Monday, March 9, 2020

The Large, Meat-Eating Dinosaurs

The Large, Meat-Eating Dinosaurs Few issues in paleontology are as confusing as the classification of theropodsthe bipedal, mostly carnivorous dinosaurs that evolved from archosaurs during the late Triassic period and persisted until the end of the Cretaceous (when the dinosaurs went extinct). The problem is, theropods were extremely numerous, and at a distance of 100 million years, it can be hard to distinguish one genus from another based on fossil evidence, much less to determine their evolutionary relationships.   For this reason, the way paleontologists classify theropods is in a state of constant flux. So, Im going to add fuel to the Jurassic fire by creating my own informal sorting system. Ive already addressed tyrannosaurs, raptors, therizinosaurs, ornithomimids and dino-birdsthe more evolved theropods of the Cretaceous periodin separate articles on this site. This piece will mostly discuss the big theropods (excluding tyrannosaurs and raptors) that Ive dubbed the saurs: allosaurs, ceratosaurs, carnosaurs, and abelisaurs, to name just four sub-classifications. Here are brief descriptions of the classifications of large theropods currently in (or out of) vogue: Abelisaurs. Sometimes included under the ceratosaur umbrella (see below), abelisaurs were characterized by their large sizes, short arms, and (in a few genera) horned and crested heads. What makes the abelisaurs a useful group is that they all lived on the southern supercontinent of Gondwana, hence the numerous fossil remains found in South America and Africa. The most notable abelisaurs were Abelisaurus (of course), Majungatholus and Carnotaurus. Allosaurs. It probably wont seem very helpful, but paleontologists define an allosaur as any theropod more closely related to Allosaurus than to any other dinosaur (a system that applies equally well to all the theropod groups listed below; just substitute Ceratosaurus, Megalosaurus, etc.) In general, allosaurs had large, ornate heads, threes of allosaurs include Carcharodontosaurus, Giganotosaurus, and the huge Spinosaurus. Carnosaurs. Confusingly, the carnosaurs (Greek for flesh-eating lizards) includes the allosaurs, above, and is sometimes taken to embrace the megalosaurs (below) as well. The definition of an allosaur pretty much applies to a carnosaur, though this broader group includes such relatively small (and sometimes feathered) predators as Sinraptor, Fukuiraptor, and Monolophosaurus. (Oddly enough, as yet theres no genus of dinosaur named Carnosaurus!) Ceratosaurs. This designation of theropods is in even greater flux than the others on this list. Today, the ceratosaurs are defined as early, horned theropods related to (but not ancestral to) later, more evolved theropods like tyrannosaurs. The two most famous ceratosaurs are Dilophosaurus and, you guessed it, Ceratosaurus. Megalosaurs. Of all the groups on this list, megalosaurs are the oldest and least respected. This is because, early in the 19th century, pretty much every new carnivorous dinosaur was assumed to be a megalosaur, Megalosaurus being the first theropod ever officially named (before the word theropod was even coined). Today, megalosaurs are rarely invoked, and when they are, its usually as a subgroup of carnosaurs alongside the allosaurs. Tetanurans. This is one of those groups thats so all-inclusive as to be practically meaningless; taken literally, it includes everything from carnosaurs to tyrannosaurs to modern birds. Some paleontologists consider the first tetanuran (the word means stiff tail) to have been Cryolophosaurus, one of the few dinosaurs to be discovered in modern Antarctica. The Behavior of Large Theropods As with all carnivores, the main consideration driving the behavior of large theropods like allosaurs and abelisaurs was the availability of prey. As a rule, carnivorous dinosaurs were much less common than herbivorous dinosaurs (since it requires a large population of herbivores to feed a smaller population of carnivores). Since some of the  hadrosaurs  and  sauropods  of the  Jurassic  and  Cretaceous  periods grew to extreme sizes, its reasonable to conclude that even the bigger theropods learned to hunt in packs of at least two or three members. One major topic of debate is whether large theropods actively hunted their prey, or feasted on already dead carcasses. Although this debate has crystallized around  Tyrannosaurus Rex, it has ramifications for smaller predators like  Allosaurus  and  Carcharodontosaurus  as well. Today, the weight of the evidence appears to be that theropod dinosaurs (like most carnivores) were opportunistic: they chased down juvenile sauropods when they had the chance, but wouldnt turn up their noses at a huge  Diplodocus  that died of old age. Hunting in packs was one form of theropod socialization, at least for some genera; another may have been  raising young. The evidence is sparse at best, but its possible that larger theropods protected their newborns for the first couple of years, until they were big enough not to attract the attention of other hungry carnivores. (However, its also possible that some theropod kids were left to fend for themselves from birth!). Finally, one aspect of theropod behavior that has received a lot of attention in the popular media is cannibalism. Based on the discovery of the bones of some carnivores (such as  Majungasaurus) bearing the tooth marks of adults of the same genus, its believed that some theropods may have cannibalized their own kind. Despite what youve seen on TV, though, its much more likely that the average allosaur ate its already-dead family members rather than actively hunting them down for an easy meal!

