Deborah Tannen’s Theory Essay

In contemporary society biological factors are no longer the sole components that distinguish men and women. Rather anything from clothing or hairstyles to make-up or accessories can indicate specific messages about an individual. According to Deborah Tannen, women are more frequently considered marked beings in our society while men have fewer clothing or style options and are therefore free to remain unmarked. Although Tannen argues that it is possible for men to remain purely â€Å"unmarked† her assertions do not hold up well in a changing world. Because the term â€Å"marked† is a social construction, it is not possible to remain completely unmarked, as styles and trends repeatedly change with different ages, generations, and geographic locations. In her study Tannen reveals that among four women and eight men present during a business meeting the women had several more features to observe compared to one another. However, Tannen’s conclusions seem partially invalid for her findings are based on only one particular event. In a business-like environment, it is more likely to find conservatively dressed men with less notable markings than women. Even though women may not only be identified based on their apparent style but also how they choose to present themselves. (i.e. Baggy clothes vs. tight clothes, make-up vs. no makeup). In general, Tannen’s findings appear questionable mainly because her approach when defining a â€Å"marked† individual seems limiting. For example, Tannen would call a man wearing a shirt a marked individual. However, it is quite common for men in Scotland to wear skirts. Without ever considering these geographic differences, Tannen makes bold assumptions based on her own biases. When speculating a specific sub-culture such as the generational â€Å"rave†/dance culture, Tannen’s argument holds no validity. Clearly both men and women in this culture wear similar styles of clothing and accessories that are in essence, uni-sex. While piercings and jewelry might â€Å"mark† a man in society such stylistic choices are considered quite common and acceptable among â€Å"ravers†. Similarly women who wear baggy clothes and baseball caps are not â€Å"marked† as less feminine than those who wear tighter clothes and make-up within this sub-culture are. According to Tannen, â€Å"each of the women at the conference had to make decisions about hair, clothing, make-up and accessories and each decision carried meaning†¦. men can choose style that are marked but they don’t have to, and in this group none did.† (231-2). Although Tannen makes the distinction between the style of men and women at a business conference, she fails to mention that their age and field of work influences what should be â€Å"marked vs. unmarked† and what styles appear appropriate vs. inappropriately. Clearly, Tannen states that all four women are marked yet some are considered more severely marked and judged than others are. Specifically, the women with the long, blond, hair, dressed in tight clothing and heels were more severely marked in Tannen’s eyes. However, Tannen never mentions that in another profession, such as the entertainment or fashion industry, the women style might be considerable less marked than an individual dressed more simple and conservatively. In conclusion, the assumptions that Tannen makes in her article infer that men in society can remain unmarked. Although men are objectified and sexualized less than women this does not mean that they are not in the public eye. Tannen’s view on today’s â€Å"marked† society is based truly on her opinion. She omits geographical, generational and age differences when making her conclusion.

Traditional Chinese Houses essays

Traditional Chinese Houses essays Chinese architecture is most famous for the Great Wall of China. However, there are many other remarkable structures. Chinese houses reflect a tradition of craft and symbolism that echoes that of Chinas great monumental architecture. Besides showing the connection between architecture and daily life of Chinese people in the past, they also reveal Chinese cosmology and beliefs in concrete and practical terms. Housing is the first response of human. As human must regularly lie down to sleep, and most of us sleep deeply enough to become oblivious to our surroundings, a safe sleeping place is very important to us. Houses do not only provide the shelter, they also provide spaces for us to cook our food, store our properties, have some leisure and care children There are many types of Chinese houses. Some examples are northern houses, southern houses, subterranean or cave housing and courtyard houses. Most Chinese houses share some common features. The ridgepole of most houses is arranged in an east-west direction. The facade is then oriented so that the doors and windows face south. This is for maximum light and warmth. Besides, according to Confucian principles, parents, their unmarried children, their married sons with their families all live under the same roof. Therefore, in one house there might be four or five generations. Rich families have servants who live in the house, too. North China is a region of continental climate in which there is great disparity between summer and winter temperatures, with ranges usually exceed 30C. Rainfall is generally below 50 millimeters and is concentrated mostly in the summer. Dry winter winds together with spring dust storms pummel much of the region from the north and north-west for more than six months of each year. The typical north Chinese rural dwelling is a small one-story rectangle with a depth of only a single room that responds well to th...

