Tuesday, May 31, 2011

TH sound


Having problems in communication?



 Maybe, they can be caused by some pronunciation mistakes like the one the boy on the commercial made. He understood “think” instead of “sink”.



Actually, TH is one of the most difficult sounds in English. But with some training we can easily learn and say it naturally.


You know that there are two TH sounds in English.


the voiced (vocal cords vibrate)

represented phonetically by this symbol.
Examples:

THY
CLOTHES
THIS 


the voiceless (vocal cords do not vibrate)

represented phonetically by this symbol.
Examples:

THINK
THANK
THOUGHT


The videos below can help you.

She pronounces the word THOUGHT

She pronounces the word THY


See how the voiced TH is pronounced.



Now see two specific words pronounced: 

THOROUGHLY 

RHYTHMIC


Here follows some parts of films where the actors pronounce words with TH.









If you want to have some more practice watch the video below and do some practice on 




I hope this post can help.

by Vivian Barone

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Haiti: Sexual violence against women increasing

On the post "Why should we pay attention to girls?" (Thursday, May 26th), I talked about the importance of investing in girls’ education and health. On this post I've extend the topic to the horrible situation of the women in Haiti. This shocking reality show us why organizations such as www.girleffect.org  and www.girlup.org are so worried about protecting girls and investing in them. Unhappily, this is a shameful situation that our society closes the eyes to it.
Actually, the situation is so cruel that I was in doubt if I should post it or not. But, I wouldn't like to shut my eyes to it. 
In order to understand the videos below you need to know what the word "rape" means.
Rape (noun): the crime of forcing someone to have sex by using violence.


Happily, some people make the difference:
The two links below are of two other videos even more shocking. It's up to you to watch them or not.

by Vivian Barone

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Why should we pay attention to girls?


Why should we pay attention to girls?

Because when we invest in a girl’s health or education she can start a positive ripple effect. What does ripple mean? The picture below shows a ripple effect.
1. if a liquid ripples, or if something ripples it, it moves gently in small waves
2. if a feeling or sound ripples through someone or through a group of people, it spreads gradually


Watch the video below and see if you can figure out what ripple effect a girl can start.


 Why girls?

The non-profitable organization called girleffect.org shows why to invest in girls.














girleffect.org points some reasons for why girls have the potential of causing a positive ripple effect on their families and communities.


THE RIPPLE EFFECT
  1. When a girl in the developing world receives seven or more years of education, she marries four years later and has 2.2 fewer children.
  2. An extra year of primary school boosts girls’ eventual wages by 10 to 20 percent. An extra year of secondary school: 15 to 25 percent.
  3. When women and girls earn income, they reinvest 90 percent of it into their families, as compared to only 30 to 40 percent for a man.
  4. More than 600 million girls live in the developing world.
  5. More than one-quarter of the population in Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, and sub-Saharan Africa are girls and young women ages 10 to 24.
  6. The total global population of girls ages 10 to 24 — already the largest in history — is expected to peak in the next decade.
  7. Approximately one-quarter of girls in developing countries are not in school.
  8. Out of the world’s 130 million out-of-school youth, 70 percent are girls.
                                                                                                                      source: www.girleffect.org

If you’ve found this topic interesting take a look at these videos.





Yeah, girls make the difference!


Actually, we must invest in all children, girls and boys. Not just because they can make a better world, but because they deserve it.

If you've liked this topic, maybe you will like the subject on http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2046045,00.html

by Vivian Barone


Sunday, May 15, 2011

Advertising Techniques

Advertising has changed a lot along the time, take a look at it:

But the techniques are essentially the same.

Advertising techniques are tools used to attract attention, spark interest, to explain ideas, trigger emotion, create desire, initiate action and influence what people think, feel or remember. Here follow some techniques:


1. Celebrity Testimonial: Commonly called "testimonials," or "celebrity endorsements," this technique of persuasion says that consumers relate to the person(s) appearing in the ad: if the celebrity/athlete/star uses the product, then it must be good, so I will purchase/use it too.