Friday, February 21, 2020

Summary of the film -- the flowers of war Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Summary of the film -- the flowers of war - Essay Example In 84th Academy Awards, the film was selected as the best foreign language film though it never made to the final list. The film also was nominated for the sixty-ninth Golden Globe Awards. The Awards of sixth Asian film presented this film with several nominations including the Best Film. The distribution rights in North America were acquired which led to qualification to Oscar limited where it was released in Los Angeles and San Francisco in 2012. In 1937, Japan invaded China, which led to beginning of the Second Sino War of Japan. The Imperial Japanese army overrun the Nanking the China’s capital city in December where they carried a systematic and brutal massacre in Nanking. The Chinese Army was overpowered by the invading Japanese Army, the desperate school-going girls fled to the protective walls of the convent at Western Roman Cathedral. At this place John Miller, who an American mortician was tasked with burying the priest met with the schoolgirls (Yan and Harman 55). He found a boy there by the name George, who was an orphan, rose by the dead priest and had some English proficiency. The boy was an age mate to most of the girls. After a short while a group of prostitutes came to the Cathedral, they took refuge where they hide in the cellar. Miller pretended to be a priest and tried to make everyone safe as he repaired the convents truck and used it to escape. After an incident when the Japanese forces assaulted the cathedral, Japanese Colonel promised to secure the Cathedral by placing some guards outside the gate and requested the students to sing the chorale for him. He later gave Miller an official invitation for the girls to go and sing at the Japanese Army celebration for their victory, but he feared their safety he declined. The Colonel told Miler that it was an order and that they were to be picked

Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Homeopathy degree-Anatomy & Physiology module- Written assessment Essay

Homeopathy degree-Anatomy & Physiology module- Written assessment - Essay Example 33). However, some plausible risk factors which should be looked at before diagnosis are genetics and aging. A patient with the disease might have inherited it from their mothers. The malady has been suggested to result from changes in chromosomes or genes. Therefore the patient’s history on this malady should be well established based on the medical pedigree, (Cooke & Trickey 2002, pp. 50). The disease is commonly experienced by women aged around 25 to 35 years old as well as women in postmenopausal age. Post menopausal women are characterized by high levels of aromatase and the hormone progesterone resistance. However, it should not be a surprise if it is reported in young girl of age 11, (Garcia-Velasco & Rizk 2010, p. 19). Some of the complications which might be realized apart from infertility related to scars formed in the process of endometriosis and due to release of cytokines and other chemical agents which interfere with reproduction are chronic pelvic pains and endometriomas (large cysts). All these defects might be related to treatment procedure such as hormone treatment which might result in release of the said chemicals and some medical implants done during surgery which may block gastrointestinal tracts. Generally the referred red flags are the age, severity of the disease, genetics and probably the reoccurrence of the disease as a complication. (Storck 2 011, p. 1) Hormone treatment: Hormone treatment is done to improve symptoms such as painful menstruations, painful intercourse and painful pelvic by suppressing endometriosis. The drugs administered t break the cycle of incentive and bleeding includes progesterone pills or injections, gonadotropin and danazol (Stops the production of estrogen by the ovaries), contraceptive pills (prescribed for mild endometriosis in young women), and mirena coil (reduces the amount of blood flow during menstruation), (Tulandi & Redwine 2004, p. 31). Surgery can be pelvic

