Disney Case Analysis Essay Example for Free

Disney Case Analysis Essay It is 1984, and Disney is the target of a potential takeover by notorious greenmailer Sual Steinberg. Disney is faced with the option of fighting the takeover through the courts and media, or to repurchase Steinberg’s shares, in effect, giving in to his greenmail attempt. However, there are many other important issues which are facing Disney. These range from Disney’s abysmal return on investment in recent theme park investments, to the complete failure of Disney’s motion picture division, to Disney’s alarmingly high dividend payout rate. In the following four sections, we will address these four issues Disney faces and recommend solutions to improve the financial health of Disney. Theme Parks Issue Recently, Disney has been following a bad investment policy. Disney invested a total of $1. 9 Billion in Epcot over a 6 year period and has increased its capital expenditures on theme parks by a total of $1. 277 Billion from 1981 to 1983. Despite these massive investments in its theme parks, Disney has only earned a return of 4% on Epcot and an overall return on Theme Park assets of 6% in 1983. Disney needs to find a way to more efficiently invest its capital and produce greater returns on its investments. Analysis In order to understand why Disney’s Theme Park investments have been so unsuccessful, we must analyze a number of different contributing factors. Why Disney is investing in Theme Parks? In order to understand why Disney is investing in Theme Parks, we need to take a look at the financial results of Disney’s different segments. Out of Disney’s 3 segments, Entertainment and Recreation (or theme parks) is Disney’s only segment which is nicely growing its profits in addition to attaining a healthy profit margin. Motion pictures is currently suffering, and actually losing money. Whereas, Consumer Products is producing profits and holding the greatest profit margin, however profits are not growing significantly. After looking at this analysis and nothing else, it appears as though Entertainment and Recreation is Disney’s most profitable segment and the one which they should be investing in. This is exactly what Disney is doing. Why are additional Theme Parks are the Wrong Investment? Before the expansion on new theme parks, Disney’s older theme parks had enjoyed much success. As recently as 1978, Disney’s Entertainment and Recreation segment had experienced a return on assets of 15. 7%. However, as Disney introduced new theme parks, they reached a point where the optimal supply of theme parks had surpassed the demand. This â€Å"oversupply† of theme parks can be seen by taking a look at the United States Demographic data provided in the case. First, it must be understood that Theme Park attendance, and in turn revenues, are driven by the younger demographic. According to the information above, the population group that drives Theme Park revenues (0 to 14 years old) is actually shrinking from 1970 to 1995. This represents a decrease in demand for Disney’s Theme Parks. Yet, at the same time, Disney is investing in and opening new theme parks. Essentially, Disney is increasing the supply despite a decrease in demand. This is counter intuitive by any economic standard. To further back the claims that Disney’s increased investment in theme parks is a bad move; let’s quickly analyze some measures of financial performance for their theme park segment. Clearly, the Entertainment and Recreation segment has experienced an abysmal return on assets recently. These numbers are even more disappointing when considering the Entertainment and Recreation segment produced an ROA 15. 7% as recently as 1978. Disney has made the wrong move in investing heavily in additional theme parks despite the population decrease in its main customer segment. In order to improve Disney’s position, it must make some changes. Suggested Changes Overseas Theme Parks The demand for additional theme parks does not exist in the United States, as can be seen from looking at the demographic data above. Therefore, there is no reason for Disney to continue expanding and investing in additional United States theme parks. Disney needs to immediately stop United States theme park expansion. However, this does not mean that Disney must stop investing in theme parks altogether. Disney should look to other countries where there is a demand for theme parks. By looking for countries where the demographics are in their favor and there is sufficient demand without oversupply, Disney can begin to earn sufficient returns on their theme park investments. Management Change Disney’s management should have foreseen the downside of overexpansion. It’s even possible that management did realize the lack of demand, however they may have wanted to extract us much demand as possible by building more theme parks. Either way, the decision to invest so heavily in theme parks despite their main market segment shrinking for the foreseeable future is incomprehensible. Earning a ROA of 6% in 1983 on theme parks assets when a 1983 T-Bill earns 8. 