Escapism and power as entwined themes in Anouilh’s Antigone and Ibsen’s A Doll’s House Essay

Escapism is the ability of a person to leave his or her physical surroundings, and transcend into a world of their own, in order to flee the harsh truth of reality. This ability can give an individual power, or make them lose it. This concept is highlighted in Anouilh’s Antigone and Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, through the subtle use of symbols, foreshadowing, and imagery. In this light, escapism and power can be seen as themes with a linked purpose; to drive the play forward by building up emotions that culminate in acts of rebellion at the end of each play. With reference to this, escapism as a means to gain and lose power, and power as a trigger for escapism will be analyzed in this essay. Escapism as a means to gain power is portrayed in Anouilh’s play Antigone through his protagonist. Although mentioned only once, the ‘grey world’ that Antigone is so fascinated with serves as a symbol for her escapist persona. She says ‘It was beautiful. The whole world was grey when I went out. And now – you wouldn’t recognize it. It is like a post card: all pink, green, and yellow.’1 The colour grey alludes to bleakness, imagery of a world without colour, which could connote to a world without men or human interference. Her dislike for the world with colour suggests that she is not content with the mortal world of man, and wishes to go beyond it. This idea is perpetuated when she says ‘Have you ever thought how lovely a garden is when it is not yet thinking of men?’ Hence, her longing to leave the world of men is one of the motivating factors towards her decision to defy her uncle Creon, bury her brother and thus make her uncle sentence her to death. Her strong will to die, indicated by her vehement assertion, ‘I want to die!’ gives her power over Creon, as he is helpless to change her decision. Indirectly, she brings about the death of Haemon and Eurydice, as her suicide causes Haemon to join her in death, which causes his mother Eurydice to commit suicide in turn. Thus, Antigone’s escapism defines and strengthens her will to die, which gives her considerable power over other characters in the play. However, in Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, Nora is seen to create an idealistic world which is filled with activity, colour and gaiety. This is her form of escapism, which contrasts to Antigone’s, as hers is grey, dull and empty. Nevertheless, both these forms of escapism serve to drive the play forward, although in different ways. Antigone’s escapist nature propels her power, while Nora’s escapism hampers her power. Escapism as a means to lose power is depicted in both Antigone and A Doll’s House, although in strikingly different ways. In Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, Nora’s escapism hinders her ability to accept the truth of her situation and achieve self liberation, and thus power. She envisions an idealist world of marital bliss, and in all but the end of the play, she constantly strives to uphold this facade. This is evident when she says ‘†¦ so snug and happy here in our peaceful home, and have no cares †¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ in Act II, during a conflict between herself and Torvald. She is trying to maintain her unrealistic world, as she is aware that this conflict is close to shattering it. This prevents her from gaining any sort of influence over her husband, as she is not able to assert her independence by breaking free of her idealistic, although restrictive world. Thus, by attempting to conform to the expectations of the rigid post war society that the play is situated in, Nora hampers her ability to gain power. This is similar to the loss of power in Antigone; however, it is brought on by Antigone’s absorption in the past which leads her to reject her maturity, and thus her power as an adult in society. This brings to light a minor, although significant undercurrent in both plays; the theme of childhood. This is linked to escapism, as it is a technique that Anouilh and Ibsen use to further their protagonists’ escapist natures, and thus restrict their ability to gain power. Both female protagonists are depicted as child women, although Antigone’s child like character stems from her reluctance to emerge from the past, Nora’s is imposed upon her by her domineering husband, Torvald. For both women, this image causes them to lose power by fueling their escapist tendencies. For Nora, it is part of the character she plays for Torvald, and thus a part of her unrealistic world. Hence, it is not her true character. Thus, she is able to overcome it to gain power, by abandoning her sense of idealism, and consequently the childlike image that her husband created for her. However, for Antigone, it is part of her innate persona, for she was never meant to be feminine, or adult -like. This is seen when she is described at the very beginning of the play, as a ‘thin little creature’. This aspect of her character is developed through the play, particularly significant during her conversation with her Nurse. The nurse addresses her as ‘my sparrow, my lamb’ and other such names appropriate to a child. This makes her yearn for her childhood even more. Her reminiscence makes her reluctant to die, and thus momentarily vulnerable. In stark contrast to this, escapism and power have a different function when manifested in the male characters of each play. Rather than escapism giving rise to or hindering power, power is seen to be a trigger for escapism. In A Doll’s House, Torvald is a man in a patriarchal society with considerable social standing. Despite this, he indulges in an idealistic world in which he denies his failing marriage, and at the very end of the play, struggles to hold on to it, even after being shattered by his wife’s departure. This is clear in his disbelief when he says ‘But to part! – to part from you! No, no, Nora, I can’t understand that idea.’ He fails to grasp the fact that the reality of his and Nora’s marriage has been finally revealed, as he has spent so much time absorbed in his unrealistic version of it, he has convinced himself it is real. Thus, his escapist world is shattered; this renders him powerless to cope with Nora’s dep arture. Although Torvald seems to enjoy his power, Creon does not. He makes an analogy of his role as King to the role of a manual laborer, someone who uses their physical strength for work that he describes as ‘dirty’. He deems it as something he is compelled to do, as he is responsible to the state by the power vested in him as a member of the royal family. His reluctant acceptance of power indicated by the line ‘God knows, there were other things I loved in life more than power’ leads him to advise his page ‘Never grow up if you can help it.’ This suggests a certain attachment to the past, when life was simpler and free of the constraints of responsibility. The page himself is a symbol of this attachment, as he represents Creon as a young boy. Additionally, he is always by Creon’s side, reinforcing his subtle connection with the past. Thus, he exhibits a minor form of escapism induced by the weighty responsibility of having the power of the state. The themes of escapism and power, when linked, can prove to be a powerful tool to convey thoughts, and foreshadow character development. When combined with hints of childhood as a sub theme, these two motifs are revealed to be effective literary techniques in both plays, unveiling aspects of character that would at first glance pass undetected. Ibsen and Anouilh have shown escapism to moderate and amplify power, and in relation to this, power as a trigger for escapism. It is this interweaving of themes through symbols and imagery that truly enhances a piece of literary work, and gives it layers of depth.

The Road Not Taken

The poem â€Å"Road Not Take;† by Robert Frost explores decision making as part of a complex nature of human race involving contradictory emotions of fear for unknown future, regret for the possible wrong choice and acceptance and pride in defining an individual. The lack of foresight and fear for choosing wrongly result the hesitance in making choices. The diverged roads symbolises choosing between two decisions. The inverted word order â€Å"long I stood† emphasizes the length of time Frost has taken to try and speculate about the features about each path.However, he fails to comprehend what lays beyond as the second path is â€Å"just as fair† as the first one, revealing the lack of insight contributing to the uncertainty in making decisions. Although the alliteration, â€Å"wanted wear†, hints the second road is not a popular choice, Frost has chosen it to be different, yet his insecurity about the future still makes him doubting his decision with the word choice of â€Å"perhaps†. Although eventually a choice is made, Frost is still unsure his decision and the regret for choosing possibly wrongly.In the title, â€Å"The Road Not Taken†, the word â€Å"not† shows him wandering the result of choosing the well accepted road thus illustrate his regret in choosing the probable harder path. The emotional attachment with â€Å"knowing way leads on to way†, his acknowledges the impossibility to face the same decision again and regret the hardship faced in the unconventional path. The exclamation mark in â€Å"Oh, I kept the first for another day† expresses his desire to have an opportunity to re-choose.After experiencing the fear and regret in making decision, the tone of poem turns and accepted towards end of the poem. The phrase of road â€Å"less travelled by† illustrates his gratification to be different and accept his unique choosing. The enjambment of â€Å"I-/ I took the one less travell ed by† emphasises on â€Å"I†, which demonstrates a sense of pride in being who he is. The poem ends with â€Å"all the difference† reveals his recognition of his less accepted choice defining who he is as an individual.The complex nature of decision making is explored in â€Å"Road Not Taken† thoroughly with effective techniques. Lack of foresight results fear for choosing wrongly and ambivalent decisions. Regrets for making the less chosen road leaves one to wander the result of the widely accepted road. Making decision involves acceptance and pride also as it defines an individual separate from others. Decision making can happen uncountable times in a lifetime and determination and unique thoughts are required no matter which road one chooses. The Road Not Taken A. in pairs ,read the situation below, copy the headings below into your notebooks and make two lists to help you decide what you would do . Your friends are traveling abroad during the vacation and you really want to join them. However , you have been offered a fantastic summer job. You are afraid if you miss this opportunity ,you may not get another one Pros traveling abroad| Pros of taking the job| To have fun| To get money | To visit new places| To be successful| To have close relationship with our friends . | To be more responsible. | To break the routine. | To know new things . | B.What do you usually do when you have a problem or dilemma to solve? Do you follow the steps above? Explain Think of a problem you have solved and tell your partner. Were there any additional steps you used you reach your decision? No, I don't follow the steps, Because I have someone adult that I trust him and talk to him any thing and she will help me . Vocabulary practice:- A. Match the words in A t o their meanings in B. 1. traveler b. someone who goes to places far away 2. equally d. the same 3. doubt e. not sure about something 4. diverge a. divide 5. undergrowth c. plants and bushes . wanted wear g. needed to be walked on 7. wood I. forest 8. make a difference h. change something 9. claim f. demand B. complete the sentences with the words below. Make any necessary changes. 1. The speaker was sorry that he could not take both roads. 2. The traveler could not decide which road to choose. They both looked equally fair. 3. The speaker looked down the road to where it bend in the undergrowth. 4. One way always lead on to another, so the speaker doubt that he would ever come back. 5. In the future, the speaker will be telling about his experience with a fair. A.Describe or draw the scene that the poet describes. One person has a dilemma, he has to choose one road out of two, the choice was risky and adventurous , he choose the less traveled road and he made all differences . B. A nswer the questions. 1. A stanza is a group of lines which form a unit in a poem. Which stanza describes the main idea? Main idea| Stanza | 1. The speaker decides to take the less-traveled road. | 2| 2. The speaker describes his location. | 1| 3. The speaker's decision changed his life. | 4| 4. The speaker doesn't think he will ever try the other road. | 3| 2.What does the poet like about the second road considers? The speaker took the second road that was grassy and wanted wear. 3. Find the lines in the poem that have a similar meaning to each sentence below. a. I wished that I could walk down both road : lines 2. b. I chose the less-traveled road : line 18-19. c. I didn't think I would ever return to try the other road : line14-15. d. I will only know if I made the right decision in the future : lines 17. e. The choice I made affected my whole life: line 20 A. What is the setting of the poem? The place : in the forest( yellow wood) . The Time : Summer/In the morning B.You learned about the thinking skill of problem solving on page 19. What is the speaker's dilemma in the poem and how does he solve it? Complete the graphic organizer below . Use the thinking skill of problem solving to help you . Problem/Dilemma Option 1: The road bends and disappeared in the undergrowth. Option 2 : The road looks â€Å"grassy and wanted wear â€Å". Solution: The speaker choose option (2) because, it is less trodden on and less used. C. Writers often use metaphor, a comparison between two things. For example, â€Å"happiness is a smile†. In the road not taken, the writer describes a fork in the road with two different paths.What are the paths compared to? Explain. The two different paths in the wood are compared to the options we can choose. or ways we can travel ,in life. D. Answer the question. 1. What is the speaker's motive for choosing one way over the other. The speaker choose the road that grassy and wanted wear he choose the road that is less traveled because , he want to be different from others, and he want to have a special life. 2. What kind of person do you think the speaker is ? (For example :conventional, unconventional, spontaneous, deep thinking, boring, adventurous).I think the speaker have a special brain he want to hear life is the best from another people , he is a risky person (adventures). E. Answer the questions. 1. Why doesn't the speaker think he will ever have a chance to walk the other road? What does this tell us about our decisions? The speaker doesn't think that he will have a chance to back to choose the other road , He think that on way lead to another that on think lead to another and should never come back when we choose a decision we should know what to choose . 2. How does the speaker feel when he makes his choice? How do we know this?The speaker was not sure of this decision he was doubt if he should ever come back or not he was confused and we see that in the poem in (line 5). 3. The speaker does not yet kn ow how his choice has affected his life. He says he â€Å"shall be telling this with a sigh / somewhere ages and ages hence†. How does the speaker think he will feel about the choice he made? The speaker says that he will tell about his decision in future with a sigh and that sigh might with a relief for choosing the right decision or with a great to choosing the wrong decision if it was wrong or true , it make a change in his life . . Why do you think the writer called the poem â€Å"The Road Not Taken† instead of â€Å"The road Taken†. I think that the writer called the poem â€Å"The road not taken† because, it might be the road that most people don't choose it and he want to different from others so he take the less traveled road. F. A device that poets often use to give structure to their poetry is rhyme, the repetition of sounds at the end of the line. Robert Frost used rhyme in this poem. Which words rhyme? Would,stood,could Both,undergrowth Fair,w here,there Claim,sameLay,day,way Black. back Sigh,I,by Hence,difference A. read the background information. Robert frost (1874-1963) was born in san Francisco , California, but spent most of his life in a rural area of New England in the northeastern part of the United states . the area is know for its hills , woods , farms , and small towns , which frost depicts in his poems Frost Claims that the poem , THE ROAD NOT TAKEN ,(published in 1916) was written about his friend Edward Thomas with whom he walked in the woods in London , where he lived from(1912-15).Frost said that while walking , they would come to different paths , and after choosing one, Thomas would worry ,wondering what they might have massed by not taking the other path. B. Robert Frost is often called a New England poet. How is this reflected in the poem The road Not Taken? Answer the questions. 1. Did you enjoy reading the poem? Why or why not? Yes I enjoy reading the poem if makes my think twice when I want to choo se a hard decision and never come back because one think in life leads to another . And I love the speaker because he have a good brain and A nice ideas and he want to be a best person in his life . . What did you learn from reading the poem ? I learned that taking a different road that people do not take is not bad because, we can discover new things, and make differences. 3. do you think that being aware of the stages of problem solving will help you make better decision and solve problems more easily in the future ? Yes, knowing the stages of solving problems can help me solve problems easily its clear the problem that I can suggest many solutions . The Road Not Taken Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I couldTo where it bent in the undergrowth; Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim Because it was grassy and wanted wear, Though as for that the pa ssing there Had worn them really about the same, And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I marked the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way I doubted if I should ever come back. I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. Robert Frost