Tuesday, January 28, 2020

The Pros and Cons of Airport Privatization

The Pros and Cons of Airport Privatization I. Executive Summary Airports have evolved mainly as government-run enterprises. Now, many airports seek privatization in part to improve their abilities to compete in the new global economy. The manner of ownership covers a wide spectrum: government-owned and controlled airports, government-owned corporations, independent airport authorities, public-private partnerships with government majority ownership or with private majority ownership. Reasons to privatize an airport include an improved ability for an airport to diversify its operations to enhance profitability, to fund expansion, and to improve competitiveness. The arguments for privatization include that the falling availability of public funds, and a need to change to the market-oriented outlook that private businesses develop. Objections to airport privatization are related to the apprehension that a private operator will take advantage of the monopoly that airports represent in air travel. Not all airports are suitable for privatization. Some i n the developed world, such as in the USA, are controlled by local governments and affected by airline requirements. The less developed countries and their airport authorities lack sufficient funds to develop their airports; although these countries need these airports, privatization is impractical, and alternate business plans must be developed. Unlike other countries, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand have taken the path of mixed public-private control to maintain power over matters that affect the public good. Privatization enables a long term focus to meet the demands of international competition, to maintain a customer-focused plan, and to free the government from providing subsidies to an unprofitable enterprise. The potential for Canada to completely privatize the National Airport System Airports is small due to the serving of the public good under the current system. II Introduction Airport privatization has become a trend in the past thirty years as economies change and the air transport sector matures. Airport management and ownership, once mainly the domain of governments, has evolved into a mix of public and private airport ownership. Airports must now compete with other airports around the world for business, and government may not be the best owner for a globally-competitive enterprise. Airports must have the freedom to compete on the commercial level, and not just provide a service to the travelling public. Airports seek privatization in part to improve their abilities to develop a customer-focused business plan. This paper will present a review of the history of privatization and predictions for the future of this trend, and a comparison of the means, effects, and relative success of government/ public vs. private control. What is airport privatization? Simply put it is the transfer of ownership or management or both to the private sector (Graham 2008, 15). The manner of ownership covers a wide spectrum: airports owned and operated by government departments, 100% government-owned corporations, independent airport authorities, mixed enterprises with government majority ownership and mixed enterprises with private majority ownership (Tae et al 2006, abstract). Analysis of the need to privatize Airports have evolved mainly as government-run enterprises. They serve the public good, and were thus taken on as any other part of public infrastructure would be. Bridges, roads, ports, and other transportation-related projects have traditionally been part of the public good. However, many of these facilities are being privatized. Roads and bridges are now conceived of as wholly privately developed and owned, or as public-private partnerships. Privatization can provide several benefits. It can remove the burden from the governments finances, spread the risk associated with operations, and introduce ways to improve efficiency and competition. Often better airport management can be put in place. For example, if the airport is run under a government department, facility commercialization would be difficult. Private management can reorganize the accounting so that the airports costs and revenues can be monitored and adjusted, costs can be cut, and revenues boosted. The arguments for privatization are many. Less public investment is needed; on the one hand, public funds are less available than they once were, and on the other hand, private corporations have a market-oriented outlook for their business plans. Improved access to commercial financial markets, improved ability for an airport to diversify, and improved operational efficiency may be the result. Employees and management are motivated to perform better. Lastly, a deregulated airline industry led to growth which the existing model of airport management and ownership could not handle. Privatization may be a better option if market forces can enable competition rather than a monopoly, meaning less government regulation is necessary. This preserves the public good and makes the enterprise more likely to be profitable. Conversely, if the potential exists for a monopoly in a market, then the involvement of the government in ownership is necessary, and so is more government regulation. Table 1: Government Control of Essential Elements of operations in three countries, shows how Canada, Britain, and Australia deal with these concerns by maintaining control in key areas of the public good of aeronautical standards, access, and pricing. III.  Privatization Strategies Privatization does not mean handing over of complete ownership to a corporation. The most practical scenario would be for a government to retain control over the type of facilities to be developed and other changes, while the operator, the commercial enterprise, oversees day-to-day and year-to-year operations of the airport (de Neufville 1999, 6). The net benefit to the public interest would seem to be the lack of necessity to raise funds to expand or run the facility, or to service debt. Types of Privatization transfer of operations to private sector (Graham 2008, 25). transfer of ownership to private sector (Graham 2008, 25). share issues, IPOs: airport needs to make a profit; shareholders assume the risks trade sale sale of facilities concession control passes to private operator for a fixed period this is how some new roads and bridges are managed in North America annual fee paid to government, which retains ownership (Graham 2008, 32). a private operator finances and builds new facilities, pays annual fee to government, thingies ownership to the government after a fixed period management contract an operator runs the facility, and either the operator gets a fee or the government receives a percentage of revenue (Graham 2008, 34). The better way to privatize is to share control between government and private interests. See Table 2: Degree of