Problems That Face Asians In English Pronunciation English Language Essay

Problems That Face Asians In English Pronunciation English Language Essay Speaking regarded as the most important and difficult micro-skill of the four skills in foreign language learning. Most adult non-native students of English in the UK particularly Asian students face a lot of difficulties when they speak English and they sometimes get frustrated when they could not understand or be understand by native speakers of English. Therefore, they encounter the same problems that confront any students studying in a foreign culture, such as grammar, pronunciation, listening comprehension and different cultures. Also, it is difficult for them to adjust to the English language especially when they speak it. They may have difficulty understanding class lecture, making them feel reluctant to participate in class discussion, seminars and tutorials. This essay will first explain and evaluate only one issue that face adult Asian students in UK when they speak English which is English pronunciation. Therefore, pronunciation is a difficult aspect in language learning f or adult Asian students which lead to real barriers to communication and can contribute to motivation with native English speakers. This essay also will examine what are the most frequent difficulties encountered them in English pronunciation, the factors that affecting the pronunciation of non native students of English , some solutions to surmount the difficulties of mispronunciation among Asian adult students and finally it will throw some light on the implications of language teaching. Literature review: Teachers of English as a FL or a L2 know so well how important pronunciation is. Nevertheless, sometimes it has been obvious that a teacher has been paid little attention to the students pronunciation in the process of second language learning and teaching. Celce Goodain(1991) states that over the past years, there have been different views about the value of teaching pronunciation in language teaching and they reported that the cognitive approach and grammar translation reading based method which used by teachers attach no importance to pronunciation. However, in the direct approach, pronunciation is considered important. In addition, Jack and William (2002) reported that pronunciation is no longer considered as an indispensable aspect in a foreign language teaching. According to Beebe (1984,51), `Most current textbooks in English as a second language either ignore the teaching of pronunciation or rely primarily on old stand-bys-to teach non-native learners to pronounce English accurately. Trammell (1993) also indicates that instruction in pronunciation has been deemphasised due to the new teaching methods like the Communicative Approach. Communication is an important need of in daily life and it should be the primary purpose of language learning and teaching . Therefore, teaching English speaking to non-native students of English how to speak English accurately and fluently with native speakers of English is one of the general objectives of the foreign language teaching. According to Yule (2006: 33), language is primarily speech and it is more basic to language than the written form. Knowles (1987) argue that written language is permanent and looks imperfect version of the spoken language whereas spoken Language is more elusive. It is clear that we all speak and hear the sounds spoken in our environment first before we write or read. For instance, child before goes to school, he will speak before write because he will acquire his first Language from his family when he imitates what they said. It is seem that as long as one can communicate with others in the second language, everything is fine but the questions is ,how can communicate with people fluently if your pronunciation is incorrect? Beebe (1984) insists that pronunciation always affect what we communicate and how well we communicate it, and therefore it should be take seriously. Weeren Theunissen(1987: 109) pointed out: Firstly, good pronunciation allows one to be better understood. It gives the speakers oral production a certain redundancy. And this can help to get a message across more effectively as a learning objective because of it is high pay off. The number of sound, sound clusters and intonation pattern in a Language is finite, as is the alphabet. Once the system has been mastered, it can be used, thus giving it fundamentally an infinite scope. Thirdly, a deviant pronunciation means that one is immediately marked as non-native abroad. Harmer (2007) suggests that if students want to be able to speak fluently in English, they need to be able pronounce phonemes correctly and appropriate stress and intonation. Pronunciations of students need to be good enough to communicate the message so that it is understood by other speakers of English. Therefore, most Asian adult students have difficulties to pronounce words or sentences correctly which can be a major cause of misunderstandings. They have difficulties in recognize sound of English, word stress( which part of a word are more heavily stressed that is spoken louder and longer), sentence stress( which part of a sentence can be more heavily stressed), sounds in connected speech( how to link the sounds together in a sentence),and finally in intonation(how our voice rises and falls at a certain point of the sentence).From my own experience as a teacher in a secondary school, most students have potential pronunciation problems when they speak English. They have problem wi th stress and intonation that they unable to put the right emphasis on the right part of the word. Also they have problems with vowels bends and consonants blends as well. For example, sounds likeea and ou can be confusing them because when they listen to the audio recordings, it can be very difficult for them to pick up the subtle blends of two or more vowels. Additionally, In consonants blends, they have problem with th sound because they are not accustomed to putting t and h together to form th sound to reproduce. It is clear that pronunciation is so difficult to learn. The first language of most overseas students effect on learning the second language. Problems that face Asian students in English pronunciation: Most Asian adult students work and study hard to become very fluent in English. However, there are many different varieties of spoken English and non-native students may have achieved fluency such as knowing correct grammar and knowing a large numbers of vocabulary especially when they have been taught by non-native speakers but they have a non-standard accent which make the use of English difficult for native speakers of English to understand. Vowels Celce-Murcia, Brinton and Goodwin (1996) states there are different types of vowel sounds in English pronunciation. Firstly, received pronunciation. It has twelve monophthongs (single or pure vowels).Secondly, eight diphthongs (double vowels) and two thriphthongs (triple vowels).therefore, some