Shear Testing in Made Ground Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Shear Testing in Made Ground - Essay Example otechnicians and construction firms to determine the usability of Made Ground through the estimation of its strength and necessary properties (Bouazza et al., 1997). Made ground can be easily found all around us: they could be in the form of sandy, silt, clay and loamy soil (Bouazza et al., 1997). Shear Testing is a standardized laboratory test that has been used to detect the mechanical properties of Made ground, most especially its tensile strength (Woodward, 2005). Such a test is helpful in determining the usability of the ground and outlining the soil’s harmful contents that may make construction works on the ground impossible. In this case, serious consideration is given to the environmental impact of soil properties: how does the environment is affected by the constituents of a soil? Are there some harmful objects in the soil, for instance in brownfield and other abandoned property? (Geltman, 2000). Shear Testing of Made Ground can be simply carried out by using the Direct Shear Test (Das, 2008). Information about the standard reference, test expectations, equipment, test procedures, test data and analysis are provided as follows: Being the commonest method of discovering the tensile strength of soils, Direct Shear Test could help to estimate the angle of internal friction (Hillel, 1998). When plotting the shear stress against the horizontal displacement, the maximum, shear stress can be obtained. Therefore, after carrying out several vertical-confining stresses, it is possible to plot the maximum shear stress against the vertical confining stresses for each of the tests produced. Then a straight-line approximation of Mohr-Coulomb failure envelope curve could be drawn (Parry, 1995). And the shear strength of the soils under investigation could be estimated using the formula below: ix. I started the motor with chosen speed so that the rate of shearing is at a selected constant rate, and take the horizontal displacement gauge, vertical displacement gauge

Student Essay Example for Free

Student Essay Diversity  refers to the differences between individuals. People differ on all kinds of aspects, both visible and non-visible. Examples of differences are gender, age, skills, tenure, learning styles etc. We find these differences in every workplace, though not all differences are always recognised or seen as relevant. Unity in diversity Unity in diversity  is a concept of unity without uniformity and diversity without fragmentation  that shifts focus from unity based on a mere tolerance of physical, cultural, linguistic, social, religious, political, ideological and/or  psychological  differences towards a more complex unity based on an understanding that difference enriches human interactions. The concept of unity in diversity was used in non-Western cultures such as indigenous peoples in North America and Taoist societies in 400-500 B. C. In premodern Western culture it has been implicit in the organic conceptions of the universe that have been manifest since the ancient Greek and Roman civilizations through medieval Europe and into the Romantic era. Diversity of religion in India Throughout Indias history,There had been many religions which  religion  has been an important part of the countrys culture. Religious diversity andreligious tolerance  are both established in the country by the  law  and  custom. A vast majority of Indians, (over 93%), associate themselves with a religion. According to the 2001 census,[1]  80. 5% of the  population of India  practice  Hinduism. Islam  (13.4%),  Christianity  (2. 3%),  Sikhism  (1. 9%),  Buddhism(0. 8%) and  Jainism  (0. 4%) are the other minor religions followed by the people of India. Languages of India The  Languages of India  belong to several  language families, the major ones being the  Indo-Aryan languages  (a subbranch of Indo-European) spoken by 74% of Indians and the  Dravidian languages  spoken by 23% of Indians. Other languages spoken in India belong to the  Austroasiatic,  Tibeto-Burman, and a few minor language families and  isolates. The official language of the Central Government of  Republic of India  is  Standard Hindi, while  English  is the secondary official language. Cuiture of India Indian cultural history spans more than 4,500 years. During the  Vedic period  (c. 1700–500 BCE), the foundations of  Hindu philosophy,  mythology, and  literature  were laid, and many beliefs and practices which still exist today, such as  dharma,  karma,  yoga, and  mok? a, were established. India is notable for its  religious diversity, with Hinduism, Sikhism, Islam, Christianity, and Jainism among the nations major religions. The predominant religion, Hinduism, has been shaped by various historical schools of thought, including those of the  Upanishads,  the  Yoga Sutras, the  Bhaktimovement,  and by  Buddhist philosophy. Indias  languages,  religions,  dance,  music,  architecture,  food, and customs differ from place to place within the country. The Indian culture, often labelled as an amalgamation of several cultures, spans across the  Indian subcontinent  and includes traditions that are several millennia old. Many elements of Indias diverse cultures, such as  Indian religions,  yoga, and Indian cuisine, have had a profound impact across the world. Difference between Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are two south Indian states. Both are located in the peninsular Deccan plateau, bounded by the Bay of Bengal to the east. Andhra is India’s fourth largest state by area and has the second longest coastline amongst all of the Indian states. AP’s capital is Hyderabad and the official language is Telugu. Tamil Nadu is the southernmost part of Indian peninsula and is the eleventh largest state by area. Since 500 BC it has been the home of the Tamil people with Chennai (Madras) is its capital city. TN is the most urbanized state in India and claims eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Economy In comparison to its share of population, Tamil Nadu has the highest number of enterprises in India and is the fifth largest contributor to India’s Gross Domestic Product. It is responsible for the third largest Indian economy in 2008 and is also the most industrialized state in India. TN holds third position on the list of states with the most Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) approvals and has a network of over 100 industrial parks. Andhra Pradesh is called the rice bowl of India and agriculture is its main source of income, however, it is rapidly growing in the fields of Information Technology and biotechnology. In terms of mineral wealth, Andhra Pradesh holds second position and accounts for one third of the total limestone reserves in the country. Tourism Tamil Nadu has the second largest tourism industry in India and it is growing at a rapid rate of around 16%. It is controlled by TTDC- Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation. TTDC promotes tourism with a tagline  Enchanting Tamil Nadu. Botanical gardens in Ooty and Hogenakal Waterfall on Kaveri River are quite famous. Andhra Pradesh is famous for its religious sites and pilgrimages. Triumala Venkateswara Temple, Birla Mandir, Buddha Statue on Hussain Sagar Lake and Ramappa Temple are some of its most famous tourist spots. castes THE FOUR CASTES OR JATIs in Hinduism are Brahman Kshatriya Vaishya Shudra Favourite Indian Cuisine, Popular Foods of the People #1: Andhra Pradesh  You will love Andhra Pradesh especially if you like spices and chillies. This food is consumed in regions where most people are vegetarians. They had to invent delicious foods to be able to cope with their self imposed condition. eg- Hyderabadi Biryani, Mirchi salan, Ghongura pickle, Korikoora. #2: Goa  Goan cuisine comes from the region of Goa. The actual region is located on the Arabian Sea coast. Its main influences are Hindu, Portuguese and certain contemporary techniques. The cuisine is intensely sea food based. The Kingfish is the symbol of the Goan cuisine.

