Monday, September 30, 2019
Trademark
Trademarks and Commercial Identifiers Trademarks-?also known as commercial identifiers or marks-? can be words, phrases, logos, symbols, or images. Sometimes a trademark is made up of two or more of these. You can look at J just about any product and see one or more trademarks. A trademark is used to Identify a product a s being unique to the company that owns It, so therefore trademarks are extremely valuable to their owe nurse.A trademark can be identified with a company to indicate quality, flavor, scent, innovation, or any n member of ââ¬Å"ideasâ⬠that a company wishes to express. Exclusive rights to a mark are partially established through commercial use, such as: Entering the mark on state or county records Applying the mark to signs and promotional materials using the mark on letterhead, business cards, and Web sites Marks can also be registered with the united States Patent and Trademark Office (US OPT), which gives companies more leverage should a dispute arise over a mark.The mark will return a result during redeemer searches, discouraging others from trying to claim the mark as their own, and registration puts the burden of proof of originality on any Infringer. A company may hold hundreds of trademarks. Microsoft provides a Web page lasting Its many trademarked names for games, software, fonts, brands, etc. , along with information o n how to cite each name. Microsoft also provides a page titled ââ¬Å"General Microsoft Trademark Guidelines, â⬠that provides very specific Instructions on referencing Microsoft trademarks and logos in any kind o f publication.Some trademarked names become so common in the language that they can become generic. This can be financially harmful to a company because the word or phrase is no longer necessary rill associated with its creator. Some common name brands that have become generic Include: Jacuzzi for hot tub Xerox for copiers Band-Aid for adhesive Astronaut for artificial grass Skilled intellectual pr operty attorneys like those at GOSH Law Partners are helpful to co nannies at every stage in the trademark process.In the design phase, our attorneys perform thorough earaches for similar phrases or logos, preventing resources from being spent on an idea unlikely t o achieve registration. Once design is complete, GOSH Law Partners assists in the preparation an d filing of the registration application and work with the SPOT to resolve objection and answer quo sections. After IF Trademarks Firsthand Lasted 1 1124/2009 6:00 PM registration is achieved, we monitor usage to assure the mark is kept in commercial u SE and is not being misused or in danger of becoming generic. GOSH Law Partners, with our deep knowledge and expertise in business and intellect al property law, understands the goals you want to achieve with your commercial identifiers and their value to your company. We will help you weigh the risks and benefits of various types of marks and enable you to make decisions you ca n be confident will be good for your business for years to come If infringements or disputes arise, we handle all details from cease and desist letters (which often end the case) through litigation. IF Trademarks Firsthand Lasted
Sunday, September 29, 2019
Responses to the Spread of Buddhism
Responses to the Spread of Buddhism Although some elites in China found Buddhism to be important for the development of China between 220 CE and 570 CE, as time progressed through this period, Buddhismââ¬â¢s popularity seemed to decrease. Between 200 CE and 500 CE, scholars and the few followers of Buddhism seemed to have simply been trying to inform the people about Buddhism and they were attempting to gain popularity. Unfortunately, by around 819 CE, people seemed to have started disproving of Buddhism as China started to turn towards a more imperial society.Shortly after the fall of the Han Dynasty in 220 CE Buddhism started to spread very rapidly throughout the Chinese society. The people of China in this period were in a devastated state with no structured government and a falling economy. For them, Buddhism was a form of mental escape and it gave them a chance to let go of the natural world and reach a peace of mind. The first sermon preached by Buddha (Doc 1) was preached t o help people who were unaware of the religion to acknowledge it and realize that it is a religion that will give them an opportunity to forget about the current devastation they are in.The sermon teaches the people that there is no point in grieving over something and instead they should rid themselves of their pleasures and try to look beyond the material world. The sermon teaches that every negative feeling someone might have is a form of sorrow and getting rid of that sorrow is the only way to attain happiness. Zhi Dun (Document 2) is conveying both to Buddhists followers and non-followers of Buddhism that Buddha is the almighty. He is trying to teach the people that without recognizing and obeying Buddha, it is impossible to attain enlightenment.Both Dun and Buddha are find Buddhism to be relieving and are attempting to gain more followers. Both documents are attempting to convince and inform people of what Buddhism really is and how it can help oneââ¬â¢s mental stability. A fter about 500 CE, as Chinese people seemed to start rethinking their disposition on Buddhism more people became accepting of Buddhism and other religions or philosophies to coexist. Both ââ¬Å"The Disposition of Errorâ⬠(Doc 3) and Zong Mi (Doc 5) are neutral in their point of view of religion and they are both willing to accept more than one religion. ââ¬Å"The Disposition of Errorâ⬠is