Lenovos Brand Strategies Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Lenovos Brand Strategies - Case Study Example Mr. Yang Yuanqing, The acting CEO of Lenovo Group reported to Xinhua news agency in April 2009 that the recent cost cutting operations tagged to an aggressive branding and marketing strategy, unleashed by the company are expected to lead to an additional income of $ 300 million (Chao 2009). This will not only bring the company back on the profitability track, but will also strengthen its position as a brand in China and the other emerging markets. There is no denying the fact that Lenovo is definitely not immune to the ongoing meltdown that has hit China as well. Thus, the branding strategy and marketing communications of this firm certainly deserve the attention of interested individuals and concerns. The astounding fact is that in the Chinese PC market, Lenovo commands the most commendable brand awareness. In fact, it is amazing to acknowledge that the brand awareness of HP in China stands second to Lenovo (China Business News 2007). As per a survey conducted by the search engine Baidu, based on a sample of 43,400 cookies, associated with the data pertaining to PC related searches, nearly 16.38 percent of searches were attributed to Lenovo, with HP standing second, commanding a pathetic share of 9.19 percent (China Business News 2007). The same survey also declared Lenovo to be the top ranker in the Chinese notebook market, accruing an impressive share of 16.9 percent of all the searches (China Business News 2007). The given survey concluded beyond doubt that Lenovo commands exceptional brand awareness in the Chinese PC and notebook market, courtesy its innovative branding and marketing strategy. The effective branding strategy of Lenovo dose not happen to be a very recent phenomenon, but a plan that was conceptualized and unleashed by Lenovo at least half a decade ago. In 2005, Lenovo unravelled its new global brand strategy, which was to be first tested and fine-tuned in China. This new strategy was rolled on and implemented in the Chinese market by the end of 2005. The spike end of this strategy was to exploit the Think trademark that Lenovo inherited from IBM to target the elite corporate customers having a detectable predilection for Lenovo's high-end products. In contrast, Lenovo chose to retain its original corporate name to attract the marginal corporate customers and individual buyers interested in the company's regular and mainstream products. Hence, this double brand strategy chalked out by Lenovo turned out to be utterly successful in covering a whole range of customers located in China. Lenovo's brand integration with IBM materialized into a huge success that ce rtainly bolstered the company' brand appeal in China and the related markets. Yet, Lenovo was well aware of the possibility of diluting its brand identification to the much popular IBM brand. Hence, the top management decided to use IBM brand name for its PC products for a period of five years only. The main objective of this strategy was to eventually give way to a more identifiable and strong Lenovo brand appeal in the Chinese and world markets. Simply speaking, Lenovo intended to use the brand appeal of IBM as a launch

Strategic Planning and Strategic Thinking Research Paper

Strategic Planning and Strategic Thinking - Research Paper Example 4). These plans are long term, and seeks to align the needs of the organization with the capabilities afforded by information systems (Mohdzin & Ward, 2007, p. 4). Closely related to this is the concept of strategic thinking. Strategic thinking is a proactive way of thinking, as it refers to when a manager looks ahead at possible problems and scenarios, and comes up with a solution to these problems and scenarios. In this way, the manager is able to think outside the box and this is the best way for an organization to survive and be competitive (Shoemaker, 1995, p. 25) Discussion To be effective, a strategic planning for information systems must be aligned with business objectives. According to Bhatnager (2010), there are business strategies, which state where the business wants to go, and how it plans to get there; and business plans, which describe the business and the business objectives (Bhatnager, 2010, p. 5). To be effective, the information systems strategic plan must take int o account both the business plan and the business strategy, and be used to further the strategic goals that the business has set forth. So, it must take into account the organizational requirements and the demand that the organization will expect of the system, and it must help the business meet its strategy (Bhatnager, 2010, p. 7). However, while the information systems strategy creates the demand, so to speak, information technology creates the supply. So, information technology strategy is the bridge between the demand created by the business and the information systems strategy and the supply, which is how the business will use the information systems to obtain its goals (Bhatnager, 2010, p. 8). With information systems strategy, the information system requirements are identified; with information technology strategy, how these requirements will be fulfilled is identified (Bhatnager, 2010, p. 9). In order for the information systems or the information technology to fulfill the g oals that are set out by the business, the Chief Information Officer (CIO) has to adopt a Strategic Information Systems Plan (SISP). These plans are helpful in the business managers rethinking their goals and how to obtain them, and will transform how the business plans on being successful (Bhatnager, 2010, p. 12). Conclusion Strategic planning and strategic thinking are vital to a business in adapting to a changing world. When an organization has an effective strategy regarding information systems and technologies, it helps that organization rise above competition, if the competition is not implementing similar strategies. Moreover, since the world is constantly changing, strategic planning is just as vital, as future problems need to be envisioned and addressed in a proactive manner. These are the systems that set organizations apart. Sources Used Hanna, N. 1985. Strategic planning and management. Available at: http://www-wds.worldbank.org/servlet/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/1985/09/ 01/000178830_98101903432616/Rendered/PDF/multi_page.pdf Mohdzain, M. & Ward, J. 2007. A study of subsidiaries views of information systems. Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 16(4), 324-352. Shoemaker, P. 1995. Scenario planning: A tool for strategic thinking. Sloan Management Review,

Concepts of Learning And the Factors That Affect Student Learning Essay

Concepts of Learning And the Factors That Affect Student Learning - Essay Example This report sresses that the humanistic approach by respecting the human undertone it recognizes the individual differences and in effect helps learners in performing well. The teachers are also motivated to perform in the same respect. This is a positive attribute of the approach which serves to underscore the importance of humanity. The school of humanism postulates that individuals have internal drives that push them to achieve their goals. In a learning environment it is understood that it is in the interest of the participants to succeed. Both the teachers and the students aspire to be successful in the pursuit of their goals. While the teaching staffs aspire to rise through the ranks in their careers, the student community desires to excel in their studies. The benefits of the theory have been transferred to other professions. These fields include theory, economics, or other business courses. This paper makes a conclusion that learning is an ongoing process in human lives. On the basis of humanity, the ‘feeling good’ effect is paramount in scaling greater heights in the learning cycle. Other schools like cognitive can also be useful in explaining the learning process. The acquisition of new knowledge is quite beneficial and it should be encouraged irrespective of the method employed. Through the use of both summative and formative assessments, the level of progression made in the learning experience can be determined.

