Teaching English as a second language Essay Example for Free

Teaching English as a second language Essay Language is said to be a system in which the combination of sounds form words and the combination of words form sentences for a representation of knowledge is determined by a system of rules. And these rules are applied in the construction of words and sentences. One of the basic principles of learning a second language is to use it as soon as possible in our everyday life activities. This is made clear to the learner and the teacher makes effort to see to it that the language is learned, despite the many interference phenomena in the process. Nigeria is a multilingual and multi-cultural country. It has been estimated that over 400 indigenous languages exist in the country. This multiplicity of languages in Nigeria was compounded with the advent of the colonial masters who introduced and implanted the English language in Nigeria. It has become part of the system to the extent that instead of the continous struggle required to meet up with the standard set by the native speakers , a Nigerian variety has emerged. It is now regarded as a Nigerian language. The English Language in Nigeria enjoys a prestigious status, having a high premium placed on it as the national Lingua franca, It is the Language of administration, trade, commerce and industry, inter-ethnic relationship. It is the language of integration and instruction in schools and above all the language of national Unity as well as international communication. Apart from functioning as the language of integration here in Nigeria, Yate (1992) has observed that ‘ of more notable importance is the increase in the international and technological function of English Language as the dominant language of the Cyber cafà ©, and the most used language in the internet. It is also an elitist language. We now live in an ICT globalised world in which English is the medium of interaction between individuals and nations. According to Babajide 2002: â€Å"For any nation particularly in the third world to be relevant and derive the maximum benefit from the opportunities that abound in every area of human need, for personal advancement and national development, English is a ‘sine qua non’. He further stated that up  till now the country is still faced with the dilemma of selecting an indigenous language that will foster national unity. As the debate continues, Prof. Afolayan bring s out the important place of English when he said that â€Å"It is unrealistic for anybody in Nigeria today to think that National unity can be forged in the country without recourse to the utilization of the English Language†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. It has been the language of political entity itself and also the language of its politico- economic unification and administration. Further more the fact that it is now functioning as the language of Nigerian Nationalism cannot be denied.† Multilingualism and English in Nigeria The first Nigerian National anthem acknowledges the existence of indigenous languages ‘though tribe and tongue may differ in brotherhood we stand†. Nigeria is a typical multi-lingual country in which minority languages which are very many live side by side with the major languages. The country is not only the melting pot of African socio-political and linguistic realities but also the meeting point of divergent and convergent views on minority languages and language policy. Multilingualism is a sociolinguistic phenonmenon that arises as a result of language contact. It is a situation in which two or more languages operate within the same context. Factors such as political annexation, marital relations, economic transactions, cultural association, educational acquisition and religious affiliation bring about multilingualism. All these factors underpin the socio-political landscape of Nigeria today even though the combination of political and economic transaction or exploitation originally brought the people referred to as Nigerians today in contact with the English people. The coming of English colonialist in the 18th Century brought about â€Å"Linguistic imperialism†a situation in which â€Å" the minds and lives of the speakers of a language are dominated by another language to the point where they believe that they can and should use only the foreign lanugauge when it comes to transactions dealing with the advanced aspects of life such as education,philosophy, literature,government and the administration of justice.† So inspite of the fact that English is foreign, it has become a language that has helped to weld together the many people that constitute Nigeria.