of in Asian students like Arabices , Japanese and Chinese have fewer vowels in their first Language which lead to have problems with hearing and pronouncing these distinctions of vowel sounds. For example, Japanese language has only 5 vowels /i/,/e/,/a/,/É‘/,/o/. According to, Kenworthy(1987) there are five vowels letters which are (a, e, i, o, u) .They map to 13 different sounds. For instance, the letter is pronounced differently in the words: boat, boot, out and hot. This is one of the problems that encountered by Asian adult students in pronunciation subject. They have problem with the /a/ sound (e.g. at) because it is not easy for them to hear and pronounce this sound. Also, they could not differentiate between the long sound/a/ and the sound/e/ (e.g. paper-pepper).They also have problems in differentiating between the long/e/ and the short /i/ (e.g. eat-it). Furthermore, diphthongs in English are difficult to learn and definitely tribal markers in English. .They are also very easy for native speakers of English to identify but not easy for non-native speakers of English. So, speech sounds which involve a slide from one vowel to another is the biggest problem which face Asian adult students when they speak English. For example, theou sound in the word out is a blend of /ah/ and /oo/. Several of diphthongs are quiet subtle .For instant the long /ee/ sound in the words feel and fear is a blend of /ee/ and /ah/ as (fee-ah). Celce-Murcia , Brinton and Goodwin ( 1996 ) 2- Consonants Kota(2006) stats that English consonants are less difficult than vowels. Most languages have the sounds which are represented by the letters d, t, s, and z .Nevertheless, some languages do not use certain consonants which can be difficult for non-native speakers of English. For examples, the r and l sounds are not used by Japanese and Korean native speakers. Then, the so- called ra-la distinction is especially difficult for them. They have also difficulty to distinguish between /b/ and /v/ sounds. The /th/ sound is not simply to use it in the naÃÆ' ¯ve language. It can be difficult for Vietnamese students. Therefore, they substitue a /zh/ instead of /th/ as in: /zh/ese problems may be caused by pollution. Also, he adds that there are more consonants in English than in Japanese language .Therefore, the /f/, /v/ /o/, A/, /s/,/3/,/ts/,/d3/ do not exist in the Japanese consonantal system. In addition, Munro((1993) states that some Arabic language do not make use of separate sounds for /b/ and/p/.then, they have difficulty to distinguishing and pronouncing b and p sounds as in : do not bark while I park the van. The difference is quite subtle. They may confuse z withj .These problems cause misunderstanding by native English speakers when they communicate with each other From my own experience as a Libyan student at Leicester University in the UK, I had a car accident in university road because the weather was slippery and snowing which cause that the brake of my car was out of the control. After that the police came to me and asked me some questions about the accident. I said to him I feel slippery. The problem here, the police wrote in the report driver feel asleep but he did not write what I said I feel slippery .I think that was a misunderstanding between the police and me because of my language. He misunderstand me because of his linguistic constraints particularly his heavily -accented English. Other problems which face Asian adult students, is dropping medical stopped consonants. Some of them tend o drop stopped consonants such as, sounds /p/ and /k/ from the middle of poly syllabic words. For example, Chinese students tend to drop the difficult c from the word of success. They say/ suhsess/.Also, some native speaker of English pronounce the word accessory as/ assess or ee/ instead of / ack-sess-or-ee/.(Dalton,1994) Syllable structure: According to Joanna Heather (2003), English allows for in syllable structure a cluster of up to three consonants before the vowel and four consonants after the vowel as in the words straw and glimpsed. Therefore, the structure of syllabus cause issues for speakers of many languages. For instance, Japanese students usually try to in between the consonants (e.g. desk-/desks/) becomes desukusu or in the word milk shake / mIlk ʃeIk/ becomes mirukushȆ¡ku.Kota(2006) there are two types of syllable in English which are open syllables( CV) and closed syllables( CCCVCC).On the other hand, Japanese only permit one type of syllable which is open syllable. For example, Word meaning syllable Ke hair CV Kare boyfriend CVCV So, Words in Japanese do not end with consonants and it Japanese does not allow both initial and final consonants. Knowles (1987) maintains that some Asian students who first languages end in vowels, they often tend to make all English words end in vowels. For example, they pronounce the word make as /meIkÉâ„ ¢ / instead of/ meIk/. Also, they sometimes find it is so complicated when native speakers of English may drop consonants in the more complex blends (e.g. the word months, they say /mɆ¦nÉ µs/ instead of / mɆ¦nos/. 4-Rhythm and Cadence: Brown (2001: 121) pointed out that cadence is the pattern of stresses within a sentence and rhythm refers to the beat syllabus. If each one were marked by tapping fingers on a desk: rat a-tat-tat-tat TAT of this. He adds that the main issue that trips up Asian adult students that British English are stress timed whereas most Asian languages are syllable timed. Stressed syllables are roughly equidistant in time and they like the sound of the mechanical tat-tat-tat-tat of gun machine with equal length to each syllable. However, native English speakers stretch syllables at the same time like putting emphasis on some syllables and not others. For instance,hi. Wonderful to see u again .They say this sentence like this hiiiii woooood fl to seeeeeee yu agaiaiainn. This mean, won- see- gain is both emphasized and lengthened but other syllabuses in the sentence are so lightly and shortened spoken. According to Kota (2006), stress time in English is one of the problem that encounter Asian students particularly for Singaporeans students. They speak in the way which is very difficult for English speakers to understand. 5- Intonation Roach, (2002: 50) defines intonation as the rising or falling pitch of the voice while pronouncing words or syllables. He believes that intonation enables speakers to express their emotions and attitudes when they speak. The most problematic area of pronunciation for most Asian students is intonation. They find it extremely difficult to hear tunes or identify the different patterns of rising and falling tones. Therefore, some Asian languages have less pitch variation than English especially Japanese language.They use pith changes to mark stress on the word level which result the so-called monotonous intonation. Wong(1987) suggests that English as a tonal language(not using tones).We can understand the words in isolation but if we put them together in sentences, the meaning of the sentence may change by a shift in tone. For example, Are you going to the library?