86% shows an abysmal utilization of assets. Management responsible for the decision to invest so heavily in theme parks needs to be fired from the company. Implementation How to Expand Overseas First, Disney needs to conduct market research in numerous modernized foreign countries. The focus of this research needs to be on the demand levels for a theme park, and whether the demand outweighs the current supply of theme parks in each country. Once Disney chooses the country with the most favorable supply and demand situation, it can begin analysis to determine whether or not they should actually construct a theme park in that country. They will estimate costs and future cash flows in order to conduct a NPV analysis in order to determine whether or not Disney should actually construct a theme park in that country. How to Implement Management Change Ask around management, and conduct interviews with high level managers in order to determine who was responsible for the decision to invest more heavily in theme parks. Once you have identified the main individual or individuals responsible for the decision, you let them know that they are being let go for their ineptitude. Then, search for top management at other similar companies (or any promising prospects within Disney) to fill the open positions. Motion Pictures Issue The motion pictures business has been historically one of Disney’s strongest segments since the company was founded. Over the years, classic films like Snow White and Cinderella have provided valuable revenue streams for the company. Films have accounted for a significant amount of Disney’s earnings and had a large impact on the performance of the company. However, in recent years the motion picture segment’s performance has been lackluster and recording an operating loss of $33. 3M in 1983. The recent failures in the motion picture segment had a profound ripple effect on Disney’s financial performance. Just two years ago the same division boasted a 17. 59% profit margin and operating income of $34. M. Analysis The recent missteps can be attributed to a failed TV channel startup, lack of a blockbuster movie hit, and the cancelation of a new Disney TV show on CBS. Although the film industry in general was suffering in 1983, the performance of Disney’s motion pictures division was abysmal. Suggested Changes New Management Performance in this division has steadily declined over the past three years. New talent needs to be brought in to help revitalize this division. Disney has been a household name since the advent of cinema and should not be lagging behind their rivals. Management needs to be held accountable for these failures. Increased Investment in Film Disney has arguably been one of the most successful film companies in the world since it was started in 1923. Creating, distributing, and selling films have been a core competency of Disney for many years. Disney needs to invest more money into creating innovative films and future blockbusters. For the past several years, there has been a disparate amount of funds invested into their park business compared to the motion picture segment. Disney needs to focus on their core competency of film and invest into motion pictures. Historically, this business has proved to be lucrative and these additional resources will help finance future blockbuster movies. Implementation How to Acquire New Management Currently, many of the Disney executives worked under Walt Disney, himself, and often won’t accept projects due to the reasoning that â€Å"Walt wouldn’t do that†. It is hard for creative talent to come up with great ideas and have them put down without any reasoning, other than a dead man wouldn’t have approved their ideas or projects. The current executive’s ties are too strong to the late Walt Disney and at least some of them need to be replaced with fresh blood. Fire the executives who are the most repeat offenders of the above mentioned offense. In order to replace them, we suggest that Disney looks to other top movie studies for executive talent. How to Increase Investment in Film While Disney is halting its theme park expansion in the United States and conducting market research overseas for new sites, a lot of additional capital will be lying around waiting to be invested. Once the new executives are in place, we suggest that Disney allocates a considerable amount of its free capital to motion pictures and see what kind of results that its newly hired executives can produce. Dividend Policy Issue One of the many vital points of interest that Ron Miller must address as Disney moves into the future is making a decision on its dividend policy. When looking at the dividend policy of the company, it is critical to conduct a financial ratio analysis of the company. Upon doing so, certain trends can be noticed. One of these noticeable trends happens to fall within the dividend payout rate. For over a decade, the dividend payout rate fluctuated only slightly staying in the range of 4% to 8%. Then beginning in 1978, the dividends began to increase exponentially arriving at a rate of 44. 4% only five years later in 1983. This five year spike in the dividend payout rate has come at the same time as the earnings per share continue to fall. This immediately should raise concerns for the financial security of the company. Analysis In deciding on a dividend policy, it is crucial for the company to decide how growth oriented it would like to be. Speaking simply, the mor e dividends Disney decides to pay out, the less retained earnings it has to put into future positively valued projects. This can be seen in the company’s sustainable growth rate. Calculating for 1883, the growth rate is only 3. 70% Given the large dividend payout rate of 44. 44%, Disney cannot grow with retained earnings at anything more than a modest 3. 