claiming that Confucianism and Buddhism should both be accepted and that Confucian and Buddhist practices should not have to wholly agree with each other in order for both of them to be accepted. Although ancient Confucian scriptures to not contain any mention of Buddhism, it does not mean the Buddhism cannot be practiced by anyone because Confucian scriptures do not consist of every possible view of the world. Likewise, Zong Mi (Doc 3) believes that Confucianism, Daosim, and Buddhism all took a major role in creating the orderly society that the Chinese were currently living in.He beli eved the all three were equal in their teachings even if they were being taught in various ways and they should all be accepted with the same amount of respect. After the late 700s, as societies in China became more developed and a finally stable nation seemed to be right around the corner, people started to view Buddhism as impractical in their current societies. They felt that practicing Buddhism would cause much disruption in the society. This mentality started to develop because Buddhism asked for a person to let go of everything in life and to live independently.Unfortunately, not many people liked this lifestyle anymore because in order for the society to function there would have to be a working class and in order to increase population, a man must be able to start a family neither of which Buddhism allows. Han Yu (Doc 4) felt that Buddhism was a crude religion and that Buddha himself was an immoral person. He felt that Buddha disobeyed Confucianism which he claimed to follow and he did not even follow a simple dress code for the society.Yu sees Buddha as a form as a rebel and did not understand the importance of obeying rules. Yu is disgusted at the fact that servants and citizens are bringing back newly found remains of Buddhaââ¬â¢s body into the palace. Similarly, Emperor Tang Wu (Doc 6) believes that practicing Buddhism is extremely unreasonable. He feels this way mainly because Buddhism does not allow men to work or contribute to society and that is vital in order for the developing Chinese society to keep building.Wu finds Buddhism as evil because he believes it causes people to abandon their responsibilities as a part of society such as having kids and cultivating their crops, much like the ideas of Han Yu. Although many different documents from various time periods were provided, additional points of view could help the readerââ¬â¢s analysis on the response to Buddhism more accurate. For example, all of the documents were of only elite cla ss people while the readers are unaware of what a peasant in the society feels about Buddhism.A peasantââ¬â¢s input would be a great contribution to the overall analysis of responses because peasants make up most of the population so their point of view would be extremely important. Another possible extra opinion could be that of a woman. Although a womanââ¬â¢s opinion didnââ¬â¢t necessarily have much importance in early China, it may still be important for us to know whether women truly accepted Buddhism, or if they went along with it only because they were forced to.All in all, Buddhism was met with many mixed reviews in its introduction shortly after the fall of the Han Dynasty. At first many people found Buddhism as an excuse to not have to cope with the devastating society they were living in. However, as time progressed and Chinaââ¬â¢s future seemed much brighter, people started feeling as though Buddhism was in fact hindering the society from being able to move fo rward and catch up with the rest of the world. Overall, Buddhism has greatly affected our worldââ¬â¢s past and present and with without it, we wouldnââ¬â¢
Saturday, September 28, 2019
Responding Techniques
Responding and summarizing begins with using active and responding where I preview the authorââ¬â¢s background as well as the writing context. Summarizing accurately and objectively represent key ideas. A summary cites the author and title, quotes key phrases or sentences directly and describe the main ideas and feature of a text. Responding is critiquing the ideas in the text. Responding technique gives responses that may agree or disagree with the argument in the text.Responses may analyze the argument, organization or quality of evidence in the text; and/or they may reflect on assumptions or implications. Summary includes main ideas and key features while a response includes my reactions, comments and questions. A summary gives a reader an objective and condensed account of the main ideas and features of a text while a response. A response should include own perspective, experiences, attitudes and beliefs that will guide in a particular response.To make it effective, a response paper effective, I need to say what I think and show why I think so. The response should show the relationship between my opinions and the argument in the text. A response requires analyzing the effectiveness of the text, agreeing or disagreeing with the authorââ¬â¢s ideas and interpreting and reflecting on the text. Responses must be supported by evidence, facts, examples and details.Personal experience, evidence form the text and other texts form supporting evidence for good responses. In responses, there is need for in text citations like sentences and phrases. Ideas from other books, essays and articles are relevant. Usually, summary appears first and then the readerââ¬â¢s response. The two parts are carefully integrated where the response focuses quickly on the main idea summarized. Use a clear transition from the summary and response or integrate both the summary and response throughout.
