Practice These Italian Workbook Exercises

Practice These Italian Workbook Exercises Are you studying the Italian language? Here are some exercises to help you with your skills. Present Tense: First-Conjugation Regular Verbs A. Complete the following sentences with the correct form of the indicated verb. Loro ________________ lentamente. (camminare)Tu ________________ la macchina. (guidare)Adriana non ________________ il quaderno. (trovare)Marco ________________ lorologio. (guardare)Io ________________ i biglietti. (comprare)Voi ________________ ad alta voce. (cantare)________________ fino a tardi voi? (lavorare)Io ________________ il ricevitore. (alzare)Noi ________________ la lezione. (imparare)Loro ________________ in ritardo. (arrivare) Present Tense: Second-Conjugation Regular Verbs B. Complete the following sentences with the correct form of the indicated verb. Il professore non ________________. (rispondere)Noi ________________ un caffà ©. (bere)Loro ________________ un film. (vedere)Io ________________ la macchina. (vendere)Tu ________________ i giornali. (leggere)Io ________________ due aspirine. (prendere)Noi non ________________ la storia. (credere)Voi ________________ ogni sera. (correre)Anna Maria ________________ sempre le chiavi! (perdere)Roberta e Fabrizio ________________ volentieri delle lettere. (scrivere) Present Tense: Third-Conjugation Regular Verbs C. Complete the following sentences with the correct form of the indicated verb. Loro ________________ il campanello. (sentire)Il cuoco ________________ le patate. (bollire)Franco ________________ la scatola. (aprire)Io ________________ il caffà © alle amiche. (offrire)Voi ________________ la verit. (scoprire)Noi ________________ la finestra. (aprire)Marcantonio ________________ bene. (vestire)Tu ________________ il pericolo. (sfuggire)Voi ________________ oggi. (partire)Io ________________ le bevande. (servire)

Hussain Surname Meaning and Family History

Hussain Surname Meaning and Family History The surname Hussain originated from the Arabic personal name, Husayn, derived from the Arabic hasuna, meaning to be good or to be handsome or beautiful. Hasan, for which Hussain is a derivative, was the son of Ali and the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad. Surname Origin:  Muslim Alternate Surname Spellings:  HUSAIN, HASAN, HUSAYN, HUSSEIN, HUSEIN, HUSAYIN, HUSSAYIN, HUSEYIN, HUSSEYIN, HUSEYN, HOSSAIN, HOSEIN, HOSSEIN, HUSSEYN   Famous People with the Hussain Surname Maqbool Fida (M. F.) Husain:  Indian painterRobert Hossein: French actor and directorSaddam Hussein: former dictator of IraqHussein bin Talal: King of Jordan from 1952–1999 Where Is the Surname HUSSAIN Most Common? According to surname distribution data from Forebears, Hussain is the 88th most common surname in the world, found most prevalently in Pakistan where over 3.2 million people bear the name and it ranks #2. Hussain is also the 2nd most common surname in the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, 3rd in Saudi Arabia, 4th in Quatar and 5th in Bahrain. WorldNames PublicProfiler, which does not include data from Pakistan, indicates that Hussain is also fairly common in the United Kingdom, especially in the English region of Yorkshire and Humberside, as well as in Oslo, Norway. Genealogy Resources for the Surname HUSSAIN Contrary to what you may hear, there is no such thing as a Hussain  family crest or coat of arms for the Hussain surname.  Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted. FamilySearch - HUSSAIN  Genealogy: Explore over 370,000  historical records which mention individuals with the Hussain surname, as well as online Hussain family trees on this free website hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.Family Tree DNA Discovers Y-DNA Signature That Might Represent the Prophet Mohammed: An article in the  TheNational  highlights DNA testing of the male descendants of Mohammeds  daughter Fatima through her two sons,  Hassan and Hussein.  GeneaNet - Hussain  Records: GeneaNet includes archival records, family trees, and other resources for individuals with the Hussain  surname, with a concentration on records and families from France and other European countries. Resources and Further Reading Cottle, Basil.  Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967.Dorward, David.  Scottish Surnames. Collins Celtic (Pocket edition), 1998.Fucilla, Joseph.  Our Italian Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2003.Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges.  A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989.Hanks, Patrick.  Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003.Reaney, P.H.  A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997.Smith, Elsdon C.  American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.

Choose one of the following Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 2

Choose one of the following - Assignment Example For instance, the red colour is widely used to signify either a warning or passion in the cultures of the western civilization, while green is believed to be a colour of nature and the colour of harmony. Garments and accessories can serve another language that conveys things about individuals. Therefore, meaning gets formed not just by purely linguistic signifiers, e.g. written words, but also through images as well as different non-linguistic sounds. With reference to this, images function as similar means to language (Marshall & Werndly, 2002: 36). Signification, which is understood as the process of reading signs, involves denotation and connotation. (Marshall & Werndly, 2002: 16). Denotation is about the text comprehension and its interpretation via decoders, while it also relates to pertinent codes. In decoding, it is assumed that every reader is actively involved in the meaning construction rather than merely takes the meaning out of the text. Connotation describes a range of socio-cultural associations which appear as readers decode the text (Chandler,

