Text Linguistics Essay Example for Free

Text Linguistics Essay Module I. Classificationally meaningful characteristics of the text as an integral and independent object of investigation. Lecture 6. Conceptual variability of linguistic interpretations of the text essence and status and their reflections in the models of the text descriptions. Problem for discussion Evolution of the text description approaches. Models of the text descriptions. Grounds for the chosen models and schemes of the text descriptions as a scientific object. It has already been mentioned that despite the fact that there are many publications devoted to problems of text linguistics. There does not exist an adequate definition of the text that would find satisfaction with all researchers. The difficulties that arise when trying to work out an universally acceptable definition of the text can be explained by the fact that scholars study the text in its various aspects : grammatical, stylistic, semantic, functional and so on. The text can be studied as a product ( text grammar) or as a process (theory of text). The text-as-a-product approach is focused on the text on the text cohesion, coherence, topical organization, illocutionary structure and communicative functions; the text-as-a-process perspective studies the text production, reception and interpretation. Text can be understood as an instance of (spoken or written) language use ( an act of parole) , a relatively self-contained unit of communication. As a â€Å"communicative occurrence† it meets seven criteria of textuality (the constitutive principles of textual communication): cohesion, coherence, intentioanality, acceptability, informativity, situationality, and intertextuality and three regulative principles of textual communication: efficiency, effectiveness and approapriateness.(cf. de Beaugrande and Dressler 1981, Maljaer 1991) 1. Regular Principles of Textual Communiction. The principle of efficiency requires that a text should be used with a minimum effort hence the use of plain ( stereotyped and unimaginative)  language. Which, however booring and unimpressive, is easy to produce and comprehend. In contrast, effectiveness presumes leaving a strong impression and the creation of favourable conditions for attaining a communicative goal; this presupposes the use of creative ( original, imaginative) language which, however effective, may lead to communicative breakdown. The principle of appropriateness attempts to balance off the two above mentioned principles by seeking an accord between the text setting and standards of textuality. Common text features. Some common text features found in books are Table of Contents, Glossary, Index, Bold Words, Headings and Titles, Maps, Diagrams, Illustrations and Charts. Why is Understanding Text Features an important reading strategy? Text Features help us to identify the big ideas and topics that the author is focusing on. Visual text features such as maps and charts help to support the information the author presents in the text. How do we use text features to help us understand what we are reading? Before reading, preview the kinds of text features throughout the book. Think about what the big ideas the author wants you to remember. Make sure to read captions Functional Classification  The functional classification identifies illocutionary text types according to the type of the dominating illocutionary act (see 10.2): representative or assertive type (e.g. research reports, public notices, administrative texts, weather forecasts, diaries, CVs, lectures), directive type (e.g. commands, orders, invitations, instructions, directions, giving advice), expressive type (e.g. apologies, thank-you notes, greeting, condolences, compliments, toasts, congratulations), commissive type ( e.g. promises , pledges, swears, offers, vows, contracts, bets), declarative or performative type (e.g. , nominations, appointments, dismissals, accussations: I find you guilty as charged, marriage ceremonies, testaments, certificates). Texts viewed from this perspective satisfy diverse communicative needs of the society members. Situational Classification  The situational classification sorts out texts according to the sphere of activity (e.g., private, official or public, such as a private letter, a  letter addressed to an institution) and form of communication (dialogical and monological, spoken and written texts). Strategic Classification  The strategic classification deals primarily with the topic and the ways of its expansion 9 the term slohove postupy is used in Slovak stylistics to denote macrocompositional principles, cf. Mistrik 1997): narrative, descriptive, and argumentative.

Analytical Response to Male Pregnancy Essay -- Science Technology Essa

Analytical Response to Male Pregnancy Male Pregnancy by Dick Teresi and Kathleen McAuliffe support that the technology and the demand for male pregnancy will be possible in the future. They specifically state that, "Someday a man will have a baby". They have written this article in an attempt to show why they believe this will one day become accepted and widely practiced. However, I disagree with Teresi and McAuliffe. I feel male pregnancy will never be freely practiced or accepted by any means. Teresi and McAuliffe start out their article by explaining what their general idea is for male pregnancy to occur. They state, "What we're talking about is implanting an embryo into a man's abdominal cavity, where the fetus would take nourishment, grow to term, and be delivered by an operation similar to a cesarean section. Already, this idea seems illogical to me. As a result of a man being pregnant, there must be a cesarean section to remove the baby. Even for women, this is a risk doctors prefer to avoid if possible. It puts the mother at a much greater risk of injury or death as well as the baby. Going to great lengths to make a man attempt to do something that has a high risk seems foolish when the same results can be achieved naturally with a much lower risk. Slightly further into the article Teresi and McAuliffe discuss how a researcher, Dr. Cecil Jacobsen, injected a fertilized egg of a female baboon into the abdominal cavity of a male baboon. He then states that "with very moderate chemical support, the male baboon was able to carry the pregnancy toward term". Again this goes back to the fact that women can go through the process of child birth natural in most cases. However, for a male to car... ...erring to why they would not want to carry a baby in the summer but any other time is okay. It is not just themselves they are affecting if the operation and procedure is a success, it is also the child who will have to grow up in a society where everyone else's mother is a female, but his mother is dad also. Overall, I felt Teresi and McAuliffe's arguments for pursuing the technology of male pregnancies is not strong enough to actually do further research in the area. I feel that females are biologically established for birth where men's bodies naturally can not give birth. It seems illogical to try to change a system that has worked so well for so many years. If there is a technology dealing with birth that should be researched it should be increasing the safety of it, not a step backwards since the abdomen is a much more dangerous and illogical way.