Friday, September 27, 2019
Puigs kiss of the spider woman Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Puigs kiss of the spider woman - Essay Example Evidence of Mestre's (Sara p78) prodigious imagination is ubiquitous in his unusual characters, in the many subplots, twists, turns and transformations (after inventing a powerful guava-based aphrodisiac, one character turns into a river fish and is promptly eaten by his cat), in the onion layering of folklore within tales within stories. His prose has an uncommon exuberance that captures the lushness of his tropical setting. On the other hand, this vitality frequently gives way to elaborate decoration that can obstruct the impetus of the insecurely structured plot, and the novel's big movements turn out to be obscured by its complicated details. This novel can be compared to the Cuba revolution for the reason that it is based in the Cuban revolution in addition to also highlights Castro Gays were despised in Cuba and Castro brought a reign of terror upon them. They were harassed, publicly ridiculed, forced from jobs, jailed, and beaten and, in 1965, they were labeled "counter revolutionary" rounded up and sent to forced labor camps. In 1980 hundreds of Cuban Gays were again labeled "counter-revolutionary," only this time they were thrown out of the country. After what they'd been through, getting thrown out of Cuba wasn't the worse thing that could happen. Puig's kiss of the spider woman Concerns the impact of the Cuban revolution on
Thursday, September 26, 2019
To investigate various ways of financing educational boot camps for Research Paper
To investigate various ways of financing educational boot camps for less privileged but gifted students in the Czech Republic - Research Paper Example It was also imperative to collect information on these learning platforms, so as to provide insight on what they would constitute, since they do not exist within the Czech education system. Information on the Czech education system was obtained from government sources like reports by the Office of the Government of the Czech Republic. There were also sources such as organizationsââ¬â¢ and foundationsââ¬â¢ reports like those by the European Commission and the Czech Institute for Information on Education. These secondary data sources were deemed credible owing to the impartial nature of their statistical findings on education, and especially gifted education in the country. The sources were also considered the best, as they provided a comprehensive overview of the background information that formed a basis for the research. The decision to use interview was aimed at collecting personal opinions from potential education boot camp financiers as research data. Interviews were also considered most suitable, since in depth understanding of and insight into the subject of gifted education funding in the Czech Republic was paramount to the study. Through directly interviewing potential sponsors of the proposed education programs, it was possible to directly define the studyââ¬â¢s context. Additionally, use of interviews as primary data collection tools made it possible to discover the thoughts and feelings of the respondents on gifted education in the Czech Republic, while identifying their specific reasons for various opinions (Ã
krabà ¡nkovà ¡, 2011). It was also imperative to gain human perspective of extant data and trends of gifted education in the country. There were several advantages of using interviews in the research. Key among the benefits noted was the usefulness of the interviews in obtain ing information in details, particularly in regard to personal opinions, outlooks on gifted education, and overall opinions.
The Philosophy of Punishment for Criminals in Regard to Society and Essay
The Philosophy of Punishment for Criminals in Regard to Society and Victim - Essay Example Changes should be instituted that continue to enhance the rights of victims and create a greater sensitivity to their long-term emotional needs. It is a relatively recent development in the history of punishment that the victim of a crime is not central to the issue of resolving the debt created by a criminal act. In the American justice system, a criminal is considered indebted to the greater society, thus excluding the victim as a part of the punishment process. In fact, the concept of victims' rights has only become an issue for the justice system within the last few decades. The design of the justice system was not created with empathy for the victim, or an understanding of the lasting affect that violent crime can have on the life of someone who must cope with the aftermath of such an act. However, the concept of punishment does hold the potential as a deterrent for future crimes, and in this way relates mainly to the needs of a secure society. In an examination of punishment in the United States, and the way in which it relates and affects both the victim and society, it reveals a philosophy that is ineffective at addr essing the core issues that are significant to the long-term goals of society, or in satisfying the needs of the victim. In the evaluation of the ways in which crime a... five prevalent categories of needs for victims that include "retaliation, recognition of victim status, confirmation of societal values, victim security, and societal security" (p.173). The five goals of the victim are directly related to the ways in which the crime has affected the well-being of the individual. The more violent crimes require more than one of these goals in establishing a sense of closure, while less violent crime can require only one or two of these goals. However, these goals that affect the well-being of the victim are often not specifically addressed in the current justice system. While civil lawsuits can create monetary reparation toward the victim, most crimes are difficult to address through this type of litigation. Criminals that are incarcerated usually have no physical resources for restitution, and become a depersonalized entity within the prison system. Victims are left with a sense that their needs have diminished within society and that their circumsta nce has not been properly acknowledged. Historical Perspective Historically speaking, the philosophy of punishment has more often been designed around reparation to the victim of a crime. This is not to suggest that punishment was more merciful or did not have an aspect of cruelty incorporated into it. One example of the harshness of ancient law is from Sumer, which has the earliest surviving written record of law in history. According to Tetlow (2004), "When a woman said something offensive to a man, her teeth were crushed by burnt bricks on which her guilt had been inscribed. The bricks were then hung up in the city gate for all to see" (p.9-10). While the harshness of this sentence is beyond any reasonable standard of conduct for a modern culture, it represents the direct