(low-then-high on word library) but if u wondered which of two persons agreed to get the list of books, the same words would have a different emphasis Are you going to the library?, and the tone for you would be rather deep which is different from the first question. Jack and Willy (2002) introduce other problems in English pronunciation .Firstly, difference between spelling and sounds. There are lots of words in English language which have silent letters. Therefore, most Asian students specifically Pakistani students pronounce these silent letters unknowingly which make them mispronounce the words. For example, knowledge, kneel .These two word have k silent letter which they should not pronounce it at all. Secondly, multiple sounds of the same letters are also one of the issues that encounter Asian adult students. This mean there are many letters and combinations of letters which produce numerous sounds at different place. For instance, the letter c produces two sounds like s and k (e.g. circle, car) and also ch letter produce three sounds as ch,k andsh. Factors affecting the English pronunciation of Asian students: The effect of native language: Every language in the world has different accent and varsities is true that non native speakers speak the target language in a different way. Sometimes, they speak highly different than native speakers of English do. Avery Ehrlich (1987:9) calls the foreign accent the nature of which is determined to a large extended by a learners native language. Then, native language of speaker may influence on the pronunciation of the target language. Jack and Willy(2002: 184) states that the way we speak is a part of our identity ,that is, phonemic differences between language cause, a target language which will be spoken with a foreign language. Some Asian students specifically Turkish adult students have difficulty in some English sounds or words that are not exist in their first language. For example, the sounds/ÃÆ' °/ and / ÆÅ ¸/ are not exist in Turkish language which lead Turkish students to face difficulty to pronounce these sounds when they speak English. So they produce these sou nds under the influence of their first language. Then, the influence of native language is inevitable. 2-The factor of age: This is the most important factor in learning English pronunciation. If someone wants to pronounce a foreign language with a native like accent, he/she should start to learn it during his/her childhood. For example, children who start learn English language in foreign language speaking people environment. As a result, they have more advantage than the children who learn the second language in their motherlands. Krashen (1988) mentions that people who expose their second language during childhood, they achieve higher foreign language proficiency than those who beginning as adults. It seems that age is the main factor which effect on adults English pronunciation. They are difficult for them to learn English language after puberty. Therefore, it is better to learning it in short run and should be started in puberty. Phonetic Ability: According to Jack and Willy (2002) pointed out that some people who have a good ear, they have the ability to discriminate between the two sounds accurately. So, learners phonetics ability affects the development of their pronunciation. Kenworthy(1987) believes that the influence of age is an efficient factor for phonetics ability. Because it is so difficult for adult students to have more ability in pronunciation than immigrants children who start their learning process in a second language speaking environment. 3-The Amount Exposure: Many non native speakers have not opportunity to practice the English language in their motherlands. English also do not only used in the classroom. If the learners live in an English- speaking country, the learners will have opportunities to listen and speak with native speakers of English. Conversely, there will no advantage for learners if they live in a non English speaking country. Kenworthy (1987) insists that exposure can be a contributory factor but it is not necessary factor for developing adult learners pronunciation. Learners should make use of it is opportunities, if they are aware of the necessity of being exposed to the second language. If the learners do that, they will be more successful in case of improving their pronunciation. 5- Personality and Attitude This factor affect the pronunciation of most Asian adult students in a bad way if the learners have negative attitudes for the English environment .learners or they are introverted students. From my own experience as a student in the UK, I am one of the students who are introverted or shy. Therefore, I usually do not take part in classroom activities; seminars and tutorials .Whereas extrovert students have more chance to improve their pronunciation. Brown (2001) states attitude of the students toward the new language have an effective role in pronunciation learning. Also, if the learners have a good attitude for the target culture, they can develop their pronunciation accurately. If the learners have some prejudices on the second language and its society, this event will influence their approach to the language. It is clear that these above factors are effective in the learners pronunciation and also exert much influence on the adult learners. So, teachers play a significant role for helping adult learners to develop their English pronunciation. Also, they should pay attention to the students concern for pronunciation because they are not aware of the way that they speech. Therefore there are lots of methods and types of teaching English pronunciation which help Asian adult students to overcome the difficulties of it. They will also help them to acquire an accurate pronunciation and improve their speech. Solutions to surmount the difficulties of mispronunciation among Asian adult students:- Teaching pronunciation:- Jigsaw: Pennington (1996) maintains that jigsaw is a form of information gap. Students work in pairs or small group to exchange their information. They try to combine words with each other to create sentences. These sentences consist of words that the learners have difficulty to pronounce these words. For example, in the word rise which has the letters s that they must pronounce it as z and producing /raIz/ e.g. I was surprised that the raisings rise! B-Tongue Twister: This kind of activity helps adult Asian students to say difficult words and phrases so quickly. Celce-Murcia (1987:55) stress that there is a little transfer from practice to natural information. But, if it is needed and necessary, they can be used. Example: Paul piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. 