Theresienstadt: A Model Jewish Ghetto Essay -- essays research papers

Theresienstadt, A gift from Hitler. A place of hope and happiness for Jews and Jewesses alike. Theresienstadt was somewhere they could wait the war out without fear until the shadow of Nazism passed. It was a place filled with the most prosperous artists and musicians, daily shows and operas, lectures and seminars, gardens and coffee shops. A place with grace and character. An entire town that was given to the Jews as a gift from the Fuehrer. A paradise for Jews. That is at least, what the Nazis wanted people to believe.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Forty miles north west of Prague, Czechoslovakia, surrounded by the central Bohemian Mountains Hitler pinpointed the small town of Theresienstadt to be his paradise ghetto, his à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“giftà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?. Located in a scenic community, Theresienstadt had broad streets and a large square surrounded by two large parks and two smaller ones. Here within an area five blocks wide and seven blocks long, over 140, 000 Jews would spend the last months of their lives, and only a few handfuls would survive.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first Jewish prisoners entered Theresienstadt on November 24, 1941. In the beginning, when the Fuehrer first presented the city to the Jews, many came willingly to the ghetto because life as a Jew was becoming intolerable and dangerous elsewhere with the rise and spread of anti-Semitism. The Jews wanting to enter Theresienstadt merely had to sign a contract turning over all remaining assets and property to the S. S, and in return the S. S pledged to take care of them as long as they inhabited Theresienstadt.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Theresienstadt was un-like any other ghetto in the fact that Hitler planed to use the ghetto as a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“modelà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? ghetto. It was a model that was supposed to represent all the ghettos set up across Europe. Theresienstadt was a place the Nazis and Hitler showed to comfort and reassure the world as to the overall treatment of the Jews. It was a ploy to try to cover up the real horrors and massacres of the Jews that were breaking out across Europe. Theresienstadt was a ghetto designed to divert all attention away from the dying and suffering, Hitler wanted to hide the truth from the world and create a hoax. With thousands of Jews being transported and murdered, among them were people who would be recognized and missed in communities. These were people that were famous; ... ...e Russian army. Of the 140, 000 people that entered Theresiensadt through 1941 and 1945, Ninety thousand were sent to death in the east, 33, 000 died in the ghetto, and 16, 832 people survived. Most of those that had survived were those who had entered Theresienstadt close to the liberation. Of the 10, 000 children that moved through Theresienstadt only 93 of them survived. Theresiensadt was Hitlerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s perfect scheme. It was a beautiful small town hidden in the mountains with wide streets and parks the children could play in. The S. S succeeded in making the world believe Theresienstadt was a sanctuary for Jews. When in reality the arty town filled with wonderful and talented people was still part of Hitlerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s plan of the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Final Solution.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? Hitlerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“giftà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? was a gift to himself in a sense that he was trying to cover up his horrific actions. Theresienstadt was better than most ghettos, having more freedom to express feelings, and more availability to food, but it was still a part of the Holocaust. Hitler succeeded in two things in the years of Theresienstadt; the murder of thousands of Jews and the appearance and acceptance of Theresiensadt as, a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“modelà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? ghetto.

Procurement & Resource Based View

Procurement is An Integral Part of Resource- ­ Based View of An Organization Phuong Duong University College Dublin (12251697) 4112 words ABSTRACT Procurement has become an increasingly widespread practice among organizations and is today of strategic importance that attract great interest from scholars in the literature. The primary purpose of the paper is to contribute with a review of leading studies that analyze procurement from the resource- ­? based view of the organization. The paper begins by setting out the business environment of procurement and then presents the development and propensity of procurement.This is followed by a review of principal works and differences of perspectives of resource- ­? based view. The next section contains an analysis of the relationship between procurement and resource- ­? based theory and discusses empirical works on outsourcing that address outsourcing from the resource- ­? based view. The studies are classified into two categories : those studying the propensity to procure and those studying the relationship between procurement decision and firm’s performance. Finally, some insights are put together to assess the outsourcing decision influenced by resource- ­? based view with the im of contributing to a better understanding of outsourcing and its role from the perspective of resource- ­? based view of an organization. 1. Procurement and the propensity to procure in modern business context Procurement, or in other words, â€Å"sourcing†, for years has become â€Å"a financial material, but strategically peripheral, corporate function† of an organization (Gottfredson et al. , 2005). In the literature, procurement becomes a key component and is of major strategic importance to many organizations (Humphreys et al. , 1998, Paulraj et al. , 2006). Recent decades have witnessed significant changes in acro- ­? economic trends that direct business environment. These changes have been driven by increased globalization, technology innovation, changing consumer behaviours, and consequently, a shift toward procurement and outsourcing (Giunipero et al. , 2005, Giunipero et al. , 2006, Zheng et al. , 2007). Gottfredson et al. (2005) argued that globalization, accompanied by technological advances, is causing the core of competition to change. These days, the ownership of capabilities of an organization is not as important as its ability to govern and take advantage of critical capabilities, whether or not they are he organization’s assets. Procurement is developing so sophisticatedly that even core functions such as engineering, R&D, manufacturing and marketing can be outsourced. That, according to Gottfredson et al. (2005), in turn, is changing the way the firms think about their organizations, their core values and their competitive abilities. The author also revealed that an emphasis on capability sourcing could result in an organization’s better strategic p osition by reducing costs, streamlining the company, and enhancing quality. Critical functions provided by more qualified partners usually allow organizations to mprove their core capabilities that help them take the lead in their industries. With the business world changing everyday, the propensity to procure becomes prominent than ever. Nowadays procurement is not only practiced by companies in the technology industries but also spread to multiple businesses such as supply chain, manufacturing, services and so forth. It is recognized that not passive cost- ­? focused, but proactive value- ­? focused procurement strategies are a means of achieving competitive advantage and integral to long- ­? term organizational strategy (Leseure et al. , 2005, Mehra and Inman, 2004,Noonan and Wallace, 2004). In a study of the impact of procurement or purchasing on supply integration and performance, Paulraj et al. (2006) also concluded that: (1) a more strategic purchasing function leads to better supply integration; (2) managers must comprehend the importance of purchasing in incorporating buyer- ­? supplier by focusing on â€Å"process, relational, information, and cross- ­? organisational teams†; (3) strategic procurement can create a win- ­? win situation for both buyer and supplier. Taking these into account, it is undeniable that there is a tendency to procure or outsource among organizations.To assist with procurement decision making, Gottfredson et al. (2005) developed a sourcing opportunities map like Figure 1 to help companies judge the relative merits of their outsourcing possibilities. The vertical dimension of the exhibit â€Å"measures how proprietary a process or function is† while the horizontal axis indicates the degree of commonality, both within and outside the company’s industry. The author found that capabilities locating in the upper right portion of the map are potential candidates for procurement. Once capabilities pr omising strong candidates for alternative sourcing are discovered, the ompany needs to figure out how to source them. In this stage, cost and quality requirements should be taken into account to detect key capability gaps to be filled and top- ­? performing competitors or suppliers to partner with. To address these issues, another assessment map has been introduced, again by Gottfredson et al. (2005) as described in the Figure 2 below. Figure 1 What should you outsource? Source: Adapted from (Gottfredson et al. , 2005). Figure 2 How strong are your capabilities? Source: Adapted from (Gottfredson et al. , 2005) The author explained that the position of capabilities on this grid eterminates suitable goals for an outsourcing relationship. Specifically, functions that fall in the upper left should be outsourced to low- ­? cost providers regardless of reduction in quality, while those falling in the lower left require outsourcing partners that can both reduce costs and improve qualit y. 2. Resource- ­based view In the opinion of Mol (2003), resource- ­? based view has today become the domineering perspective of analyzing corporation strategy. However, this concept has been perceived and developed by different scholars in the literature. Porter (1985) suggested a firm’s competitive position an be analyzed by looking at industry structure and the role of internal decision making was overlooked. This theory contradicts itself with earlier strategic management arguments which highlighted both internal and external factors (Skinner, 1969, Ansoff, 1965) and therefore several scholars such as Barney (1991), Amit and Schoemaker (2006), and Peteraf (2006) felt a different perspective and went on developing the resource- ­? based view based on the researches of Coase (1937) and Wernerfelt (1984). In an effort to stress the significance of managerial choice and internal factors, Barney (1991) concluded that he resource- ­? based view â€Å"examines the link between a firm’s characteristics and performance† by investigating varied resources within the firm. By the nature of its activities, procurement management is subject to obtaining inputs from outside partners in the organization’s environment (Mol, 2003). According to Wernerfelt (1984), resource- ­? based approach â€Å"views the firm as a historically determined collection of assets or resources which are tied semi- ­? permanently to the firm’s management†. Lockett and Thompson (2001) criticized that resource- ­? based view is sometimes used to distinguish â€Å"appropriate esources, such as physical capital or brand names, from less tangible assets, such as organizational routines and capabilities†. Appropriate resources can be seen as assets utilized as appropriate over a specific period, while dynamic resources may lie in capabilities that form additional opportunities over time. The crucial requirements of resource- ­? based vi ew are that relevant resources, regardless of their nature, are specific to the firm and not easy to be imitated by rivals (Barney, 1991). It was noted by Lockett and Thompson (2001) that resource- ­? based view is implied in the sense that each firm’s pportunity set is exclusive and a product of the resources is obtained from its past experience. â€Å"Therefore, it follows that decisions about the appropriate boundaries of a firm’s activities should reflect its existing resource bundle. If firms face a similar external environment, in the sense of similar product and factor markets, the resource- ­? based view suggests that those firms with a similar initial resource endowment should display similar ceteris paribus patterns of behavior and performance†. 3. Procurement is an integral part of resource–based view of an organization Procurement and resource- ­based iew Procurement, or in many context, usually referred to as â€Å"outsourcing†, is defined as â€Å" astrategic decision that entails the external contracting of determined non- ­? strategic activities or business processes necessary for the manufacture of goods or the provision of services by means of agreements or contracts with higher capability firms to undertake those activities or business processes, with the aim of improving competitive advantage† (Espino Rodriguez and Padron Robaina, 2006). According to resource- ­? based view, resources can be exploited by means of contracts (Barney, 1999, Gainey and Klaas, 2003,Grant, 1991) and this perspective can be used as a framework to help organizations decide which activities should be outsourced and which to perform in- ­? house. In this regard, one of the dominant frameworks that explain the propensity of procurement is core competences approach (Gilley and Rasheed, 2000, Teng et al. , 2007). Based on this approach, a firm should invest in activities generating core capabilities and outsource the rest (Prahalad, 1990, Hilmer and Quinn, 1994), regarding that the former activities are those providing the firm’s growth and development (Peteraf, 2006). It is pointed out by Prahalad 1990) that a firm can perform better by focusing on those resources generating the core competences. According to the author, short- ­? term success results from the price and the attributes of the products, while long- ­? term competitive advantages lie on the core capabilities, which derives from the firm’s collective learning. Strategic outsourcing, based on resources and capabilities, signifies a deep understanding of the core competences, which assist organizations to build their long- ­? term competitiveness (Bettis et al. , 1992). Espino Rodriguez and Padron Robaina (2006) concluded that the resource ased view helps to distinguish the core competences and provides knowledge (Hilmer and Quinn, 1994) about which activities to perform with internal resources and which to procu re, â€Å"determining that the possession of some resources and capabilities is what defines what the firm itself will do and what it will obtain from third parties†. In order to explain the integral part that procurement plays from resource- ­? based view, it is important to look into the framework developed by Grant (1991), in which a firm’s resources and capabilities are the main considerations in formulating strategies. In this framework or strategy formulation, five stages were established to associate strategy, competitive advantage and resources and capabilities. Among these five stages, the last one refers to â€Å"identifying the resource gaps which need to be filled and invest in replenishing, augmenting and upgrading the firm’s resource base† where there is a place for procurement. This is demonstrated in Figure 3 as below. Grant (1991) believes that regarding the lack of firm’s resources and capabilities, the firm needs to decide betw een developing resources in- ­? house and outsourcing resources from the third parties. Hence, in order to