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
The Issues of Terrorism and Culture Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
The Issues of Terrorism and Culture - Assignment Example To support this, the spate of terroristsââ¬â¢ activities that have taken place in countries such as Libya, this was under Muammar Gaddafi, and other Middle East countries act as evidence. Terrorism has also been integrated into cases of religious barriers as seen in most Middle East countries, which are divided between Christianity and Islamic grounds. Therefore, terrorism is widely used in conflicts between countries such as America and Iraq, or conflicts based on religious grounds such as Christianity and Islam. Terrorism is a tool used in bringing about political change in nations both domestically and internationally (Whittaker, 2007). The term terrorism finds its roots in the French revolution in the 16th century and governments that aimed at bringing sanity and political stabilization to their native citizens. The divisions in defining terrorism base their origin on religious differences as well as conflicts between nations. In international conflict, terrorism is a tool of political violence against the enemy of the state. For example, the war between the Americans and the Israelites, the Americans used terror attacks against the Israelites to instil fear so that Americans could have solid ground to attack the Israelites. In a civil war, terrorism can also be used to explain the acts of violence carried out in the conflict. The other aspect of terrorism is viewed from outside the western viewpoint of terrorism. It is a weapon of alarm for public concern such as in university demonstrations and seminars, witchcraft among others. There is another view of terrorism, and that is terrorism from below, which is in three phases. The first phase that occurred in the 18th century included assassinations and bombing. The second phase occurred in the 19th century and involved acts of violence in most of the European countries. The third phase occurred in the 20th century and included actions from nationalist movements, religious movements and the secular group.à Ã
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
Investigate the hybrids of the bisection and the secant methods Research Paper
Investigate the hybrids of the bisection and the secant methods - Research Paper Example The rate of convergence which records the number of iterations needed to attain a particular degree of accuracy, is not the key subject when assessing the computational effectiveness of the algorithm. The quantity of floating point operations (flops), for each iteration should also be considered. In case the iteration needs many flops, although an algorithm has a greater rate of convergence it might take more time to reach a required degree of precision. This method is therefore faster than Newtonââ¬â¢s method and has an advantage since it only needs a single function evaluation for every iteration. This then serves as a compensation for the slower rate of convergence when the function and its derivative cost higher to evaluate. Another disadvantage of this method is that, similar to newtonââ¬â¢s method, it lacks robustness, particularlty when the primary guesses are further from root. In addition, the method does not need differentiation. The bisection method is the modest and most robust algorithm for root-finding in a 1-dimensional continous function that has a closed interval. The basic principle of this technique is that if f(.) is a continous function expressed over an interval {a,b} and f(a) and f(b) with opposite signs, according to the theorem of intermediate value, at least a single r{a,b} exists making f(r) = 0. This technique is iterative and every iteration begins by breaching the existing interval forming brackets around the root(s) into two subintervals of matching lengths. The endpoint of one the subintervals must have different signs. This subinterval is now the new interval and the subsequent iteration starts. Therefore it is possible to define lesser and lesser intervals such that every interval has r by checking subintervals of the present interval and selecting the interval where f(.) changes signs. This is a continous process that ends when the width of the interval having a root
Monday, September 23, 2019
Iranian Women Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words
Iranian Women - Essay Example This system denounced the equal participation of women in any social or political activity. Women got expected to carry out their duties and roles according to their biological predisposition, which entitled them to bear children, take care of them, and provide comfort and satisfaction to their husbands (Ali, 2010). Over the last 20 years, changes have become effected in regards to women in the Iranian society. These changes have both freed and place restriction on women in the Iranian society. The proclamation of the Iranian constitution after the revolution served to change the view of women in the society. The constitution in its treaty of womenââ¬â¢s rights and responsibilities recognizes womenââ¬â¢s rights to high standards of learning. The constitution promotes the rights of women to attain higher education to the very highest academic levels. Women are encouraged through the constitution to seek the highest quantitative and qualitative levels of specialist skills. During the last 20 years, the Islamic revolution has managed to attain significant levels of equality in eradicating illiteracy among the Iranian population. The percentage of literate women in Iran has risen over the last 20 years (Ali, 2010). ... Women also face restrictions in pursuing higher education in various fields of study in the country. Some fields of study get taught in segregated classrooms. Culturally, women have also become viewed with much