How do religion, culture and ethnicity affect the success or failure Essay

How do religion, culture and ethnicity affect the success or failure of a global enterprise and what factors could impact upon the decision making of the global entrepreneur - Essay Example These factors can lead to either the success or failure of the business. Consequently, a proper analysis of these factors and their impact on the day-to-day operations of the business is very fundamental in making the right decision as to invest or not to invest in a given venture overseas. A global business battles with a number of issues that end up affecting their efficiency in operations, as well as, the team spirit and motivation of its workers. As such, before setting up a business in a foreign market, a manager has to consider some of the aspects of business operations that may affect the efficiency of the business operations, the relationships within the organizational structure, and the team or group working. Proper management of the aspects that affect or influence these conditions would lead to the effective performance of the business, hence assured profitability and wealth maximization. The biggest headache of business managers setting up subsidiaries of their multinational corporations on foreign lands is how to deal best with issues relating to diversity and equality within their host country (Otter & Wetherly 2014:318). A foreign investment company meets various cases of diversity and equality in every new country that they set up shop, which also makes it imperative for the business manager to have proper knowledge of such requirements. The aspect of diversity in Human Resource Management (HRM) recognizes that people have a number of things that are common to each other. However, this does not mean that they are the same. Each person is different in his or her own unique way, and as such, these differences should not be the basis for their discrimination. Every member of the organization has the right to equal access to employment opportunities. This further goes to stipulate that when such an individual lands a job

ABC, Inc. Case Study Essay Example for Free

ABC, Inc. Case Study Essay Introduction Hiring 15 new employees in early April as part of his first recruitment effort, Carl Robins is the new campus recruiter for ABC, Inc. Hired to work for Monica Carrolls, Operations Supervisor, these new potential employees require training on company policy, being oriented to the organization, and screened for drugs. Carl himself is behind on their training, has not completed all the required processing, in addition to the fact that some of the employees haven’t even completed applications, nor have submitted transcripts. Orientation needs to be arranged somewhere other than the original location, due to double booking conflicts. The training material also needs to be reviewed and confirmed for the employees prior to the seminar. Mr. Robins is quickly falling behind, so he needs to formulate a plan of action, and implement it concisely. See more: Satirical essay about drugs Background Having successful hired 15 new people in early April, Carl had plenty of time to prior to June 15th in which to organize everything, but procrastinated until it became a scramble to handle everything at once. While he is in fact fairly new to his own job, having only been with ABC for six months now, he should still be able to handle this workload, and produce the desired results. This inexperience can explain some of the improper planning, and his lack of knowledge about how long it actually takes to complete his task, but does not excuse it. However, after evaluating his choices and finding a solution, I believe Carl will find the July deadline attainable, albeit with a bit more of an effort put in. Key Problems There are a few basic, key problems, the root of them all being improper planning and lack of experience. The problem of improper planning itself is easily solved, while the lack of experience is simply something that comes with time and practice. Building up from the lack of proper planning, we can  see what issues stemmed from this, such as: Needing a location for orientation Drug screening completion Unfiled or incomplete paperwork Lack of required training materials Attempting to handle every task alone Taking an in depth look at the various issues can help us find solutions, so I’ll go over each problem individually. Needing a Location for Orientation: After reviewing, an immediate scheduling conflict between the orientation for the new trainees and technology services arises. The scheduling log shows the training room booked for the whole month of June for computer training seminars. June is the month in which the orientation is scheduled to occur, and so the training room is unavailable. Drug Screening Completion: A drug screening is required for all the new hires, and thus they need to be sent to the clinic for such a drug screen test. As of Memorial Day, such has not happened for any of the 15 trainees, less than 20 days prior to the scheduled orientation date. This is something Carl is required to do, having been in contact with Monica to confirm such things would get done as part of his work, so he should not have been surprised that it was not yet completed. Unfiled o r Incomplete Paperwork: Also while reviewing his trainee file, it is found that not all the trainees have not completed their applications, nor have all the trainees gotten transcripts on file, another task Carl could and should have handled promptly. While it may seem obvious that these things are required, a lack of communication could have caused such a simple issue. Lack of Required Training Materials: Once reviewed, the training material is obviously lacking and in need of replacement in some form. Another task where it was procrastinated until becoming a larger-than-necessary issue. This is a separate issue from the others because it is something that doesn’t require another party to be handled (i.e. confirming appointments with the clinic requires contacting the clinic, a second party that could have separate issues). Attempting to Handle Every Task Alone: This doesn’t become an issue until the issues stated above have come about. Given the timeline, all the tasks could have been handled by a single person and more man power would have been  unnecessary. However, even something as simple as checking the orientation manuals becomes a stressful task when suddenly heaped with work that appeared to be put off. Alternatives Having reviewed these key areas and confirming them as coalescing from one core problem, the lack of proper planning, it is possible to come up with solutions to each problem as it stands currently. A quick solution to all these problems is to call Monica and inform her that the trainees won’t be ready by July 15th, and attempt to push the deadline back in order to complete all the required tasks without rushing. I find this one inadvisable, however, because it causes a setback for Monica herself, and it proceeds to cause further setbacks down the line, causing a ripple effect of delayed projects. These are called concurrent delays, or delays that cause further delays (Singh Associates, 2014). In order to find a solution that doesn’t cause concurrent delays, Carl should make and maintain a priority list, in which he lists all the above problems and completes them in an order of greatest importance to least importance. Below are individual solutions to each problem, which can be used to complete tasks on the priority list. New Location for Orientation: One of the easier tasks to handle, it has a few possible solutions. Carl could contact a nearby hotel and see about possibly using a conference room or use a nearby office (Allfreepaper.com, 2011). Looking for another available space in the building is by far the best solution here, but not necessarily possible if the training room is the only room meant to accommodate 15 or more people. A second step to that solution is to split trainee orientation up into two or more days, allowing them to rotate in for orientation. Schedule Drug Screenings: Handling this is one of the slightly more complicated aspects, because it includes not one, but two other parties, for each trainee individually. The first thing Carl can do is contact a local clinic, either one approved by ABC, Inc., or the National Drug Screening Administration to get a recommended company to come in and take over the process, if ABC, Inc. doesn’t have a drug program he can draw from. Set up a block of dates, three or four days in which to schedule his trainees, and then contact each trainee and schedule a day for them to go in within that block of days. File and Complete Paperwork: This is a task able to be completed in a single day,  and can in fact be handled on the same day he calls to schedule the appointments for drug screening. After contacting the trainee individually, Carl can set up their appoint as stated above, and then discuss their paperwork status with them, either the application completion, whether or not it is in fact completed, and get transcripts on file as needed. While not everything may be completed immediately, the process can be started (i.e. ordering transcripts can be completed, but may take additional days to be received and put on file). Obtain Orientation Manuals: This is quickly solved one of two ways. The first thing Carl needs to do is look up the manual in his SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) and determine if the manuals themselves can be reprinted or if they need to be ordered. Then his solution is simple from there; he either orders new manuals if they need to be ordered, or prints off new copies. Either way, Carl should go a step beyond and order or print at least twenty manuals instead of 15, to prepare for accidents and get a step ahead for his next round of trainees. Request Help: One of the absolute best things Carl can do in this situation is admit that he messed up and now needs help. As a new employee himself, it isn’t unusual to need help, and it will help take some burden off his own shoulders, freeing his mind to tackle the tasks at hand. Getting help will insure he gets the job done. Proposed Solutions I advise assigning Carl a temporary partner, one senior to him in the company, who can offer advice and guidance, as well as help with tasks, without taking over the job completely. This will insure that the job gets done, and will also allow Carl to gain the experience needed to complete future jobs without help. As a team, they should then split the orientation into two days and use one of the smaller rooms in the building. Carl should be the one to make most of the phone calls, including getting in touch with each individual trainee to complete paperwork and schedule days for the drug screening. Obtaining new training manuals should be done by whichever means is available, either printing new ones or ordering them. As I advised above, order more than needed to compensate for accidents and the next round of trainees. Recommendations Most of these problems stem from a lack of knowledge and experience, for  which Carl is hardly to blame, and which he will gain with time and practice. He should, however, have planned ahead appropriately, and not put off the work until it became a rush to complete everything. If the solutions I stated above are implemented, Carl should be able to complete his tasks on time, and concurrent delays will be avoided. References Case Study Analysis of ABC, Inc. COMM 215 Essentials of College English. (2005, February 12). In WriteWork.com. Retrieved 16:07, September 25, 2014, from http://www.writework.com/essay/case-study-analysis-abc-inc-comm-215-essentials-college AN unorganized Campus Recruiter (2011, January 18) In AllFreePapers.com. Retrieved 15:37, September 26, 2014, from http://www.allfreepapers.com/print/Unorganized-Campus-Recruiter/753.html Singh Associates. (2014). Lexology. Retrieved from http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=fcea453a-de87-4aa9-9f4c-b140695c597d