Compare and Contrast to “Desiree’s Baby” by Kate Chopin and “Hills Like White Elephants” by Earnest Hemingway Essay

To some people a baby can be the best thing that ever happened to them, but then there are others who have decisions to make. They will go through an important stage in any relationship, the make it or break it stage. The two stories that I will be analyzing will be â€Å"Desiree’s Baby† by Kate Chopin and â€Å"Hills like White Elephants† by Earnest Hemingway. In both stories the characters found out how babies can be a deciding factor in a relationship, and that’s what I will be focusing on. In â€Å"Desiree’s Baby† the morale of the story is â€Å"we often get into trouble when we assume† (Mayer, Gary H.). The husband even though he claimed to have loved his wife rejected her in a time of need, the result of it he ends up losing his wife and son. When the husband found out that everything he knew about his wife was a lie, he forgot about everything he said and just abandoned his family, in the text it said, â€Å"He could give her one of the oldest and proudest names in Louisiana† (Paragraph 4, line 4). Read Also:  Compare and Contrast Essay Topics for Middle School Armand let judgment deter him from what’s really important which is even if he and Desiree did not last he should still be there for his child. Even though â€Å"Desiree’s Baby† dealt with race I look at it as a deciding moment in a relationship, especially if the couple is married to know that you are going to stay together. The baby wasn’t the reason why the couple didn’t make it but the baby was the start of why they didn’t work. In â€Å"Hills like White Elephants† it shows the struggle one couple faced with deciding whether or not they wanted to tackle parenthood. The couple, â€Å"the American† and â€Å"the girl† both are unsure of their fate. The American just wants to walk away and the girl just wants to make him happy, â€Å"American male protagonist dominates the meeker, weaker-sexed jig of her femaleness† (Busch, Frederick; 234). There are lots of people that the man still has the bigger role in the rel ationship, but in those relationships comes a lot of animosity to the companion later. In one part of the story the couple were going back and forth about whether or not they should go through with it and to end it off Jig decides that she will, â€Å"just do it†[ because she doesn’t care about herself]. Never in anybody’s time should you ever put someone else first before over yourself. Doing that just leads down a road of destruction, and then the fact that this whole conversation is about abortion they probably should just get rid of it because she could just end up alone. Jig sounds as if she has no will or fight in her so she probably shouldn’t take care of a child. The baby in this story played a  huge role for its future possible parents. The couple had to make a decision that if it were the wrong one could have broken them up, or made their relationship a happy one. Both â€Å"Desiree’s Baby† and â€Å"Hills like White Elephant† realized their mistakes and tried and wished they could have corrected them. Babies shouldn’t be left the burden on people lives but that’s where they are placed at times. But it just makes you think to times where it wasn’t a good time to have kids or the situations that these people were placed in that made their children a downfall and a burden instead of a gift or a miracle. Bibliography Busch, Frederick. â€Å"On Hills Like White Elephants.† Norton Anthology of Short Fiction. Ed. R. V. Cassill et al. 6th ed. New York: Norton, 2000. 761–62.  Mayer, Gary H. â€Å"A Matter of Behavior a Semantic Analysis of Five Kate Chopin Stories.† January 2010. 94-100 Rankin, Paul. â€Å"Hemingway’s Hills like White Elephants.† Hinds Community College. Heldref Publication

The success of the slave revolt in Haiti the only successful one in history Essays

The success of the slave revolt in Haiti the only successful one in history Essays The success of the slave revolt in Haiti the only successful one in history Paper The success of the slave revolt in Haiti the only successful one in history Paper Essay Topic: History The Haitian Slave revolt of 1791 has been deemed by some the only successful one in history. This has often been measured by the successes that it brought for the black slaves on the island of Saint Domingo (now Haiti), namely independence from France, the abolition of the institution of slavery and the destruction of the dominant white population and the plantation system1. What used to be the most prosperous colony of the western hemisphere2 then became the first whole scale act of emancipation in a major slave society and the creation of modern Haiti, the first modern black state3. Also the events of 1791 inspired many more, both black and white to take up arms against those who used the slave trade for their own gain. Although not all achieved what the Haitians did, by the end of the 19th century slavery was abolished across the globe. This indirectly can be said to be the slave revolts greatest success. Firstly the immediate successes of the Haitian slave revolt have to be explained, in order to see why it was more successful than all others before it. This can be attributed to a number of factors including the horrendous situation existing before the revolt, the leadership of the rebellion, and the problems facing the invading armies. Life for the black slaves before the revolt took place was quite appalling, perhaps only as bad as other colonies but still dreadful enough to make the slaves rebel. Slaves at that time had few rights and those reforms that were carried out in Paris, were commonly ignored by the slave masters in Haiti. Furthermore slave owners offered no hope of emancipation4, due to the large profits the island was bringing via the large slave labour plantation system. Similarly there were many at the top in France who believed that Frances colonies existed only for the profit of the mother country5. Hence few could buy their own freedom6 and manumission was rare7. Although officially protected from some abuse, in reality slaves could be tortured, mutilated or killed by their owners8. The social conditions in Haiti were appalling, especially on the plantations. Slaves were forced to complete back breaking labour9 for long hours in the hot sun with no rest. Failure to work, because of any reason, even exhaustion, would often result in severe punishment. As a result many died from overwork. Also the slaves had very poor living quarters with food levels that barely met their required food levels. Starvation was often rife making the death rate soar among the slaves. This is shown by the fact that more than 800,000 slaves were imported to the colony in the 1700s, yet in 1789 the population was about 450,00010. In a more general context the French never set up any form of education of the locals, leaving the vast majority illiterate11 . The prospect of freedom was no better alternative as there was racial discrimination in most towns, causing the separation of the different ethnic groups, whites, mulattoes (mixed black and white ancestry) and freed blacks, and also a hardening of attitudes towards one another. These conditions therefore were the breeding grounds for discontent and frustration. Many chose to end their suffering by suicide; others ran away to the forests in their thousands, thus creating the basis for the revolt in 1791. However social conditions alone did not make the revolt an inevitable success. Violent conflicts between the black slaves and white colonists were common12 with bands of runaway slaves carrying out hit and run attacks throughout the colony13. These insurrections were always swiftly and severely dealt with and often collapsed because of a lack of centralised organisation and leadership14 and military training. However this was not lacking in the Haitian revolt. Its many leaders