Business Approach to the Use of Primary and Secondary Research Essay

Business Approach to the Use of Primary and Secondary Research - Essay Example According to the research findings, Primary Market Research and Secondary Market Research are the two categories of market research. In order to get an overall adjusted and faultless depiction of the requirements, demands, and needs of your business, primary and secondary market research should ideally be used in concurrence with one another. Neither can be used as a standalone tool to gather all the vital and relevant information for a successful business plan. However, using both enables a business to gather all the required data needed to identify and reach the target market. Utilizing primary research alone, without first seeing what has or has not worked for different organizations, is liable to expedite insignificant inquiries or missed chances. In the meantime, depending singularly on secondary research is prone to disadvantage you with responses that are ambiguous or inappropriate to your particular target market. Business environment research commonly entails sociographics, market size and trends, business regulations, and demographics to develop a customer and/or competitor profile. The prime focus of primary research is to gather and unearth original data. To encompass data collection and data input and then analyze the results is vital for an effective and successful business plan attempting to reach its target audience. Primary research is conducted to acquire information about the unanswered or vague questions. In order to collect relevant data, one starts from the scratch and every step of the research process needs to be completed. It can also be said that data is collected from the real world in primary research (Penn). Using various means and strategies, a business collects data on its own or hires someone to collect data and information on its behalf.  

Code Blue--Emergent Care Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Code Blue--Emergent Care - Assignment Example Emergency rooms offer significant medical benefits to relevant patients from the expertise of medical specialists in all Emergency rooms (Gindi et al, 2011). As a result, the nation’s emergency rooms treat millions of patients who visit the attention of the medical facility (Gindi et al, 2011). However, there have been various complaints against the services, organization, and management of the emergency rooms. As seen in this context, such complaints may relate to inadequate patient care, poor Emergency Room management, long wait times, and patients being sent away because of lack of space, staff, or physicians to provide appropriate care (Gindi et al, 2011). These complaints demean the effectiveness of the emergency rooms. Nevertheless, various hospitals and other primary care centers are putting significant efforts to address the problems which normally relate to the operations in emergency rooms. As a chief operating officer, this paper highlights my discussion on the comp laints, measures to overcome the complaints, the effects of the â€Å"Good Samaritan Law† in treating ER patients, and other dynamics that relate to Emergency Rooms. Diagnosis of the Root Causes of the Complaints about the Clinic The numerous complaints about the clinic which hosts the Emergency Room emanate from different patients who register their dissatisfaction in the operations of the emergency room. Indeed, the complaints had different patterns, overall incidences, causes, validity, and possible solutions. The complaints included inadequate patient care, poor Emergency Room management, long wait times, and patients being sent away because of lack of space, staff, or physicians to provide appropriate care. The complaints emanated from insufficient communication by the doctor, nurse, registration clerk, and health care assistants (Tam & Lau, n.y). This leads to the patients assumption of poor staff attitude which results to assumed inadequate patient care. In fact, poor communication provokes incorrect interpretation of Emergency Room staff attitude and explanation and hence the complaints. Indeed, where the hospital staff cannot master effective communication skills, the patients always complain against the health system. At the same time, misdiagnosis and disagreement on diagnosis by the doctors leads to ineffective treatment which reflects on the patient’s complaints of inadequate patient care or lack of appropriate care at the clinic (Tam & Lau, n.y). In addition, lack of proper management skills among the health care providers lead to inadequate management which generate complaints of poor Emergency Room management in the clinic. Actually, the hiring of inadequate managers derives these complaints in the long run. Moreover, the environment which incorporates poor design of the clinic will lead to complaints of insufficient space and insufficient number of lift in the facility as the management will have to send the patients away subject to the resultant constraints. Seasonal outbreaks, higher patient volumes, and inappropriate use of emergency departments by patients with comparatively minor illnesses also lead to such complaints. Moreover, the government’s inability or ignorance to finance the health sector leads to the hiring and retention of insufficient staff or physicians which consequently generates the patient’

Turkey Briefing as a Traditional Turkish Element Essay

Turkey Briefing as a Traditional Turkish Element - Essay Example This  is celebrated  as a spring festival within the  region  also linked to the Jewish festival of Purim. Extent of cultural  influence  of westernization and modernization Through development and urbanization, a  lot  of interactions among different state societies  occur  bringing about cultural intrusions, collisions and influences among themselves (David, 12). Turkey in the search for  development  and stability welcomed a  lot  of intrusions by other cultures through various activities. Such activities are such as  engagement  in cross cultural trading and social relations that  cause  interchange  and adoptions of various cultural aspects such as  religion. During the 1920s periods turkey underwent a system modernization program referred to as the â€Å"Kemalism† and through  vital  European tactics together with Turkish technocrats’ developed a successful development model (Belbor, 8). Various aspects of Turkish  cul ture  such as  religion, language and other practices significantly influenced through this westernization  process  and development. Cultural sensitivities visitors to Turkey should be aware of Visitors to any new region need to be sensitive to the norms of the region so as not to  spur  any conflicts of interests among them. These norms are  inclusive  of  political  governance, laws and cultural practices and observations. Taking of photographs of places considered as of cultural sensitivity such as of  religious  sites and temples should be seriously considered. Approximately ninety eight of the population is Muslim and  religious  aspects  are considered  to be a  personal  matters (Cloe, 5). As such visitors should adhere to respect of the local customs, traditional laws and religions of the region in all their actions to ensure they do not offend the natives. This should be  particularly  crucial  during  sensitive  periods and in   sensitive  places such as during the holly month period of  ramadhan  or when visiting  sacred, religious sites. Role of religion in Turkish society In  likeness  to other societies religion plays a highly diversified role in the community. Most of the norms and regulatory guidelines within the  society  are depicted  by  religion  (Howel, 21). The majority of the Turkish populations are Muslim, and they rely on this  religion  in their social  organization. The importance and roles within the institute of the family outlined in the religion with the roles of men and women dictated together with rules to be followed. It is also through this same religious belief that some rules and regulations of peace and  stability  followed within the nation. Islamic  religion  also holds a  position  for the passing of judgment and  punishment  of law offenders thus further strengthening the rule of law and functioning of the judicial system. How  valuable  is Islam to lives of the Turkish people Islam is the  principal  religion within the region, and it holds as the corner stone of society. Islam is the glue that holds and binds the  people  and other aspects of the people’s lives. Almost every aspect of the Turks lives revolves around the Muslim religion (John, 13). Through Islam, the structure and roles of the family established, and the expected norms of conduct outlined. Through this belief, people are able to interrelate well with each other also to respect the  importance  for the rule of law. Peace developed throughout the region through

Marketing Strategy Final Case Study P&G Term Paper

Marketing Strategy Final Case Study P&G - Term Paper Example The most important concern is the deliberation about utilizing the new opportunity of an emerging market for pre-brushing rinse, which other Scope’s rivals are touting to their customers (P & G 258). Other basic problems include but are not restricted to what appropriate marketing strategy to adopt—should Scope be positioned as a â€Å"better tasting pre-brushing dental rinse† against its previous recognitions as a â€Å"better tasting and breath freshener† (P& G 259); manufacturing issue concerning how to produce product that will match the standardizations required by 2 Canadian Health Protection Branch, The Canadian Dental Association and Saccharin/Cyclamate Sweeteners requirements (P& G 257-258); finding alternatives to funding the marketing of Scope since the product has so far received its highest finances in years, and that funding another line of product might be helpful to reduce cost competitively (P& G 260); recognizing the significance of spend ing more on advertising another line of product to shore up customers’ interest in Scope (P & G 260); and discovering the best approach as far as Procter and Gamble’s operations and purchasing are concerned ( & G 260). Step 2: Justification for Problem Definition & Analyzing the Case Data: The cause of this important analysis of Procter and Gamble’s operations in Canada is based on the fact that other rivals in the same niche of health care product like Plax, Colgate, Listerine, Listermint and Cepacol which brandish their comparative quality of pre-brushing rinse has captured the market from Scope. This is because these other products offer consumers the opportunity to fight their plaque—â€Å"which is the soft, sticky film that coats teeth hours after brushing them† (P& G 253; P& G 262). The Canadian Mouthwash Market Shares below justifies the fact that Plax has made significant gain against Scope, having started with a mere 1% of the market share in 1988 to commanding an appreciable 10% of the same market in 1990; while Scope’s grasp of the market slipped considerably from 33% to 32.3% within the same periods. 3 Figure 1: The Canadian Mouthwash Market Shares 1988 (Units) 1989 (Units) 1990 (Units) Scope 33.0% 33.0% 32.3% Listerine 15.2 16.1 16.6 Listermint 15.2 9.8 10.6 Cepacol 13.6 10.6 10.3 Colgate Oral Rinse 1.4 1.2 0.5 Plax 1.0 10.0 10.0 Store Brands 16.0 15.4 16.0 Miscellaneous Others 4.6 15.4 16.0 Total 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% The data demonstrates that other mouthwash products like Plax, Listerine and Store Brands make significant improvements against Scope, which sales began to dwindle towards its sales peak in 1990 (P & G 250). It is believable that strategic marketing may have helped other brands to outperform Scope in the amount of market size they command; their marketing proposition has largely 4 concentrated on the abilities of their brands to help users fight their plaque, a slogan that Procter and Gamble has not adopted because of its current product which lacks the plaque-fighting ingredients (P & G 253). What Procter and Gamble thinks appropriate is to re-position Scope in a way that it would keep the product’s loyal consumers and cut back the lead Plax is currently enjoying in the market (P & G 260). This plan is achievable within the three-year period the company hopes to revamp its operational activities. Comparing the expenditures