70%. If Disney wanted to grow more than that, it could consider taking on more debt. The company has historically been averse to taking on too much debt and will most likely want to continue that trend into the future. If Disney wants to continue to grow without taking on debt, the company will need to consider lowering the dividend payout rate. Suggested Change Lower Dividends To align the dividend payout rate more closely with earnings per share along with setting the company up for more future growth projects, it is crucial in Disney’s financial planning that they cut back the dividend rate. It is our suggestion that Disney reduces its dividend so that its dividend payout ratio is in line with its historic payout of about 7. 50%. This will require Disney to cut its dividend down to $. 20 per share (based on 1983 EPS of $2. 70 per share). Decreasing the dividend to $. 20 per share would nearly double Disney’s sustainable growth rate, increasing it to 6. 16%. As a result, Disney would be able to finance more projects through retained earnings and continue to keep its leverage down. Implementation How to Lower Dividends Obviously, shareholders are not going to be happy to hear that you want to cut the dividend by 83%. This is why you have to issue a press release for general shareholders and at least a conference call or meeting with major shareholders to inform them of your intentions. During the conversation with shareholders, you are going to have to explain how it was a mistake in the past to increase dividends as earnings per share continued to slide. Let the shareholders know that you are going to correct this mistake now, rather than letting it continue to slide. Finally, mention that decreasing dividends will also help Disney remain a financially healthy company by keeping its debt low. Corporate Takeover Attempt Issue Possibly the most important issue faced by Ron Miller and the leadership of Walt Disney Productions is the imposing takeover attempt by well-known corporate raider, Saul Steinberg. This attempt has been sparked by Walt Disney’s current financial situation and performance. Currently, Disney seems to be an ideal target for a takeover. Disney has a great amount of cash on hand, totaling about $18 million. This, along with Disney’s underperformance and inefficiencies, are strong motivating factors for Steinberg’s attempt. It is likely that Saul Steinberg believes Walt Disney Productions to be undervalued. This is a conclusion shared by most raiders about the targets in takeover attempts. Disney is currently trading at $50 per share. Steinberg just initiated a tender offer for 49 percent of the company for $67. 50 per share. This is where Ron Miller must face a difficult decision by giving in to the greenmailing attempt by agreeing to purchase back Steinberg’s shares at a premium, or letting Walt Disney Productions fall victim to a takeover. Analysis It is essential for the future of Disney for us to examine the value of the company. From there, Disney must decide at what price, if any, should they buy back Steinberg’s shares. As stated earlier, Disney’s stock has been recently trading at $50 per share. (Graph) For our analysis of valuing the company, we calculated a WACC of 16. 6%, as well as three different possible growth rates of 8%, 11%, and 13%. From these calculations we were able to surmise an estimated company value of $68. 12 per share. This would lead us, as well as Saul Steinberg, to believe Disney to be undervalued. Recommendation Don’t Buy Steinberg’s Shares To successfully ward of Steinberg and his attempted takeover, Disney must offer him a hefty premium for the purchase of his shares. With his ownership of 12% of the company and his recent attempt for 49 percent of it, a pivotal decision must be made. However, after valuing the company and weighing possible options, we have come to a recommendation. For the sake of both the shareholders and stakeholders of the company, it would be not be wise to buy the shares owned by Saul Steinberg. A decision to succumb to Steinberg’s greenmail would greatly cripple the company from a financial standpoint. If Disney were to buy his share of the company, investors would experience a huge decline in their shares. Such a decision would be made solely to preserve the jobs and welfare of top managers of the company. Disney would be failing to maximize shareholder value, thus weakening Disney’s position in the market. We concluded that in order to avoid the takeover attempt, Disney would have to pay Steinberg $69 per share. This is $0. 88 more than our estimated value of the company and a 38% premium with respect to the current share price. This would leave Saul Steinberg with $289. 8 million, or a profit of $24 million at the expense of Disney’s shareholders. Implementation Don’t Buy Shares, Improve Company Instead of buying the shares, Disney should focus on cleaning up its act as a financially sound company, as well as a leader in its respective industries. With the likely replacement of Ron Miller and top executives, Disney would find itself in a position to change its current business policies. Disney is already highly capital intensive, with the recent increased spending on theme parks. The company should not be acquiring more debt by purchasing two new companies with no apparent synergies. Disney should immediately dump these unwisely obtained businesses. The money from these sales would enable Disney to invest in new business ventures, like expanding abroad and tapping into new markets.