Sociohistorical context of UFO conspiracism Cold War tensions :: Essays Papers

Sociohistorical context of UFO conspiracism Cold War tensions More than one analyst (e.g. Jung 1991, Peebles 1996) has noted that UFOs, whatever their true age, only really took off as reports, folklore, and entertainment during the Cold War. They fit into a general pattern of tension and confusion concerning such things as national identity, global security, and human survival. Carl Jung, writing when the contactee phenomenon was reaching a crescendo, emphasized the "space messiah" theme in UFO reports and entertainment. Our more evolved elders were here to save us from ourselves. In the 1970s, abduction reports began to bring home the idea that alien contact may be more for the aliens' benefit than anything. And now, from its position at the heart of US ufology and its firm position in contemporary entertainment, alien abduction exerts an influence making an alien and/or government collusion plausible to many people. Themes of literature and movies Tensions from the great global political contest of the second half of this century formed the subject of much news and academic output, but were also at the core of a great deal of entertainment. We can see this in sci-fi movies from this era: "The Day the Earth Stood Still," in which nuclear weapons testing provokes stern warnings from our galactic neighbors; "This Island Earth," where Earth scientists are forced to help their alien counterparts in a losing battle against an unseen enemy; "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," interpreted as either a McCarthyite warning of Communist infiltration of a denunciation of McCarthyism; and even the many monster movies like "Them" with its giant ants, comments on the destructive effects of heedless technological tampering with nature. Science fiction was not alone in discussing fears about invasions from outside or betrayals within, but it was perhaps the most effective genre in projecting these fears onto the increasingly vast and impersonal s creen provided by scientific views of the cosmos. Actual cover-ups It also bears repeating that, during this period, public confidence in institutional authorities was repeatedly shaken, not least by several actual government cover-ups. Projects of questionable ethical or pragmatic import undertaken by various government agencies under the cloak of "national security" did not always remain secret. A few, like the notorious MK Ultra and Cointelpro psychological control programs, confirmed fears that the government was not above experimenting on its own citizens to achieve its goals. But there were also such exposed cover-ups as the Watergate break-in, the Iran-Contra exchanges, and the eventual confirmation that atmospheric nuclear weapons tests in Nevada had deadly effects on uninvolved citizens downwind.