each had different qualities that they brought to the rebellion and their military and strategic thinking combined was a major factor in their victory. The main leader was Francois Dominique Toussaint LOuverture. Despite being born of slave parents he worked for a benevolent master who allowed him to be educated. Soon Toussaint began to read history, politics and military tactics, especially those of Julius Caesar. Moreover his talent for administration15 got him promoted quickly and he soon set out to make the masses of untrained and illiterate blacks into an army capable of fighting European troops16. Named the black Spartacus17 he was heralded the organisational genius of the revolution18. Those under him also provided the revolt with much experience and advice, particularly Henri Christophe (who fought in the American revolution), Alexandre Sabes Petion (who was educated at a military school in Paris), Jean Pierre Boyer (a free mulatto educated in France who joined the French military force for a while soon siding with his countrymen helping to unify the group), and Jean Jacques Dessalines (raised a slave and joined the rebellion quite early on). As well as the leaders many within the slave revolt (about 800) had also fought in the American Revolution (1775-1783) and thereby gained some military experience19. Inspired by the French Revolution of 1789 the rebel leaders saw that the realm of the possible had been expanded and they started to assert the rights of their own people. The revolt of 1791 took weeks of planning by the rebel leaders and other elite slaves. Then the slaves started to rebel on August 14th in the larger plantations in the north with blacks burning down plantations and crops and massacring every white person they encountered20. Free blacks joined them, as did mulattoes and soon the army was over 100,000 strong. In one month over 1,000 plantations fields, and factions had been torched. However the success wasnt only to be attributed to the skill of the victorious blacks but also to the failings of and problems incurred by the French and the invading armies of Britain and Spain. The first event that undermined the French government was the French revolution itself which weakened the government and caused splits among the whites of the island as to whom they should follow, the king or the republic. Those mulattoes, who considered themselves superior to the blacks also saw the revolution as a time for them to share in the privileges of the white elite. So whilst internal conflicts dominated the attention of the few elite, it provided a unique opportunity for the 500,000 (out of a total Haiti population of 570,000) black slaves to plan and rebel with high chances of success. Another factor that greatly hindered those trying to quell the rebellion and restore order was disease. The British in particular fell victim to tropical disease which thinned their ranks far more quickly than combat against the French21. Also Frances army was decimated by yellow fever especially during the second invasion by Napoleon when he sent out forces to try to recapture the island, wanting to put it under the control of a white general rather than Toussaint. Once the revolt had become a full scale civil war, the British and Spanish sent invasion forces, hungry for her (Frances) rich colony22 and keen to take advantage of the anarchy raging there. This prompted the French to go to war with Britain and Spain and to send its own 6,000 strong force, out to the island to fight them, also trying to appease the rebels. Initially many rebels including Toussaint had joined forces with Spain but then changed allegiance when France abolished slavery in 1974. Toussaint claimed he was ready to join the French and he would be loyal to the mother country as long as she remained loyal to blacks23. This reasoning combined with a realisation that the Spanish and British had no plans for their own abolition of slavery prompted him to become the colonies commanding general, driving Spain out by 1795 and the British by 1798. By 1801 Toussaint had restored order, winning the confidence of blacks, mulattoes and whites and becoming general governor of the island for life. So foreign intervention prompted France to appease the rebels who had destroyed her prosperous colony, in order to prevent any other power gaining a foothold. This in turn meant more military experience for the rebels, when they would later take on France, and more prestige for the movement as a whole. Napoleon was offended that Toussaint had taken control of Frances prized colony24 and undermined the position of the French whilst fighting with them. He wanted to regain complete control and reinstate slavery once again (as abolishing it had meant all slaves in all the colonies were free Napoleon reinstated slavery in every colony except Haiti). He sent a force of 16-20,000 to Saint Domingue where the army outmatched, outmanoeuvred and wore down the black army25. Many generals agreed to transfer their allegiance and Toussaint himself surrendered to the French on May 2nd 1802. He had been assured that he would able to retire quietly but instead was taken to France where he died of neglect in the dungeons of Fort de Joux26 in 1803. However this is when the leadership of the rebels shone out, as despite their main leader being taken, they fought on with even more determination, convinced that the same fate lay in store for them27. As a result they battled against the disease ridden army and that combined with the fact that France was distracted by war on the continent with Britain, and therefore was not able to send any reinforcements to help its army. Bonaparte had to concentrate his energies on the struggle in Europe28 and in April 1803 he signed a treaty allowing the purchase of Louisiana by the United States, thereby ending French ambitions in the western hemisphere29. Consequently in 1804 Dessalines declared Haiti to be the world first black republic. The Haitian slave revolt success can also be measure by the message it sent abroad, in both a positive and a negative sense. In some places the revolt chilled many white Americans ardour for emancipation measures30 convincing many that freeing slaves would result in a race war31 and they became even less willing to end slavery32. Abolitionists on the other hand such as Wilberforce, Clarkson, and James Stephen took a considerable interest in Haitian developments and used it to show how emancipation leads to progress and to prosperity33. David Rice was one person who applauded the blacks of Saint Domingue who were bravely sacrificing their lives on the altar of liberty34. But sadly the vast majority of the western world didnt agree and sought to isolate Haiti in order to prevent its idea of emancipation from spreading as a model for their own slaves. Haitis isolation continued for more than 200 years35 and this was obviously a setback for its economy and foreign relations. Not only that but the revolt itself left the country in ruins as most of the countries plantation infrastructure had been destroyed and all the experienced administrators had been eliminated36 Another major impact of the slave revolt was that racial equality and slave emancipation were put onto the agenda of the French revolution thereby benefiting all French Caribbean possessions37. Anti slavery agitation was blamed continually for igniting the black revolution and for encouraging other ones like it. The Haitian slave revolt inspired a firestorm of slave revolts including Gabriels in Richmond (1800) and an 1811 uprising in Louisiana38 (which may have involved tens of thousands of slaves) There were also major revolts in Curacao (1975), Barbados (1816), Demerara (1823), and Jamaica (1831-1832). The slave revolt did however awaken slaveholders in neighbouring countries to the possibility of a similar crisis39 and in taking Haiti out of competition in the sugar producing market it helped to stimulate slave-based production elsewhere40 especially in Cuba, Brazil and North America. The Haiti slave revolt was the first and last slave system to abolished by the slaves themselves. However despite the negative consequences of the revolt, namely that slave production increased elsewhere and the anti slavery movement incurred a setback, the positive consequences far outweigh it and therefore deem it the solely fully successful one41. It was the starting point from which slavery was seen to be immoral and unjust and by the end of 19th century all the major western powers had abolished slavery, including Britain (1834), France (1848), and the Dutch/Spanish (1886). Although the colony was eclipsed42 economically the revolt still provided a model of hope for other slaves around the globe, showing that anything was possible. It immediately succeeded because of the bad conditions beforehand, and also due to its leadership during the revolt. It succeeded in the long term as it eventually brought about the death of slavery altogether.