The Seduction Eileen McAuley To His Coy Mistress Andrew Marvell Eileen

The Seduction Eileen McAuley To His Coy Mistress Andrew Marvell Eileen McAuley’s The Seduction is set against the bleak surroundings of Merseyside. ‘The Seduction’ Eileen McAuley ‘To His Coy Mistress’ Andrew Marvell Eileen McAuley’s ‘The Seduction’ is set against the bleak surroundings of Merseyside. The purpose of the story is to show a teenage girl’s predicament after getting drunk at a party. The poet contrasts the girl’s ideas of love and sex with reality. This is done effectively by using techniques such as similes and alliteration. The poem shows how young teenage girls can be easily seduced under the influence of alcohol. ‘The Seduction’ also shows how young girls can be manipulated by the media. McAuley presents the setting for the seduction of the girl as harsh through use of language and imagery. The setting is described using phrases such as ‘far from the blind windows of the tower blocks’. The words ‘tower blocks’ gives the setting a threatening atmosphere. Also the words ‘blind windows’ adds mystery to the setting. This is because the two words are contrasting. The word ‘blind’ is usually associated with visionless. While ‘windows’ are usually see-through. ‘The Seduction’ is set in the ‘quiet bricks of Birkenhead’ suggesting that place that he takes her to is remote. ‘Far past the silver stream of traffic through the city’ this is implies that they were distant from the busy city leaving them isolated this makes the girl vulnerable. A lot of the language used in 'The Seduction' is symbolic. ‘So she followed him there all high white shoes’ is an example of symbolic poetry. The shoes are described as white to present a symbol of purity, which is a major theme in the poem. Towards the... ... Mistress’ is to show the effects of a seduction. ‘The Seduction’ focuses on a teenage seduction whereas ‘To His Coy Mistress’ focuses on a more matured seduction. McAuley’s poem ‘The Seduction’ is critical of teenage magazines. McAuley shows a disliking attitude towards the contents of teenage magazines. This may be because she is against the way love and romance is presented these types of magazines. McAuley is also critical of society’s attitude towards teenage pregnancy. She explores how things like anorexia and drugs amongst teenagers are accepted by society and how teenage pregnancy is not. McAuley also criticizes prejudice and stereotyping in the society. I enjoyed reading both ‘The Seduction’ and ‘To His Coy Mistress’. I preferred Eileen McAuley’s ‘The Seduction because it has a more meaningful message, also because it is directed at my age group.

An outline of the history of linguistics Essay

†¢ Hindu Tradition o Had its origins in the 1st millennium BC o Stimulated by changes in Sanskrit o Panini (c. 500 BC) is the best known grammarian o Panini’s grammar of Sanskrit covered phonetics and morphology †¢ The Greek Origin o The Greek tradition of linguistics developed in response to Homer’s epics. The Greeks founded the European tradition. o IMPORTANT THEMES IN THE GREEK TRADITION INCLUDE: ? The origin of language ? Classification of words (parts of speech) ? The relation between language and thought ? The relation between two aspects of word-signs (whether form and meaning are connected by nature or by  convention. 1 o Plato (c. 429-347 BC) distinguished between Nouns and Verbs. He favored nature over convention. o Aristotle’s (384-322 BC) main contributions to linguistics are as follows: †¢ He divided words into Nouns, Verbs, and Adjectives. †¢ He divided the sentence into two parts, SUBJECT and PREDICATE. †¢ He classified GENDER into masculine, feminine, and neutral. †¢ He was the first to distinguish between the different types of TENSE a verb carries. o Thrax (100 BC) produced the first complete grammar of Greek. He concluded that Greek words fell into just eight classes, which we call the parts of speech. Thrax’s description of Greek has become the basis of all grammatical description in Europe until the 20th century. 2 †¢ Roman Tradition o After the Roman conquest of Greece in the mid-2nd century BC, Roman scholars learned of the Greek work, and they began to apply the same analysis to their own language, Latin. o One of the most influential Roman grammarians is Priscian, who wrote in the 6th century AD. Priscian’s description of Latin is still what we find in most school textbooks of Latin today. †¢ Arabic Tradition The oldest Arabic grammarian is Abu-Alaswad al-Du’ali, who established diacritical marks and vowels for Arabic in the mid-600s. o The schools of Basra and Kufa in the late 700s. o From the school of Basra, two representatives laid important foundations for the field: Al-Khalil ibn Ahmad al-Farahidi authored the first Arabic dictionary and book of Arabic prosody, and his student Sibawayh authored the first book on theories of Arabic grammar. 