Be careful testimonial is different from testimony. Take a quick look at both definitions.
Testimonial: Using a well-known person to *endorse a product.
 *to endorse: to express support for someone or something, especially in       public.                                                 

Testimony: a formal statement about something that you saw, know, or experienced.


2. Emotional appeal:  type of advertising designed to stimulate one's psychological, social, or emotional needs, rather than one's sense of the practical or impractical. It can arouse fear, love, hate, greed, sexual desire, or humor, or otherwise create psychological tension that can best be resolved by purchase of the product or service. For example, a security alarm company might show a scenario where the home of a mother and her children is burglarized. Advertisers also appeal to sentiment, often through images like babies, cute animals, and touching parent-child interactions

 


   3.Bandwagon appeal is an advertising technique that aims to persuade people to do a certain thing because the masses are doing it. A bandwagon commercial can actually convince a consumer to do or buy something they don't actually need, just to do or have what others have. It encourages the consumer to “jump on the bandwagon."



  4. Snob appeal is an exact reverse of the bandwagon technique. In this advertising appeal, people are induced to buy a certain product so that they can stand out of the crowd. It is often indicated that buying the product will make them look different from the rest. It is often indicated that the product is not affordable for the common masses by attaching a 'sense of exclusivity' to such products.



5.  Scientific Evidence: This technique attempts to appeal the masses to use the advertised product, by providing the audiences with survey results. The advertisers often use statistical evidences and market surveys to publicize their product. Take a look at this well done advertising: 


This commercial might contain more statistics than several reports or articles.



  6. Feel-good Factor: A majority of viewers opt for purchasing the product, not because they need it, but simply because the advertisement makes them feel good and think differently. This is one of the most common advertising techniques used in marketing.


   
    7. The Association Principle: Association is an advertising technique that involves drawing a mental link between a product and desirable qualities of various kinds that may include attractiveness, wealth, success, family, patriotism, security, happiness, youthfulness, health, adventure, independence, love, romance, sex, etc. If the ad contains:
   
ü  a visual of a handsome man offering the ring to a beautiful woman
ü  a luxuriously furnished apartment
ü  a table set with wine and candles; and
ü  a text which reads "Love has no price"

      Then the ad would be associating the purchase of the diamond ring to wealth.   Depending on the positioning of the male & female, for example, a close embrace, the association may extend to love and romance.

 

   8. Repetition: T vhis advertising appeal uses the technique of repeating the product name several times during an advertisement. Jingles are often used in this advertising technique to linger the product name in the minds of the masses. Advertisers also create repetition by running an ad frequently. When it comes time to make a purchase, and the name of one of the products on the shelf has been repeated to the consumer many times, that product might just stand out enough for the consumer to choose it.


     9. Humor Appeal: Of course, one of the most effective ways to get the audience's attention is to be funny. Humor is one of the best ways to break through the "noise" of all the competition advertising messages out there and get people to pay attention to the sales pitch.


   10. Shockvertising: This advertising appeal makes use of shocking images or scenes to impact the message. The name is derived as a combination of the two words, ‘shocking’ and ‘advertising’.
            
   11. Slogans are memorable, striking phrases used to convey important information of the product to be advertised in an interesting manner. The video below is a speech made up just of 3. I’m sure you know some of them. Take a look at it.


    12.  Music Effects: Music is also one of the most common advertising techniques used in commercials for latest gadgets. Good music in the TV commercial in fact serves as an indirect advertiser for the product.

    13. Eye Candy: This advertising technique creates a visual image so striking, so original, and so appealing that it simply leaps off the page or out of the screen. It makes the viewer think I've never seen such a thing before. This advertising technique will usually make strong use of vibrant color or contrast brilliant colors to set the image.

    From the commercials below which one have you liked the most? Post a comment voting in it and saying what kind of advertising technique you thought effective on the commercial. You’re free to say what you want or even to post other commercials. We’re eager to hear from you.

by Vivian Barone