Contemporary & Future Challenges in HRM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Contemporary & Future Challenges in HRM - Essay Example They help an organization to form a competitive edge in which may be difficult for competitors to have. Therefore the function of the human resource department then becomes central to the operation of any organization. The department is given the role of hiring, supervising and organizing training and development of the workforce. Therefore it is important to the management and development of the workforce. In order to function properly, human resource department comes with particular policies and strategic plans that act as guidelines on how the organization is going to function. These policies and guidelines helps the organization to function properly in light of various workforce need for the organization. In order to ensure that these polices meets the needs for the organization and of the workforce, strategic human resource management (SHRM) has become the cornerstone for planning any human resource activities in an organization. Therefore SHRM has become the central focus to the operation of the human resource. SHRM implies the organized way in which the human resource department and in this case the whole organization comes up with strategies to manage the workforce. It involves taking into consideration a number of perspectives which are important of the operation of the department as a whole. ... It is a broader perspective of the HR department and its functions. One of the key components that have enabled the concept of SHRM to take root has been the changing wave of technology in the market. The use of modern technology has been one of the most important factors that have enabled the human resource department to implement various strategies that have been aimed at making its work easier. This paper will look into how technology has been used in the department and the future operations of the department in light of the changing technology in the market. Use of technology in the HRM department Human resource technology has been emerging in the market as the new discipline which has tried to integrate the use of technology in the function of the HRM department. In this case it has been working to ensure that there is application of appropriate technology in HRM in order to enhance the functioning the department. Technology has affected positively and negative to all the spheres of life. While it may have led to loss of jobs, it has been able to increase efficiency, accuracy and time completion of function. The modern technology especially the evolution in the use of computers can be held responsible for having created an effective work place. There has been reduction of errors as a result of manual computation and at the same time there has been increase effective and timely delivery of the needed data. Technology has found a place to be used in the while organizations. It has dictated the standards of an acceptable modern office whose efficiency is riveted on the amount of advanced technology equipment that have been installed. (Bates 2002, p. 82) The revolution of modern technology has affected all

Pre-Destination V.S Free

Pre-Destination V.S Free Will Essay For years Christians have argued about what role God has in humans attaining salvation. The most popular belief in American culture is the concept of free will. Free will is the belief that coming to Christ and being saved is a freewill choice of the person. Most churches believe this concept to be true at least to some degree. The other belief is the concept of Predestination. Predestination is the belief that God chooses who to save and who to damn. The biggest denomination in the United States that believes this is the Calvinists or more commonly known as the Reformed denomination. The debate will probably continue for many years to come. By reading Romans 9:1-29 we can tell clearly which concept Paul believes to be true. While I read Romans 9:1-29 I kept clearly in my mind the two beliefs of freewill and predestination. After reading it was apparent to me that Paul believes strongly in predestination. This, in my opinion, goes against human nature. I, at least, find it very hard to believe that if God chooses not to extend grace to a person that person cannot attain salvation no matter what they believe or what they do. Paul uses an example about Jacob and Esau. In Romans 9: 10-13 Paul uses Malachi 1:2-3 that says that â€Å" I have loved Jacob, but I have loved Jacob† Paul then says that God had decided that before they were even born so as it says in verse 11-12 â€Å" that Gods purpose of election might continue, not by works, but by his call. † If Paul is right about this and you interpret the Bible literally than predestination has to be true. It is completely possible that Paul is biased though when writing about predestination. Paul believes strongly in salvation by faith not works. In Romans 3: 27- 28 Paul says â€Å"Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith. For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. † This is just one of many examples of how much Paul hates the idea of faith by works. There are many other examples of this in books written by Paul outside of Romans that convey the same message. Since Paul believes strongly in salvation by faith this would, in theory, make him lean towards predestination. Freewill means that we as humans make a choice to believe in God and be saved. Paul would see this as an example of justification by works and he clearly states in Ephesians 2:8-9 â€Å"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast. † Paul believes that nothing we can do nothing to save ourselves which is the main idea of freewill. This makes Paul potentially biased toward predestination. I believe that this passage isnt trying to address personal salvation as a main point, but I think we infer Pauls view on personal salvation through the verse. I believe that Paul was more trying to point out that we can do nothing to save ourselves. It is completely up to God. Paul was trying to stress that firstly, but then through that seems to make a case, as far as personal salvation goes, for predestination. He specifically mentions how he picked Jacob over Esau. If God chooses individually like that then I, at least, deduce from this passage according to Paul that God must choose who to save on a personal level. My rational human side tells me that predestination cannot be right, but then I read Romans and Paul says that predestination is right and freewill is wrong. The question then is if I believe Paul just because that is his opinion, even though it is most likely biased, or do I believe what seems right to me? Im still torn between the two because what I want to believe is contradicted by Paul. Maybe well never know for sure because the concept of God is impossible for our minds to completely understand in the first place.