3 †¢ The Port-Royal Grammar o The 17th-century French scholars, known as the Port-Royal Circle, put together a remarkably original â€Å"universal† grammar of French that is very different from the Priscianic tradition. o The central argument of the Grammar is that grammar is  simply mental processes, which are universal; therefore grammar is universal. o The Port Royal Grammar had a pedagogical goal as its primary one. However, this goal was not learning a specific language, but rather learning any language. It aims to provide an overview of the grammatical features shared by all languages. o As such, it was part of Port Royal’s overall program of changing language teaching methodology 4 o A TYPICAL EXAMPLE OF THEIR ANALYSIS IS AS FOLLOWS: The invisible God created the visible world This sentence is analyzed as†¦ God, who is invisible, created the world, which is visible †¦. Which in turn is decomposed into the three propositions†¦ God is invisible God created the world The world is visible †¢ Historical Linguistics o Towards the end of the 18th century, European linguists began to realize that certain languages exhibited systematic resemblances. Linguists believed that these languages derive from one single ancestor. o For example, the English ‘f’ sound often corresponds to a ‘p’ sound in, among others, Latin and Sanskrit, an important ancient language of India. 5 Franz Bopp Jakob Grimm Rasmus Rask. Were able to show that almost all of the languages of Europe and many languages of Asia were all related. As a result, the study of language change and of the prehistories of languages, called HISTORICAL LINGUISTICS, became the most important way of studying languages. †¢ An example of the kind of systematic correspondence that attracted early attention is shown in the following table. English Latin Greek father Pater Pater Foot Ped- Pod- For Pro Para Six Sex Hexa Seven Septem Hepta Salt Sal Hal New Novus neos 6 THE MOST SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENT OF THE 19TH CENTURY LINGUISTIC SCHOLARSHIP WAS (1) to establish the principles and methods used in setting up language families, and (2) to develop a general theory of language change and linguistic relationship. The 19th century is called the â€Å"golden age of philology†. This program of historical linguistics continues today. Linguists have succeeded in grouping the 5,000 or so languages of the world into a number of language families sharing a common ancestor. The Origins of General Linguistics The modern field of linguistics dates from the beginning of the 19th century. Towards the end of the 19th century, the non-historical study of language structure began to reassert itself. Scholars published important observations about word structure and sound structure in languages. This kind of work we now call GENERAL LINGUISTICS: the study of how languages are put together and how they work. 7 Ferdinand de Saussure (1857-1013) In the early years of the 20th century, Saussure began lecturing on general linguistics at the University of Geneva. He died without ever publishing his ideas. In 1916, his students collected and edited their lecture notes in a volume with Saussure’s name on it. Saussure defined Language as a ‘system of distinct signs corresponding to distinct ideas’. He insisted that a language system can be separated from the complexities of speech and studied on its own. Before Saussure, most linguists perceived a language as primarily a collection of objects, such as speech sounds, words and grammatical endings. Saussure argued instead that a language is a structured system of elements, in which the place of each element is defined chiefly by how it relates to other elements. This approach is called STRUCTURALISM. †¢ Words are signs, and in linguistics we are studying the science of signs: semiology. And signs took on a value depending on words adjacent in use or meaning. English has sheep and mutton but French has only mouton for both uses. †¢ Langue (French, meaning â€Å"language†) and parole (meaning â€Å"speech†) are linguistic terms distinguished by Saussure. Langue encompasses the abstract, systematic rules and conventions of a signifying system. 8 Langue involves the principles of language, without which no meaningful utterance, â€Å"parole†, would be possible. †¢ Parole refers to the concrete instances of the use of langue. This is the individual, personal phenomenon of language as a series of speech acts made by a linguistic subject. Saussure did not concern himself overly with parole; however, the structure of langue is revealed through the study of parole. †¢ A further aspect of Saussure’s work is an emphasis upon two different approaches to the study of language: a synchronic approach, in which we focus on the structure of a language at a particular moment in time (not necessarily the present), and a diachronic approach, in which we look at the development of a language over time. The Prague Circle After the 1st World War (1926), a number of East European linguists congregated in the Czech city of Prague. They developed structuralist ideas. Their primary interest was phonological theory. They also made contributions to syntax. †¢ Trubetzkoy (1890-1938) introduced the notion of phoneme and opposition. An example of his analysis of phonology is the way the 9 word caught is pronounced. This word is pronounced the same in American and Canadian accents. However, in most American accents, caught is pronounced differently from cot, while in Canadian accents caught and cot are pronounced identically. †¢ Jakobson (1896 – 1982) is a pioneer of the structural analysis of language. He developed techniques for the analysis of sound systems in languages (phonology). He applied these techniques to syntax, morphology, and semantics. He distinguished between phonology and phonetics. Jakobson defined semiotics as ‘the general science of signs, which has as its basic discipline linguistics, the science of verbal signs’. Linguistics provides the model of analyzing language as a structured system that â€Å" produces meanings†. Semiotics attempts to extend this approach to other non-linguistic systems, that is, to every aspect of social experience that can be analyzed as structured systems of signs (e.g. , traffic systems and architecture). 