Fundamentals of Phonetics Essay Example for Free

Fundamentals of Phonetics Essay Question 34Â  ptsEvery vowel in English has a unique articulatory position based on: (choose as many as apply) Every vowel in English has a unique articulatory position based on: (choose as many as apply) | tongue tenseness| x| tongue height| x| tongue advancement| x| lip rounding| Question 44Â  ptsOne can determine if a vowel is tense or lax by: One can determine if a vowel is tense or lax by: | tongue tension| x| stress| x| duration| x| muscular effort| Question 51Â  ptsThe lax vowels are lower in height than their tense counterparts. The lax vowels are lower in height than their tense counterparts. xx| True| False| Question 61Â  ptsRhotic diphthongs can also be called: nbsp;(choose as many as apply) Rhotic diphthongs can also be called: Â  (choose as many as apply) x| r-colored vowels| | onglides and offglides| x| rhotacized vowels| | lateralized vowels| Question 74Â  ptsWhich of the following list of words contains no front vowels? nbsp;(Choose as many as apply) Which of the following list of words contains no front vowels? (Choose as many as apply) | seat, sit, sat| x| soup, soap, supper| | set, sought, suit| | sought, sot, suit| Question 84Â  ptsWhich of the following sets of vowels have no back vowels? nbsp;(Choose as many as apply) Which of the following sets of vowels have no back vowels? (Choose as many as apply) X| steed, stayed, stud| | stood, stowed, stewed| | skin, scan, scone| | stirred, stove, steer| Question 94Â  ptsThe difference between e and e is: nbsp;(Choose as many as apply) The difference between e and e? is: Â  (Choose as many as apply) x| e occurs in unstressed syllables| x| e? occurs at ends of words| | e? is slightly shorter in duration| | e occurs at the ends of words| Question 104Â  ptsMatch the symbol to its name. Match the symbol to its name. ash ? epsilon ? schwa upsilon ? Question 111Â  ptsThe open o (or backwards c) or [] is: nbsp;(Choose as many as apply) The open o (or backwards c) or [? ] is: Â  (Choose as many as apply) | lax| x| slightly lower than [o]| x| is al ways used in the transcription of or as [? r]| | is used in the word coat| Question 121Â  ptsWe commonly use the wedge instead of the schwa when: nbsp;(Choose as many as apply) We commonly use the wedge instead of the schwa when: Â  (Choose as many as apply) x| the syllable is stressed| | at the end of a word| x| the tongue is slightly lower and more backed| | the syllable is unstressed| Question 134Â  ptsIn which of the following words would we find lip rounding? nbsp;(Choose as many as apply) In which of the following words would we find lip rounding? (Choose as many as apply) x| put| x| toad| x| door| xx| herd| Question 141Â  ptsWhich diphthongs occur only in diphthong form? Which diphthongs occur only in diphthong form? | a? , e? , o? | | e? , o? , ? | x| a? , , | | ? , a? , u? | Question 151Â  ptsWhich diphthong begins in the low mid back position and ends in the high front position? Which diphthong begins in the low mid back position and ends in the high front position? | a? | | o? | o? | x| | Question 164Â  ptsWhich vowels are affected by syllable stress? nbsp;(Choose as many as apply) Which vowels are affected by syllable stress? (Choose as many as apply) x| e| | ? | x| o| x| ? | Question 174Â  ptsWhich vowels are lax? nbsp;(Choose as many as apply) Which vowels are lax? (Choose as many as apply) x| ? | x| ? | X| ? | | e| Question 184Â  pts Which vowels are back? nbsp;(Choose as many as apply) Which vowels are back? (Choose as many as apply) X| u| | ? | X| o| X| ? | Question 194Â  ptsWhich vowels are mid? nbsp;(Choose as many as apply) Which vowels are mid? (Choose as many as apply) | a| | ? | X| ? | | ? | Question 204Â  ptsMatch the following words to the correct transcription Match the following words to the correct transcription choose ?uz chose ?oz chows ?a? z cheese ?iz Question 217Â  ptsMatch the following words to the correct transcription. Match the following words to the correct transcription. course k? rs cures kj? rz cars karz curse k? rs cores k? rz cuss k? s case ke? s Question 227Â  ptsMatch the following words to their correct transcriptions. Match the following words to their correct transcriptions. thee ?i thou ?a? though ?o the they ?e? thigh ?a? thaw Quiz saved at 12:50pm

Dams :: essays research papers

Many people have already dammed a small stream using sticks and mud by the time they become adults. Humans have used dams since early civilization, because four-thousand years ago they became aware that floods and droughts affected their well-being and so they began to build dams to protect themselves from these effects.1 The basic principles of dams still apply today as they did before; a dam must prevent water from being passed. Since then, people have been continuing to build and perfect these structures, not knowing the full intensity of their side effects. The hindering effects of dams on humans and their environment heavily outweigh the beneficial ones. The paragraphs below will prove that the construction and presence of dams always has and will continue to leave devastating effects on the environment around them. Firstly, to understand the thesis people must know what dams are. A dam is a barrier built across a water course to hold back or control water flow. Dams are classified as either storage, diversion or detention. As you could probably notice from it's name, storage dams are created to collect or hold water for periods of time when there is a surplus supply. The water is then used when there is a lack of supply. For example many small dams impound water