The Confusing Writing Style of John Berryman’s Dream Songs :: Dream Songs

The Confusing Writing Style of John Berryman’s Dream Songs John Berryman presents an interesting and somewhat confusing grouping of stories in his first twenty-six Dream Songs. The six line stanzas seem to reveal the dreams that Berryman has. The poems are written with poor grammar and have a very random rhyme scheme. They perplexed me greatly reading through them, as they seemingly have no order or plot. Beginning with the rhyme scheme of The Dream Songs, Berryman seems to follow no specific order. In the 8th song, Berryman uses the pattern abcabc, but in the 11th song he uses abccda throughout the three six-line stanzas. In many of the other sections he does not follow one pattern through all three stanzas. Also in some of them it seems as though he uses slant rhyme, using words that do not exactly rhyme but have strongly related sounds. One example of this slant rhyme occurs in the 5th song; â€Å"while the brainfever bird did scales; / Mr Heartbreak, the New Man, /come to farm a crazy land;/ an image of the dead on the fingernail† (7). With this example scales and fingernail and man and land present words that do not completely rhyme. Berryman’s random use of rhyme scheme correlates to the randomness of the entire work of the first section of his dream songs. The language that Berryman writes with in The Dream Songs also serves to complicate the work. He goes back and forth in using African American slang language and inverted English. He writes; â€Å"The enemy are sick, / and so is us of, Often rising trysts, / like this one, drove he out† (12). This phrase makes no sense grammatically and presents quite a challenge for the reader to paraphrase. Berryman also throws in an occasional phrase in another language, as he does in the 12th song; â€Å"Tes yeux bizarres me suivent† (14). This example just provides one more way in which Berryman makes his writing difficult to get through and even more difficult to understand.