10 The Origins of American Linguistics Franz Boas (1858-1942) is an anthropologist and a pioneer of modern anthropology who has been called the â€Å"Father of American Anthropology†. Boas worked to demonstrate that differences in human behavior was primarily not determined by innate biological dispositions, but was largely the result of cultural differences acquired through social learning. In this way Boas introduced culture as the primary concept for describing behavioral differences in behavior between human groups, and as the central analytical concept of anthropology. He studied the dying cultures of Native Americans and realized that good investigation of these cultures required knowledge of their languages. Edward Sapir (1884 -1939) is also an anthropologist. He was Boas’s most famous student. He studied the ways in which language and culture influence each other, and he was interested in the relation between linguistic differences, and differences in cultural world views (e. g. , whom and who). 11 The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis Benjamin Lee Whorf (1897 – 1941) is Sapir’s best-known student. He pursued his teacher’s interests and produced a number of studies of native American and Canadian languages. He argues that the structure of our language must, to some extent, determine the way we perceive the world. This idea is called â€Å"the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis† or â€Å" The Linguistic Relativity†. †¢ The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis states that there are certain thoughts of an individual in one language that cannot be understood by those who live in another language. †¢ The hypothesis states that the way people think is strongly affected by their native languages. For example, (1) the number and type of the basic color words of a language determine how a subject sees the rainbow (how we see camels). Example (2): the Navaho language of Arizona is rich in words for talking about lines of various shapes and colors. Among the hundred or so words available for this purpose are: Adziisgai ‘ a group of parallel white lines running off into the distance’. 12 (3). Navaho place names are geometrical in nature. For example, a certain striking rock formation in Arizona is called Navaho Tse Ahe ii aha Tse Ahe ii aha means â€Å"TWO ROCKS STANDING VERTICALLY PARALLEL IN A VERTICAL RELATIONSHIP TO EACH OTHER†. English speakers see objects resembling other objects.. They call these rocks â€Å"elephant’s feet†. A pioneer of American Structuralism Leonard Bloomfield (1887-1949) is another linguist who turned American linguistics somewhat away from its anthropological and cultural connections toward a more focused concentration on language structure in its own right. 13 He showed that the techniques of historical linguistics (already applied so successfully to European and Asian languages) could be applied with equal success to native (North) American languages. Bloomfield’s primary concern was to establish linguistics as a science. But he became best known for his 1933 textbook in which he presented a carefully articulated approach to the structuralist analysis of languages, far more explicit and detailed that Saussure’s analysis had been ( e. g. , gender in an Algonquian language ‘raspberry and knee= animate, while strawberry and elbow=inanimate). Bloomfield was influenced by behaviorist psychology. He denied the relevance of â€Å"mind†; that is , he opposed the mentalism that had characterized the American linguistics of Boas, Sapir, and their students. Chomsky’s Generative Grammar Noam Chomsky is the world’s most influential linguist. Chomsky introduced his generative ideas in a brief 1957 book, Syntactic Structures. 14 What is generative grammar? A generative grammar of a language attempts to give a set of rules that will correctly predict which combinations of words will form grammatical sentences. Generative grammar is a FORMAL grammar. It is explicit about what is compatible with it. Some rules of forming English sentences (phrase-structure rules): 1. S? NP VP 2. NP? Det N’ 3. N’? N 5. VP? V NP Possible noun phrases: the little girl my cat Possible verb phrases: hugged her dolly claws the sofa These rules are designed to stipulate exactly what can and cannot be a sentence of English. For example, the allow things like The little girl hugged her dolly and my cat claws the sofa But they do not allow things like *Little the girl her dolly hugged. 