2-Drilling Techniques There are lots of drills which helps adult Asian students to improve their English pronunciation. They are very useful for teaching the correct pronunciation of the words and sentences. A- Saturation drill Wong (1987) proposed it is vey suitable for all position of the problematic sound. For instance, the sound /s/ as a problem sound. It can be drilled in its three positions Initial media final See leasing peace Seem clinic purse Substitution drill Dalton (1994) says that this drill can be applied by substituting any sound instead of other sound. For instance,/t/ sound instead of /ÃŽÂ ¸/ and /d/ in place of /ÃÆ' °/( e.g. this is thin/tin.) It is clear that there are other ways helps learners to overcome difficulties of pronunciation .First, media which give to the students positive advantage especially when they watch standard English news channel like BBC. Second, is practice. Students should practise English with native speaker or non native speakers of English to improve their English speaking Conclusion: To sum up, teaching pronunciation is one of the important areas of foreign language teaching. Most overseas students especially Asian adult students encounter troubles when they try to communicate with native speakers of English. Then, communication should be the primary purpose of language learning and teaching. One crucial part of effective communication for Asian adult students to grasp is: comfortably intelligible pronunciation. They have certain difficulties such as produce correct sound and recognition of English sounds, understanding of stress and intonation, difference between spelling and sounds and other problems. Therefore, it should be studied in the early age (from puberty) to eliminate these problems and also to overcome the negative influence from the first language interference. Teachers must be a ware of the techniques which help students improve their pronunciation according to their age, ability, needs, attitudes and expectations. Count words (3200) Classroom Implications: Appendix I: Generally, pronunciation is really complicated process in foreign language teaching. There are some of sounds which have similar sounds but have different meanings. This can be causing much confusion to the learners. Therefore, most ESL students have problem with English pronunciation when they speak English. From my own experience as a teacher in Libyan secondary school, I used several ways to teach pronunciation which can be benefit all learners. Firstly, introducing phonemes .because the biggest problem that faces them is the distinguage between sounds. For example, in the words fat, mat, cat, sat, the letters /f/, /m/, /c/, /s/ are the phonemes which are the beginning letters of these words. Phoneme makes the distinct difference between similar words. After that, students listen and repeat these different sounds and then identify them. For the best result, I introduce phoneme in pairs. (e.g. the /f/ and/v/ sounds).They listen and speak them and also repeat simple words like( fat- vat)Secondly, practicing phonemes for making the sound accurately. I drew pronunciation diagrams on the blackboard because they help them to know how to hold the tongue and lips. For example, the sound /th/ in #the word this and thank. Anxiety is usually common among students when they lean pronunciation. Then, I usually use some verbal games such as, handclap rhythms and jazz charts which can help them to improve their speaking and relieve much of pressure. Appendix II: Students listen to audio recordings and they practice what they hear because recordings get them attuned to stress, intonation, pitch and phonological distinctions. For example: Listen and say what word you hear: is it from column (a) or column (b)? Some words are unusual. a b 1 Port Bought 2 Pack Back 3 True Drew 4 Fast Vast 5 Thank Than 6 East Easy 7 Please Pleasure 8 Ship Chip 9 Choke joke Appendix III Word stress and intonation Listen and mark the stressed syllable. Daughter- orbit-planet- computer- meaning- handle-homework- hospital derision. 2-Read these sentences and mark the pauses with / and mark the intonation pattern with à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ and à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å". 1- People who look different from others in some way are interesting. 2- The one who looks bored is my sister. 3- The latest design, with CD player is very expensive. 4-A tidy, conventionally decorated room with everything in its place is boring.

BCG Matrix and the Product Life Cycle Essay

Introduction: The BCG Matrix and the Product Life Cycle are two important tools that relate to different aspects of a product’s performance: †¢The BCG looks at market share and market growth and how they impact on cash usage and generation. †¢The PLC looks at sales/revenues over time and levels of profitability. Boston Consulting Group (BCG) Matrix Businesses must keep their product offerings relevant and profitable to stay in operation. The Boston Consulting Group developed a tool, called the BCG matrix, for categorizing a firm’s products in relation to the overall product life cycle. Product life cycle is based on the observation that products develop, similar to animals, through distinct phases of maturity that differ in amount of resources required and produced. The BCG matrix places each product a company offers according to the growth rate of the business and the relative market share the product controls. Identifying which quadrant of the BCG matrix a product offering falls into provides valuable guidance to management about the future of that product Stars Products that enjoy a high relative position in terms of market share in a growing market are referred to as stars. They require large investments to maintain the market share, but often produce enough revenue to cover their expenses. Firms should make it a top priority to maintain the market share of products in the star quadrant of the BCG matrix to increase sales. As the product enters maturity, and growth rates decline below 10 percent, maintaining market share will require less investment, yet produce similar revenue, and become cash cows. Cash Cows Cash cows produce substantial profits for their companies because they require little investment to maintain their high share of the market. Managers should divert profits from cash cows to help defend market share of star products, develop new products for emerging markets, or turn struggling products around. While cash cows often provide the largest profit margin in a company portfolio, firms interested in maintaining long-term profitability must invest in defending and creating star products that will become cash cows` Low market-share products that show low growth are referred to as  dogs. Managers should minimize the number of dogs in the product portfolio. While many managers seek the challenge of trying to turn a dog product around, additional scrutiny should be given to any investment in dog products. Firms should decide whether to find a niche in the product’s market to control or divest from the product entirely to free up resources for more profitable ventures. Question Marks The most troubling quadrant on the BCG matrix is filled with products