Inter-lingual Interference in the Usage of Prepositions

Inter-lingual Interference in the Usage of Prepositions Inter-lingual Interference in the Usage of Prepositions in the English of Syrian Students Abstract In recent years, studies of foreign language acquisition have tended to focus on learners errors since they allow for prediction of the difficulties involved in acquiring a foreign language. In this way, teachers can be made aware of the difficult areas to be encountered by their students and devote special care and emphasis to them. Prepositions, on which this dissertation focuses, are one of these difficult areas. Thus, the main objective is to investigate whether the English preposition errors of the Syrian university students come more from inter-lingual interference or from other sources and whether classical or colloquial Arabic has the dominant influence on this interference. It also investigates which category of error in inter-lingual interference is the most frequent in the students using the prepositions in, on, at, of and to. The data is samples consisting of the answers of a diagnostic test by 38 Syrian first-year students of law. The diagnostic test was designed as a mu ltiple choice test and took by the students online. This investigation showed that preposition errors come mainly from inter-lingual interference, which is attributed more to standard Arabic here. It also showed that the students seem to have a serious problem in first language interference errors, especially substitution errors. This has implications for curriculum change and teachers method of teaching. 1. Introduction 1.1. Background of the study Language difficulty is often determined by how far or close the target and mother languages are. â€Å"Contrastive analysis is one of the areas of linguistics which elude a clear, unequivocal, and simple definition† (Vizmuller-Zocco, 1990:466). Errors in a certain area of grammar in the second language are often compared with an area of grammar in the first language. One of the most challenging things in learning English as a second language is using prepositions, â€Å"Among those who teach or learn the English language, prepositions have earned a reputation for difficulty if not downright unpredictability.† (Pittman, 1966) â€Å"As any English teacher well knows, our prepositions are a particularly troublesome lot to the non-native speaker of English† (McCarthy, 1972). When we, non-native speakers of English, speak English, we usually hesitate over choosing the correct preposition or whether a certain verb needs a preposition or not. This matter has always interested me, as many Arabic-speaking learners of English complain about it. Thahir (1987) indicates that prepositions can cause a problem for Arabic learners of English. For instance, an Arabic speaker would say this sentence *Fast trains can travel at a speed of 300m in hour. This is because per hour is expressed as in hour in Arabic. This transfer from Arabic into English is what makes Arabic learners English seem broken. Moreover, some linguists say that the mastery of prepositions in English is a late stage in native-language learning as well (Scott and Tucker, 1974). Therefore, this dissertation intends to look into the differences of preposition aspects between Arabic and English: are their distributions the same? Do all the Arabic words that need prepositions also need prepositions in English? If the words that need prepositions in Arabic also need prepositions in English, are these prepositions the same or different? From these general questions more specific questions will be formulated in the ‘Methodology chapter. 1.2. Grammar of English and Arabic prepositions â€Å"Arabic has a wealth of prepositions†¦with both verbs and adjectives. Many of these do not coincide with their direct English translations† (Swan and Smith, 1987:152). Nevertheless, Arabic prepositions are more limited in number than those of English. Abbas says that there are only twenty prepositions in Arabic (1961:320), while in English, there are fifty seven (Hayden, 1965:171-176). This, as a matter of fact, makes it harder for Arabic learners of English to have a command of English preposition usage. Grubic says: Non-native speakers of English tend to have three types of problems with prepositions: 1. Using the wrong preposition, e.g.: *My grandfather picked the name on me. (for) 2. Omitting a required preposition, e.g.: *I served the Army until 1964. (in) 3. Using a superfluous prepositions, e.g.: *I studied in Biology for three years. (2004:22) Despite all the efforts made by grammar book writers and teachers, learners of English still make mistakes in the usage of prepositions. So, what makes EFL learners make these errors? There is no doubt that Arabic learners of English translate grammar from Arabic into English, ignoring the rigorous grammatical structures of the English language. However, are all preposition-usage errors related to L1? Prepositions are words or groups of words that typically come before a noun phrase and indicate syntactic relations (Matthews, 1997). v My fathers plane arrives after midnight. v We have got a tree in front of the house. v There are no snakes in Ireland. One important feature of prepositions is that they cannot stand alone, regardless of how many words they are combined with (Downing and Locke, 1992). Since prepositions are not independent, they form meaning when combined with nouns or noun phrases, for example: after midnight, in front of the house, in Ireland. â€Å"Prepositions can be divided into three categories, i.e. basic prepositions, systematic prepositions and idiomatic prepositions: v standing on the table. v come on Friday. v comment on speech.† (Karlsson, 2002) In expressing time, on is used with days, such as on Friday, on Saturday and on January 30th. At, on the other hand, indicates a specific part or time of the day, such as at 12 oclock, at noon and at midnight. While in is used with years, months and seasons or main parts of the day, for example in 2001, in summer, in April. For explains a period of time, and by and within indicate limitation of a period of time, such as for six years, by next year and within two hours (Hewings, 2005). The Arabic preposition fee ( »Ã¢â‚¬Å" »Ã‚ ²), which is equivalent to the English in, is used in almost all of the above cases, but for within Arabic uses khilal ( ºÃ‚ »Ã‚ ¼Ã‚ »Ã‚ ). By and for have no equivalents in Arabic and they are expressed in phrases. As for prepositions of movement and place, in is used when indicating a certain position and on when talking about the surface, as in: v The keys are in the drawer. v The keys are on the table. At is used when pointing at a certain place which is close to the object, for example: v Im waiting for you at the bus stop. Inside is used to indicate the inner place of a certain object, while outside is the opposite. v There is a scorpion inside my room. v Outside the Palace, there were crowds of people waiting for the Queen to show up. Also, from and to are opposite prepositions. From indicates the origin of the movement, but to indicates the target of the movement (ibid), as in: v My plane ticket is from London Heathrow to Damascus International Airport. All of the prepositions of movement and place have their equivalents in Arabic:  § in → fee ( »Ã¢â‚¬Å" »Ã‚ ²)  § on → ala ( »Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ã‚ »Ã‚  Ã‚ »Ã‚ °)  § at → inda ( »Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ã‚ »Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ª)  § inside → dakhel ( ºÃ‚ ªÃ‚ ºÃ‚ Ã‚ ºÃ‚ »Ã… ¾)  § outside → kharej ( ºÃ‚ ºÃ‚ Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ®Ã‚ ºÃ‚ )  § from → min ( »Ã‚ £Ã‚ »Ã‚ ¥)  § to → ila ( ºÃ¢â‚¬ ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚  Ã‚ »Ã‚ °) 1.3. Study aims The prepositions in, on, at and to are the most commonly used prepositions in English. Therefore, my research study is going to focus closely on these four prepositions in the English of Syrian university students. I will see whether the first language interference kind of error is more effective than the other kinds. I will identify the errors that have to do with L1 interference and see if the interference comes from classical or colloquial Arabic. I will also look at the categories of L1 interference errors and see which one is the most frequent: substitution, addition or omission. This will, hopefully, help Syrian university students improve their written and spoken English. 2. Literature review 2.1. Error analysis One way for identifying errors in preposition usage is error analysis. First of all, it is important to define the word ‘error. An error is â€Å"an instance of language that is unintentionally deviant and is not self-corrigible by its author† (James, 1998:78). Brown considers the errors as either ‘overt or ‘covert (1994:208). According to Ellis (1987) Error analysis was considered as an alternative to contrastive analysis, and it is considered of value in the classroom research (Brown, 1994: 214). It also predicts the difficulties of acquiring a second language (Richards, 1974: 172). Error analysis shows â€Å"the significance of errors in learners inter-language system† (Brown, 1994:204). Ellis and Richards et al say that error analysis can be conducted for pedagogical purposes (1994:51; 1993:127). At the level of pragmatic classroom experience, error analysis will continue to provide one means by which the teacher can assess learning and teaching and determine priorities for future effort (Richards, 1974:15). When we analyse errors, we should give a detailed explanation for each type of error that corresponds to the different processes that Selinker (1992) reported as central to second language learning: language transfer, transfer of training, strategies of second language learning, strategies of second language communication, and overgeneralization of TL [Target Language] linguistic material. Error analysis helps teachers overcome the difficulties learners of English face in learning the language through figuring out the sources of errors and, consequently, taking some precautions towards them. It can be said that error analysis can be used to determine the learners need in learning. 2.2. Language transfer The â€Å"study of transfer depends greatly on the systematic comparisons of languages provided by contrastive analyses† (Odlin, 1989: 28). Odlin goes on to say that although many contrastive analyses provide useful and sometimes highly perceptive information about languages they compare, none comes close to meeting in full the criteria of descriptive and theoretical adequacy. There is no doubt that interference constitutes a major problem and obstacle in language usage amongst learners of a second language. They cannot help letting their mother tongue interfere in the target language. Therefore, some errors are tolerable to native speakers of English. Even native speakers of English have problems with certain preposition structures. Over-generalisation or intra-lingual transfer is said to have a considerably negative effect on learner English. Learners of a second language sometimes transfer some features of grammar to apply it on other inappropriate features. This certainly results in errors in the target language. Almost all the research that has been done so far indicates that preposition misuse is mainly caused by linguistic interference, inappropriate learning and wrong application of rules. Some views contradict this saying that errors of prepositions are due to the complexity of the English language itself. Others go so far as to say that the misuse or errors of a language could be related to bad teaching and resources, ignorance, lack of practice and carelessness. In fact, attitudes vary considerably. The first attitude represents the feeling that errors are undesirable and, therefore, should be avoided, but the second says that errors are inevitable in an imperfect world (Corder, 1981). In behaviourism, errors are depicted as sins that should be avoided and bad habits that should not be tolerated, while in cognitivism, errors are perceived as part of the learning process. The main focus of behaviourism followers methods is on preventing errors, whereas the focus of the methods of cognitivists is on intellectual analyses of the causes of errors and ways of dealing with them. This supports Frenchs argument (1989) that â€Å"errors are oddities that are not evidence of carelessness or of unwillingness but of growing pains and a desire to learn, not punishable offences because they are accidents† (French, 1989). Actually they are part of the language learning process. Humans cannot learn without making errors to err is human. Krashen and Terrell (1983) argue that the errors made by learners are a natural process in learning, and learners will get over this stage of inter-language interference and develop naturally. L1 interference is one of several types of errors learners of a second language make (ibid, 1988: 64-69). When learners of a second language use this language, they have no way but to submit to the grammar of their first language. In the case of English prepositions, when Arabic learners of English are not sure which preposition to use, they literally translate from Arabic into English. As Arabic and English prepositions seldom have one-to-one correspondence, this results in inter-language interference errors. An Arabic preposition may be translated by several English prepositions, while an English usage may have several Arabic translations (Scott and Tucker, 1974: 85). 