in the spring, for use in the summer dry months. Storage dams also supply a water supply, or an improved habitat for fish and wildlife; they may store water for hydroelectricity as well.2 A diversion dam is a generation of a commonly constructed dam which is built to provide sufficient water pressure for pushing water into ditches, canals or other systems. These dams, which are normally shorter than storage dams are used for irrigation developments and for diversion the of water from a stream to a reservoir. Diversion dams are mainly built to lessen the effects of floods and to trap sediment.3 Overflow dams are designed to carry water which flow over thier crests, because of this they must be made of materials which do not erode. Non- overflow dams are built not to be overtopped, and they may include earth or rock in their body. Often, two types of these dams are combined to form a composite structure consisting of for example an overflow concrete gravity dam, the water that overflows into dikes of earthfill construction.4 A dam's primary function is to trap water for irrigation. Dams help to decrease the severity of droughts, increase agricultural production, and create new lands for agricultural use. Farmland, however, has it's price; river bottomlands flooded, defacing the fertility of the soil. This agricultural land may also result in a loss of natural artifacts. Recently in Tasmania where has been pressure

Organizational Development Essay

John F. Kennedy was quoted as saying â€Å"Change is the law of life, and those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.† The world is in a constant state of motion. No one should expect things to always stay the same. Organizations require technologies and human resources in order to operate. A business needs to operate by learning from the past and planning for the future. Since, the economic collapse of 2008, the idea that any company is ‘too big to fail’ has been thrown out the proverbial ‘business window’. Business is now practiced in a global market and technologies have made the world a smaller place. â€Å"Managers and their organizations must anticipate the future and become proactive players.† (Brown, D.R., 2011, part 1.) Consider companies like Blockbuster Video. The demise of Blockbuster proves that leadership did not look to the future. This company considered itself to be the standard. Where is Blockbuster now? Instead of being an industry leader, it is trying to regain its footing in a marketplace it once dominated. Why? Blockbuster failed to take its competitors seriously. It did not consider technology surpassing the company’s own perception of practicing business. â€Å"In 2002 (Blockbuster) had 8,000 stores and a market value of $3 billion. Today, movie-by-mail Netflix is worth nearly three times that much. And Blockbuster is broke.† (Gandell, S., 2010, paragraph 19.) Successful companies are looking to the future as they learn from the past and present. Organizations that are successful will operate without ego, effectively communicate throughout the organization, and constantly reinvent themselves. Organizations need to be in constant development in order to move forward with any success. In this paper, I intend to define the importance of organizational development as it relates to my own company’s recent sale to a new group of owners. I intend to define organizational development as it relates to organizational trust, a strong practitioner-client relationship, the imperative nature of the diagnostic phase, effective communication between ownership and employees, and the importance of strategy as it relates to a successful transfer of ownership and culture to an organization. Organizations need to know when organizational development is necessary. I am a Managing Partner in the restaurant business. I currently have about 50 employees that I am responsible for. Recently, the restaurant I am running was sold to a South African group of owners. The owners actually bought two restaurants from the local restaurant group I was working for. After studying the Charlotte market and other markets throughout this great country of ours, the South African owners decided that Charlotte, NC would give them the best opportunity to grow a restaurant chain. The owners currently have over 150 restaurants in South Africa and this is their first venture into the United States. Once the sale became final, the owners began to evaluate all the current systems and business practices of the restaurants. The new owners began to re-develop the organization by defining its existing and future organizational identity. The owners sat down with staff and management to get an understanding of what the restaurants meant to each staff member. â€Å"The identity will provide an advantage if it is well aligned with the organizational strategy and well suited to the market niche, because identities tend to be socially complex and path dependent, and therefore difficult to imitate.† (Salgado, S.R., 2003, page 65.) The owners became the practitioners of change by purchasing the restaurants. After the sale became final, it was time to develop a sense of trust from the existing staff and management. One way of gaining that trust is to value the opinions of the current members of the organization. The new owners showed that they valued staff opinion of organizational identity. This process helped to develop the fundamental need to build a positive practitioner-client relationship. The new owners need an employee landscape that is friendly, not hostile. There is no way the new organization can move forward with a negative culture. Once trust was established, the new owners were able to begin to identify issues, problems, and opportunities each restaurant was having. The five fundamental stages of organizational development are: â€Å"anticipate the need for change, develop the practitioner-client relationship, the diagnostic phase, action plans, strategies, and techniques, and self-renewal, monitor, and stabilize.