in high-growth markets that control relatively weak positions within their markets. These products, called question marks, require large investments to develop. Even with substantial funding, a question mark product is at a disadvantage due to the fierce competition in high-growth markets. Managers should consider the likelihood and means of increasing market share, such as specializing in a niche market, before allocating additional resources to question marks. If a question mark is unlikely to capture a niche market or stand out against the better established competition, the firm should divest to increase its overall profitability Some limitations of the BCG matrix model include: †¢The first problem can be how we define market and how we get data about market share †¢A high market share does not necessarily lead to profitability at all times †¢The model employs only two dimensions – market share and product or service growth rate †¢Low share or niche businesses can be profitable too (some Dogs can be more profitable than cash Cows) †¢The model does not reflect growth rates of the overall market †¢The model neglects the effects of synergy between business units †¢Market growth is not the only indicator for attractiveness of a market There are probably even more aspects that need to be considered in a particular use of the BCG model Product Life Cycle (plc) The product life cycle has 4 very clearly defined stages, each with its own characteristics that mean different things for business that are trying to manage the life cycle of their particular products. Introduction Stage – This stage of the cycle could be the most expensive for a company launching a new product. The size of the market for the product is small, which means  sales are low, although they will be increasing. On the other hand, the cost of things like research and development, consumer testing, and the marketing needed to launch the product can be very high, especially if it’s a competitive sector. Growth Stage – The growth stage is typically characterized by a strong growth in sales and profits, and because the company can start to benefit from economies of scale in production, the profit margins, as well as the overall amount of profit, will increase. This makes it possible for businesses to invest more money in the promotional activity to maximize the potential of this growth stage. Maturity Stage – During the maturity stage, the product is established and the aim for the manufacturer is now to maintain the market share they have built up. This is probably the most competitive time for most products and businesses need to invest wisely in any marketing they undertake. They also need to consider any product modifications or improvements to the production process which might give them a competitive advantage. Decline Stage – Eventually, the market for a product will start to shrink, and this is what’s known as the decline stage. This shrinkage could be due to the market becoming saturated (i.e. all the customers who will buy the product have already purchased it), or because the consumers are switching to a different type of product. While this decline may be inevitable, it may still be possible for companies t o make some profit by switching to less-expensive production methods and cheaper markets The relationship between the BCG Matrix and the product life cycle The horizontal axis of the BCG Matrix represents market Shareand the vertical axis indicates anticipated market growth. The corporate business is divided into four categoriesthey are cash cows, stars, question marks, dogs. The product life cycle is a new product progresses through a sequence of stages from introduction to grow, maturity, and decline. The four categories of corporate business correspond to the four stages of the product life cycle (1) Question marks businesses correspond to the introduction stage of the product life cycle. Question marks businesses are in an attractive industry but hold a small market share percentage. In the introduction stage the firm seeks to build market share rapidly build product awareness and develop a market for the product. (2) Starts businesses correspond to the growth  stage of the product life cycle. Start businesses are in a fast-growing market, and hold a dominant share of that market. Their contribution to cash flow depends on their need for resources. In the growth stage, the firm seeks to build brand preference and increase market share. Market share tends to stabilize. (3) Cash cows businesses correspond to the maturity stage of the product life cycle. Cash cows businesses in this generate large amounts of cash but their prospects for future growth are limited In the maturity stage, the market reaches saturation. The primary objective is to defend market share while maximizing profit. (4) Dogs businesses in this category do not producer consumer much cash. However they hold no promise for improved performance. In decline stage there is a downturn in the market as sales decline discontinue the product liquidating remaining inventory or sell off. The difference between the BCG Matrix and the product life cycle †¢The corporate business is divided into four categories from two aspects of market share and anticipated growth rate however the product life cycle is divided into four stages from two aspects of sales and time. †¢The BCG Matrix can roughly judge enterprise’s overall operating conditions but the product life cycle only reflects the market performance of a single product. †¢The BCG matrix mainly studies the allocation and use of corporate resources, but the product life cycle mainly studies the use of the product marketing strategy. †¢ The BCG matrix can reflects corporate a variety of different business conditions, but the product life cycle can not reflects all businesses and product in the curve

Discuss the dramatic significance of Feste in Twelfth Night

â€Å"Feste is an observer. He sees through people. Though he's a kind of entertainer, who will only perform for money, what he chooses to sing to people is intentionally relevant. People find the truth very hard to deal with: ‘†¦Peace, you rogue†¦here comes my lady'. This story shows people avoiding the truth at every level; Feste's insight† Ben Kingsley on Feste: Twelfth Night by Trevor Nunn Fool. Clown. Words incessantly linked to someone who isn't taken seriously. This is the case with Feste. For example, ‘fool' in King Lear was constantly being threatened with hangings and beatings, but this was only as he was a ‘witty fool'. Again, with Feste in Twelfth Night, who also is threatened with hangings, due to his absence. Feste doesn't fear this threat, and in fact makes a joke of it; mocking Maria and using a sexual pun at the same time, e.g. ‘many a good hanging prevents a bad marriage' This confidence comes from the fact that it wasn't their job to simply provide amusement, but to also make critical comments and provide advice, as Olivia asks him: ‘What's a drunken man like, fool?' and since he is an ‘allowed