Deception Point Page 74

â€Å"Smart people like yourself don't have the luxury of playing stupid, Dr. Harper. You're in trouble, and the senator sent me up here to offer you a deal. The senator's campaign took a huge hit tonight. He's got nothing left to lose, and he's ready to take you down with him if he needs to.† â€Å"What the devil are you talking about?† Gabrielle took a deep breath and made her play. â€Å"You lied in your press conference about the PODS anomaly-detection software. We know that. A lot of people know that. That's not the issue.† Before Harper could open his mouth to argue, Gabrielle steamed onward. â€Å"The senator could blow the whistle on your lies right now, but he's not interested. He's interested in the bigger story. I think you know what I'm talking about.† â€Å"No, I-â€Å" â€Å"Here's the senator's offer. He'll keep his mouth shut about your software lies if you give him the name of the top NASA executive with whom you're embezzling funds.† Chris Harper's eyes seemed to cross for a moment. â€Å"What? I'm not embezzling!† â€Å"I suggest you watch what you say, sir. The senatorial committee has been collecting documentation for months now. Did you really think you two would slip by undetected? Doctoring PODS paperwork and redirecting allocated NASA funds to private accounts? Lying and embezzling can put you in jail, Dr. Harper.† â€Å"I did no such thing!† â€Å"You're saying you didn't lie about PODS?† â€Å"No, I'm saying I bloody well didn't embezzle money!† â€Å"So, you're saying you did lie about PODS.† Harper stared, clearly at a loss for words. â€Å"Forget about the lying,† Gabrielle said, waving it off. â€Å"Senator Sexton is not interested in the issue of your lying in a press conference. We're used to that. You guys found a meteorite, nobody cares how you did it. The issue for him is the embezzlement. He needs to take down someone high in NASA. Just tell him who you're working with, and he'll steer the investigation clear of you entirely. You can make it easy and tell us who the other person is, or the senator will make it ugly and start talking about anomaly-detection software and phony work-arounds.† â€Å"You're bluffing. There are no embezzled funds.† â€Å"You're an awful liar, Dr. Harper. I've seen the documentation. Your name is on all the incriminating paperwork. Over and over.† â€Å"I swear I know nothing about any embezzlement!† Gabrielle let out a disappointed sigh. â€Å"Put yourself in my position, Dr. Harper. I can only draw two conclusions here. Either you're lying to me, the same way you lied in that press conference. Or you're telling the truth, and someone powerful in the agency is setting you up as a fall guy for his own misdealings.† The proposition seemed to give Harper pause. Gabrielle checked her watch. â€Å"The senator's deal is on the table for an hour. You can save yourself by giving him the name of the NASA exec with whom you're embezzling taxpayers' money. He doesn't care about you. He wants the big fish. Obviously the individual in question has some power here at NASA; he or she has managed to keep his or her identity off the paper trail, allowing you to be the fall guy.† Harper shook his head. â€Å"You're lying.† â€Å"Would you like to tell that to a court?† â€Å"Sure. I'll deny the whole thing.† â€Å"Under oath?† Gabrielle grunted in disgust. â€Å"Suppose you'll also deny you lied about fixing the PODS software?† Gabrielle's heart was pounding as she stared straight into the man's eyes. â€Å"Think carefully about your options here, Dr. Harper. American prisons can be most unpleasant.† Harper glared back, and Gabrielle willed him to fold. For a moment she thought she saw a glimmer of surrender, but when Harper spoke, his voice was like steel. â€Å"Ms. Ashe,† he declared, anger simmering in his eyes, â€Å"you are clutching at thin air. You and I both know there is no embezzlement going on at NASA. The only liar in this room is you.† Gabrielle felt her muscles go rigid. The man's gaze was angry and sharp. She wanted to turn and run. You tried to bluff a rocket scientist. What the hell did you expect? She forced herself to hold her head high. â€Å"All I know,† she said, feigning utter confidence and indifference to his position, â€Å"is the incriminating documents I've seen-conclusive evidence that you and another are embezzling NASA funds. The senator simply asked me to come here tonight and offer you the option of giving up your partner instead of facing the inquiry alone. I will tell the senator you prefer to take your chances with a judge. You can tell the court what you told me-you're not embezzling funds and you didn't lie about the PODS software.† She gave a grim smile. â€Å"But after that lame press conference you gave two weeks ago, somehow I doubt it.† Gabrielle spun on her heel and strode across the darkened PODS laboratory. She wondered if maybe she'd be seeing the inside of a p rison instead of Harper. Gabrielle held her head high as she walked off, waiting for Harper to call her back. Silence. She pushed her way through the metal doors and strode out into the hallway, hoping the elevators up here were not key-card operated like the lobby. She'd lost. Despite her best efforts, Harper wasn't biting. Maybe he was telling the truth in his PODS press conference, Gabrielle thought. A crash resounded down the hall as the metal doors behind her burst open. â€Å"Ms. Ashe,† Harper's voice called out. â€Å"I swear I know nothing about any embezzlement. I'm an honest man!† Gabrielle felt her heart skip a beat. She forced herself to keep walking. She gave a casual shrug and called out over her shoulder. â€Å"And yet you lied in your press conference.† Silence. Gabrielle kept moving down the hallway. â€Å"Hold on!† Harper yelled. He came jogging up beside her, his face pale. â€Å"This embezzlement thing,† he said, lowering his voice. â€Å"I think I know who set me up.† Gabrielle stopped dead in her tracks, wondering if she had heard him correctly. She turned as slowly and casually as she could. â€Å"You expect me to believe someone is setting you up?† Harper sighed. â€Å"I swear I know nothing about embezzlement. But if there's evidence against me†¦ â€Å" â€Å"Mounds of it.† Harper sighed. â€Å"Then it's all been planted. To discredit me if need be. And there's only one person who would have done that.† â€Å"Who?† Harper looked her in the eye. â€Å"Lawrence Ekstrom hates me.† Gabrielle was stunned. â€Å"The administrator of NASA?† Harper gave a grim nod. â€Å"He's the one who forced me to lie in that press conference.† 88 Even with the Aurora aircraft's misted-methane propulsion system at half power, the Delta Force was hurtling through the night at three times the speed of sound-over two thousand miles an hour. The repetitive throb of the Pulse Detonation Wave Engines behind them gave the ride a hypnotic rhythm. A hundred feet below, the ocean churned wildly, whipped up by the Aurora's vacuum wake, which sucked fifty-foot rooster tails skyward in long parallel sheets behind the plane. This is the reason the SR-71 Blackbird was retired, Delta-One thought. The Aurora was one of those secret aircraft that nobody was supposed to know existed, but everyone did. Even the Discovery channel had covered Aurora and its testing out at Groom Lake in Nevada. Whether the security leaks had come from the repeated â€Å"skyquakes† heard as far away as Los Angeles, or the unfortunate eyewitness sighting by a North Sea oil-rig driller, or the administrative gaffe that left a description of Aurora in a public copy of the Pentagon budget, nobody would ever know. It hardly mattered. The word was out: The U.S. military had a plane capable of Mach 6 flight, and it was no longer on the drawing board. It was in the skies overhead.