† (Brown, D.R., 2011, page 18). Ownership has followed the principles of organizational change and development in a very smart way. The new owners worked on building a strong practitioner-client relationship while gathering information about the businesses. They remained very approachable and worked hard to assist with the agreed upon change lists. Ownership made everyone feel as though they were not there to change what was not broken. Employees were made to feel proud about the restaurants they worked in. By developing such a good and trusting relationship, change has come easier. Once trust was established, new ownership quickly moved to the third fundamental of organizational development, the diagnostic phase. â€Å"Organizational diagnostic models and surveys have often been demonstrated by practitioners to be very effective in supporting organizational development   programs.† (Goldstein, L. and Burke, W. (1991), Vol. 19, page 5.) Diagnostic models are designed to help organizational development practitioners to â€Å"categorize data about the organization, enhance understanding about organizational problems, interpret data systematically, (and) provide appropriate change strategies.† (Lok, P., Crawford, J., 2000, page 108.) The practitioners have been reviewing every facet of the restaurant’s business practices. Ownership is constantly evaluating the effectiveness of each system. Technologies, equipment, and managerial functions are all reviewed and measured to the new standards and goals set forth by the owners. The ownership designed a â€Å"team approach to setting and reviewing targets, real participation by subordinates in setting goals, with an emphasis on mutually agreed upon goals, mutual trust between subordinate and manager, and a real concern for personal career goals as well as for organizational goals.† (Brown, D.R., 2011, page 327.) Ownership felt that the technologies were not tied in together very well. Ownership felt that the current gathering of data was cumbersome and inaccurate. The practitioners felt that the clients needed to stream-line the ways in which data was collected. By reviewing every program and system of accounting, the new owners were able to determine that updating would be necessary in order to move the two concepts forward. Looking to future growth was not going to happen for the organization until both concepts were able to produce accurate information about the actual business. Ownership also determined that it wanted its managers out in the restaurant more. There was simply too much to do in the office while running the restaurants. The practitioners asked current upper management to clearly define the responsibilities of each manager and chef position. At this point, the culture of the new organization had begun to take shape. Clearly defined roles and a change in managerial philosophies have started to grow. I have witnessed what I believe is a very successful transformation of culture. Responsibilities are clearly communicated. Accountability has improved. By creating clearly defined roles, the effectiveness of each manager is much easier to measure. At times, however, communication has been inconsistent. The massive restructuring of all current systems has taken a toll on some people in the organization. Missed deadlines and unforeseen problems have occurred. The way in which the new ownership has responded to the unforeseen issues has been impressive. I feel that new ownership has shown an unwavering amount of dedication to the new organizational vision it has set in place. Considering the amount of change, the owners have been very clear and approachable throughout the transformation. I respect and support their efforts in remaining approachable and supportive. They exude an understanding of what each existing member or employee is going through.   Ownership has been very aware of the ego state of the organization. â€Å"Every interaction between people involves a transaction between their ego states. When one person converses with a second person, the first person is in a distinct ego state and can direct the message to an y of the three ego states in the second individual.† (Brown, D.R., 2011, page 230.) Ownership has made every effort to have open and complementary transactions with groups and individuals throughout the organization. At the same time, they have also shown that the organization will move forward with or without its current members. Holding people accountable has been extremely important. â€Å"In today’s changing environment, organizations that encourage individual ability and hold employees accountable for achieving goals are more likely to succeed.