Nuremberg Trials essays

Nuremberg Trials essays After World War II, the victorious Allies launched an indictment against 24 individuals with a variety of crimes, including the deliberate instigation of aggressive wars, extermination of racial and religious groups, murder and mistreatment of prisoners of war, and the deportation to slave labor of hundreds of thousands of people living in countries occupied by Germany during the war. Among the accused were Nationalists Socialists leaders Rudolf Hess, and Hermann Goring. These trials lasted from November 20, 1945 until October 1, 1946. Most of the evidence was gained by the prosecution from the Allied forces after the collapse of the German government. The trials lasted over 3 years and the effects they had on the world were astounding. Although the Allies claimed they would give the accused a fair and just trial, but the trials were biased and unjust. The Nuremberg Trials were biased acts of vengeance, were the rules and laws were not followed, and only the Nazis were accused. After the war, each one of the countries on the Allied side had their own idea of how to deal with the Nazis. Stalin suggested that they should have trials, but thought everyone was guilty and should be shot. Then there would be no point in a trial because it would just be the slaughtering of whom ever was convicted. He also wanted to do this because he could say it was fair, because he gave them a trial. Churchill even said that they should just be lined up and shot. Since the leaders of the Allies were saying such things as this, it is obvious that the trials were bias. Especially since the Allies ran the trials and each allied country had its own persecutors. All the judges at the trials came from the victorious countries as well. Most of the judges were American or Russian. So there wasnt even a difference of opinion when deciding the fate of these peoples lives. It was a very one-sided trial. During the trials, the Americans ...

spelling pronunciation - definition and examples

spelling pronunciation - definition and examples Definition The use of a pronunciation that is based on spelling rather than in accordance with a words conventional pronunciation, such as the increasingly common pronunciation of the once-silent letters t and d in often and Wednesday, respectively. Also called over-enunciation.D.W. Cummings notes that spelling pronunciations are more typical of American English than British English, perhaps because of the national predisposition among Americans to follow the written word more than the spoken (American English Spelling, 1988). The converse of spelling pronunciation is pronunciation spelling: the creation of a new spelling form on the basis of pronunciation. See Examples and Observations below. Also see: Allegro SpeechDivergent SpellingSlurvianWanna Construction Examples and Observations Words borrowed from French such as hour, honour, and honest came into English without an initial [h] as did hospital, habit, and heretic, but the latter have acquired an [h] from the spelling. The word herb is pronounced with an [h] and without one (the latter mainly in the US), and though hotel has an initial [h], one still sometimes hears an (h)otel. . . .The traditional pronunciation of forehead is forrid, but it is common nowadays to hear fore-head, particularly in the US. This is an example of reversing a sound change on the basis of spelling. . . .Many people believe that the spelling is a guide to the correct pronunciation and argue, for instance, that it is wrong to include an intrusive r in the idea of it or I saw him, because there is no r in the spelling.(Barry J. Blake, All About Language. Oxford University Press, 2008) Spelling Pronunciation and Language ChangeSpelling pronunciations are one symptom of the shift from the aural to the visual bias. . . . A sampling of spel ling pronunciations provided by [Fred] Householder includes the following, all of which have modern pronunciations that are closer to their spelling than were their older, traditional pronunciations: yesterday, Wednesday, diphtheria, diphthong, harass, kiln, victuals, conch, draught, certain, author, yes, housewife, gold, bomb, jaunt, laundry, sewer (1971, 252-53).Though underestimated, spelling pronunciation is an important and respectable factor in language change. . . . It seems likely that something like spelling pronunciation was part of the process that led to the leveling of dialect differences in late Middle and Early Modern English. Michael Samuels says that the evolution and spread of standard English in the 15th and 16th centuries was primarily through the agency of writing, not speech (1963, 87).(D.W. Cummings,  American English Spelling: An Informal Description. The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1988) Middle English Spellings and Contemporary PronunciationsSome words have not yet been accorded spelling-pronunciation, the words choler, debt, doubt, receipt, salmon, sceptre, victuals retaining the pronunciation better suggested by the Middle English spellings colere, dette, doute, receite, samon, ceptre, and vitailes. Words of a more literary flavour, e.g. victuals, are now occasionally heard with a spelling-pronunciation, and condemnation of such pronunciations as ignorant will probably not prevent their ultimate universal acceptance.(D. G. Scragg, A History of English Spelling. Manchester University Press, 1974) Pronunciation SpellingA pronunciation spelling is a spelling that more closely reflects the pronunciation of a given word than the words traditional spelling does. Over time the new spelling may become as acceptable as the original spelling, as is the case with the pronunciation spelling bosun for boatswain. Many writers use pronunciation spellings, as wanna for want to o r talkin for talking, to convey speech.(The American Heritage Guide to Contemporary Usage and Style. Houghton Mifflin, 2005)

Group-Work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Group-Work - Essay Example After the experiment was over, members of Group A and Group B were asked to reflect upon their experiences and share them with the rest of the class. On one hand, members of Group A said that factors that helped them win the contest included friendship among the group members, assignment of roles and responsibilities to one another with mutual consensus, mutual respect and harmony among the group members, and good use of time because of lack of conflicts. On the other hand, members of Group B said that factors that obstructed their way to success included but were not limited to lack of understanding of the group members, interpersonal conflicts because of differences of views and opinions, and the waste of time because of assignment of roles to incompetent group members. Members of Group B were further asked to suggest ways to improve the effectiveness of their group since they had had a bad experience working as a group. They said that it is very important for the group members to take some time at the start to understand one another's strengths and weaknesses in general and those related to the task assigned in particular. This might not apparently seem a very good idea since it is a little time-consuming and exposes the weaknesses of the group members along with their strengths, but it saves a lot of time and energy in the long-run that is otherwise wasted when the weaknesses show up at the eleventh hour. The process can be as simple as conducting a meeting on day one.