fool' he was able to say what he thinks, without fear of punishment: ‘there's no slander in an allowed fool'. Feste and Olivia have the most personal relationship, as Feste knew her father. Olivia uses Feste as a friend, advisor and joker. She says ‘Take the fool away†¦y'are a dry fool', signalling she has no use for him as he cant amuse her, but accepts him when he is humorous, ‘†¦doth he not mend?' She seeks out ‘What's a drunken man like fool?' and once answered, she immediately acts on it: ‘Go thou and seek†¦' Feste is connected only to Olivia's household. The audience are told ‘Lady Olivia's father took much delight in him' and after a long journey, it is her household that he retreats to, and her reference to his ‘fooling growing old' gives the impression of him being around for a long time-a time for which they have been friends. Read this – Puns in the Importance But he also has the ability to distance himself from everyone, such as ‘living by the tabor': unsociable, and the way he speaks; ‘I go†¦' ‘I will', ‘I can yield'- he doesn't need assistance. Moreover, he is constantly mocking people with puns and soliloquy-playing the part of the fool-but his interaction is again limited by the way he is always exiting scenes- 1:v, 3:i and 2:iv. As well as being comic, Feste is probably the most perceptive character in the play. He comments on people in ways other characters over look, whether be their appearance or their ‘mind'. For example, in Act ii: iv, he point blank tells Orsino what he thinks of him, saying his ‘mind is very opal' and ‘the tailor make thy doublet of changeable taffeta' (a silk which changes colour). The joke here is Feste telling Orsino that he is very fickle and has a very changeable mood, so changeable that he should have matching clothes. These mood changes echoes lines, ‘Enough; no more†¦' where Orsino sings to us of his love sickness. Feste goes on to say that he is so changeable that he would sail around the world to justify purposeless busyness and courage. Feste hardly knows Orsino, who in turn scarcely knows Feste, but for Feste to cast this view shows his perceptiveness. This view is so accurate, that it leads Orsino to make Cesario go to Olivia's and tell her that his love is ‘more noble than the world'. Furthermore, he suspiciously notices Viola, and is the only one to start suspecting her, ‘send thee a beard' he says, hinting that he knows of her ‘such disguise'. Feste's perception was reinforced in Trevor Nunn's production of Twelfth Night, where- at the end of the play- Feste gives Viola a necklace, A necklace she abandoned in Act 1:ii -on the seacoast, showing he has always known of Viola's situation and was always playing along, again showing his nature. Feste's Language: The sophisticated way Feste speaks allows him to climb the social ladders of Illyria and be able to talk with Lord Orsino, Sir Toby and Fabian. Which becomes significant when he is able to get himself out of situations or even to make other people react, which may otherwise be tricky and use his language skills to make mockery. Such as the ‘the more fool, Madonna, to mourn for your brothers soul†¦' This scene is the first with Feste, and he has proved to the audience that he is nowhere near being a ‘fool'. So far from it, in fact he has proven someone of a higher social status to be one! This echoes the quote ‘there is no slander in an allowed fool': that- even though Olivia is in mourning for her brother and father- fools would be allowed to make these daring jokes. However, Feste has proved two things here, the first is that he is not ‘dry' and the second that he can provide the humour if is someone does ‘minister occasion to him' or invites him to ‘make that good'. Another key figure of Feste's language is his uses of Latin. The few times he talks and refers in Latin are in the presence Olivia or Orsino, again proving his versatility of talking appropriately with people and it also demonstrating his education to the audience. All his Latin sayings convey messages. For example, the first to Olivia: ‘cucullus non facit monachum', referring to an overriding theme in the play; don't judge by outward appearances, prepares her for his foolery. Another Latin reference is to Orisino in Act 5. ‘Primo, secundo, terito is a good play†¦' although simply begging for a third coin he does it in such a manner, that he deserves it. Feste's songs do hold a dramatic function, which change depending on the scene: they hold meaning and are sung for a reason. Such as when Feste asks, ‘would you have a love song or a song of good life?' The choice reflects the audiences' and the characters' mood at this current moment in the play, or as he said in his final song ‘†¦And we'll strive to please you every day.' Feste's songs seem to have a significant meaning, either used to create dramatic effects or represent/ echo his feelings about a situation in a scene. In Act 2, Feste sings ‘Come away, Come away, death†¦', a melancholy song to Orsino about a lover who dies for love, which echoes Orsino's mood and his situation. The listener can read into this as Orsino being the lover and Olivia being the ‘maid', making sense as the lover is ‘slain'. The words that are used mirror what Orsino has already said, such as ‘My part†¦share it' hold similar meaning to that in ‘If music be the food of love†¦' Orsino then immediately acts on the song and tells Viola/ Cesario to go to Olivia's. This is one example of the role of Feste; do we value what he says or laugh at what he says? Orsino valued what he said (we know this as he sends Viola to go to Olivia and tell her ‘that nature pranks her in attracts my soul not her money'). However, after the song is finished, Feste casts a point blank insight of Orsino, which creates tension, especially with the use of words like ‘corpse', ‘pain' and ‘†¦bones shall be thrown'; words that are associated with death. Causing a melancholy atmosphere in the scene. It's as if the song(s) introduced the sadness, and set the way for Orsino and Viola to discuss love, ‘Our shows†¦will' and ‘pang of heart'. Here's a good example of the dramatic significance of Feste- creating tension. With the next scene starting in comedy, the drama in each scene seems heightened due to the immense contrast. Feste's appearance in the play is held off until act 1:iv. His contribution to the play is revealed through: â€Å"Wit, an't be thy will†¦a foolish wit†. Indicating Feste's presence is not merely comic relief through foolish acts and show that the role of the fool requires much intelligence, or being a ‘wise man', ‘a church man' or someone has all their wits about them: ‘I wear not motley in my brain'. Feste's most significant song comes at the end. He is left alone on stage to sing it- that seems unusual as he's always sung for people. The situation might echo his actual feelings present in the song: loneliness, toleration, and rejection. In Trevor Nunn's version, the song was evidently melancholy which I felt this was a good insight as it draws a logical link to pathetic fallacy: ‘the rain it raineth every day' and ‘wind'. The sense of journey through the song is reinforced with links of Viola and Sebastian's journey- which ends in ‘lovers meeting' The meaning of this epilogue suggests that every person goes through life, with its vicissitudes, but he/she must remember that ‘it raineth every day' or there is always unpredictability. Feste's contribution to the themes of love is essential to the understanding of the play's messages. The clown's most profound comments often take the form of song: ‘O mistress mine, where are you roaming?