† (Brown, D.R., 2011, page 381.) The practitioners have been able to accentuate individual strengths and weaknesses within its existing employee body. This approach has brought on a spirit of contribution to the cause of the new vision presented to the ‘old guards’ of the organization. This is a very clever approach to affecting change. Also, the new leaders of the organization have discovered some hidden talents within its current team-members. Finding an existing and in-place pool of needed skills has helped the new leaders keep an aggressive time-line for the development of change. New owners did not have to look completely outside the organization for skills that will enable change. Instead, new owners were able to motivate change by looking for solutions internally. Looking for hidden talents helped to reaffirm the positive culture of opportunity and renewed perceptions of the employee skillset. An internal approach to solving or rectifying identified issues has also kept the cost of change down. Existing members already have a sense of where the shared vision of the company is going. Existing staff has a greater stake in the organization’s success. Because of shareholder accountability, ownership is smart to look internally for as many talents as possible. Ownership believed by stream-lining technologies and accounting systems, it could improve the quality of the guest experience and profitability of its organization. Ownership started this process by surveying all existing management to try and determine what each manager actually knew about the existing programs and technologies. A methodical and measured approach to re-designing office systems will enable the organization to become more consistent in gathering data and measuring the performance of both restaurants. Their  vision of the future of the organization has been effectively shared with everyone involved . The deadlines for improvements have been followed-up effectively. A weekly meeting between ownership and upper management takes place. In these meetings, organizational effectiveness is measured by how well goals and objectives are accomplished. At first, goals were very broad and basic. Managers were asked to evaluate their knowledge of existing point of sale programs, invoicing programs, and budgetary knowledge. Once ownership felt it had acquired enough knowledge about existing systems, the project or ‘goal’ chart was updated and tasks became more narrow and specialized in focus. Managers were held accountable to their goals based on their strengths or expertise. For example, one manager is very adept with computers. This has become his area of focus for the remainder of the re-development of the organization. â€Å"The collection of data is an important activity providing the organization and the practitioner with a better understanding of client system problems: the diagnosis.† (Brown, D.R., 2011, page 19.) Ownership has been very diligent about data accuracy. Every number and system has been reviewed for accuracy and consistency. In order for the company to move forward, ownership has to determine what is and what is not vital to the new organizational vision. Ownership has already picked two new sites for additional restaurants. It is important that both restaurants operate in the same way as the business grows. This is why organizational effectiveness has to be optimized and not hap-hazard. â€Å"Organizational practitioners need to assess the influence of variables in diagnostic models on organizational outcomes, and effectiveness has often been used as the primary outcome measurement. (Handy, 1985, p. 85; Burke and Litwin, 1992). The new owners have done an excellent job moving the new organization through a surprising change of ownership. I have enjoyed watching how these new owners have handled the organizational development of the restaurant. Organizational change and development is certainly not easy. Leadership from the owners to the managers has to stay on course with the changes. Total commitment and a positive attitude are necessary. Negativity spreads like wildfire when redeveloping an organization. The owners have worked hard to cope and shape their environments, through the way they organize and operate their organization. The history of organizational development has to be an interesting one. As I watch these new owners re-tool both establishments, I wonder if they are taking the same course in organizational development that I am. The owners have to pass forward their beliefs or values as to what the restaurants should be. Things that worked before might be tossed. New things are   introduced. The style of service and the menu, the technology, are all things the owners have to push forward to current and new employees. All the while, business is ongoing. The doors are open. Customers are hearing of the sale and are passionate about the changes. Some changes are subtle. Some changes are extreme. How does the ownership remain familiar to what the concept once was? The entire process is exhausting. The public’s resistance to change is fierce at times. One very popular item on the menu was discontinued when the new menu was rolled out. Granted, the menu had not changed in four years. Servers and cooks were tired of doing the same thing every day. The item that was discontinued was actually a very bland and tasteless item. Servers and cooks hated selling it. There was excitement and concern when the new ownership wanted to get rid of it. We all knew we were in for it when the new menu came out. Sure enough, customers have missed not having this item on the menu. Customers have been very vocal about this one item. Ownership feels that quality ingredients, perfect preparation, and impeccable service will build sales. There is a determination that the new regime can move past this one dish and convince the fickle public that there are a lot of other good reasons to dine at our restaurants. We are doing more than trying to keep our existing clientele. We are building a new clientele. Whatever perceptions the public had of us before does not matter. It is interesting to hear the complaints about some of our changes. All the while, most of the same staff works at the restaurant. The only real