control mix among different styles of government and full private ownership (from de Neufville 1999, 17) for an illustration of how this is so. Determining the potential of an airport for privatization Not all airports are suitable for privatization, and the experience differs in the developed and less developed worlds. In the developed world, the USA is an anomaly. Less privatization has happened there, and this may be because most airports are under local control, and also under significant pressure from the airlines that use them (de Neufville 1999, 5). Both entities can interfere with any contemplated changes. The approach used in Canada, New Zealand, and Australia, has been to turn the airports into not-for-profit corporations. Such airport authorities as Vancouver Airport Services, a not-for-profit corporation, operate their own and other airports. The case in the less developed world for airport privatization differs due to the lack of both public and private funds for infrastructure development. Still, these countries need these airports, and alternate business plans must be developed. Less developed countries have much more growth potential in air transport and that can be met with improved facilities and increased capacity (Button 2006, 14). The major part of their revenue is airside (Button 2006, 14). Figure 1: A generalization of airport trends in developing and developed countries will illustrate this phenomenon. Button (2006, 14) adds that airports in less developed countries do not generate sufficient revenue to cover costs, so the governments must provide subsidies, and this makes these airports unsuitable for privatization. A full privatization cannot be expected until a national economy can support infrastructure improvements and an airport can prove its potential for profitability. IV. Operating environment considerations regarding privatization The operating environment needs some favourable market conditions for success in privatization. External market forces can encourage or prevent successful conversion to private control or ownership; Button asserts that [r]egulatory changes in airport policy in countries such as the UK came against a backdrop of successful liberalization of many other markets, quite strong macroeconomic growth, and with fairly well defined objectives (2006, 3). A privatization could not proceed in the absence of these factors, as in the case of a less developed country. There, the private sector has limited access to capital markets and the government may not be able to afford to borrow internationally. The catch is that these economies lack sufficient development for an investment to have acceptable risk levels; without the airport and other transportation infrastructure, though, the country cannot develop. The common operating factors are: Competition exists for investor dollars with other forms of real estate malls, offices, developable land. The author of US Airport Privatization speculated in 1993 that the market for airports was not a speculative one. Now, market opportunities are being found in airport privatizations. Developers may not want to work with the government bodies, which regulate airports and airlines, or to be tied to a long-term investment. Developers would look for opportunities that facilitate adaptability to changing market conditions. Only a long-term strategy would work in this investment. The labour contracts in force when the ownership switches over from public to private would likely have to continue, hindering potential private operators. Property taxes would have to reflect enhanced market value of an airport property. Most of an airports real estate is empty land, and therefore not directly capable of providing a profit to an operator. Any airport has relations with the surrounding communities, but a private operator would be unable to negotiate in an area of government responsibility. In addition, other challenges, which may have hampered airport profitably before privatization, remain. These include security, air traffic growth, airline strategies, airport competition, and international incidents such as SARS or terrorism. Political interference is always a possibility in the area of airport regulations, industry deregulation, and the changing nature of the airline industry. A conflict exists between the desires of a private operator to have looser regulations and the need for government oversight of the industry. Objections to airport privatization are related to the monopoly that airports represent in air travel (Graham 2008, 16). The fear is that the private operator will make a profit that could have gone to the government. These fears are addressed by the nature of private enterprise, which seeks to run a business profitably. Potential Economic Benefits of Airport Privatization Originally airports were considered to be part of a nations essential infrastructure, and less attention was paid to profit than to operations (Frost Sullivan). The three means of economic gains to be found in privatization are: improvements in operating efficiency: the private for-profit business model more often leads to a further exploration for means to cut costs and boost revenues than does public management; the introduction of new management styles and marketing skills directed to serve users with a more consumer-oriented approach; and the ability to make better investment decisions. The trend in many countries is now to contemplating the potential for profit from an airport. The example of the Vienna airport will serve to illustrate how privatization in a developed country can benefit an airports operations. Before 1978, the airport was a public utility and had to seek subsidies to cover losses. In 1978, the airport management was reorganized so it would work like a commercial enterprise, but with public sector shareholder ownership. A further reorganization took place in 1992 to address industry and customer needs separately from the service divisions. Measures such as strategic planning and cost control were introduced to improve the airports competitive advantage (Graham 2008, 17). A share issue was made in 1992 for expansion and improved commercial operations, signaling a transition to private sector control. Privatization enables a long term focus to meet the demands of international competition, to maintain a customer-focused plan, and to free the government from providing subsidies to an unprofitable enterprise. Many privatizations have taken place because the potential for airside growth is limited. In other words, the developed countries have reached saturation on airside growth, so they seek growth from commercial services. This means shopping, restaurants, hotels, joint ventures are added to the airport to add value and capture more dollars. In addition, Button asserts that the success of privatized airports has encouraged governments to change the management and operations of their airports to mirror what the privately-run