Are Musicians Born or Made?

For nearly 2,000 years philosophers have wondered whether artists are born or made. In the case of musicians, the existence of thousands of music schools would seem to argue that musicians can be made, like engineers. Arguing against the importance of all that activity are the curious exceptions: famous musicians who cannot even read music. The latter include the most famous male pop singer of the 20th century and one of that century’s most famous orchestral conductors.The earliest important discussion of this question presents the problem well, found in a treatise, â€Å"On the Sublime,† is by a 1st century AD writer named Longinus. Nothing else can be documented about the man, but this treatise was well-known through the Renaissance and deeply influenced such writers as Dryden and Pope. Longinus begins by emphasizing the importance of learning. First of all, we must raise the question whether there is such a thing as an art [craft] of the sublime or lofty. Some hold t hat those are entirely in error who would bring such matters under the precepts of art. A lofty tone, says one, is innate, and does not come by teaching; nature is the only art that can compass it.Works of nature are, they think, made worse and altogether feebler when wizened by the rules of art. But I maintain that this will be found to be otherwise if it be observed that, while nature as a rule is free and independent in matters of passion and elevation, yet is she wont not to act at random and utterly without system†¦. Moreover, the expression of the sublime is more exposed to danger when it goes its own way without the guidance of knowledge, — when it is suffered to be unstable and unballasted, — when it is left at the mercy of mere momentum and ignorant audacity. It is true that it often needs the spur, but it is also true that it often needs the curb.1However, in another place, when he is thinking of the great gifts of the orator, Demosthenes, he wonders if such a great performer can be the result of learning. There are some, he seems to conclude, whose success can be explained only by a God-given ability. But Demosthenes draws — as from a store — excellences allied to the highest sublimity and perfected to the utmost, the tone of lofty speech, living passions, copiousness, readiness, speed (where it is legitimate), and that power and vehemence of his which forbid approach.Having, I say, absorbed bodily within himself these mighty gifts which we may deem heaven-sent (for it would not be right to term them human), he thus with the noble qualities which are his own routs all comers even where the qualities he does not possess are concerned, and overpowers with thunder and with lightening the orators of every age. One could sooner face with unflinching eyes a descending thunderbolt than meet with steady gaze his bursts of passion in their swift succession.In the end Longinus retreats from having to make a choice between a st udied craft, which he calls â€Å"art,† and that talent which is a gift of nature. The highest achievement, he reasons, requires both. Since freedom from failings is for the most part the successful result of art, and excellence (though it may be unevenly sustained) the result of sublimity, the employment of art is in every way a fitting aid to nature; for it is the conjunction of the two which tends to ensure perfection.When the Church defeated Rome and began its process of reinventing, so to speak, the Roman citizen, it began by attempting to eliminate as much of the pagan world as possible, in the process burning the books of Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, etc. The church also attempted to remove emotion from the life of the Christian and as a subordinate part of that idea they warned the Christian about being enthusiastic about art.The rationale of the Church was: God created the artist, therefore you should love God and not the artist, much less the art object. Because of thi s position, during the long Church dominated period we call the â€Å"Dark Ages,† books which discuss art and the artist are rare. With the Renaissance, however, this subject is widely discussed, beginning with the important 16th century treatise, the Dodecachordon of 1547, by Heinrich Glarean. Glarean (1488 – 1563) of  Switzerland was a man of many talents as is testified to in numerous letters by Erasmus, who gives the impression that he was unusually proficient in all the Liberal Arts. In letters of recommendation, Erasmus calls Glarean a mathematician, meaning four branches of the Liberal Arts.It was from this perspective that Glarean was interested in music3 and our guess is that he probably did not think of himself as a performing musician, although on one occasion he so impressed Maximilian I in his singing of a poem that he was made poet laureate. Such a widely talented man is never universally popular and in the fictitious, satirical â€Å"Letters of Obscur e Men,† of 1515, by Crotus Rubeanus and Ulrich von Hutten, Glarean is described as, very headstrong man†¦. A terrible man, a choleric, for ever threatening fights — and he must be possessed of a devil.Glarean first clearly frames the question: who should receive the higher praise, the composer who has his gift through birth or the man who has studied counterpoint and who composes multi-part music upon the original melody?As we were hastening to the end of this very toilsome book, this not entirely inconsequential thought came to our mind about a matter which I say has been considered in doubt a long time now among men of our times, that is, which is more deserving of praise, the invention of a theme or the addition of several voices; namely, so that the uninitiated may also understand, whether it is of more value if one can invent a natural tenor, which affects all minds, which takes hold of a man’s heart, in short, which so clings to our memory that it ofte n steals upon us without our even thinking, and into which we break as if awakened from sleep, as we commonly see concerning many tenors; or if one adds three or more voices to the tenor invented in the aforementioned way, which voices, so to speak, embellish it with imitations, canons, changes of modus, tempus, and prolatio†¦.Having presented the