changes the public see are dress codes and menu changes. Otherwise, most change is behind the scenes. Because of the intense scrutiny mistakes in service or execution of the shift has to be perfect. We cannot afford to be less than perfect right now. Complacency has no place in the restaurant business. To be successful, we should always be looking ahead and learning from our past mistakes. We should always challenge ourselves to be better than we were yesterday. We are always training and learning. Managers should be acting as coaches and mentors to the staff. Management at all levels should not only ‘talk the talk’, they should ‘walk the walk’. However, the complaints are not always fair. The new menu is terrific. Quality and service are actually better than ever. The new owners spent a lot of money to help update and fix equipment that was vital to running the restaurant. Ownership has brought in more management and has improved the morale of the restaurant, not to mention the quality of life for all salaried people like myself. There has been a certain camaraderie resulting from moving toward common goals with other people. There is now a belief that we are a better place today because of our efforts. The best interventions from a   values point of view are those that help clients prepare their place in the future, whether its creation or adaptation. I am sure as we move forward that we will come in to our own again. The once faithful group of regulars will either go their own way or forgive us. Organizational development is a change strategy. â€Å"OD principles and techniques are experiencing a renaissance, thanks to the growth of the field of change management.† (Worren, N.A.M., Ruddle, K., & Moore, K.,1999, paragraph 3.) Organizational development requires a change in behaviors. These behaviors, good or bad, become the organizational culture. The organizational beliefs and values start at the top of the food chain, the owners. What is important to the owner should be important to the worker in that organization. It is imperative that the owner or any organization find a way to keep his people motivated and passionate about his organization’s products. Therefore, the leadership of any organization has to ‘connect’ to develop change and organizational success. Leadership has to be viewed as the change master. An organization that wants to remain vital, must be able to deal with change. A restaurant is an excellent example of a business in a constant state of change. For some restaurants the menu can stay the same. Maybe that is what people like about the place. However, what goes on outside the restaurant can cause a need for change inside the restaurant. Roads are closed, the economy is shrinking, parking is now too difficult to bother, these are all worrisome real-life issues that any organization or restaurant might have to deal with. The restaurant cannot afford to maintain the status quo, change is simply that critical. Kurt Lewin developed the concept of force-field analysis. This philosophy is â€Å"deceptively simple and can be used to help plan and manage organizational change.† (Cumming, T.G., & Huse, E.R. 1989, page 3.) Lewin believed that an organizational behavior was affected by the balance of two opposing forces. When these opposing forces are at odds, change happens. According to Lewin, there are driving forces and restraining forces. Driving forces affect and assist in the desired change. Restraining forces do quite the opposite. Restraining forces represent obstacles to the change. â€Å"If the weights of the driving and restraining forces are relatively equal, then the organization will remain static.†(Cumming, T.G., & Huse, E.R. 1989, page 3.) Ownership has to remain aware of the balance of power these two forces represent for the organization. Change has to appear to always be for the good of the whole organization. People are wary of change and must be made to feel a part of its success in order to help embrace the new mindset. Lewin’s force-field analysis works as a method of environmental scanning and as a way for creating an empowering environment to the culture of the organization. The new owners have done an excellent job moving the organization forward. The efforts made to gather data and technical knowledge have been diligent. The new owners have moved forward by doing their homework. After reviewing all the necessary information, ownership has been able to assimilate all the necessary funds, materials, staff and time. As the organizational development process has moved forward, it has become obvious that the owners plan on giving their newly acquired business the tools it needs to accomplish the shared vision. This, of course, has led to the owners’ final phase of organizational development, the support of their people. At first, ownership had to tread lightly. In the beginning, it was as if the new owners wrapped their arms around us all and said â€Å"everything will be alright, just stick with us.