operations are doing (2006, 3). Then, the facility is seen as a single monopoly, but as separate revenue-generating businesses. Privatization seems to enable a better response to market forces by developing commercial potential. VI. Potential for Further Airport Privatization in Canada Canada has followed the route of maintaining almost all operational facets under shared control, with no airports being fully privatized. See Table 3: Status of Privatization of Airports in Australia, Britain and Canada before (B) and after Privatization (P) for a comparison of how control was changed after a degree of privatization. Australia and Britain have given control of finance and operations to the private operators, while Canada has retained it. To address local community and economy concerns, maintaining a partnership may be the better route to follow, and experience will show which method is better. Despite what the author of US Airport Privatization found, privatization in the airport industry is attractive to investors. However, Frost Sullivan report that by 2006, only two per cent of the worlds commercial airports had been privatized, either through management or ownership. Canadian airports are classified as one of two types: Non NAS airports, meaning National Airport System airports, with fewer than 200,000 passengers per year and which are locally and provincially owned and operated; NAS airports, with more than 200,000 passengers per year, are owned by the federal government but managed by boards of non-elected representatives. See Table 4 NAS Airports- Canadas National Airport System, for a list of these NAS airports. They operate as not-for-profit entities under long term leases with the federal government that are reflective of fair value, including the future earning potential (Canadian Airports Council 2008). Transport Canada, as the owner of the airports, has several aims in setting NAS airport rents. First they relate to infrastructure stability, and ensure the air transport sector remains financially healthy, meaning both the airport infrastructure and the airlines. The second aim relates to market conditions: to ensure an air transport sector that is competitive with both other forms of transport and with international air transport systems, and responsive to changing market conditions. The third serves the public good: the obtaining of a fair value for the government (National Airports Rent Policy Review 2010). The NAP, the National Airport Plan, appears to indicate that the federal government has no plans for complete privatization. Rents charged by the federal government to the local airport authorities are calculated with respect to long-term cash flow forecasts and capital expansion needs, and to valuations of international commercialized airports, particularly in the USA, Austra lia, New Zealand, and Britain. Therefore, the NAS airports serve the Canadian public good by providing a benefit to the Canadian public while remaining competitive. VII. Conclusion The encouraging factors include: continuing growth in air travel requires improvements in infrastructure that most governments cannot afford; improvements in economies of scale through expansion of facilities and concentration of services; still more commercial opportunities to be found for exploitation; investors with longevity have the better chance for continued profitability than would newer entrants. Privatization seems suitable for airports in more developed countries, because while more developed countries used to rely on government financing, the private sector has more to invest in major infrastructure projects than the government does. Allowing a private sector corporation to make profits could encourage the expansion of facilities sooner than a government-owned airport would do this. The fears that privatizing airports could be unsuccessful for the buyers and operators because of the untested variables, such as real estate values and external forces acting on an enterprise, seem to have calmed down with the growing body of experience in these operations. While ownership of facilities might be transferred to the private sector, government regulations still affect the business. A private operator cannot exercise eminent domain; it has to follow laws, while seeking to maximize his gain. Therefore an airport will never operate as an entity that is entirely separate from government. Now the focus is on the next step. The potential for future privatizations depends on the countys economic development and on its growth potential. In the long run, both central and local authorities may have to pursue the course of even greater diversification and commercialization of airport ownership structures. Works Cited Button, K 18 September 2006, Air Transportation Infrastructure in Developing  Countries: Privatization and Deregulation. Fundation Rafael del Pino conference on Comparative Political Economy and Infrastructure Performance: the Case of Airports. http://www.frdelpino.es/documentos/CONFERENCIASYENCUENT ROS/Reuniones%20de%20expertos/Aeropuertos/Button%20Madrid%20Conference.pdf. Canadian Airports Council 2008. Ownership and Management of Canadas Airports.  http://www.cacairports.ca/english/canadas_airports/index.php. Craig, V J 2 March 2000, Risk Due Diligence in Airport Privatization.  http://www.icao.int/icao/en/ro/nacc/aps/09_craig.pdf. De Neufville, R 1999, Draft: Airport Privatization Issues for the United States.  http://ardent.mit.edu/airports/ASP_papers/airport%20privatization%20issues%20for%20US.PDF. Frost Sullivan 25 April 2006, Abstract: Potential Economic Benefits of Airport  Privatization. http://www.marketresearch.com/product/display.asp?productid =1286859. Graham, A 2008, Managing Airports: An International Perspective. 3rd edn.  Butterworth-Heinemann: Oxford. http://books.google.ca/books?hl=enlr=id=5 Aa0rtzn8vgCoi=fndpg=PR7dq=The+privatization+and+commercialization+of+China%27s+airportsots=BbvkOe6cjusig=TiTmeH5HQg0RTuYo7IShMjE2kcY#v=onepageq=privatizationf=false. Oum, T, Nicole A, and Chunyan Y May 2006, Privatization, corporatization, ownership  forms and their effects on the performance of the worlds major airports. Abstract. Journal of Air Transport Management Volume 12, Issue 3, Pages 109-121. Air Transport Research Society Conference, Rio de Janeiro, July 2005. Vancouver. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL_ udi=B6VGP-4J14SM6_user=10_coverDate=05%2F31%2F2006_rdoc= 1_fmt=high_orig=search_sort=d_docanchor=view=c_searchStrId=1273863512_rerunOrigin=scholar.google_acct=C000050221_version=1_urlVersion=0_userid=10md5=1c0d7c71dc3b52a6727c4c147f36f7c5. Transport Canada 15 March 2010. National Airports Rent Policy Review: Terms of  Reference. http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/policy/ace-nap-nap1-762.htm. US Airport Privatization: Why It Wont Work 1993, Airport Aviation Appraisals,  Inc. http://www.airportappraisals.com/includes/articles/Article-Privatization.pdf.