question, Glarean’s own view seems to be that talent comes with birth, not study. It is interesting that he mentions the factor we have pointed out at the beginning, the success of untrained artists. He concludes by presenting the subordinate questions which he implies are necessary to answering the main question. Here is an example of this matter, so that one may comprehend so much the better what we say. Whoever first  invented the tenor Te Deum laudamus or any other as Pange lingua, may he not be preferred in talent to one who afterwards composed a complete Mass according to it? First, indeed, to say as a preface, we canno t deny that this happens to each through the power of his talent, and through a certain natural and native capacity rather than through art.The reason for this seems to be that very frequently those who are untrained in music are also surprisingly proficient in inventing tenors in our vernacular, whether Celtic or German, and further, that many who are proficient in adding voices likewise have learned music badly, to say nothing of other disciplines. Therefore, it is clear that neither talent is really possible for a man unless he is born to it, and, as it is commonly said, unless he received it from his mother.This is likewise true of painters, also of sculptors, and preachers†¦, in short, of all works dedicated to Minerva†¦. But indeed, if as Aristotle asserts, a man is truly deserving of praise who discovers the principles of any discipline, for it is very easy to add the rest (he says), I do not see why the first artist, the simple creator of a simple melody (now calle d a tenor) ought to be inferior to one who does not invent as easily as he adds to what has already been invented. Indeed, we see in the various disciplines that the first inventors always have merited the most praise. Thus Hippocrates is considered superior to Galen, even though Galen surpassed him with a thousand books†¦. Let everyone direct his attention to the following points as the most worthy of our consideration, namely, which of the two is older, which is more useful, and, finally, which yields to the other.In a letter sent to his publisher, Giraldi Cinthio,6 he indicates that he wrote his treatise, Discorso intorno al comporre dei romanzi of 1549, to refute attacks on Ariosto’s Orlando Furioso, which he considered a great heroic poem. While his treatise is thus about the 16th century heroic poem in general, which he calls the Romance, Giraldi is equally concerned with establishing poetry as an art. In so doing, he presents one of the most important treatises on Beauty to be found in the 16th century.7 He begins by stating the all men have the genetic materials necessary to fine writing. But, he follows this by writing that â€Å"Nature produces the poets, but art makes the orators,†8 His point apparently is in attempting to make a  distinction between genius and (learned) skill. By â€Å"elocution,† Giraldi means the manner of expressing with fitting words the thought which the poet has in mind. Here he presents a unique and curious analogy.Since elocution has the same place in composition as the skin does in the human body, the poet ought to put his effort on this part, under which stand all the others, as nature does on the skin of the body. Just as nature, a judicious creatress (by virtue of the intelligence which rules her) of that which she produces, took great care to make the skin soft, pliable, and delicate, and to give it the grace of proper colors so that it appears pleasing to our eyes and makes delightful all t hat is under it, so the poet should put much talent and study on everything pertaining to words. Since they clothe our ideas and carry them from the intellect to the eyes, they ought to be adorned with all the beauty that the industry of the writer can give them.Although in this, no less than in other particulars, one ought to shun such superfluous diligence, lest what one would make good becomes bad, and lest excessive desire to embellish results in fastidiousness. Negligence neatly practiced is sometimes better than too much diligence.9This last sentence requires a note of explanation. For the Italian Renaissance (upper class) man, one of the personal characteristics held to be important was that he never exhibit effort. â€Å"Studied negligence† was the goal. This can be easily understood in the example of chess playing, where it was held that the gentleman could play but that he should not appear to be very good, for if he were good it implied study, practice and work, al l of which were not appropriate to the gentleman. Giraldi contends that epic poetry must be in rhyme. This is only fitting for heroic matter and â€Å"it carries in itself the sweetness of sound and gravity with measure and with the other qualities that belong to the sublime.†10 Later he adds that words must not only convey thoughts, but in themselves, â€Å"pleasurable beauty.† It is interesting that he warns the poet to remember that his goal is to find words for the thoughts, and not thoughts for the words. He pauses to comment on the ancient question of the relationship of learned Art and genius which is a gift of Nature. Here concludes that both are necessary. Of these two, however, the one so needs the other that each is of little value alone. Indeed, art without nature produces such impoverished verses  that they seem to have suffered for ten years from the hectic fever. Nature without art makes them like fat peasants who are of good color and health but witha l have no gentility.Therefore, he concludes, that poet who has as his guide both Nature and Art cannot help but succeed. His definition of Art which follows consequently focuses on both Beauty and Nature. By art I mean here not the intricacies and the entanglements of which I spoke above, which with metaphors, enigmas, and monstrosities would turn authors into alchemists; which precepts can make it appear that a man has seen and read much, but are not likely to teach; but that which gives us light, not shadow; makes our way pleasant, not painful; easy, not intricate; level, not steep; that which leads us not through briars but through flowering meadows; that which teaches us without so much tortuousness and such monstrosities of