Deforestation and the effects on the environment with philosophical Case Study

Deforestation and the effects on the environment with philosophical theoretical issues - Case Study Example The specific social changes that are responsible for most of the environmental degradation are linked with rapid population growth, the proliferation of national and international trade leading to opening up of more markets due to increased demand and hunger for profits and major changes in land tenure systems that lead to the concentration of land. Traditional mechanisms were aimed at sustainable use of the environment. Since the days of the early man, nature was what guided man (Dharam, 1994). In fact, for the first civilization to exist, they had to adapt to the environment. Much has changed since those days as today, the reverse is true. Human beings no longer seek to adapt to the environment but rather seek for the environment to adapt to their needs. The insatiable need for energy has led to massive deforestation, mining and the use of unclean energy sources. These facts have led to the current infamous conditions generally referred to as global warming that is accelerated by t he emission of greenhouse gases into the environment (Gardiner, 2004). The trend does not seem reversible in the near future as there are very few viable alternatives to those causing harm to the environment and which humans can harness to the same magnitude as the unclean sources. The hunger for more energy is not the sole cause of environmental degradation. On the contrary, social inequalities on the lines of influence, material wealth and gender have been mentioned as part of the contributors to this dangerous trend. Environmental deterioration is not a light matter. In fact, there are numerous numbers of people who bear the blunt for the damage done to the environment. These effects may be manifested in the health, livelihood and well-being of the victims. Pollution and natural resource depletion can be in terms of soil erosion which robs the soil of its mineral contents and renders it infertile hence unable to sustain plants, deforestation which entails the cutting down of the very vegetation that is responsible for the purification of air and formation of rainfall and the depletion of both plant and animal species which inadvertently occasions an imbalance in different ecosystems (Munasinghe, 1993). When these occurrences happen, people are forced to change their ways in a bid to adapting to the new conditions. Consumption and production patterns are affected. The changes that lead people to change their income generating activities, to migrate and reorganize their entire livelihoods ultimately lead to the change in social structures (Vivian & Ghimire, 1990). The transformations usually have a ripple effect on other societies and the result is that more pressure is put on the existing natural resources. For example, a family that is dependent on electrical energy for their domestic usage in rural areas and who experience a dip in their disposable income will be forced to result to more economic sources of energy. This might lead them to adopt firewood an d coal as their primary source of fuel. Naturally, these alternatives are part of the environment and as such, more pressure on the already dwindling natural resources. Discussion Many people simply refer to deforestation as the depletion of forests. The Food and Agriculture Organization which is a department of the United Nations refers to deforestation as â€Å"complete clearing of tree formations (closed or open) and their replacement

Digital multi-channel communication system Lab Report

Digital multi-channel communication system - Lab Report Example Immediately, the US embarked on a dominant move to out-compete the Russian mission and conquer the space. In a period of about ten years the exploration gathered the momentum. First; Alan shepherd went capricious in a Mercury shell while Genn John moved the globe 3 times in 1962 and finally Neil Armstrong set base on moon in 1969. Wilson S.K & Cioffi J (1991) Since this period, a mood of findings has been subdued over time, yet satellite has been relaying information from around the globe that has been termed as newsworthy. Satellite is an object that runs around a bigger object the reminiscent of a planet. The moon is a natural satellite, man on the extreme end has launched millions of satellites in space and they revolve around the Earth. The satellite consists of the broadcasting antenna, radio receivers as well as transmitters that enable the satellite to correspond with one or more opinion stations, known as control axis. Communications relayed to the satellite from a soil level are unlinked; messages transmitted from the outpost to Earth are down connected. Satellites have silver plates that recharge the power source stored in batteries. Some satellite uses fuel energy that changes compound energy into electricity. There are satellites that run on nuclear energy. Miniature propellers offer outlook, elevation, as well as forward mot ion parameters to develop and alleviate the satellite’s site in space. To supplement climate monopoly onboard, energy is needed. Specialized configurations accomplish the errands dispersed to the satellite. These mostly incorporate sensors competent of photographing a variety of signal lengths. Whereas ecological satellite demands optics, telecommunications satellites don’t. Ecological satellite remits statistics in binary format on a computer that translates the same numbers into geometric images. Gerven S.V and Compernolle D.V (2000) Communication satellite is a radio transmitter antenna that