Monday, January 20, 2020

A Psychoanalytic Approach to Wuthering Heights Essay -- Emily Bronte

A Psychoanalytic Approach to Wuthering Heights Before anything else, I would like to talk about the nature of the principle characters of this novel. I’d like to start with Catherine as she seems to be the central character of this love story. Of course the latter is my personal assumption. Catherine is the very representative of nature and naturalism. From the first chapters of novel and Mrs. Dean’s great and elaborate account of Catherine, we encounter the portrayal of wild nature represented by the moor. Totally intractable and precarious in nature, the moor is the most appropriate identifier of Catherine’s character. In fact, her childhood interest in the moor leads us to the conclusion that she has no touch of reason till the time she is prohibited by her sister-in-law and brother after her five-week stay at Lintons’. Interestingly, she takes her playmate, Heathcliff, to the moor to spend the joyful private time with him and this is the very foreshadow that prognosticates Heathcliff’s later confusions and sufferings as a result of her precarious and wild nature. However, Heathcliff himself has no sheer difference in character with her regarding naturalism. Ironically enough, he never undergoes any obligatory changes to abandon such a character and on the contrary he is inspired by tyrannical treatment from Hindley to assume his naturalism. Based on these assumptions we can conclude that these two lovers are the representatives of id in this novel. They act upon every impulse without any contemplations or control of wild passion. To cut the long story short, they act as their unconscious bids them to do. They are not alone in this aspect as Hindley also joins them in this characteristic in a different manner. As a result of... ...ly it was so for Catherine. It reminds me of the closing line of Shakespeare’s poem, â€Å"She should have died hereafter†, in which the poet concludes his marvelous poem by an identical tone: signifying nothing. Using two short syllables which reminds me of the hectic life of Catherine and her hasty decisions and actions based on her id which lead her with a drastic velocity to the point of her second ailment. The concluding syllable of the first word which is long portrays the anguish that both Catherine and her surroundings were undergoing during her disposition. And finally two abrupt and short syllables of the last word, nothing, represents the abruptness and quickness of her death which was all in all signifying nothing. Mrs. Dean’s aptly chosen words paraphrase the last line of this poem in a more tangible manner: â€Å"One little pulse at her heart, and nothing more.†