† As the new team moved forward, some upper management was asked to leave. Time has been a good indicator of the ownerships’ dedication to the new vision and culture of the organization. Their efforts have been unwavering and very consistent. In this paper, I have detailed the importance of organizational development as it relates to my own company’s recent sale to a new group of owners. The process of organizational development has been fascinating to watch. Although the constant evaluation of all systems and actions throughout the organization has been exhausting, I believe ownership has succeeded in redeveloping a once tired and inefficient culture. Employees and managers have felt a greater sense of purpose towards the new organization. New ownership has successfully relayed a positive sense of urgency and purpose towards its existing staff and team members. The revamping of the organizational culture has brought forth a better quality employee and better quality experience for the organization’s customers. The organizational development techniques applied by the new ownership has helped to improve the profitability of both restaurants. New ownership had once touted that two additional restaurants would be opening within twelve months. Because of the success in developing organizational change, new ownership has now determined a new restaurant can be opened in only six months instead of twelve. This fast organizational growth is to be celebrated because it is a direct result of the diligent efforts of ownership and all staff involved after the transfer of ownership became official. Trust, a positive practitioner-client relationship, a successful diagnostic evaluation and change, effective communication between ownership and employees, and the importance of strategy has allowed this organization to become stronger and advance its number of concepts. In short, growth happens if organizational development is applied effectively. References: Brown, D.R., (2011). An Experiential Approach to Organizational Development (8th ed). Upper Saddle River Pearson Prentice Hall. Retrieved from: http://onlinevitalsource.com/#books/9780558857257/pages/31616081. Cumming, T.G., & Huse, E.F. (1989), Organizational Development and Change (4th ed.) St Paul, MN: West Publishing. Retrieved from: http://jeritt.msu.edu/documents/TallmanWithoutAttachment.pc. Gandell, S., 2010, How Blockbuster Failed at Failing, Time Magazine. Retrieved from: http://www.time.com/magazine/article/0,9171,2022624-2,00.html. Goldstein, L. and Burke, W. (1991), Creating successful organizational change, Organizational Dynamics, Vol. 19, page 5-17. Retrieved from: http://search.proquest.com/docview/215864273?accountid=32521 Handy, C. (1985), Understanding Organizations, Penguin, London. Retreived from: http://search.proquest.com/business/docview/215864273/13901F6FOC3249E4570/1?accountid=32521 Lok, P., & Crawford, J., (2000). The application of a diagnostic model and s urveys in organizational development. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 15(2), 108-124. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/215864273?accountid=32521.) Salgado, S.R. (2003), Fine Restaurants: Creating inimitable advantages in a competitive industry. New York University, Graduate School of Business Administration). ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, 161 p. retrieved from: http://www.search.proquest.com/docview/305261479?accountid=32521305261479. Worren, N.A.M., Ruddle, K., & Moore, K. (1999.) From organizational development to change management: the emergence of a new profession. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 35(3), 273-286. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/236248857?accountid=32521.

Essays on Asian Americans Representetion in Modern Films

Our society has been influenced by television since its invention in 1920’s. Likewise, film production, being a part of magnificent TV empire, seems to manipulate people greatly without them realizing it. Namely, it may impose and establish stereotypes of racial-ethnic groups, thus, perpetuating strong, more often negative, images of a specific racial group in society’s consciousness. On the contrary, films can also impose positive attitude towards racial issue, making people feel themselves as a comprehensive whole, disregarding race, gender and age. This makes film industry very helpful in getting rid of stereotypes. It may seem paradoxical, but it is media that establish stereotypes and at the same time can help to get rid of them. Asian American community has always been a significant part of American society. The representation of Asian Americans in movies is rooted in military actions and issues with Japan, Korea, China, the Philippines, and Vietnam as well as in the history of Euro-American colonial occupation. It is vitally important to differentiate Asian Americans, who have live in the USA and have been absorbing American culture mostly since birth and Asian national, who know little about this country and may not be connected with it at all. In fact, there was a lack of Asian Americans’ representation after World War II. Moreover, having a little access to film industry Asian community was even more neglected than African Americans. However, there was a significant reason for underrepresentation – the image of Asian people seemed the image of enemy to Americans due to the war with Japan which caused a lot of casualties among American army. As the matter of fact, filmmakers couldn’t but avoid shooting Asians which were mostly associated with Japanese, thus, bringing negative context to the movie. Usually, they were represented as servants, people of lower class, very often strange, uneducated or criminal people – altogether these characteristics were forming unpleasant image of Asians in Americans’ consciousness. I personally think that actually those people who knew little about Asian Americans tried to create such an antagonist image on the silver screen (and are still doing it). Unfortunately, it was really hard to conquer mainstream so filmmakers had to become a part of it themselves. I believe that the Asian American movement in the 1960s-1970s had its reflection on film industry. At least, it was a perfect chance for Asian community to claim their