2.3. Studies on language transfer The processes of language transfer and over-generalisation receive considerable attention. Jain (in Richards, 1974) and Taylor (1975) reported that over-generalisation errors are an application of the generalisation strategies of the learners second language to produce this same second language. Brown states that inter-lingual transfer is the negative influence of the mother tongue, and that intra-lingual transfer is the negative transfer within the target language (1980:173-181). Swan and Smith give a detailed account of errors made by speakers of nineteen different first language backgrounds (1995:ix). Also, Diab (1996) conducted a research on error analysis showing the interference of the mother language, Arabic, in the English writings of EFL students at the American University of Beirut (1996). The transfer of Arabic structures in the Lebanese students writings resulted in a number of errors. However, they made more errors where they felt English and Arabic were similar (articles, prepositions and choice of diction). James indicates that â€Å"the clearest proof of L1 interference is where L1 nonstandard dialect gets transferred to L2† (1998:179). Dulay et al (1982) defines language interference as the automatic transfer from the surface structure of the first language to the surface structure to the second language, while Lott (1983) defines it as errors in learners foreign language that can be attributed to the mother tongue. Ellis also comments on interference saying that it is â€Å"the influence that the learners L1 exerts over the acquisition of an L2† (1997:51). ‘An Analysis of Interference Errors in the Written English of Sudanese Students is a study made by Tadros (1966) in order to analyse the errors of language interference in the writings of Sudanese students. He looked into 472 scripts written by 236 students in their seventh year of English learning. The students were first given different exercises about relative clauses and had to follow explicit instructions. Then they were asked to write a paragraph about their school, using relative clauses. This research made the writer come up with the conclusion that this is an effective way to apply what they have already learnt. I think the conditions were helpful for the students, so their writings were not an indication of their true proficiency level in English. The students were asked to write paragraphs immediately after they had been taught. Scott et al (1974) also made a study in Beirut called â€Å"Error Analysis and English Language Strategies of Arab Students†. This study examined samples of Arab students speech and writing both at the beginning and the end of the semester in an intensive English course; compared the types of error in speech and writing, the frequency of these errors and the relative frequency of the errors made at the beginning and the end of the semester; identified the sources of errors; considered both inter-language interference and intra-language interference in the English learning strategies of Arab students and identified some rules that represent early and late acquisition of a second language. This researcher made this study on 22 Arab students in the first semester of a lower intermediate intensive English course at the University of Beirut. Those students had already completed their school education, where the medium of instruction was Arabic. They had also studied some English as a foreign language. This study revealed that verbs, prepositions and articles are the areas where the students often made errors. It also showed that the error frequency in the usage of prepositions was similar in writing and speech and that the preposition errors at the beginning and the end of the semester ranked after the number of verb errors. Verb errors Preposition errors Beginning of the semester 80 61 End of the semester 60 51 Half of the errors in writing and speech at the beginning of the semester were due to inter-language interference and the other half due to intra-language interference. About two thirds of the errors at the end of the semester were due to inter-language interference and one third due to intra-language interference. Since the larger number of errors was made due to inter-language interference at the end rather than at the beginning of the semester, this means that the students were making more progress in overcoming intra-language interference confusion than in solving the problem of the first language transfer. The interference of Arabic was most obvious in the frequent omission of auxiliaries and copulas, in preposition and article errors and in the repetition of subjects and objects. However, at the end of the semester, the students made a great progress in almost all areas except in prepositions and articles; the interference of the mother language continued to be a dominant feature in the usage of prepositions and articles. The preposition errors fell into three groups: 1. Interference from Arabic. 2. Interference from English. 3. Errors without identifiable source. The preposition errors were reduced by one third during the semester. Although the larger proportion of these errors was attributed to the interference of the first language, it was thought that the students would make progress in the usage of prepositions since it is a late acquisition in native language learning (Scott et al, 1974:95). The researcher suggested that other studies should investigate the errors made by Arab students at both lower and higher levels of English proficiency and if inter-language interference comes from formal or colloquial Arabic. She suggests that â€Å"interference in writing comes from classical Arabic but interference in speech from colloquial Arabic.† (ibid: 96). Mukattash made a pilot project in common grammatical errors in Jordanian English (1981: 250-291). The broad objective of his research â€Å"Common Grammatical Errors in Jordanian English† is to get a general idea of the areas in English syntax which are problematic to Jordanian students at university. The specific objective of his research was to calculate and analyse the different types of errors in the written English of Jordanian university students. The subject students were 200 first-year students at the University of Jordan. They were graduates of public secondary schools, where they had received eight years of English language teaching. They were also from different parts of Jordan and some of them were from the West Bank in Palestine. The students were given a comprehensive test in comprehension, structure and vocabulary. All the 200 essays contained errors, but the detailed analysis was made on only fifty essays, which were chosen randomly. The errors in the usage of prepositions ranked fourth in the order of the total occurrence of errors. This study disagrees with Scotts study, which ranks preposition usage errors second after verb errors. Here the ranking order is as follows: verbals, articles, nominals and prepositions. The percentage of the preposition errors was 15% of the overall number of errors in the fifty essays. Although we cannot compare the results of the two studies due to the fact that Scott did not state precisely what percentage the preposition usage errors constituted in the writings of her subject students, we can say that preposition errors are still a serious problem for Arabic learners of English. In Scotts study, the percentage of interference from Arabic was 67%, while in this Study, it is 78%. However, the interference of Arabic in the usage of prepositions is still significant in the results of both studies. Also, Kerr (1970) made a study on the common errors in the English writings of a group of Greek learners of English as a foreign language. The research study purpose was to show the teachers of English in Greece the serious problems their students have in writing. Teachers find certain types of errors which they have previously ignored, and so find indications of the kinds of preventive and remedial teaching that would prevent the growth of bad language habits by using clearer explanations and more effective practice at the more elementary stages of learning. The errors also indicate the areas of language on which tests and examinations would be based. (Kerr, 1970: ix). Kerr based his study on over a thousand compositions written by adult students at an advanced level of English proficiency. The causes of the errors found were ignorance of words and constructions to express an idea, carelessness of the students, the interference of the mother language and making false analogies within the target language. Between 20% and 30% of the grammatical errors made by the Greek students involved errors in the usage of prepositions of all types (ibid, 1970: 22). Handrickson (1979) made another research study on error analysis and error correction at Ohio State University called ‘Error Analysis and Error Correction on ESL Learners at Ohio State University. The subject learners were adults of intermediate level studying English as a second language. His study aimed at identifying the most frequent communicative and linguistic errors in the compositions of intermediate ESL learners. It also aimed at determining the effect of the teachers direct correction on the English writing proficiency of students. He found that most of the communicative errors were as a result of inadequate lexical knowledge, incorrect use of prepositions and pronouns or misspelling of lexical items. On the other hand, the linguistic errors were caused by inappropriate lexical choice, lack of subject-verb agreement, the omission and misuse of prepositions, incorrect word order or misspelling of words. The effect of the teachers direct error correction on the students English proficiency in writing came out to be statistically insignificant. Another study was made in the United States on EFL learners, but this time on Iranian students. The research was conducted by Henning (1978) at the University of California and is called ‘A Developmental Analysis of English Errors Made by Iranian Students. He analysed the developmental error patterns of the Iranian learners of English as a second language. The subjects of this study were 22 Iranian women in the second semester of their first year at Damayand College in Tehran, Iran. The students had already had an average of six years of English learning and were, at the time of the research, enrolled in an intensive course where 20 hours of English language teaching was being given to them. The medium of instruction was also English. â€Å"The conclusion reached was that†¦mastery in the usage of English prepositions according to their meanings is one of the most sensitive indicators of the degree of English proficiency† (Henning, 1978:396-397). Zarei (2002) also found that, for Iranian EFL learners, the collocations of prepositions are among the most problematic collocations in English. Khampang (1974) also made a research study at the University of California. This Research study is called ‘The Difficulties in Using English Prepositions, and it focused on the difficulties facing Thai learners of English in using English prepositions. The research was conducted to investigate what the prepositions that Thai learners of English found difficult to learn were and whether there was a big difference between the prepositions that Thai learners of English chose and those chosen by learners of English from other L1 backgrounds. It also investigated whether the problem of using English prepositions was universal, shared with non-Thai learners of English, or Thai learners had specific problems. He wanted to know if this problem was due to first language interference and, consequently, predictable from contrastive analysis. The study was only on 8 simple prepositions of time and place: in, on, at, for, to, from, by and the empty form ∅. ‘The subject students in this research were 169 students from different L1 backgrounds: 40 from Thailand, 48 from Japan, 38 from Spain and 43 from countries of different language backgrounds (Persian, Italian, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese and Arabic). The levels of the students were both intermediate and advanced, and they were in adult schools in the area of Los Angeles. The students were tested on the 8 prepositions of time and place by a diagnostic test. This test was in three parts: multiple choice, error correction and close test. Each part consisted of 15 items. The 45 questions included the repetition of each preposition 4 times in random order. The results came up with the fact that: there was no evidence of significant difference between the language groups based on total test scores. Neither was there any evidence found for interaction effects between the language groups and the factors selected. There was only one factor, previous educational level, which showed significant difference between high school and college subjects. (Khampang, 1974: 218). Different language groups did not affect the subject students performance in the usage of English prepositions. Again, age, sex or the number of years or hours per week allotted for learning English were not important factors in mastering the usage of English prepositions. As for the question about whether certain prepositions were more difficult or easier for certain language groups, the writer had to use the criterion of difficulty in order to answer it. If a group had less than 50% of the responses correct, then the test item was considered difficult. 16 out of the 45 items were considered difficult, and the data showed that not all the four groups had the same responses for the test items. Khampang gave some statements that, as he said, are applicable to ESL teaching. He said that of the three test parts, the close test seemed to be more effective than the other parts in testing the usage of English prepositions. He also argues that to teach them English, there is no need to separate students of English by age, sex, or number of years or hours allotted for learning English. Diagnostic and placement tests came out to be more effective than considering the students L1 backgrounds. Moreover, for a heterogeneous language group, the way of teaching English prepositions of time and place should be the same for all students, along with emphasising the areas of difficulty in English language learning for a particular language group. This last statement is the real objective behind error analysis. Im researching Syrian university students preposition errors in order to see if the errors are as a result of the interference of their first language, Arabic. This will help us devel op strategies to teach those students. An investigation on the grammatical errors made by Swedish 16-year-old learners of English was made by Kohlmyr (2003). She analysed errors in around 400 compositions from two national assessment programmes, and she found that preposition errors accounted for 12% of all the grammatical errors. The preposition errors that were mainly found with to, in, at, of and for included substitution, omission and addition. The most frequent type of error was actually substitution. According to this research, the preposition errors were caused by first language transfer, over-generalisation and simplification. About 50% of the errors were caused by over-generalisation, 40% by first language transfer and 10% by simplification. Gabrys-Biskup argues that interference is the prime cause of the learners second language (in Arnauld Benjoint, 1992). All of the above research articles focused on learner English. Some of them also focused on the usage of English prepositions by EFL learners; for instance, the research done by Scott and Khampang. Scott, in her research, found that the usage of English prepositions was a serious problem for Arabic learners of English (1973). While Khampang said that different language groups did not have effect on the students performance in using English prepositions (1974). That suggests that the usage of English prepositions are a serious problem for learners of English as a foreign language. In Scotts research, preposition errors ranked second after verb errors, and in Mukattashs, they ranked fourth. In both cases, preposition errors are problematic for Arabic learners of English. Also, in Kerrs research study, the preposition errors constituted between 20% and 30% of the overall grammatical errors. Some of the above researchers gave some recommendations and suggestions for dealing with errors. Kerr (1970) said that preventive and remedial teaching had a good and positive effect. This can be done by using clearer explanations and more effective practice at the elementary stage. However, Tadros (1979) suggested intensive drilling. On the other hand, Scott suggested that further investigations should be made on the errors that are committed by Arabic learners of English at their lower levels of English proficiency (1973). She also suggested that researches should look into the influence of classical and colloquial Arabic on Arabic students written English. These suggestions, in addition to my interest, have urged me to conduct a research study into this problematic area for Syrian learners of English, especially since there have not been many studies on this topic, as far as I know. Even at more advanced levels of English proficiency, Syrian learners of English still make errors in the usage of prepositions. The kind of error they make is due to the mother tongue, and since Arabic has two varieties (formal and colloquial), it is worth investigating which one the learners take their English grammar structures from. Scott (1974) says that the English production of Arabic learners is affected by both formal and colloquial Arabic. Nevertheless, we do not know which variety is dominant and to what extent. 3. Methodology and research procedures 3.1. Research questions In this research study, I will look into the preposition usage errors made by Syrian university students and try to answer the following questions: 1. Which kind of error is more effective in using the English prepositions in, on, at, of and to: inter-language interference or other kinds of error? 