dignity with a special emphasis on not letting them become viewed as sexual objects. Leaders and managers have placed emphasis on the notion of not letting women get exploited as sexual objects in the country. A law that got enacted in 1988 prohibits the abuse of individuals, which includes disrespecting women or abusing a womanââ¬â¢s body through text or image. The revolution also resulted to the imposition of various cultural restrictions on women in Iran (Afshar, 2012). The revolution emphasized on the need for women to wear hijabs to in all public places to avoid receiving unwanted attention. According to the Islamic council of Iran, it is vital for women to wear hijabs to maintain their purest forms. Women are expected to cover their body and hair except for their hand s and faces. Women are also not encouraged to use cosmetics. Punishment for not wearing hijabs may range from verbal reprimands, whip lashing, and even imprisonment. The legal marriage age for a girl in Iran is 9 years, which got reduced from the initial 18years. Polygamy is very much legal in the country with men allowed to marry various wives. Women are not allowed to travel without the approval in writing of their husbands (Povey & Rostemi-Povey, 2013). Women do not get allowed to get in the company of other men who are not their husbands or male relatives. Women also get restricted to participate in sporting activities that may allow them to get seen by men. They are also not allowed to watch menââ¬â¢s
Sunday, September 22, 2019
Investigatory project Essay Example for Free
Investigatory project Essay Banana is very much common in the Philippines. It is one of the oldest cultivated plants and is grown in at least 107 countries, primarily for their fruit, and to a lesser extent to make fiber, banana wine and as ornamental plants. Musa acuminata or Musa balbisiana or commonly known as Banana has an impressive potassium content and is highly recommended by doctors for patients whose potassium is low. vitamin B6, soluble fiber, and moderate amounts of vitamin C and manganese are also abundant in Banana. Putting all of the nutritional figures together, it clearly shows that banana is one of the healthiest fruits. There is a protective outer layer (a peel or skin) with numerous long, thin strings, known as the phloem bundles, which run lengthwise between the skin and the edible inner portion. They are strings that go up and down the length of bananas and enable to help distribute nutrients to every part of the growing bananas. Toothpaste is a paste or gel dentifrice used with a toothbrush as an accessory to clean and maintain the aesthetics and health of teeth. Toothpaste is used to promote oral hygiene: it serves as an abrasive that aids in removing the dental plaque and food from the teeth, assists in suppressing halitosis, and delivers active ingredients such as fluoride or xylitol to help prevent tooth and gum disease (gingivitis). STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM The problem that connects in this project is ââ¬Å"What will be the effect if the skin of the banana will be used as an alternative for toothpaste.â⬠The answer or hypothesis in the said problem is ââ¬Å"if the skin of the banana will be used in making a new kind of toothpaste then, it would enable to help whiten the teeth, the product to be made would be cheap and it will be acceptable by the consumerâ⬠. Prev Page
Saturday, September 21, 2019
Chinese Communication Style | Essay
Chinese Communication Style | Essay Language is a multifunctional tool that allows people to satisfy variety of needs from socio-cultural to political necessities. The need to express its importance in communication does not have to be stressed since the two are intertwined. The communication style in China has its respective cultural milieus with different forms and purposes as well as varying intensity, emotional charge and dimensions. This has to be understood well by a person wanting to interact in an intercultural dimension. Choosing the appropriate language style is equally important especially in dealing with people from other cultures. The Cultural Revolution in China greatly affected the contemporary Chinese way of communicating particularly with the use of aggressive speeches during conflicts, formalized speeches during public gatherings, and humorous speeches during of turmoil. Dehumanization using undesirable animals was not uncommon during the period when enemies were considered as a class. Because of the diverse and complex communication style of Chinese, several commentators posited their view stating that such kind of communication needs to be improved or perhaps corrected. First, the arrangement of words and design of Chinese calligraphy make it hard for new language learners to embrace the language and adapt the communication style. Second, it deviates from the virtues of the simplistic alphabet. For Chineses part, the factors affecting their communication should first be understood and only then critics can truly appreciate the language. The tonal designs of the language as well as typographical structuring affect how they talk. The discipline as well in schools during early childhood of young Chinese gives them that sense of responsibility to include others and their talks and be concerned for the latters feelings rather than be self-contained. The two dichotomies often used to compare Chinese communication and English communication are the direct/linear style and indirect/circular style. The Chinese communication uses the indirect/circular style of reasoning. Kaplans findings in his contrastive study between English and Chinese communication style revealed that Chinese tend to be indirect, making illustrative and suggestive remarks first before going to the main issue. He called this pattern the Oriental style where people in diffused culture reason in a circling manner, starting from the farthest point, and ends with the main point. This is in contrast to the traditional American style of reasoning wherein they present first the main idea of an issue and then try to discuss the less important issues after. This style of Chinese reasoning appears to be lengthy and irritating for others, but for the Chinese, it serves as a channel in building relationships and saving face. Straightforward reasoning for them in turn appears to be harsh and arrogant. Such indirect reasoning is applied also in dispute