†¦Youth's a stuff will not endure.' It's in this song where we could possibly see Feste uncovering Viola and dictating the whole play. ‘Trip no further, pretty sweeting;' where the ‘pretty sweeting' may be Viola, and the ‘wise man's son' is Feste. If this is so, then it suggests that Viola-Orsino may end up as ‘lovers'. This song is performed due to the requests of Sir Toby for a â€Å"love-song†, which plays on the events of Twelfth Night itself by echoing the cheerfulness of this play and how the uncertainty of ‘what's to come' shouldn't be a negative prospect as ‘in delay there lies no plenty'. Feste foresees events that will occur later in the play, when he speaks of journeys ending â€Å"in lovers meeting,† he hints at the resolution in which characters are married. At the end of the play, Shakespeare provides an epilogue, like other plays, such as A Midsummer Night's Dream and All's Well That Ends Well. However, unlike these, Feste sings it. The song is about Feste growing up, about being tolerating in childhood, rejected in adult hood, unsuccessful in marriage and drunk in old age†¦but nothing really matters, the actors will always try and please- talking directly to the audience. A slight re-iteration of the song: ‘What is love†¦youth's a stuff will not endure', telling the audience that we should enjoy the present because the futures is as unpredictable as the weather: it could be good e.g. Viola-Orsino and Sebastian-Olivia, or it could be terrible e.g. Malvolio. Feste's ability to gain gender specific favour is distinct when encouraging Sir Toby to indulge in ridiculing Malvolio: ‘O no, no, no, no, you dare not' (where an Elizabethan audience would of received ‘no, no, no, no' and ‘yes, yes') -no matter their social status. The reiterating it: ‘four negatives makes your two affirmatives'. His sexual puns, such as ‘he that is well hung†¦' would have gone down well with the men too. Feste can use word play, or puns, at specific points in the play to make the audience laugh or even add to the tension so far. A good example is in Feste's first scene: ‘he that is well hanged in this world needs to fear no colours'. The first interpretation of this pun is the word ‘colours' which can mean enemy or war. So, logically, someone who is already dead can't fear. However, an Elizabethan audience could have heard it as ‘collars' (hangmen's nooses) so they don't fear them. The Elizabethans enjoyed such punning jokes, and with Maria threatening Feste with death, and then Feste making the whole audience laugh, the dramatic significance of Feste is apparent. The role of Feste: Feste's intuition is comparable only to the perception of Viola. As both characters are involved in both houses (Orsino's and Olivia's) they rival each other in their knowledge and putting their wits against each other. Namely Act 3:i, where, they both delight in using word play, ‘a sentence is but a cheveril glove to a good wit-‘ and later Viola saying ‘I understand you sir', showing him that she is just as clever. Viola seems to be the only character that recognises Feste's true intelligence: â€Å"This fellow is wise enough to play the fool†¦quite taint their wit†. Exhibiting Viola's awareness of Feste's ability to read people in order to say the right thing at the right time. Through this keen observation by Viola, she is acknowledging that may seen through her own disguise. Although Feste never openly claims to know of Viola's deceptive dress, it is indicated that he might be on to her: â€Å"Now Jove†¦send thee a beard†. Feste's ability to control the audience becomes apparent wherever Shakespeare wanted to portray thoughts or morals, as he would make Feste tell the audience puns or songs. In Act 1:v, he says: â€Å"many a good hanging prevents a bad marriage† communicates as if you are well ‘hung' then you need not love, and if we look back, to Act 1, the Latin quote refers directly to how Shakespeare felt- therefore reinforcing Shakespeare's values. Therefore, it is possible that Feste was the voice of Shakespeare, and if Shakespeare wanted to make the audience happy, for dramatic effect or other, then he might use Feste to sing a song, When Feste says lines 359-354 in Act 5:i, he quotes the things that Malvolio has said, and a feeling of ‘what goes around comes around' is created. The putting down of Malvolio would of been particularly enjoyed by the audience, because of his puritan no-fun nature, and therefore have a very comical affect for them. The plot in Twelfth Night is convoluted. So fools might of been used in this play; to underline and reinforce important parts of the plot for the audience, and make their songs and folly draw parallels to the play. In Twelfth Night, Feste sings to Malvolio ‘†¦She loves another'. Feste has seen through Malvolio and knows of his affection for Olivia, and crudely tells him there is no likelihood for him, moreover, he already must know of Olivia's affections for Viola. The fool in ‘King Lear' informs King Lear of the goings behind his back, where he is oblivious to them, but even though he is informing the king, the audience may of also received the message. Conclusion: The ‘Twelfth Night' was known as the â€Å"Feast of Fools†, which is very similar to â€Å"Feste the Fool†. Making it extremely significant, as the Feast of Fools was a time where a â€Å"Lord of Ridicule† was appointed. An Elizabethan audience would of received this (intentional) similarity and therefore see Feste as this Lord of Ridicule. If Feste were this lord, then he would become the master of the household, for this short holiday period, and organise dances, folly, pranks and deceptions, in order to entertain the rest of the household. If which case, it would explain Feste's songs, drunkenness and of course dressing up as Sir Topas- all roles similar to that of a fool. Ironically, Feste is the only person not to be seen as the fool. Olivia is the fool, as she has fallen in love with a woman, Orisino is seen the fool, because Viola has tricked him into thinking she is a man. Sir Andrew comes across as the fool because of his foolish remarks, like taking the word ‘ass' literally and believing ‘Pigrogromitus'. Malvolio is the fool for dressing up in ‘yellow†¦cross-gartered' stockings In conclusion, what makes the audience happy is the same thing as that which makes them sad, and Feste accomplishes this flawlessly. With his irony, puns, soliloquy, his songs and criticisms- he directs the play in a moving omniscient manner.