Modals in Different Varieties of English

Modals in Different Varieties of English Introduction The modern use of some words can be considered wrong though the changes that are natural for the language take place and should be treated as the transitional period in formation of new grammar and vocabulary. In this respect, I would like to analyse the use of modal words and modal verbs in different varieties of English by contemporary speakers comparing those with the results received a few decades earlier.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Modals in Different Varieties of English specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More So, I would like to trace the relation between the origin of speakers and their ability to use modals correctly taking into account the current situation in the language environment and the one that occurred a few decades earlier with regard to the varieties of British and American English in different age groups. Aim and Scope The main purpose of this paper consists in investigating t he use of modal verbs and expressions in different varieties of English language including mostly the difference between American and British English. Besides, it is necessary to analyse the peculiarities of use of modals by teenagers and children with the help of examples from different corpora of English language. These corpora include examples of speech from different settings and origins including different age groups, namely children and teenagers, various sources of information such as documents and newspaper articles. One of the major peculiarities of these corpora is the variety of genres including press reportage, editorials, reviews of books and music, letters, periodicals, catalogues and reports as well as fiction, science fiction, adventure, humour, and romance. Every source will be analysed with regard to the frequency of use of modals in different functions and shifts in the meaning conveyed with the help of modals that can be observed in terms of the period to which t he examples refer. Besides, it is also necessary to investigate how children and teenagers were affected by changes in the meaning and the frequency of use of modals by adults and teenagers/children. Previous Work As a rule, linguists investigate the most interesting aspects of the language usage in terms of results of the researches to be used in practice. In this respect, the changes that occurred in the use of modals can be related to the shifts in preferences of using modals and quasi-modals. Besides, population of different continents uses modals and quasi-modals with different frequency as well as representatives of different generations. Moreover, the results of the research can be influenced by the origin of the example taking into account the oral speech and written language because the genre to which the example is referred characterises the formality.Advertising Looking for research paper on linguistics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Thus, formal language is supposed to contain more modals whereas informal language is sure to contain more quasi-modals and fewer modals. As reported by Collins, the shift in the use of modals can be seen while comparing the results from British and American English-speaking population in the early 1960s and in the early 1990s respectively (7). These findings analyse the figures presented in studies by Leech (2003), smith (2003), and Mair and Leech (2006) who investigated the changes that took place in the use of modals taking into account American and British varieties of English language. Every member of the society has a right to express his/her thoughts in different ways. The variety of ways can be seen from the COLT corpus that includes Bergen Corpus of London Teenage English being a vivid representation of variety of nonverbal means of communication among teenagers and communication of teenagers with members of their families including other sibl ings and parents, teachers, and strangers. As a rule, teenagers use more informal language when they communicate with peers; this variant of communication differs greatly from the language used by teenagers with parents and teachers. However, the main aim of the current research is to investigate the frequency of use of different modals and quasi-modals and the percentage of use taking into account modals and quasi-modals ratio in the American corpus primarily. As suggested by Krug, the attention to quasi-modals is not sufficient in terms of scholarly articles and researches conducted on this issue (1). The researcher analyses the modals and quasi-modals with regard to their grammaticalization and categories typical for modals: â€Å"the most salient determinants in the present case are almost certainly phonological form, morphosyntactic properties and discourse frequency of potential category members† (Krug 3). Though many researchers have compared and contrasted the frequen cy of using different parts of speech and various phrases and word combinations by native speakers of English with regard to different dialects and genres, it is still necessary to investigate the number of modal used in different periods with regard to information from the Corpus of historical American English, contemporary situation with regard to the information from the Corpus of contemporary American English, and contrast the number of modals used by Americans with the one used by users of the British variety of English with regard to the information from the British national corpus. In other words, the current research is focused on the analysis of data from these three corpora using the theoretical background about the use of modals from researches conducted by other scholars. Material The nature of the primary research consists in choosing modals for analysis and comparing the frequency of use of modals in sources of different genres and in spoken language taking into accoun t the situation in American variety of English a hundred years earlier and contemporary situation. I have used the corpora of English language to investigate the frequency of use of modals in different varieties of English though the primary purpose of the research was to compare and contrast the findings from the British variant of English and American variant of English with regard to the historical development of the latter.