Sunday, January 12, 2020

A Mistake That Taught You an Important Lesson

Chapter 1: Basic concepts and terms This chapter answers the following questions: What is a dictionary? What are the different types of dictionaries? How can we describe a dictionary? What are the elements of a dictionary? What are the different kinds of information dictionaries provide? What is a dictionary? This is the first question one encounters when learning about dictionary skills or reading any book on lexicography (the art of compiling dictionaries). Defining the term â€Å"dictionary† is important to distinguish it from other reference books, which may look similar, like encyclopedias.Etymologically, the word â€Å"dictionary† comes from the Middle Latin word â€Å"dictionarium,† which means â€Å"collection of words and phrases†. This definition relates to the basic function of dictionaries which is listing the words of a language or a particular field of knowledge. This simple fact is the basis of all the definitions proposed for a dictionary. A dictionary is a book used as a reference source which contains lists of words arranged alphabetically or thematically, with explanations of their meanings (semantic information in monolingual dictionaries) or with their equivalents (in bi-, tri-, or multilingual dictionaries).They may also include more information related to orthography (spelling, alternate spellings), morphology (syllabification, word inflections, derivative forms, morphological paradigm), phonology (pronunciation, stress pattern), etymology (word history and origin), syntax (part of speech, verb type, noun type, etc), pragmatics (usage, frequency of use, style, context), and other semantic information (related words such as synonyms, antonyms). A dictionary may variously be referred to as: word book, lexicon, thesaurus, vocabulary, glossary, and concordance.However, each one of these is slightly different in scope. For example, a thesaurus (also from Latin, and which means a treasury or a storehouse) presents sy nonyms and antonyms; a glossary usually gives a list of terms confined to a particular domain of knowledge with definitions. What distinguishes a dictionary from these different types is that none of them provides all the different kinds of linguistic information a dictionary provides. Use thesaurus in a Sentence See images of thesaurus Search thesaurus on the Web Types of dictionaries: Dictionaries vary in coverage, size, and scope.They can be classified on the basis of different criteria. Knowing the types of dictionaries available is very important to decide which ones to buy or use. The following criteria are used to classify dictionaries: 1) Number of languages: Monolingual dictionaries are written in one language only. Each word is followed by its meaning or various meanings and probably other information related to pronunciation, grammar, or word history. Bilingual dictionaries are written in two languages. Each word is followed by its equivalent or possible equivalents in an other language.Bilingual dictionaries could be uni- or mono-directional; that is, they go in one direction only, from English to Arabic or vise versa. They could also be bidirectional; that is, the dictionary is divided into two parts; the first part is from Language 1 to Language 2, and the second one is from Language 2 to Language 1. Trilingual dictionaries are written in three languages. Multilingual language are written in more than two languages. 2) Age of the users: School dictionaries are intended for school students and they are graded according to children's age: elementary, middle, and high school students.They are simplified versions of adult references. They may also be referred to as â€Å"children's dictionaries† if they are intended for very young children. Adult dictionaries, on the other hand, are intended for adults and these are the ones that translators use and they include a variety of dictionary types such as college dictionaries, current language dictio naries, and unabridged dictionaries. 3) Size of the dictionary: This has to do with how fully a dictionary covers the lexicon of a particular language. The number of words is a measure of its relative size compared with other dictionaries in the same language.According to this criteria, dictionaries can be classified into the following. a) Unabridged dictionaries which are believed to include all the words of the English language (400,000 to 600,000 words). They give full coverage to the lexicon in general use and to specialized lexicon, with examples and all other information any dictionary could give. In other words, they provide complete and authoritative linguistic information. They are impractical for desk use because of their size and expense, but they are available in libraries and are important reference sources.Examples: Webster's Third New International Dictionary (NID3), and Oxford English dictionary (OED) which has 20 volumes. Semi-unabridged dictionaries are those which include about 315,000 words such as the Random House Dictionary. b) College dictionaries include from 150,000 to 170,000 words (almost 200,000 words). Examples: The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, The Random House College Dictionary, Webster's New World Dictionary of American English. They are called college dictionaries because they are often used by college students. c) Desk dictionaries include from 60,000 to 100,000 words.Examples: The American heritage dictionary, Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. They are called desk dictionaries because they are often kept on desks for frequent reference. College and desk dictionaries are often abridged versions of larger dictionaries. Some publishing houses use the term college to refer to both college dictionaries and desk dictionaries. Some other houses use the term concise to refer to desk dictionaries; e. g. Concise Oxford Dictionary, Longman Concise English Dictionary. d) Pocket size dictionaries, which inc lude from 40,000 to 60,000 words; e. g. Pocket Oxford Dictionary. 4) Scope of coverage by subject:Subject-field dictionaries are confined to a special subject, such as law or medicine. Special-purpose dictionaries are limited to one aspect of language: collocations, slang, pronunciation, etymology, synonyms, usage, offensive and taboo words, spelling, dialect, neologisms, etc. A functional classification of dictionaries: For the purpose of the present course, which ultimately aims at training students to use dictionaries as professional translators, we will adopt the following classification that is based on the functions of dictionaries. Dictionaries are divided into two types: traditional and electronic dictionaries.I. Traditional (or regular) dictionaries: Traditional dictionaries are printed dictionaries (paper /print dictionaries). They are divided into four main categories: linguistic, visual, picture, and encyclopedic dictionaries. 