2. Which variety of Arabic has the influence on the usage of English prepositions of Syrian university students and w Inter-lingual Interference in the Usage of Prepositions Inter-lingual Interference in the Usage of Prepositions Inter-lingual Interference in the Usage of Prepositions in the English of Syrian Students Abstract In recent years, studies of foreign language acquisition have tended to focus on learners errors since they allow for prediction of the difficulties involved in acquiring a foreign language. In this way, teachers can be made aware of the difficult areas to be encountered by their students and devote special care and emphasis to them. Prepositions, on which this dissertation focuses, are one of these difficult areas. Thus, the main objective is to investigate whether the English preposition errors of the Syrian university students come more from inter-lingual interference or from other sources and whether classical or colloquial Arabic has the dominant influence on this interference. It also investigates which category of error in inter-lingual interference is the most frequent in the students using the prepositions in, on, at, of and to. The data is samples consisting of the answers of a diagnostic test by 38 Syrian first-year students of law. The diagnostic test was designed as a mu ltiple choice test and took by the students online. This investigation showed that preposition errors come mainly from inter-lingual interference, which is attributed more to standard Arabic here. It also showed that the students seem to have a serious problem in first language interference errors, especially substitution errors. This has implications for curriculum change and teachers method of teaching. 1. Introduction 1.1. Background of the study Language difficulty is often determined by how far or close the target and mother languages are. â€Å"Contrastive analysis is one of the areas of linguistics which elude a clear, unequivocal, and simple definition† (Vizmuller-Zocco, 1990:466). Errors in a certain area of grammar in the second language are often compared with an area of grammar in the first language. One of the most challenging things in learning English as a second language is using prepositions, â€Å"Among those who teach or learn the English language, prepositions have earned a reputation for difficulty if not downright unpredictability.† (Pittman, 1966) â€Å"As any English teacher well knows, our prepositions are a particularly troublesome lot to the non-native speaker of English† (McCarthy, 1972). When we, non-native speakers of English, speak English, we usually hesitate over choosing the correct preposition or whether a certain verb needs a preposition or not. This matter has always interested me, as many Arabic-speaking learners of English complain about it. Thahir (1987) indicates that prepositions can cause a problem for Arabic learners of English. For instance, an Arabic speaker would say this sentence *Fast trains can travel at a speed of 300m in hour. This is because per hour is expressed as in hour in Arabic. This transfer from Arabic into English is what makes Arabic learners English seem broken. Moreover, some linguists say that the mastery of prepositions in English is a late stage in native-language learning as well (Scott and Tucker, 1974). Therefore, this dissertation intends to look into the differences of preposition aspects between Arabic and English: are their distributions the same? Do all the Arabic words that need prepositions also need prepositions in English? If the words that need prepositions in Arabic also need prepositions in English, are these prepositions the same or different? From these general questions more specific questions will be formulated in the ‘Methodology chapter. 1.2. Grammar of English and Arabic prepositions â€Å"Arabic has a wealth of prepositions†¦with both verbs and adjectives. Many of these do not coincide with their direct English translations† (Swan and Smith, 1987:152). Nevertheless, Arabic prepositions are more limited in number than those of English. Abbas says that there are only twenty prepositions in Arabic (1961:320), while in English, there are fifty seven (Hayden, 1965:171-176). This, as a matter of fact, makes it harder for Arabic learners of English to have a command of English preposition usage. Grubic says: Non-native speakers of English tend to have three types of problems with prepositions: 1. Using the wrong preposition, e.g.: *My grandfather picked the name on me. (for) 2. Omitting a required preposition, e.g.: *I served the Army until 1964. (in) 3. Using a superfluous prepositions, e.g.: *I studied in Biology for three years. (2004:22) Despite all the efforts made by grammar book writers and teachers, learners of English still make mistakes in the usage of prepositions. So, what makes EFL learners make these errors? There is no doubt that Arabic learners of English translate grammar from Arabic into English, ignoring the rigorous grammatical structures of the English language. However, are all preposition-usage errors related to L1? Prepositions are words or groups of words that typically come before a noun phrase and indicate syntactic relations (Matthews, 1997). v My fathers plane arrives after midnight. v We have got a tree in front of the house. v There are no snakes in Ireland. One important feature of prepositions is that they cannot stand alone, regardless of how many words they are combined with (Downing and Locke, 1992). Since prepositions are not independent, they form meaning when combined with nouns or noun phrases, for example: after midnight, in front of the house, in Ireland. â€Å"Prepositions can be divided into three categories, i.e. basic prepositions, systematic prepositions and idiomatic prepositions: v standing on the table. v come on Friday. v comment on speech.† (Karlsson, 2002) In expressing time, on is used with days, such as on Friday, on Saturday and on January 30th. At, on the other hand, indicates a specific part or time of the day, such as at 12 oclock, at noon and at midnight. While in is used with years, months and seasons or main parts of the day, for example in 2001, in summer, in April. For explains a period of time, and by and within indicate limitation of a period of time, such as for six years, by next year and within two hours (Hewings, 2005). The Arabic preposition fee ( »Ã¢â‚¬Å" »Ã‚ ²), which is equivalent to the English in, is used in almost all of the above cases, but for within Arabic uses khilal ( ºÃ‚ »Ã‚ ¼Ã‚ »Ã‚ ). By and for have no equivalents in Arabic and they are expressed in phrases. As for prepositions of movement and place, in is used when indicating a certain position and on when talking about the surface, as in: v The keys are in the drawer. v The keys are on the table. At is used when pointing at a certain place which is close to the object, for example: v Im waiting for you at the bus stop. Inside is used to indicate the inner place of a certain object, while outside is the opposite. v There is a scorpion inside my room. v Outside the Palace, there were crowds of people waiting for the Queen to show up. Also, from and to are opposite prepositions. From indicates the origin of the movement, but to indicates the target of the movement (ibid), as in: v My plane ticket is from London Heathrow to Damascus International Airport. All of the prepositions of movement and place have their equivalents in Arabic:  § in → fee ( »Ã¢â‚¬Å" »Ã‚ ²)  § on → ala ( »Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ã‚ »Ã‚  Ã‚ »Ã‚ °)  § at → inda ( »Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ã‚ »Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ª)  § inside → dakhel ( ºÃ‚ ªÃ‚ ºÃ‚ Ã‚ ºÃ‚ »Ã… ¾)  § outside → kharej ( ºÃ‚ ºÃ‚ Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ®Ã‚ ºÃ‚ )  § from → min ( »Ã‚ £Ã‚ »Ã‚ ¥)  § to → ila ( ºÃ¢â‚¬ ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚  Ã‚ »Ã‚ °) 1.3. Study aims The prepositions in, on, at and to are the most commonly used prepositions in English. Therefore, my research study is going to focus closely on these four prepositions in the English of Syrian university students. I will see whether the first language interference kind of error is more effective than the other kinds. I will identify the errors that have to do with L1 interference and see if the interference comes from classical or colloquial Arabic. I will also look at the categories of L1 interference errors and see which one is the most frequent: substitution, addition or omission. This will, hopefully, help Syrian university students improve their written and spoken English. 2. Literature review 2.1. Error analysis One way for identifying errors in preposition usage is error analysis. First of all, it is important to define the word ‘error. An error is â€Å"an instance of language that is unintentionally deviant and is not self-corrigible by its author† (James, 1998:78). Brown considers the errors as either ‘overt or ‘covert (1994:208). According to Ellis (1987) Error analysis was considered as an alternative to contrastive analysis, and it is considered of value in the classroom research (Brown, 1994: 214). It also predicts the difficulties of acquiring a second language (Richards, 1974: 172). Error analysis shows â€Å"the significance of errors in learners inter-language system† (Brown, 1994:204). Ellis and Richards et al say that error analysis can be conducted for pedagogical purposes (1994:51; 1993:127). At the level of pragmatic classroom experience, error analysis will continue to provide one means by which the teacher can assess learning and teaching and determine priorities for future effort (Richards, 1974:15). When we analyse errors, we should give a detailed explanation for each type of error that corresponds to the different processes that Selinker (1992) reported as central to second language learning: language transfer, transfer of training, strategies of second language learning, strategies of second language communication, and overgeneralization of TL [Target Language] linguistic material. Error analysis helps teachers overcome the difficulties learners of English face in learning the language through figuring out the sources of errors and, consequently, taking some precautions towards them. It can be said that error analysis can be used to determine the learners need in learning. 2.2. Language transfer The â€Å"study of transfer depends greatly on the systematic comparisons of languages provided by contrastive analyses† (Odlin, 1989: 28). Odlin goes on to say that although many contrastive analyses provide useful and sometimes highly perceptive information about languages they compare, none comes close to meeting in full the criteria of descriptive and theoretical adequacy. There is no doubt that interference constitutes a major problem and obstacle in language usage amongst learners of a second language. They cannot help letting their mother tongue interfere in the target language. Therefore, some errors are tolerable to native speakers of English. Even native speakers of English have problems with certain preposition structures. Over-generalisation or intra-lingual transfer is said to have a considerably negative effect on learner English. Learners of a second language sometimes transfer some features of grammar to apply it on other inappropriate features. This certainly results in errors in the target language. Almost all the research that has been done so far indicates that preposition misuse is mainly caused by linguistic interference, inappropriate learning and wrong application of rules. Some views contradict this saying that errors of prepositions are due to the complexity of the English language itself. Others go so far as to say that the misuse or errors of a language could be related to bad teaching and resources, ignorance, lack of practice and carelessness. In fact, attitudes vary considerably. The first attitude represents the feeling that errors are undesirable and, therefore, should be avoided, but the second says that errors are inevitable in an imperfect world (Corder, 1981). In behaviourism, errors are depicted as sins that should be avoided and bad habits that should not be tolerated, while in cognitivism, errors are perceived as part of the learning process. The main focus of behaviourism followers methods is on preventing errors, whereas the focus of the methods of cognitivists is on intellectual analyses of the causes of errors and ways of dealing with them. This supports Frenchs argument (1989) that â€Å"errors are oddities that are not evidence of carelessness or of unwillingness but of growing pains and a desire to learn, not punishable offences because they are accidents† (French, 1989). Actually they are part of the language learning process. Humans cannot learn without making errors to err is human. Krashen and Terrell (1983) argue that the errors made by learners are a natural process in learning, and learners will get over this stage of inter-language interference and develop naturally. L1 interference is one of several types of errors learners of a second language make (ibid, 1988: 64-69). When learners of a second language use this language, they have no way but to submit to the grammar of their first language. In the case of English prepositions, when Arabic learners of English are not sure which preposition to use, they literally translate from Arabic into English. As Arabic and English prepositions seldom have one-to-one correspondence, this results in inter-language interference errors. An Arabic preposition may be translated by several English prepositions, while an English usage may have several Arabic translations (Scott and Tucker, 1974: 85). 