rights and liberties and to take their position in American society to higher level. Thus, changing their position in the US society (even it was not a great change) had its impact upon their film representation. I can’t affirm that this change can be characterized as absolutely positive one, although any progress means steps for improvement. Unlike previous decades, at this period Asian Americans are considered to be obsessed with education, not individual success, consequently, having little chance to succeed in life. Namely, they are compared to computers what is unacceptable for Americans who value strong individualities first of all, not the grade at any educational institution. It is worth mentioning that at this very period Asian culture is viewed through the lens as a very unique one in contrast with Ame rican. To my mind, this fact makes Asians even more marginalized from Americans than before as two cultures are opposed. At this point the name of Bruce Lee has to be mentioned, the most successful actor of Asian origin at that time, who represented Asian martial arts as one of the differences between two cultures. If we turn to the image of Asian Americans at the end of 20th century, one can easily recognize that almost nothing has changed about it since 1970s. Still they are presented in cinematography as an opposition to Americans, being so much different and so unable to be integral part of American society.   To be more precise, films are mostly focused on a strange culture of Asians and their remoteness from any common US citizen. As a result, bias and stereotypes about Asian Americans are supported by films, making reputation of the latter even more miserable. Despite the fact that till the end of the 20th century there were some Asian Americans playing main parts in films and represented as protagonists, it is clear as a day that they still are viewed as very different nation compared to Americans, as people that are not a part of American society. As far as I am concerned, it is possible to define several most widespread stereotypical images of Asian Americans that have been presented in films since post-war period till now. Firstly, Asian accent, racial features, mannerism have been always depicted as something inherently comic, non-American and something that American people cannot assimilate. Therefore, Asians have been restricted to limited clichà ©d parts in film industry. Secondly, one can easily find movies where inherently predatory aspects of Asian cultures are shown. Thirdly, what seems to me very offensive is how Asian women are represented – they are often portrayed either as ‘China dolls’, being exotic, compliant and eager to please, or as ‘dragon ladies’, scheming, troublesome and unreliable. If we talk about Asian men, their position in cinematography is even worse that women’s – they are usually represented as non-romantic, what is more, asexual or having negative sexuality (threatening for white women). Furthermore, even martial arts, in which Asians are professionals, are not in favor of them in many films – practicing them by Asians represent the latter as villains. On the contrary, if martial arts are practiced by whites, it is likely to be positive. Currently we are able to observe positive changes in the way American Asians are represented in modern films. Despite the fact that most of stereotypes inherently or evidently presented in fiction cinematography, I strongly believe that nowadays’ documentaries are helping to get rid of negative attitude of Americans towards Asians. Unlike fiction, documentaries are willing to reveal objective view on Asian Americans, providing us with their stories, starting from birth till now. Thus, viewers are able to be in their shoes, live their life and understand their true feelings. Hopefully, observing all the obstacles Asian Americans had to overcome, Americans realize all the difficulties immigrants have to face when in different country with different traditions. As follows, establishing stereotypes about Asians makes their life almost unbearable, in other words, such oppression is even harder than just employment, accommodation, educational problems they have in the USA. Additiona lly, the ‘eye’ behind the camera and the documentary voice evoke sympathy and understanding in viewers. Consequently, Asian Americans are more likely to be integrated into American society, to be not as ‘alien’ as they used to be, they are being absorbed by Americans who are able to realize their troubles in foreign country easier nowadays. The only thing I do not like about documentaries is that they evoke only sympathy and, unfortunately, do not portray any achievements done by Asian Americans. To my mind, in order to fully assimilate Asians into American society, American people need to see reasons to be proud that they have fellow citizens like these, who have made great contribution to country’s culture or science. As a result, documentaries should also represent the image of Asian American who helps his country, the USA, does something for it, and, thus, is full member of its community. To conclude, I would like to mention that there are still a lot of things to be improved in the way Asian Americans are represented in films. Likewise, Americans’ consciousness has to be improved as well. American people need to be able to reject stereotypes and think critically in order to accept Asian Americans as an integral part of American society and its culture. Obviously, film industry is a powerful tool for changing point of view of any person and we need to use it in a positive way if we want to live in peace and harmony.