1) Linguistic dictionaries are dictionaries that are concerned with words and provide linguistic information and may contain some pictures or illustrations. They are further divided into four types: general, learner, children, and specialized dictionaries. a) General-purpose dictionaries deal with the common words of a language and are compiled by language experts. They may be mono- or bilingual.They may be explanatory and help readers to understand a word meaning, its pronunciation, spelling, usage, etc. They may be translation dictionaries providing word equivalents. Explanatory and translation dictionaries may be unabridged, college, desk, concise, or pocket dictionaries. General-purpose dictionaries could also be production dictionaries (alternatively called activators) which are very useful in writing; they guide you as to which words or expressions to use to express similar or different ideas. They focus on use or meaning in context and on oral usage, rather than explaining their meanings.The first production dictionary is: Longman Language Activator: The World's First Production Dictionary (1993), Longman Essential Activator (intermediate level). The lexical information is organized around approximately 1000 key terms that serve as focal points for crucial sets of concepts. b) Learners' dictionaries are aimed at students learning a language. Examples: Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, Collins Cobuild English Dictionary, Macmillan English Dictionary for Advanced Learners. c) Children dictionaries are very simplified versions specifically written for children. ) Specialized dictionaries are divided into two types: subject field dictionaries and special purpose dictionaries. Subject field dictionaries are limited to the vocabulary of specific scholarly areas or fields of knowledge such as medicine, law, religion, business and commerce, literature, military affairs and politics, etc. The rapid growth and development, and specifications in all the fields of knowledge has resulted in generating of new words or specialized terms for which the general dictionaries do not provide adequate information.Therefore, it became necessary to compile subject dictionaries which are devoted completely to specific subject fields. As a result many subject dictionaries and glossaries in Humanities, Social Sciences and Science ; Technology are coming out day-by-day. They are compiled by the experts in the different subject fields. Special purpose dictionaries deal with different aspects of language such as collocations, slang, idioms, phrasal verbs, neologisms, abbreviations, language varieties and dialects, synonyms and antonyms, pronunciation, etymology, usage, grammar, word frequencies, etc. ) Visual dictionaries tend to be complete dictionaries and rely on illustrations and photos or pictures; e. g. Merriam-Webster's Visual Dictionary Online. 3) Picture dictionaries are often organized by topic instead of being an alphabetic list of words. They include only a small corpus of words because they are often intended for children. They may be mono-, bi-, or multilingual. 4) Encyclopedic dictionaries has encyclopedic features; their concern is not the words of a language but rather with facts about things, objects, or people; e. . The Hutchinson Concise Encyclopedic Dictionary. II. Electronic dictionaries: An electronic dictionary is an electronic reference resource that contains a library of words and their meanings, spellings, and etymologies. They can be 1) portable (or handheld), battery-operated devices; 2) dictionary programs (on CDs) , or software running on PDAs or computers and which allow words or phrases to be input and translated; or 3) web based dictionaries accessible via the internet.Electronic dictionaries are more convenient than paper dictionaries and much faster to search. Examples of some online dictionaries: AskOxford Compact Oxford English Dictionary of Current English, Cambridge Dictionaries Online Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary, Dictionary. com Dictionary. com Unabridged v. 1. 1 and American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Ed, Longman Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Merriam-Webster OnLine Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Oxford University Press Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary DictionariesTraditional Dictionaries Electronic Dictionaries Portable devices CDs Online dictionaries Linguistic Visual Picture Encyclopedic General Learners' Children Specialized Explanatory Production (Activators) Mono, college, desk, concise, pocketExplanatory Production Translation Explanatory Translation (monolingual) (bilingual) unabridged college or pocket college or desk Terminology (religious, literary, political, scientific, medical, etc) (mono and bi) concise Collocation, slang, idioms, phrasal verbs, common errors, neologisms, abbreviations (mono) pocket Synonyms, antonyms, thesaurus, production dic or activators (mono) Pronunciation, etymologies, usage, grammar, word frequencies, (mono) Colleg e, concise, pocket monolingual college or pocket Exercise: Find the following words in your dictionary, if you can't find them think of a reason to explain that: car cumdump goo gonzo coasthenia (psy) to smell to high heaven abarticulation (med) howitzer gun (mil) schlub action agent (mil) What type should you buy or use?Dictionaries are used by native speakers, language learners, or translators. Native speakers use dictionaries to help them in writing or in understanding unfamiliar words or phrases. For this purpose they use adult (unabridged or college) monolingual dictionaries. Language learners need learners' monolingual dictionaries, whether elementary, intermediate, or advanced dictionaries depending on their level of language proficiency. Translators, on the other hand, need both mono- and bilingual dictionaries. They are advised to choose the most recent editions of college or unabridged dictionaries, as the other types of dictionaries are limited in their vocabulary covera ge.They are also advised to have different types of specialized dictionaries of: idioms, collocations, phrasal verbs, usage, specialized terminology (religious, legal, political, medical, literary, military, psychological, scientific, etc). Elements of dictionaries: The elements of any dictionary can be discussed in terms of two levels: the macrostructure and microstructure. The macrostructure is concerned with dictionary features such as the front matter, the end or back matter, entry organization. The microstructure is limited to the structure of entries and the kinds of information they provide. We will discuss these two levels in detail in the following chapter on general monolingual dictionaries.