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Modals in Different Varieties of English specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In this respect, the most influential limitation was the lack of information on the historical development of the British variant of English over a long period of time. As the changes in the American variant of English could be explored from 1810 to 2000, the changes in the British variant of English could be explored only regarding the results from two last decades dating from 1 990 till 2010. Though I used the modals and quasi-modals that are typical of the English language with regard to all varieties of the language, I faced the difficulties concerning the variety of combinations that were typical of the modals and quasi-modals. In other words, further research could focus on the combinations of other parts of speech with modals and the nature of expressions in terms of mood (imperative or subjunctive) and the attitude of the author of the utterance. So, the main sources of data include the Corpus of Contemporary American English, the Corpus of Historical American English, and the British National Corpus. I used the Corpus of Contemporary American English to see the frequency of occurrence of different modals in spoken language, fiction, articles from magazines, newspaper articles, and academic sources with regard to the period (1990-2010) to which the use refers. The Corpus of Historical American English provides researchers with a richer variety of res ults as it includes the examples of speech dating from 1810 till 2000. In this respect, I was able to analyse the frequency of use of modals in different periods of time with regard to the sources they appeared in, including fiction, non-fiction, magazines, and news. This information enabled me to conduct a research on a great variety of issues concerning the use of word and the peculiarities of word choice for different sources such as fiction and non-fiction. Besides, it is possible to analyse the percentage of the appearance of modals in fiction and non-fiction. One of the limitations, in this regard, concerns the historical approach that, if used, could explain the frequency of use of certain words due to changes in the country and the world including economical factors, social and cultural development, and shift in lifestyle and values of the population. The British National Corpus provides researchers with the information on the variety of different word combinations. In this respect, I was able to investigate the frequency of using modals in different setting in terms of the genre and parts of speech with which the modal occurred. The queries could be limited in terms of written and spoken language inserted into examples. In other words, the research turned out to be full of unexpected limitations. To be more exact, the limitations should have been imposed into the research mode so that I could get the clear data for analysis at the end of the investigation. However, this was not doe at the beginning of the research; so, I had to limit the number of queries and choose more objective and universal samples from all three corpora. In other words, the choice of data was likely to affect the results in an important way if the number of queries is not restricted.Advertising Looking for research paper on linguistics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Method Though the comparative analysis of the use of modals and quasi-modals was conducted by Mair and Leech (2006), it is necessary to view the frequency of use of certain modals and quasi-modals that were reported to have the lowest difference in American and British variants of English. In other words, the study is based on the findings by Mair and Leech (2006) who managed to identify the use of modals and quasi-modals in examples provided by American and British English language corpora. In this respect, the issue of primary importance is the decline of use of modals and increase in the number of quasi-modals used in the late twentieth – early twenty-first century. Though modals were used more frequently at the beginning of the reported period and the frequency of their use declined toward the end of the reported period, the frequency of use of quasi-modals was just the opposite and it increased toward the end of the same period. I searched for the frequency of use of the modals shall and should and quasi-modals be supposed to and need to. First, I entered the modal should into the entry boxes of all three corpora mentioned above including the Corpus of Contemporary American English, the Corpus of Historical American English, and the British National Corpus. This enabled me to see the changes in the use of the modal in a short period of time in the Corpus of Contemporary American English and the British National Corpus; also, I could trace more obvious changes in the frequency of use of the modal with the help of queries made through the Corpus of Historical American English. The next step I took was the same procedure with the modal shall, and quasi-modals be supposed to and need to. The final stage of the research presupposed analysis of data and relevant conclusion made on the basis of the findings. In this respect, I was able to see the changes that took place in the use of modals that were previously reported to have similar changes in both var ieties of English including British and American variants and quasi-modals that were previously reported to have a greater difference in changes in these two variants of English language. As reported by Mair and Leech, the modal shall was used less frequently by people who used the British variant of English (-43.7% compared to the data received in 1960s) and by people who used the American variant of English language (-43.8%). Similar changes can be observed with regard to the frequency of use of the modal should (-11.8% of British and -13.5% of American). The quasi-modals were used more frequently compared to the period of 1960s when the first set of data was received. Thus, the quasi-modal be supposed to was used more frequently in the British variant (+113.6%) and in the American variant (+6.3%) which shows a great difference in the variants. The quasi-modal need to was used more often as well (+249% in British and +123% in American). Results and Analysis The first set of data c omes from the comparison of styles and genres used by the Corpus of Contemporary American English and the British National Corpus. The following figure suggests the data received from the British National Corpus. Figure 1: Frequency of use of the modal should represented by the results from the British National Corpus. Section/use per million spoken fiction magazine newspaper non-acad academic miscellaneous 9,724.94 7,015.77 8,241.27 7,571.64 8,142.98 10,221.98 11,257.89 Key: non-acad – is the set of non-academic sources whereas written and spoken are not clearly differentiated. Thus, the British National Corpus provided the information concerning the genres and styles typical for the use of modal should. I turned out that the modal should is used more frequently in spoken language, in academic sources and in sources considered miscellaneous. These results enabled me to conclude that the frequency of the use of the modal should is still very high with regard to the r eported decline of the use. The next step concerned the use of the same modal traced with the help of the Corpus of Contemporary American English. Figure 2: Frequency of use of the modal should represented by the results from the Corpus of Contemporary American English. Section/use per million spoken fiction magazine newspaper academic 930.65 622.75 721.51 657.63 897.18 Though the non-academic and miscellaneous sources are not identified as separate subgenres, it is necessary to show that the difference between the British and the American variants is still very high as 9,724.94 words per million in the British variant is much larger than 930.65 words per million in the American variant of English. In this respect, the difference is already obvious though it is necessary to see the situation that occurred in the frequency of use of the modal should with the help of the results from the Corpus of Historical American English. This corpus enables me to claim that the frequency of use of the modal should declined greatly while comparing the results from different decades during the entire nineteenth century and the entire twentieth century. In this respect, the most frequently the modal should was used in the period of 1820s though even then the use of