An Account of the Purchase of a Television Set in Singapore

CASE 5 : AN ACCOUNT OF THE PURCHASE OF A TELEVISION SET IN SINGAPORE Question 1 : What are the different stages in the buying process for a television set? What critical stimuli or events drive each stage? The buying decision process is a basic psychological process. This process plays an important role in understanding how customers make their buying decision. In this case, the consumer are planning to purchase a bigger television set, which can be placed in their living room, while the current television will be moved to their bedroom.Referring to the case, there are five different stages in the buying process for a television sets which are problem recognition, information search, evaluation of alternatives, purchase decision and post purchase behavior. STAGE MODEL| DESCRIPTION| a) Problem recognition| * The buying process is start with problem recognition. A need can be activated through internal and external stimuli. * As a consumer, they have to recognize a problem occurred and the needs of the new television set.In this, the external problem occurred when her parent in law decided to move in with them. The purpose of buying new television is to give more appropriate environment and to avoid conflicts with her parent in choosing the television programs. Besides that, it is to give a better perception to the relative. While the internal stimuli derived when * Their budget for the new television set is RM 1300 only. | b) Information Search| * After problem recognition, the consumer tries to solve it and gathers the sources and information about the television set.There are four consumer information sources which is : i) Personal sources ( family, relatives, friends, neighbors etc) ii) Commercial sources (advertisement, salesman, dealers) iii) Public sources (mass media, consumer rating organizations) iv) Experiential sources (handling, examining, using the products) * In this case, they have started browsing a newspapers and magazines, browsing an internet and website to compare the different models available in market. In order to get more information, they also get a recommendation from their friends and colleagues.Besides that, they also make a visit to the household shop to learn about the product specifically. | c) Evaluation of alternative| * After collected the information, the consumer have to clarify and evaluates the alternatives that they find out. First, they have to clarify a need of a new television set. * In this case, they plan to have a new television set when their parents decided to move in to their house. This is to avoid conflicts with their parents in choosing the television programs and to give a better perception to their family. Besides that, they have to look at the benefit from the product selected. As a consumer, they have to choose which television will give more benefit to them and can satisfy their needs. | d) Purchase decision| * Evaluation behavior leads the consumer to form a ranked set of preferences . In making buying decision, they will consider a few factors which is a) Attitude of others such as husband, family, relatives, friend. b) Anticipated situational such as expected family income, expected total cost of the product and the expected benefits from the product. ) Unanticipated situational as look or manner of the salesman * In executing a purchase intention, the consumer have to make up five sub decision : a) Brands, b) Dealer c) Quantity d) Timinge) Payment method (cash or credit card) * At this stage, the consumer has to choose either JVC 29† flat screen or Panasonic 29†. * For JVC 29† flat screen, the television set was came with four years warranty, special discounts of 15% and will get a free gift; JVC VCD worth of S$180. The model also has a futuristic look and matched with their furniture. However, the price was slightly higher than their estimated budget. While for Panasonic 29†, the television set was come with one year warranty, no free gift and the price was lower from their budget. * Finally, after evaluate and considering all the factors and recommendations, they have decided to purchase the JVC 29† flat screen model although the price exceeded their budget. | e) Post purchase behavior| * After buying and trying the product, the consumer will feel some level of satisfaction or dissatisfaction and the level of satisfaction depends very much on the expectation and the product’s perceived performance. In this case, the consumer is very satisfied and happy with the television set because it matches up to her expectations. | Question 2 : What are the social and psychological factors influencing the buying process for a television set? In the buying process of a television set, there are social and psychological factors that will influence the consumer. The social factors influences customer buying decision includes culture, subculture, social class, reference group and family. Culture is the set of beli ef, attitudes and behavior patterns shared by members of the society and transmitted form one generation to the next.For example, most of the Singaporeans will spend much of their free time at home watching television. So the television set is an important household appliance for every family. Reference group includes a variety of groups that effect consumer behaviors through normative compliance. In this case, reference group that influencing them in buying process are referring to family consist of husband, wife, parents and relatives. While the psychological factors influencing the buying process of a television set are motivation, perception, learning and memory.Motivation will drive a person to act in achieving their needs. In this case, the consumer has many needs such as privacy, esteem, belongings and discomfort. In achieving their needs, the consumer will collect all the information and evaluate the alternative that they find out in choosing the best television set. Questio n 3 : What lesson can be learnt for the marketing of television sets from understanding the consumer buying process and influences? Perception is the process when the consumer select, organize and interprets information.In this scenario, the consumer has been influenced by the salesman about the quality and performance of the television set after he explained the features and functions of the different models. The features of the message and the way it is communicated was influenced the consumer perceptions. Learning involves the changes in an individual’s behavior arising from the experience. In this case, the consumer has learned from the salesman/salesgirl behavior, such as when they went to the Courts, no salesperson entertain them and at the Electric City & Best Connection, the sales person failed to give the best services to her customer.These bad experiences have change the interest of the consumer to buy television set with them. Memory is all about the information an d experiences that have been encounter as they go through their life. In the stages of the buying television set, the consumer will influence with the famous and high quality brand of television in Singapore. In the marketing of television sets, understanding the consumer buying process is very important. As the marketer, they must identify needs, wants and demands of the consumers. They also have to consider all the buying process factors and try to provoke the feeling of risk in the consumer perception.

Essay on Why Homeschooling is Better Than Public School

Alternative to Public Schools Switch on the TV and you are sure to find a negative news item about public schools: violence, teenage crime and a low level of knowledge are often mentioned among the problems related to many public schools, especially in depressed areas of big cities. Terrified with the perspective of their child growing up in this kind of surrounding, many people seek for an alternative from of education. Homeschooling seems one of the options, but what are its advantages and disadvantages if compared to public schools? The main positive point of homeschooling is that parents can control the surrounding and eliminate negative influence. Not being bullied, many children find the educational process fascinating. Another positive point is that working with a child individually means the possibility to identify his/her preferences and talents. These areas can be developed with a bigger emphasis and provide a good basis for the future career. Moreover, the studying process is actually not so time-consuming, as it is easy to grasp the attention of a child and it does not involve so much stress, as there are no marks and the only thing that matters is the successful completion of tasks. However, homeschooling has its potential dangers. Limited communication opportunities can influence the ability to adapt to the society, make friends, learn compromising and negotiating. Moreover, parents may find it difficult to invite teachers with experience and a profound knowledge of academic disciplines to ensure high academic results. So, homeschooling is a good alternative for those parents who want to protect their children from the negative experience they may gain in public school, but are they really the ideal solution? Unfortunately, not, and the choice of the form of education must be made by each parent taking into account all pros and cons.