resolution where statement of background information comes first before presenting the main argument. In all of these, the need to understand how Chinese think and communicate is important in the hope of a more interrelated world. The communication style of China has existed even during ancient times and up to now continues to be a heritage of the country. It gave them sense of pride as an individual and unity as a nation. INTRODUCTION Different cultures have varying systems of meanings (i.e. language) that makes it difficult to have a smooth flow of communication with them. Language is an important issue in ones intercultural marriage, interpersonal interactions, and interpretation and translation. It is a multifunctional tool wherein from the cultural perspective, serves as a channel in transmitting culture from generation to generation. It also creates linkages between individuals in order for them to establish a shared identity. And lastly, in the political sense, it unites the leaders and members of the society and identifies their boundaries as a country. Communication in China has its respective cultural milieus with different forms and purposes as well as varying intensity, emotional charge and dimensions. The Chinese language has a distinctive feature which has been interpreted by other cultures in different contexts. For instance, in a simple communication between Chinese and American, the latter may inte rpret the formers answer as yes when in fact he means no. A lot of people had posited comments saying that Chinese are very illustrative and suggestive in making statements and often do not go directly to the point. Because they have their own way of expressing emotions, they appear to be inscrutable and reserved to others. In dealing interpersonally, one must be aware that there are rules and standards for appropriate language style to be used. One should see to it that the style fits the genre and tone he wishes to convey. For instance, exaggeration during formal occasions usually gives listeners irritations since most wise people abhor advertisements where everything is over, hyper, or ultra. Better yet, one should remain reserved or attune himself. This study deals with how Chinese communicate, their communication styles, and communication issues. Hopefully after the end of the discussion, one would have a better understanding on the Chinese diaspora and a better appreciation of the Chinese communication style. BRIEF HISTORY OF CHINESE COMMUNICATION STYLES To have a better understanding and stronger foundation on the Chinese communication styles, it is important to tackle first some of the historical events that affected it. After discussing this, only then we can have the better ability to criticize their communication issues from its use in ordinary discourse to the more complicated situations (i.e. dispute resolution). We begin with Chinas Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) which greatly contributed to Chinas symbolic aggressive communication. Moral Language and Political Speeches. Moralistic and political languages are interrelated with one another and cannot be separated, at least in China. The moral language has been used mainly to persuade people. Political speeches from rulers were considered moral sermons. For instance, during religious wars and terrorisms, the use of moral message to justify these events were accepted by people. When a ruler says that a particular individual is Chinas enemy, then he must be so. The danger of moralistic language is that it gives a limited and a fancy sense of superiority and confidence. As an example, an ordinary speaker would try to memorize speeches and poems of a leader he idolizes and condemns the enemies of that leader. Rhetoric Dehumanization. The most common forms of dehumanization during the Cultural Revolution were through animal metaphors. Enemies of China were depicted in pictures as undesirable animals such as cow ghosts, monsters, demons; and parasites. These animal metaphors permeated the way Chinese write and speak. During rallies or political sessions, posters and slogans with dehumanizing animals were used to express their hatred to the social structures or enemies of the society. The use of these posters was the only way Chinese could communicate with the royal persons. Chinese communists created class labels distinguishing the people and the enemies of the people. The Impact on Communication of Chinas Cultural Revolution. The Cultural Revolution of China not only altered its culture but also affected the manner Chinese people communicate both in official and interpersonal levels. The following are the rhetorical patterns relative to communication styles during the Cultural Revolution: Aggressive speech. It became common in China that when a person tried to express his disagreement on the majoritys opinion, he was expected to be disgraced and humiliated. Formalized speech. The formalized language was commonly used during political speeches. The tendency when always used was that it became dry and often gave burden to the listeners leading to linguistic impoverishment. Worse, political speeches were often plagiarized. Humorous speech. The Cultural Revolution also allowed Chinese not to take the current situation too seriously and instead make humorous sense of it. In a sense, it ironically tolerated the vice and evil of people. COMMUNICATION ISSUES OF THE CHINESE CULTURE Having discussed the historical background of Chinese communication in the Cultural Revolution, we now briefly discuss common issues relating to their communication mechanisms. There must be a clarification here with regard to the term issue. Issue on whose perspective? To the Chinese, these might not be issues, but to other cultures they are. For the purposes of this study, we put the issue perspective on the English communicators. In each subsequent topic, this will be explained more thoroughly especially the whys and the hows of Chinese communication. A counterpart of the alphabet. The Chinese lacks the virtues found in the alphabet language despite being a preserved language tracing back to the ancient times. For the critics, the alphabet is simple, easy to memorize, and convenient to draw than the Chinese syllables. Canonical word order. The Chinese has a unique way of arranging words and formulating sentences which when translated to a foreign language gives a different