words and images. Like arranged flowers, after we have chosen them from the green fields of poesy, our compositions ought to be set in order with marvelous beauty.Marco Girolamo Vida was born in Cremona some time before the beginning of the 16th century, at which time his first poems appear, and died in 1566. His poem on chess (Scacchiae Ludus) brought him to the attention of Leo X. After the death of Leo X, Vida remained in the papal court of Clement VII, who made him Bishop of Alba in 1532. Holding this office, Vida participated in the council of Trent. In his treatise on poetry, De Arte Poetica, of 1561, Vida has observed that there are some who fervently desire to be poets, yet, in spite of all, are not successful. They, apparently, have the training, but not the gift. These men, he recommends, might find a suitable career as lawyers! How oft the youth, who wants the sacred fire,Fondly mistakes for genius his desire, Courts the coy Muses, though rejected still, Nor Nature seconds his misguided will! He strives, he toils with unavailing care, Nor Heaven relents, nor Phoebus hears his prayer. He with success, perhaps, may plead a cause, Shine at the bar, and flourish by the laws.One of the important Italian Renaissance writers, Pietr o Aretino (1492 – 1556), was much concerned with respect to the character of the artist. He also considered the question of the nature of Art and the artist, he concluded that the essential gift is one of genetics and not instruction. The truth is that art is an innate gift for considering the excellencies of nature that comes to us when we are babes in swaddling clothes. That which is learned later may be called art, but it is not legitimate, whereas you could not call that art bastard which the spider uses in weaving his web.We might note that to another correspondent he states that neither the gift nor the skill is of any importance without heart.To GiorgioVasari (1511 – 1574) we are indebted for his revised Lives of 1568, which provides important biographical information regarding 16th century artists. Vasari summarizes his views on our subject of whether the artist is born or learned by declaring, Very great is the obligation that is owed to Heaven and to Nature b y those who bring their works to birth without effort and with a certain grace which others cannot give to their creations either by study or by imitation.With the Baroque Period we begin to find German commentary which is related to our question, that is are musicians the product of training or Nature? One philosopher that we appreciate was Johann David Heinichen (1683 – 1729), a composer in Dresden. In his mind, there was a natural connection between the learned rules of music and the talent which comes from Nature, for he believed the important rules were all drawn from Nature herself.All arts and sciences have rules and must be learned through rules, if we do not wish to remain simple naturalists, ie., half-ignorant. But we must not err excessively on the side of rules; furthermore, we should not accept so crudely the equivocal word: Rule, as if we would serve as high sounding rule makers, prescribing laws even to Nature, according to which she must limit herself to aucto ritate nostra. No! All of our useful rules must be derived from Nature; and we must investigate on all levels the will, preference, and character of this mistress and learn from her cum submissione.Heinichen conceded the importance of that which is learned about music, believing that the essential abilities needed for successful composition include natural aptitude and diligence, as well, of course, as knowledge of the basic conceptual information on writing music. However, as he quotes Andreas Werkmeister, rules alone do not suffice.18 If one has no musical aptitude 1,000 rules could be illustrated with 10,000 examples and still the purpose would not be achieved.We have seen above Heinichen’s contention that all useful rules must be derived from Nature. But he seems hesitant to take on the burden of discussing the full dimension of Nature’s contribution. For one reason, while he finds Nature’s gifts unquestionably important, he finds that these gifts vary from composer to composer. One can as little describe the differences in musical talent as one can describe the differences between all ingenuities. Generally, however, one can say that the good talents of composers differ only in degree. For Nature gives to one an animated, clear, burning spirit, but to another a tempered, modest, or even affective nature. The latter is better suited to to the devout church style, the former, however, more to the theatrical†¦.Another very important German writer took a similar position. Johann Mattheson not only found that the gifts of Nature varied from man to man, but that sometimes Nature left her gifts incomplete! One sometimes encounters fine minds without true desire and love for it; thus one encounters nothing more seldom than the required diligence and necessary, untiring industry, joined together with these two things, natural ability and real desire: because commonly not a little laziness and idleness, lasciviousness, comfortableness, and the like, tend to go side by side with innate gifts and inclinations. A so-called natural disposition without ambition or love is like a buried treasure†¦. Desire and diligence without natural ability is really the worst of all†¦.This partiality which Nature demonstrates in passing out her talents led Mattheson, in another place, to comment on the treatment of students.Natural stupidity or innate simplicity is among the failures of the intellect which no one can rightfully punish, though it can be deplored or at best ridiculed. Desiring to make youngsters intelligent with thrashing is not only futile, but godless. Many examples verify that beatings make heads ten times more dumb than they were previously. This is and remains abysmally characteristic of education in almost every guild and apprenticeship.The great German composer, Georg Telemann (1681-1767), found that of the poets he worked with, some were talented but lacked the learning to successfully complete their ass ignment. Just as not everyone is born a poet, so every poet cannot write texts adaptable to music, and