Internal and external forces that impact organizational behavior Essay

Most organizations have a focus on where they are going to be in a given time, this is often known as strategic planning. The organization’s mission covers various areas of interest including the service expected as well as the upkeep of the organization to attract potential customers. It is known to most companies where they are going; often all employees can view and read the philosophy of the mission statement, it is also placed in an area easily accessible for that purpose. A mission statement also leads to the vision of the corporation, more on a long-term basis thus, providing a pathway by doing marketing research in the market of interest. To keep ahead of the competition the mission must be implemented as well as trying new methods of operation. The vision must be able to measure with the value of the organizational operation in specific areas of interest such as customer service and employee relations. As mentioned earlier these areas can be measured via surveys, this will allow areas, which need improvement to be easily corrected. There is an area of interest and it is the value of the organization’s mission. Without the vision and value, the organization lacks foundation. The value counts for how much this organization is to each individual, whether customers or employees. The level of care and interest; as well as, input and output to get the correct value for the improvement of the organization. Organizational behavior is described as the study of group or individual dynamics within an organizational environment (Wikipedia, 2004). A company’s work environment is created and produced by the groups or the individual people who work within it. Employees often find themselves conforming to their ever changing environment. The economics of the world has a significant influence on both the modern business and the organizational behavior of that business. For any company to be successful, it is crucial to understand the elements that can affect the economy that supports its business. The economy can be affected by many different kinds of issues or measurements, like the interest rate, inflation rate, and employment rates. The businesses of the twenty first century face the trials of functioning in a global or multinational market. Each business will labor intensely to locate the markets in the world that offer the best  services for the least costly prices. These same companies know that worldwide events will affect all businesses. On the other side of the economy, there are the companies that offer services and products, which struggle to achieve the premium positions in the market. They are willing to transform and change their organization to meet the challenges of the changing marketplace. The organizational changes are often initiated from the top and trickled down through the ranks. The changes can range from the way selections are fulfilled to decisions made. Jobs are often redefined. People employed for these restructuring businesses can find this to be painful, but necessary for their company to succeed (Randolph & Sashkin,2002). Companies that are negatively affected by the economy could show signs of opportunity constraints. This could cause the organizational behavior to change and become less concerned with profits and more focused on surviving or moving on to a more secure location. Listed below are some of the businesses that have changed from the past goods mentality to the modern times of offered services. They have fundamentally revised their businesses from companies that had a foundation in trading merchandise to businesses that now supply services. These services are offered by companies like AOL, Cross Country Group, AT&T, Cox Services, Clarion Hotels, and many more (Lusch et al., 2004). However, these changes in business now bring competition to the table. This can forcefully affect the economy in any country. Many countries offer cheaper labor and tax breaks by offering outsourcing services. Some on the companies mentioned before have already taken advantage of the cost-effective changes, by moving part of their business overseas (Chip shots). In the call center environment today, there is an abundance of competition. The competition lies within the call center itself; in addition, there is rivalry with other call centers. For instance, Tucson happens to have approximately between twenty to twenty-five call centers in the area alone. The call centers compete with each other for the associates, by offering better pay, more flexible schedules, and superior benefits to try to convince people into working for them. People tend to jump from one call  center to another, which may be offering something that the other one is not. They also compete with each other technologically, trying to be up to date with the latest and greatest computer programs, having the best quality and customer service. Call centers also compete for industry awards. Within the call center there can be major competition between departments and employees. Employees compete for, job advancement, call handling time, and quality. Call centers are infamous for offering incentives. Centers are always trying to improve on their statistics and be the best, and the way they do this is by offering the employee incentives to motivate them to perform at the highest possible level. Incentives might range from money bonuses, televisions, DVD players, vacations, and they have actually given away cars. Not only do call centers have incentives monetarily they also like to recognize good performers by giving them awards, thus a big factor of competition ensues. Associates like to see who can get the most awards, best quality certificates or who can get the most pictures on the board. Departments may compete to see who will have the best attendance for the month, or the best attrition rate. Upper management might even challenge the Human Resources department to a friendly game of volleyball, just to keep things lively and motivate even the toughest of management. Customer demands can directly affect organizational behavior in a business. These demands can be stressful and challenging and may create a series of issues that may well lead to harmful affects or end results that could negatively and directly affect an organization. Internal and external forces of customer demands can affect behavior in an organization in several ways. External forces, such as stress in an employee’s personal or