meaning. Unlike Chinese, the grammatical composition of English language is signaled by word order. Vast number of dialects. The Chinese have many dialects across different regions. This is not surprising since they have an ancient civilization and the is the most populated country in the world. There are eight major dialects Chinese use which have a unified writing system; however, this becomes unintelligible when spoken by the different ethnicities (i.e. Mandarin, Hakka, Cantonese). Some scholars consider these dialects as separate languages. Complexity of Chinese calligraphy. Aside from the numerous Chinese characters one has to be familiar with, the writing of these scripts presents an equally big problem. In fact, their calligraphy is now being considered as a form of painting. FACTORS AFFECTING THE WAY CHINESE COMMUNICATE The Chinese culture has complex communication patterns. Facial expressions, movements of body parts, or even styles of dresses affect how Chinese communicate and how a person from other culture respond to them. For the White people, Chinese appear to be humble and reserved, so much concerned about their image that they tend to avoid in all possibilities the discomfort of being embarrassed or humiliated. For Chinese, indirectness allows them to save relationship as a concept of Confucius harmony. Harmony will be discussed more thoroughly in the preceding topics. To understand why Chinese behave and talk like this, it is important to understand the factors that affect how they communicate. The following are some of them: Tonal language. Chinese has is its own syllabic structure and phonemics that differ from the other cultures language such that when they try to speak foreign language, say English, they would give a different tone or pronunciation. The most common is the word fry for fly where they substitute l for r. Typological differences. China has their own way of organizing ideas, connecting facts, or even stressing points. Moreover, their language has no distinction between plural or singular forms. Thus, when translated to foreign language, they would appear absurd, blank, or unrelated. Early education for children. Young Chinese are early nurtured to include others in their conversations by avoiding talking too much about themselves. In addition, they are taught to be cooperative and humble. In nursery schools, instead of requiring students to do recitals alone, teachers would make it a choral presentation. This attitude is expected to be brought into their adult lives. COMMUNICATION PATTERNS IN CHINA Fons Trompenaars, a famous cultural theorist, describes two kinds of communication patterns existing in diffused and specific cultures. People in diffused cultures allow others to relate his other areas of life. The topic is more diverse and less restricted than what the current relationship allows. For instance, an employer can talk about his private life to his employee in the same way as he can talk with him about his professional matters. On the other hand, people in specific cultures, restrict the conversation within the bounds of the existing relationship. In the previous example, the employer would not allow his employee to deal with his personal life since personal matters are different matters. The illustration below, according to Fons, illustrates the way people in diffused and specific cultures communicate. The dots in the center of both pictures represent the issue or topic that a person tries to explain. The image on the right means that a when a person tries to explain something, he begins with the main issue and explains the matter direct to the point. This can be observed often in specific cultures. The image on the left means that when a person explains something, he goes around the bush first before arriving to his main point. This is common in diffused cultures. China belongs to the left image. The Chinese tries to be indirect in their conversation by making the conversation lengthy in order to build relationship. As for them, this is a good strategy to save face and avoid arrogance. DICHOTOMIES OF CHINESE COMMUNICATION NORMS In comparing Chinese communication styles and English communication styles, most researchers fall on two dichotomies namely direct/linear style versus indirect/circular style and deductive versus inductive discourse patterns. These dichotomies help people understand the different communication patterns between English and Chinese in business negotiation, essay writing, and ordinary conversations. Kaplans (1966, 1972) contrastive rhetoric is the most famous work analysis used in distinguishing Chinese communication style and English communication style. Kaplan conducted a study of the 600 compositions of 600 students who were not native English speakers. The Chinese dominated the students number. The result was these dichotomies: Direct/Linear versus Indirect/Circular Style. Kaplan proposed the Oriental style writing wherein before arriving to the main idea the writer goes first around circles. As opposed to American style of writing which states first the main idea, Kaplan described Chinese to start from the broader concept first before arriving to the specific topic. This study supports Trompenaars theory of diffused culture which states that Chinese tend to be indirect in answering or discussing a topic. Oriental Style American Style Deductive Reasoning versus Inductive Reasoning. Deductive reasoning is the process of arriving to a logical conclusion from a general statement. On the other hand, inductive reasoning is the process of arriving to a conclusion from specific set of facts. The distinguishing factor between the two is that in inductive reasoning, one cannot logically make a certain conclusion-only a well-founded or probable conclusion. When one delays the introduction of the topic, he is said to have an inductive pattern of reasoning, while when one introduces the topic early, he is said to have deductive reasoning. The Chinese people first establish a framework before introducing the main topic. Thus, between the two reasoning styles, Chinese have inductive reasoning communication style. FACTORS THAT AFFECT DISPUTE RESOLUTIONS IN CHINA After presenting the styles, issues and factors affecting the Chinese communication, let us now apply such knowledge in dispute resolution among them or even in intercultural ones. The potential disagreement is huge when one is not aware of negotiation styles and barriers to a successful communication between parties having different cultural backgrounds. That is why here we first examine the factors that affect dispute resolution in China. Communication is greatly affected by these since these are the by-products of the Chinese culture (i.e. Confucian philosophy). The four major factors we need to examine are (1) harmony, (2) power, (3) relationship (guanxi), and (4) face (mianze). These factors can be used to establish a powerful framework of conflict management and resolution. a. Harmony (He) à ¥Ã¢â¬â¢Ã