2.3. Studies on language transfer The processes of language transfer and over-generalisation receive considerable attention. Jain (in Richards, 1974) and Taylor (1975) reported that over-generalisation errors are an application of the generalisation strategies of the learners second language to produce this same second language. Brown states that inter-lingual transfer is the negative influence of the mother tongue, and that intra-lingual transfer is the negative transfer within the target language (1980:173-181). Swan and Smith give a detailed account of errors made by speakers of nineteen different first language backgrounds (1995:ix). Also, Diab (1996) conducted a research on error analysis showing the interference of the mother language, Arabic, in the English writings of EFL students at the American University of Beirut (1996). The transfer of Arabic structures in the Lebanese students writings resulted in a number of errors. However, they made more errors where they felt English and Arabic were similar (articles, prepositions and choice of diction). James indicates that â€Å"the clearest proof of L1 interference is where L1 nonstandard dialect gets transferred to L2† (1998:179). Dulay et al (1982) defines language interference as the automatic transfer from the surface structure of the first language to the surface structure to the second language, while Lott (1983) defines it as errors in learners foreign language that can be attributed to the mother tongue. Ellis also comments on interference saying that it is â€Å"the influence that the learners L1 exerts over the acquisition of an L2† (1997:51). ‘An Analysis of Interference Errors in the Written English of Sudanese Students is a study made by Tadros (1966) in order to analyse the errors of language interference in the writings of Sudanese students. He looked into 472 scripts written by 236 students in their seventh year of English learning. The students were first given different exercises about relative clauses and had to follow explicit instructions. Then they were asked to write a paragraph about their school, using relative clauses. This research made the writer come up with the conclusion that this is an effective way to apply what they have already learnt. I think the conditions were helpful for the students, so their writings were not an indication of their true proficiency level in English. The students were asked to write paragraphs immediately after they had been taught. Scott et al (1974) also made a study in Beirut called â€Å"Error Analysis and English Language Strategies of Arab Students†. This study examined samples of Arab students speech and writing both at the beginning and the end of the semester in an intensive English course; compared the types of error in speech and writing, the frequency of these errors and the relative frequency of the errors made at the beginning and the end of the semester; identified the sources of errors; considered both inter-language interference and intra-language interference in the English learning strategies of Arab students and identified some rules that represent early and late acquisition of a second language. This researcher made this study on 22 Arab students in the first semester of a lower intermediate intensive English course at the University of Beirut. Those students had already completed their school education, where the medium of instruction was Arabic. They had also studied some English as a foreign language. This study revealed that verbs, prepositions and articles are the areas where the students often made errors. It also showed that the error frequency in the usage of prepositions was similar in writing and speech and that the preposition errors at the beginning and the end of the semester ranked after the number of verb errors. Verb errors Preposition errors Beginning of the semester 80 61 End of the semester 60 51 Half of the errors in writing and speech at the beginning of the semester were due to inter-language interference and the other half due to intra-language interference. About two thirds of the errors at the end of the semester were due to inter-language interference and one third due to intra-language interference. Since the larger number of errors was made due to inter-language interference at the end rather than at the beginning of the semester, this means that the students were making more progress in overcoming intra-language interference confusion than in solving the problem of the first language transfer. The interference of Arabic was most obvious in the frequent omission of auxiliaries and copulas, in preposition and article errors and in the repetition of subjects and objects. However, at the end of the semester, the students made a great progress in almost all areas except in prepositions and articles; the interference of the mother language continued to be a dominant feature in the usage of prepositions and articles. The preposition errors fell into three groups: 1. Interference from Arabic. 2. Interference from English. 3. Errors without identifiable source. The preposition errors were reduced by one third during the semester. Although the larger proportion of these errors was attributed to the interference of the first language, it was thought that the students would make progress in the usage of prepositions since it is a late acquisition in native language learning (Scott et al, 1974:95). The researcher suggested that other studies should investigate the errors made by Arab students at both lower and higher levels of English proficiency and if inter-language interference comes from formal or colloquial Arabic. She suggests that â€Å"interference in writing comes from classical Arabic but interference in speech from colloquial Arabic.† (ibid: 96). Mukattash made a pilot project in common grammatical errors in Jordanian English (1981: 250-291). The broad objective of his research â€Å"Common Grammatical Errors in Jordanian English† is to get a general idea of the areas in English syntax which are problematic to Jordanian students at university. The specific objective of his research was to calculate and analyse the different types of errors in the written English of Jordanian university students. The subject students were 200 first-year students at the University of Jordan. They were graduates of public secondary schools, where they had received eight years of English language teaching. They were also from different parts of Jordan and some of them were from the West Bank in Palestine. The students were given a comprehensive test in comprehension, structure and vocabulary. All the 200 essays contained errors, but the detailed analysis was made on only fifty essays, which were chosen randomly. The errors in the usage of prepositions ranked fourth in the order of the total occurrence of errors. This study disagrees with Scotts study, which ranks preposition usage errors second after verb errors. Here the ranking order is as follows: verbals, articles, nominals and prepositions. The percentage of the preposition errors was 15% of the overall number of errors in the fifty essays. Although we cannot compare the results of the two studies due to the fact that Scott did not state precisely what percentage the preposition usage errors constituted in the writings of her subject students, we can say that preposition errors are still a serious problem for Arabic learners of English. In Scotts study, the percentage of interference from Arabic was 67%, while in this Study, it is 78%. However, the interference of Arabic in the usage of prepositions is still significant in the results of both studies. Also, Kerr (1970) made a study on the common errors in the English writings of a group of Greek learners of English as a foreign language. The research study purpose was to show the teachers of English in Greece the serious problems their students have in writing. Teachers find certain types of errors which they have previously ignored, and so find indications of the kinds of preventive and remedial teaching that would prevent the growth of bad language habits by using clearer explanations and more effective practice at the more elementary stages of learning. The errors also indicate the areas of language on which tests and examinations would be based. (Kerr, 1970: ix). Kerr based his study on over a thousand compositions written by adult students at an advanced level of English proficiency. The causes of the errors found were ignorance of words and constructions to express an idea, carelessness of the students, the interference of the mother language and making false analogies within the target language. Between 20% and 30% of the grammatical errors made by the Greek students involved errors in the usage of prepositions of all types (ibid, 1970: 22). Handrickson (1979) made another research study on error analysis and error correction at Ohio State University called ‘Error Analysis and Error Correction on ESL Learners at Ohio State University. The subject learners were adults of intermediate level studying English as a second language. His study aimed at identifying the most frequent communicative and linguistic errors in the compositions of intermediate ESL learners. It also aimed at determining the effect of the teachers direct correction on the English writing proficiency of students. He found that most of the communicative errors were as a result of inadequate lexical knowledge, incorrect use of prepositions and pronouns or misspelling of lexical items. On the other hand, the linguistic errors were caused by inappropriate lexical choice, lack of subject-verb agreement, the omission and misuse of prepositions, incorrect word order or misspelling of words. The effect of the teachers direct error correction on the students English proficiency in writing came out to be statistically insignificant. Another study was made in the United States on EFL learners, but this time on Iranian students. The research was conducted by Henning (1978) at the University of California and is called ‘A Developmental Analysis of English Errors Made by Iranian Students. He analysed the developmental error patterns of the Iranian learners of English as a second language. The subjects of this study were 22 Iranian women in the second semester of their first year at Damayand College in Tehran, Iran. The students had already had an average of six years of English learning and were, at the time of the research, enrolled in an intensive course where 20 hours of English language teaching was being given to them. The medium of instruction was also English. â€Å"The conclusion reached was that†¦mastery in the usage of English prepositions according to their meanings is one of the most sensitive indicators of the degree of English proficiency† (Henning, 1978:396-397). Zarei (2002) also found that, for Iranian EFL learners, the collocations of prepositions are among the most problematic collocations in English. Khampang (1974) also made a research study at the University of California. This Research study is called ‘The Difficulties in Using English Prepositions, and it focused on the difficulties facing Thai learners of English in using English prepositions. The research was conducted to investigate what the prepositions that Thai learners of English found difficult to learn were and whether there was a big difference between the prepositions that Thai learners of English chose and those chosen by learners of English from other L1 backgrounds. It also investigated whether the problem of using English prepositions was universal, shared with non-Thai learners of English, or Thai learners had specific problems. He wanted to know if this problem was due to first language interference and, consequently, predictable from contrastive analysis. The study was only on 8 simple prepositions of time and place: in, on, at, for, to, from, by and the empty form ∅. ‘The subject students in this research were 169 students from different L1 backgrounds: 40 from Thailand, 48 from Japan, 38 from Spain and 43 from countries of different language backgrounds (Persian, Italian, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese and Arabic). The levels of the students were both intermediate and advanced, and they were in adult schools in the area of Los Angeles. The students were tested on the 8 prepositions of time and place by a diagnostic test. This test was in three parts: multiple choice, error correction and close test. Each part consisted of 15 items. The 45 questions included the repetition of each preposition 4 times in random order. The results came up with the fact that: there was no evidence of significant difference between the language groups based on total test scores. Neither was there any evidence found for interaction effects between the language groups and the factors selected. There was only one factor, previous educational level, which showed significant difference between high school and college subjects. (Khampang, 1974: 218). Different language groups did not affect the subject students performance in the usage of English prepositions. Again, age, sex or the number of years or hours per week allotted for learning English were not important factors in mastering the usage of English prepositions. As for the question about whether certain prepositions were more difficult or easier for certain language groups, the writer had to use the criterion of difficulty in order to answer it. If a group had less than 50% of the responses correct, then the test item was considered difficult. 16 out of the 45 items were considered difficult, and the data showed that not all the four groups had the same responses for the test items. Khampang gave some statements that, as he said, are applicable to ESL teaching. He said that of the three test parts, the close test seemed to be more effective than the other parts in testing the usage of English prepositions. He also argues that to teach them English, there is no need to separate students of English by age, sex, or number of years or hours allotted for learning English. Diagnostic and placement tests came out to be more effective than considering the students L1 backgrounds. Moreover, for a heterogeneous language group, the way of teaching English prepositions of time and place should be the same for all students, along with emphasising the areas of difficulty in English language learning for a particular language group. This last statement is the real objective behind error analysis. Im researching Syrian university students preposition errors in order to see if the errors are as a result of the interference of their first language, Arabic. This will help us devel op strategies to teach those students. An investigation on the grammatical errors made by Swedish 16-year-old learners of English was made by Kohlmyr (2003). She analysed errors in around 400 compositions from two national assessment programmes, and she found that preposition errors accounted for 12% of all the grammatical errors. The preposition errors that were mainly found with to, in, at, of and for included substitution, omission and addition. The most frequent type of error was actually substitution. According to this research, the preposition errors were caused by first language transfer, over-generalisation and simplification. About 50% of the errors were caused by over-generalisation, 40% by first language transfer and 10% by simplification. Gabrys-Biskup argues that interference is the prime cause of the learners second language (in Arnauld Benjoint, 1992). All of the above research articles focused on learner English. Some of them also focused on the usage of English prepositions by EFL learners; for instance, the research done by Scott and Khampang. Scott, in her research, found that the usage of English prepositions was a serious problem for Arabic learners of English (1973). While Khampang said that different language groups did not have effect on the students performance in using English prepositions (1974). That suggests that the usage of English prepositions are a serious problem for learners of English as a foreign language. In Scotts research, preposition errors ranked second after verb errors, and in Mukattashs, they ranked fourth. In both cases, preposition errors are problematic for Arabic learners of English. Also, in Kerrs research study, the preposition errors constituted between 20% and 30% of the overall grammatical errors. Some of the above researchers gave some recommendations and suggestions for dealing with errors. Kerr (1970) said that preventive and remedial teaching had a good and positive effect. This can be done by using clearer explanations and more effective practice at the elementary stage. However, Tadros (1979) suggested intensive drilling. On the other hand, Scott suggested that further investigations should be made on the errors that are committed by Arabic learners of English at their lower levels of English proficiency (1973). She also suggested that researches should look into the influence of classical and colloquial Arabic on Arabic students written English. These suggestions, in addition to my interest, have urged me to conduct a research study into this problematic area for Syrian learners of English, especially since there have not been many studies on this topic, as far as I know. Even at more advanced levels of English proficiency, Syrian learners of English still make errors in the usage of prepositions. The kind of error they make is due to the mother tongue, and since Arabic has two varieties (formal and colloquial), it is worth investigating which one the learners take their English grammar structures from. Scott (1974) says that the English production of Arabic learners is affected by both formal and colloquial Arabic. Nevertheless, we do not know which variety is dominant and to what extent. 3. Methodology and research procedures 3.1. Research questions In this research study, I will look into the preposition usage errors made by Syrian university students and try to answer the following questions: 1. Which kind of error is more effective in using the English prepositions in, on, at, of and to: inter-language interference or other kinds of error? 2. Which variety of Arabic has the influence on the usage of English prepositions of Syrian university students and w