home life may cause a series of effects on their quality of work. A demanding or unremitting workload accompanied by inadequate staffing to support a hefty seasonal increase in business, in addition to a person’s distressed personal state of mind, can cause the external and internal affects to collide with one another creating a precarious wind of disarray in the workplace. These combined forces have a real impact and can negatively affect and weigh heavily on an employee;  ultimately affecting the organization. Consumer demands are usually just that- demands. The business of consumer assistance may not always result in supplying what the customer thinks they deserve. Sometimes these demands may be justified; yet, more often than not, these requests are simply unrealistic. Ultimately the end result may be advising a consumer that they have exhausted all requests and will not be receiving what they want or what they think they are entitled to. Worse yet, if they indeed will be receiving what they want, they may not be receiving as expeditiously as they may be insisting upon. These demands and effects on the members of staff can lead to, or include a loss of sleep; consequently, leading to lack of overall productivity, loss of an ability to remain focused on work or the task at hand; hence, leading to mistakes or inadvertent poor judgment. Additionally, the external stressors may cause one to react indifferently or antagonistically toward their co-workers or customers; as a result, generating a negative work atmosphere and unavoidably leading to providing poor customer service, or an overall deficient quality of work. Some Internal forces that might have an influence on organizational behavior could include: an overbearing boss or superior, or a person placed in charge of a group of employees that may not necessarily be an adequate leader. A manager or superior that is inconsistent with the enforcement of policy or discipline amongst employees can be very bad for morale. Workers may notice these types of inconsistencies in an insufficient manager and they may take offense to the preferential treatment given to a select few. When workers are filled to capacity with a constant flow of consumer demands, insufficient staffing, and heavy workload, the result may be inevitable – a less than positive or productive environment producing an overabundance of negative organizational behaviors. Change is the only dependable constant. Methods to produce success are created on a daily basis. In order to maintain success within any  organization it is necessary to research new practices that will accommodate these changes. When the time comes to reorganize a company it is important to make sure the new strategies match the values of the company. It is important that every person at each level of employment understand how their role affects the company. The benefits of reconstructing an organization may not be initially evident; however, the long-term benefits will be realized through the company’s success. The strategies for obtaining success within any organization have changed throughout time. In a call center environment, reconstruction is very frequent. All shareholders of the organization are taken into consideration when these decisions are made. The representatives speaking to the clients are the most valuable assets to the company. It is necessary for the company to offer a competitive benefits package that attracts prospective employees; as well as, provides incentive to retain talent. There are many call centers that need positions to be filled. Matching pay, benefits, and other employee needs with competitive employers is a large task. Once an employee is hired, it then becomes a challenge to maintain that employee’s interest. It is very common for a person to obtain employment in a call center, acquire experience, just to move on to another center. Every position in the company plays an important role in contributing to the company’s success. Surveys are often used to determine the needs of the representatives in order to enhance the company’s performance. The results will assist the upper management with making decisions on how they can make their employees happier, while increasing or maintaining productivity. It is very common for a call center to work in a team environment. These teams usually consist of the front line representatives, team leaders, and supervisors. The front line representatives are the first contact the consumer will encounter. The team leaders are those who exhibit exceptional skills in handling those client’s concerns. The supervisor is responsible for ensuring that the people in those positions continue productivity while  supporting the company’s goals. They are many internal and external forces that impact organizational behavior. Reconstructing, organizational mission, economy, competition, and customer demands are examples of the many effects that can move, create, and drive organizational behavior.

Geicos Modified Rhetorical Approach - 1226 Words

Geico’s Modified Rhetorical Approach Geico Insurance Company is known for using humorous and absurd mascots as a main selling point in their advertisements. Mascots that Geico has used in the past include the infamous Geico gecko, with the mysterious accent and the Geico caveman who seemed to be a jack-of-all-trades. Geico has recently taken a new approach to advertising their insurance. Authors of Geico commercials have recently introduced their newest mascot, Mike McGlone, a well-known actor, to play the role of pompous reporter. Through the use of their new character, Geico is able to able to reach their target audience of anyone that is uninsured by Geico. Geicos new technique of advertising is based on a heavy use of the pathos appeal to play on the audience’s emotions while using lesser amounts of ethical and logical appeals. This new strategy has proven to be a very effective method of marketing. The Geico commercial takes place in a dentist’s office where a dentist is performing a cleaning for a patient while watching television. When a Geico Commercial appears on the TV, the dentist is seemed surprised to hear that, â€Å"15 minutes could save you 15 percent or more on car insurance†. The patient in the room responded as if the information was common knowledge and that a majority of people would be aware of Geico’s 15-minute ad. The patient comment acted as a confirmation to validate Geico’s mission statement. The educated dentist felt foolish in front of his patient