â. Among Chinese people, harmony is one of the most essential values which each one strives to have. Communication exists not to satisfy ones needs but rather, to maintain harmonious relationship with his fellow being. In a harmonious community, people act interdependently by analyzing every action to be done so that in the end, no one will be prejudiced with it. If however, conflict is inevitable, the role of harmony is at least to reduce the negative effects of conflicts in the relationship of the parties or at least to save their faces. b. Power (Là ¬lià ng) à ¥Ã
â⬠º. The second factor is power which refers to how one party controls his resources, whether it be tangible or intangible. In the Chinese context, power determines the degree of ones inclination or cooperation to the others influence. Power in addition, may be equated to authority and seniority. Oftentimes, persons in authority are respected; and it is there advice that people obey since they are believed to be more knowledgeable and familiar in the field of dispute resolution. In addition, seniority gives the people the credibility and experiences which the young Chinese deeply value. c. Relationship (Guanxi) -à ¥Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã ³Ã §Ã ³Ã ». The third factor is the guanxi, which refers to the relationship existing between parties. In Confucius book of Five Code of Ethics, he specified different relationships a man has, which include the ruler and his subject, husband and wife, father and son, older brother and younger brother, and between friends. These relationships vary in degree, and thus have specific communication styles that one has to follow in order to avoid future conflicts. One needs to adjust his verbal and nonverbal ways of communication to show respect and regard for the position, power or authority of the person he is dealing with. For instance, a subject cannot be expected to disobey his ruler implying that a high degree of respect is demanded; else, he gets an equivalent punishment. In the case of husband and wife, the communication is more intimate and reciprocal. Friends tend to treat each other equally and less formally. d. Face (Mianze) à ©Ã à ¢Ã ¥Ã à . Mianze refers to ones social status in life as perceived by other people based on ones position and prestige. Through hard work, a person achieves a high position in the society and in return, gains the respect and appreciation of the watching public. instance, in libel cases, there is a public imputation of wrong to a particular person, thus, the latter loses the product of his hard work and would find it difficult to regain the previous position in life. Without minding the image of the other, a serious conflict would likely result. Applying the inductive/deductive reasoning styles, the Chinese in dispute resolution appear to have an inductive reasoning. In a study regarding conflict styles, Chinese appeared to be less direct, less assertive, and less aggressive during confrontational situations. Answers to questions did not have direct relation or loosely connected to the questions asked. Further, background information comes first before information. The use of indirectness is a means of balancing harmony since in the process of avoiding direct answers, one establishes relationship with the other and avoids losing a face. RAPPORT MANAGEMENT AS A FUNCTION OF LANGUAGES Languages have a dual function. The first is the transfer of information and the second the management of social relations. Helen Oatey in her book Culturally Speaking, uses the term rapport management to describe management of social relations as an aspect of language since the term is broad enough to cover the concept of maintaining or threatening social relationships. Taking into consideration these domains when dealing with Chinese, would be a huge step in avoiding conflicts. The following according to Oatey, play an important role in the management of rapport when interacting with Chinese: Illocutionary Domain. This domain concerns about the speeches such as apologies, compliments, or requests that potentially puts at risk the rapports of individuals. For instance, when someone asks Did you put sugar on this coffee? the implication is that you want sugar. Discourse Domain. This domain concerns the content and structure of the communication such as the decision whether to include private topics or whether a particular topic should be discussed first. This domain should be taken care of because there is a tendency to raise sensitive issues and put lesser priorities on more important matters which would threaten ones rapport. Participation domain. This domain concerns the technicalities of the interchange like turn-taking, the decision whether a third person can be allowed to join the conversation between two people, and the permission from the party to the conversation whether someone will be allowed to ask questions or not. This domain should be guarded in order for a harmonious relation to exist. Stylistic Domain. This domain concerns the tone of interaction such as the choice of informal words, polite expressions, greetings, or jokes. Non-verbal Domain. This domain concerns the actions governing the interchange such as eye contact, facial expressions, and proxemics. In the same way as the above four, this domain needs to be guarded if harmonious relation is wanting. CONCLUSION In trying to adapt to a more interrelated world, it is important to know how the Chinese think and communicate. The language style may seem to be complicated, yet for the Chinese, regard for others is the key to choosing the correct style of communication. Communication for them is more than exchange of words. It is a conduit to building a relationship and establishing harmony in the community.
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