Remote Sensing Overview, Types, and Applications

Remote sensing is the examination of an area from a significant distance. It is used to gather information and imaging remotely. This practice can be done using devices such as cameras placed on the ground, ships, aircraft, satellites, or even spacecraft. Today, data obtained through remote sensing is usually stored and manipulated with computers. The most common software programs used for this include ERDAS Imagine, ESRI, MapInfo, and ERMapper. A Brief History of Remote Sensing The science of remote sensing began in 1858 when Gaspard-Felix Tournachon first took aerial photographs of Paris from a hot air balloon. One of the first planned uses of remote sensing in its most basic form was during the  Ã¢â‚¬â€¹Civil War when messenger pigeons, kites, and unmanned balloons were flown over enemy territory with cameras attached to them. The first government-organized air photography missions were developed for military surveillance during World Wars I and II. However, it was during the Cold War that remote sensing was most widely used. This field of study has developed since its beginning to become the highly-sophisticated method of indirect information acquisition that it is today. Satellites were developed during the late 20th century and are still used to gain information on a global scale, even about planets in the solar system. The Magellan probe, for example, is a satellite that has been using remote sensing technologies to create topographic maps of Venus since May 4th of 1989. Today, small remote sensors such as cameras and satellites are used by law enforcement and the military in both manned and unmanned platforms to gain information about an area. Other modern remote sensing methods include infra-red, conventional air photography, and Doppler radar imaging. Types of Remote Sensing Each type of remote sensing is differently suited for analysis—some are optimal for closer scanning and some are much more advantageous from great distances. Perhaps the most common type of remote sensing is radar imaging. Radar Radar imaging can be used for important safety-related remote sensing tasks. One of the most important uses is for air traffic control and weather detection. This can tell analysts whether adverse weather is on its way, how storms are progressing, and Doppler radar is a common type of radar that can be used both to collect meteorological data and by law enforcement to monitor traffic and driving speeds. Other types of radars can create digital models of elevation. Lasers Another type of remote sensing involves lasers. Laser altimeters on satellites measure factors like wind speed and the direction of ocean currents. Altimeters are also useful for seafloor mapping as they are capable of measuring bulges of water caused by gravity and seafloor topography. Varied ocean heights can be measured and analyzed to create accurate seafloor maps. One particular form of laser remote sensing is called LIDAR, Light Detection and Ranging. This method measures distances using light reflection and is most famously utilized for weapons ranging. LIDAR can also measure chemicals in the atmosphere and heights of objects on the ground. Other Other types of remote sensing include stereographic pairs created from multiple air photos (often used to view features in 3-D and/or make topographic maps), radiometers and photometers that collect emitted radiation from infra-red photos, and air photo data obtained by satellites such as those found in the Landsat program. Applications of Remote Sensing Uses for remote sensing are diverse but this field of study is mainly conducted for image processing and interpretation. Image processing allows photos to be manipulated so that maps can be created and important information saved about an area. By interpreting images obtained through remote sensing, an area can be closely studied without anyone needing to be physically present, making the research of dangerous or unreachable areas possible. Remote sensing can be applied to various fields of study. The following are just a few applications of this continually-developing science. Geology: Remote sensing can help map large, remote areas. This makes it possible for geologists to classify an areas rock types, study its geomorphology, and track changes caused by natural events such as floods and landslides.Agriculture: Remote sensing is also helpful when studying vegetation. Photographs taken remotely allow biogeographers, ecologists, agriculturalists, and foresters to easily detect what vegetation is present in an area as well as its growth potential and conditions optimal for survival.Land-use planning: Those studying land development can apply remote sensing to studying and regulating land usages over wide expanses. The data obtained can be used for city planning and the modification of the environment more generally.Geographic information system mapping (GIS): Remote sensing images are used as the input data for raster-based digital elevation models or DEMs. Air photos utilized through GIS can be digitized into polygons that are later put into shapefiles for mapmaking. Because of its varied applications and ability to allow users to collect, interpret, and manipulate data from inaccessible locations, remote sensing has become a useful tool for all researchers regardless of concentration.