. For example UAB â€Å"Paliutis† produces not only boots but also other rubber and plastic production (http://avalyne. paliutis. lt/index. php), UAB â€Å"Arnesima† produces safety working shoes and, in addition, they offer safety gloves, waterproof clothes and etc (http://www. arnesima. lt/). Individual businesses do not have a great demand because Lithuanians prefer custom boots just for ery important occasions, for example, weddings or when the foot is not standard and they cannot find suitable shoes in shoe stores. However, the main competitors for footwear manufacturers in Lithuania are Chinese footwear producers. According to UAB â€Å"Lituanica† director D. Keltuva, just the leather they use for a pair of shoes costs the same as the finished Chinese pair of shoes. To become more competitive, Lithuanian manufacturers cut their prices; however, it was impossible to become equivalent competitors because Chinese labor force was far and away cheaper.Besides, young to middle-age Lithuanians are concerned about fashion and prestige so Lithuanian manufacturers are unable to compete with designers’ shoes or well known brands. UAB â€Å"Sabalin† director Regina Arcisauskaite claims that her manufactory orients to segments from middle to high prices and to middle class people; however, this company does not aim for luxurious or fashionable products’ segment. New entrants Recently not a single bigger footwear manufacturing business has been started. The main reason is the economic recession, which has caused the decrease in footwear sales.Another reason is still huge competition from China. However, today shoe shops â€Å"Lietuviska avalyne† and â€Å"Dolita† report that sales in Lithuania are constantly increasing and people, especially elder ones, prefer more expensive, but quality Lithuanian shoes from natural leather and fur. Besides, Lithuani ans have turned back to small boutique shops and prefer shopping in places which offer unique products and comfortable surroundings. This probably will cause an increase in number of small shops, run by small businesses owners or new entrants who will be willing to fill this niche.Lithuania’s government policy is favorable to new entrants and offers a lot of ways to start a new company. The main requirements for new business entrants are quite high government taxes and the initial capital in some cases. However, new entrants face one huge barrier to entry. Most Lithuanians do not trust Lithuanian production; they do not think about the quality and price and choose fashionable foreign footwear. Moreover, incumbents have already survived through Chinese invasion and recession so they have a lot of experience.As soon as the newcomers face the first difficulties they might get lost and go bankrupt just like many other Lithuanian footwear manufacturers did five years ago. This mig ht discourage them from entering this market. One more important barrier is that in order to open a new footwear manufactory a huge amount of initial capital is needed. New entrants need new premises, inventories and qualified employees. This may also deter a lot of newcomers from entering this market. Substitutes Shoe market in Lithuania is tremendous.You can see shoe shops everywhere and shoes in various styles, colors, designs and prices are brought there from a lot of different countries. There are a lot of other shoe stores which offer quality footwear. These shops gain advantage because customers are exposed to a great choice, meanwhile people can merely see Lithuanian shoe shops in shopping centers or in the streets. Moreover, Lithuania’s youth tends to wear mainly sports shoes and frequently replace them with new ones. They wear them both in summer and in winter, so they are not looking for quality and long lasting shoes which are rather expensive.In this age of new t echnologies another substitute is available for everyone – online shops or eBay. Lithuanians find it cheaper to order something from overseas than to buy it in local shops. This phenomenon is also applicable to footwear. Most of the online shops have return policies so people are not afraid to buy and, if it is necessary, to change the item. Finally, parents tend to buy footwear for their children in second-hand shops. They see no need to spend huge amounts on shoes when their child’s feet are constantly growing. The same trend is seen among elder people.Pensions in Lithuania are relatively low so the pensioners cannot afford new quality shoes. Therefore, they go to second-hand shops where they can find almost new and really quality foreign footwear; they even can find branded shoes in very good condition. Since the price is still a very important factor in choosing shoes, nowadays most Lithuanians try to find substitutes which could offer suitable quality and price ra tio. Power of suppliers Today Lithuanian footwear manufacturers buy raw materials mainly from Lithuanian companies, for example, leather processing companies AB â€Å"Siauliu Stumbras† and UAB â€Å"Naturali oda. There is a great variety of available leather and other raw material suppliers in Europe so footwear manufacturers are not dramatically dependent on their suppliers and can easily switch their suppliers since switching costs are low. However, leather processing companies depend on economic situation and cattle ranches. The manager of leather processing company â€Å"TDL Oda† Vidmantas Simkus explains that when economic crisis occurred, the demand for meat decreased thus the number of grown cattle also decreased.It resulted in lack of raw leather material last year and was the reason for double increase in price. Respectively, Lithuanian footwear manufacturers had to buy more expensive raw materials, their product prices increased and they became less competit ive in shoes market. Besides, footwear manufacturers are not the only ones who use leather for their production. Coats, gloves, hats, handbags and some bijouterie are made from leather so leather processing companies have some power to choose whom to sell their production to and in this way to raise the prices. Power of buyersFootwear is necessary for every person so they cannot avoid buying shoes. However, they can choose where and what kind of shoes to buy. Generally, in footwear industry buyers do not have a lot of power, but in Lithuania their power is significant. Since there is great variety of imported shoes and just a few Lithuanian footwear shops, the buyers’ choices determine which shoe shops (and thus which manufacturers) will survive. There are very few shops in Lithuania which sell both foreign and Lithuanian footwear; Lithuanian footwear is sold mostly in special stores.Since Lithuanians do not trust Lithuanian production, their preference might cause bankruptcy for some shops. It would mean that Lithuanian footwear would be sold just outside the country. Individual businesses owners are greatly dependent on the buyers because they are their main customers and if they are not willing to pay for original custom shoes, these businesses are sure to face a lot of difficulties. On the other hand, Lithuanian footwear in export countries has a lot of loyal customers who recognize products’ quality and reasonable price.UAB â€Å"Lituanica† director Kestuts Deltuva says that their sales abroad are constantly increasing and they have a lot of new orders and now they are having a very busy season. Conclusion All things considered, Lithuanian footwear manufacturing industry is full of opportunities. Rivalry among Lithuanian footwear producers is rather weak. Since they do not intensively compete in Lithuania’s shoes market, it creates some opportunities for new entrants. This industry is open for new entrants who should consider d ifferent strategic plans and try to meet the demand for both quality and fashionable footwear in Lithuania.The main problem that Lithuanian footwear manufacturers face is a great variety of substitutes: shoes of different brands, styles and origin are easily accessible, and also different places and ways of acquisition are available. Suppliers do not have significant power; however, buyers are the main force which determines which companies will survive in Lithuanian footwear manufacturing industry. References June 27, 2005. Avalynes gamintojai siekia ES apsaugos. Retrieved from http://www. zebra. lt/lt/naujienos/verslas/avalynes-gamintojai-siekia-es-apsaugos-72238. html June 2010.Footwear Industry Profile: Europe. Industry overview. Retrieved from Business Source Complete Inciuriene, Sigita. November, 2010. Vidmantas Simkus: Man geriausia Siauliuose. Retrieved from http://lics-siauliai. lt/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Mes-Siaulieciai-Nr61. pdf August 29, 2005. Kinu batsiuviai verzia kilpa Lietuvos avalynes gamintojams. Retrieved from http://www. verslobanga. lt/lt/spaudai. full/4312ada8d1f1a October 18, 2010. Lietuvos batsiuviai be batu nelieka. Retrieved from http://www. verslozinios. lt/index. php? act=mprasa&sub=article&id=26957