this modal was not as large as the current situation in the British variant of English as there was an average number of 1,649.88 words per million whereas the use of the same modal in the contemporary British variant of English equals an average figure of 7,423.46 words per million. The next modal that was analysed is shall. The first corpus that should be discussed in this section is the Corpus of Historical American English which provides us with the picture showing changes in the frequency of use of the modal shall comparing the nineteenth and twentieth century. In this respect, we can see that the decline is great, especially while comparing the results on the frequency of use of the modal shall in the early nineteenth century and the ones from the late twentieth century. Thus the results from the 1810s equal 1,924.31 words per million whereas the same figure is much smaller for the period of 1990-2000 (53.27 words per million). It is also notable that the most frequently the modal shall was used in fiction and in academic sources whereas spoken language, examples from magazines and newspapers show smaller frequency of the use of the modal shall. Figure 3: Frequency of use of the modal shall represented by the results from the British National Corpus. Section/use per million spoken fiction magazine newspaper non-acad academic miscellaneous 2,195.98 2,310.60 315.07 330.20 1,160.58 2,139.88 2,024.27 This figure shows that the results differ greatly with regard to the use of the modal shall in the American and in British variants of English. At the same time, the results concerning the genre of use partially coincide for two variants of English language though the British s poken language as well as examples from miscellaneous sources demonstrates the same or similar frequency as the ones from fiction and academic sources as well as in the American variant of English. Figure 4: Frequency of use of the modal should represented by the results from the Corpus of Contemporary American English. Section/use per million spoken fiction magazine newspaper academic 22.59 70.29 21.88 14.03 63.93 The results received from the Corpus of Contemporary American English are similar to those reported concerning the use of the Corpus of Historical American English where the use of the modal shall prevailed in fiction and academic sources while it was the least frequent in examples from newspapers (14.03 words per million). This figure can be compared to the results from the same genres for the British variant of English language where the frequency of use of the modal shall equals 2,310.60 words per million and 2,139.88 words per million for the academic sources . The next unit for analysis was the frequency of use of the quasi-modal be supposed to in British and American variants of English. It is necessary to note that this quasi-modal was analysed in terms of pure entries (supposed to was analysed in queries in order to ensure that all variants are included be supposed to, is supposed to, are supposed to, am supposed to, ‘m supposed to, ‘re supposed to, etc.) In this respect, the results for entry supposed to differed greatly for the initial entry be supposed to. As this imposed some limitation on the analysis, I decided to restrict results to the absolute queries that were supposed to include all potentially relevant results. The results from the Corpus of Historical American English enable us to see that the obvious changes started in the 1930s when the frequency of use of the quasi-modal supposed to was characterised with the 43.21 words per million whereas every coming decade showed increased frequency of use of this qua si-modal leading to the results of 98.32 words per million for the period of 2000s. One of the most notable features of the frequency of use of the quasi-modal supposed to concerns the sources of examples as in all periods reported in the Corpus of Historical American English, spoken language provided us with the most frequent use of this quasi-modal. The results received from the Corpus of Contemporary American English differ slightly from the ones in the Corpus of Historical American English. Thus, we can see the difference from the figure: Figure 5: Frequency of use of the quasi-modal supposed to represented by the results from the Corpus of Contemporary American English. Section/use per million spoken fiction magazine newspaper academic 103.92 121.42 53.12 60.82 24.80 This figure shows that the main sources where the frequency of the use of the quasi-modal supposed to was higher than in the spoken language is the fiction. The results from the British National Corpus are similar to the situation presented in the Corpus of Historical American English where spoken language shows the highest frequency of use of the quasi-modal supposed to. The final unit for analysis is the quasi-modal need to; as reported by Mair and Leech, the use of this quasi-modal increased dramatically with regard to the results from 1960s compared to the contemporary situation. We can clearly see the frequency of use of the quasi-modal need to with the help of results from the Corpus of Historical American English where the lowest frequency can be observed in the period of 1810s (2.54 words per million) while the highest frequency of use is typical of the period of 2000s (211.14 words per million). Figure 6: Frequency of use of the quasi-modal need to represented by the results from the British National Corpus. Section/use per million spoken fiction magazine newspaper non-acad academic miscellaneous 2,555.89 1,028.71 1,589.51 873.46 1,438.18 1,840.44 1,882.11 This figu re shows that the use of the quasi-modal need to was the most frequent in the spoken variant of the British English whereas the average frequency is about 1,601.19 words per million which is twice as high as the frequency of use of this quasi-modal in newspapers and is almost 1.5 as low as the frequency of use of the quasi-modal need to in spoken language. The results received from the Corpus of Contemporary American English provide us with the information similar to the one from the British National corpus which enables us to conclude that the frequency of use of the quasi-modal need to increased compared to the beginning of the early nineteenth century. Conclusion The use of modal words and combinations has changed over the last hundred years with regard to the data from the British national corpus (BNC), Corpus of Contemporary American English, and Corpus of Historical American English as the sources of primary research materials. Besides, it is necessary to note that the use of the modals shall and should differs from the changes in the frequency of use of quasi-modals supposed to and need to. In other words, the data from the corpora demonstrates certain tendencies when the frequency of use of modals declines contrasted to the frequency of use of quasi-modals which increases. The most obvious changes concern the spoken language where the use of quasi-modals supposed to and need to is higher than in all other genres and sources of data. However, the quasi-modal supposed to is reported to be frequently used in fiction rather than in spoken language according to the results received from the Corpus of Contemporary American English. At the same time, the frequency of use of the modals shall and should tends to decline compared to the results received in the early nineteenth century. Collins, Peter. Modals and Quasi-Modals in English. Amsterdam: Rodopi, 2009. Print. Facchinetti, Roberta, Manfred G. Krug, and Frank Robert Palmer (Eds.). Modality in Contemporar y English. Berlin/New York: Walter de Gruyter, 2003. Krug, Manfred G. Emerging English modals: a corpus-based study of grammaticalization. Berlin/New York: Walter de Gruyter, 2000. Mair, Christian, and Geoffrey Leech. â€Å"Current Changes in English Syntax.† 2006. Accessed from https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/fass/doc_library/linguistics/leechg/mai_and_leech_2006.pdf.