15 1. Colorless green ideas sleep furiously 2. *Furiously sleep ideas green colorless. Sentence (1) is perfectly grammatical because we know which category to put each word in the sentence (noun, verb, adjective, adverb). adj adj N V adv Colorless green ideas sleep furiously. We understand how to group these into subject and predicate: adj adj N. [Colorless green ideas ] subject V adv [ sleep furiously]. predicate And we know that â€Å"colorless green ideas† are directly related to â€Å"sleep†, connecting the subject and predicate. Because we know how to logically group parts of speech, we know that adv V N adj adj Furiously sleep ideas green colorless. is not a grammatical (ungrammatical/ ill-formed) sentence, simply because we cannot group these same words in a different order at all logically. Chomsky effectively proved that we have a built-in awareness of grammaticality, because we can explain why â€Å"colorless green ideas sleep furiously† is  acceptable and â€Å"furiously sleep ideas green colorless† is unacceptable. 16 Many of the properties of a generative grammar arise from an â€Å"innate† universal grammar. Transformational Grammar (TG) TG is a much more powerful kind of Generative Grammar. Chomsky rejected phrase-structure grammar because it is too simple to capture important facts about language (context-free). For example, to convert The police arrested John into John was arrested by the police A single transformational rule does all of the following: Move the police to the end of the sentence. Insert by before the police. Move John to the beginning of the sentence. Insert be before the verb arrested. Add tense-marking to convert be to was. Change the past tense arrested to the participle arrested. 17 Generative grammar shifted the focus of language study from behavior to state of the mind (behaviorism to cognition). The central concern becomes the knowledge of language: its nature, origins, and use. The three basic questions that arise, then are these: 1. What constitutes knowledge of language? 2. How is knowledge of language acquired? 3. How is knowledge of language put to use?

Harry Potter Controversy About Banning the Books

The Harry Potter controversy has gone on, in one form or another, for years, particularly before the series ended. On one side of the Harry Potter controversy are those who say that J.K. Rowlings Harry Potter books are wonderful fantasy novels with powerful messages for kids and the ability to make even reluctant readers eager readers. On the opposing end are those who say that the Harry Potter books are evil books designed to promote an interest in the occult, since Harry Potter, the hero of the series, is a wizard. In a number of states, there have been attempts, some successful and some unsuccessful, to have the Harry Potter books banned in classrooms, and banned or under severe restrictions in school libraries. For example, in Gwinnett County, Georgia, a parent challenged the Harry Potter books on the grounds that they promoted witchcraft. When school officials ruled against her, she went to the State Board of Education. When the BOE confirmed the right of local school officials to make such decisions, she took her battle against the books to court. Although the judge ruled against her, she indicated she might continue her fight against the series. As a result of all the attempts to ban the Harry Potter books, those in favor of the series also began speaking out. kidSPEAK Speaks Out American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, the Association of American Publishers, the Association of Booksellers for Children, the Childrens Book Council, the Freedom to Read Foundation, the National Coalition Against Censorship, the National Council of Teachers of English, the PEN American Center, and the People for the American Way Foundation. What do these groups have in common? They were all sponsors of kidSPEAK!, which was initially called Muggles for Harry Potter (because in the Harry Potter series, a Muggle is a non-magical person). The organization was dedicated to helping kids with their First Amendment rights. The group was most active in the early 2000s when the Harry Potter controversy was at its height. Challenges and Support for the Harry Potter Series There have been challenges in more than a dozen states.  The Harry Potter books were number seven on the American Library Associations list of the 100 most frequently challenged books of 1990-2000, and they were number one on the ALAs Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009. The End of the Series Generates New Views With the publication of the seventh and final book in the series, some people began to look back over the entire series and wonder if it might not be a Christian allegory. In his three-part article, Harry Potter: Christian Allegory or Occultist Children’s Books?  reviewer Aaron Mead suggests that Christian parents should enjoy the Harry Potter stories but focus on their theological symbolism and message. Whether or not you share the view that it is wrong to censor the Harry Potter books, they have value by giving parents and teachers the opportunity offered by the series to increase their childrens interest in reading and writing and use the books to promote family discussions about issues that might otherwise not be discussed. Reading all the books in the series will allow you to make an informed decision about the Harry Potter books for your children. Participate in Banned Books Week activities, educate yourself about your communitys and school districts policies, and speak out as needed. More About Book Banning and Censorship All About Book Banning and Childrens BooksKids Book Censorship: The Who and WhyFrequently Challenged Books of the 21st Century