especially sacred music. It would be desirable for experts to explore this question.Another German writer of the Baroque, Johann Birnbaum, placed more importance on the learned facet of the artist. Indeed, his was a rather unique opinion that one of the fundamental roles of the artist was to perfect and shape Nature into its most ideal state. If art imitates Nature, then indisputably the natural element must everywhere shine through the works of art. Accordingly it is impossible that art should take away the natural element from those things in which it imitates Nature — including music. If art aids Nature, then its aim is only to preserve it, and to improve its condition; certainly not to destroy it.Many things are delivered to us by Nature in the most misshapen states, which, however, acquire the most beautiful appearance when they have been formed by art. Thus art lends N ature a beauty it lacks, and increases the beauty it possesses. Now, the greater the art is — that is, the more industriously and painstakingly it works at the improvement of Nature — the more brilliantly shines the beauty thus brought into being.The opposite view was taken by the great French philosopher, Marin Mersenne (1588-1648). He studied mathematics, physics, the classics and metaphysics at the Jesuit College of Le Mans. After becoming a Jesuit priest, and a member of the Minorite friars, Mersenne began teaching Hebrew, philosophy and theology at the Sorbonne in Paris in 1619. His residence became a  required stopping place for every intellectual visiting Paris, which, together with his correspondence with persons throughout Europe, including Galilei, Huygens and Descartes, made him a virtual one-man academy. His studies and experimentation in music resulted in his Harmonie universelle (1636), a work of encyclopedia proportion organized in five treatises.It wa s the conclusion by Mersenne that composers are born and not made through â€Å"Art.† Whatever rules we could give for composing fine and beautiful melodies on all kinds of subjects and texts, it appears that they cannot bring this to pass until we are induced by the favorable genius and natural inclination of those who write excellent ones without having learned or established any other rules than those which their imagination furnishes†¦. I shall be of the opinion of those who say that the genius of music is like that of the poet, the painter, the orator, and of several other craftsmen, to whom nature, or rather the Master of Nature, has dispensed certain gifts to which art cannot attain.He was also of the opinion that to some degree the beautiful singer is born and not made. This should be ascribed to the order of Divine Providence, which makes use of all kinds of conditions, as it does of as many voices, to compose the great concert of this universe, whose beauties a nd charms we will never understand except in Heaven.Franà §ois Marie Arouet (1694-1778), known as Voltaire,27 was the son of a successful attorney and a lively and intelligent woman who hosted a minor salon in Paris. His father advised him, â€Å"Literature is the profession of the man who wishes to be useless to society and a burden to his relatives, and to die of hunger.† The son responded by becoming one of the most prolific writers of the Baroque, supporting his family and dying wealthy.Voltaire arrived in Paris in 1715 as France was in transition from the era of Louis XIV to the regency for the young Louis XV. His brilliant wit, and sharp tongue, soon brought him to the attention of high society and earned him several visits to the Bastille. One comment remembered from this time followed an announcement that the regent, for reasons of the economy, had sold half the horses of the royal stables. Voltaire suggested it might have been better if he dismissed half the asses a t court!In one place Voltaire  seems to take the position that learning must be everything in the artist, for the reason that Nature has rendered all men equal physically. Yet all nations†¦, even the Hottentots and Kaffirs, pronounce the vowels and consonants as we do, because the larynx in them is essentially the same as in us — just as the throat of the rudest boor is made like that of the finest opera-singer, the difference, which makes of one a rough, discordant, insupportable bass, and of the other a voice sweeter than the nightingale’s, being imperceptible to the most acute anatomist; or, as the brain of a fool is for all the world like the brain of a great genius.In another place, however, he takes the position that those with real individual genius in the arts possessed something beyond learning or emulation. It must be confessed that in the arts having genius as their basis, everything is the product of instinct.By â€Å"instinct† here, Voltaire apparently meant that the true genius is born and not made. Here he seems to suggest that â€Å"learning† is replaced by â€Å"taste.† We use the word â€Å"genius† indifferently in speaking of†¦an artist, or a musician†¦. Now an artist, however perfect he may be in his profession, if he have no invention, if he be not original, is not considered a genius. He is only inspired by the artists his predecessors, even when he surpasses them†¦.Poussin, who was a great painter before he had seen any good pictures, had a genius for painting. Lully, who never heard any good musician in France, had a genius for music†¦. Genius, conducted by taste, will never commit a gross fault†¦. Genius, without taste, will often commit enormous errors; and, what is worse, it will not be sensible of them.30In another place, he adds,The gift of nature is an imagination inventive in the arts — in the disposition of a picture, in the structure of a poem. It cannot exist without memory, but it uses memory as an instrument with which it produces all its performances.The primary characteristic of this â€Å"gift of nature,† that the artist is born with, Voltaire finds to be the quality of his imagination. Active imagination, which constitutes men poets, confers on them enthusiasm, according to the true meaning of the Greek word, that internal emotion which in reality agitates the mind and transforms the author into the personage whom he introduces as the speaker; for such is the true enthusiasm, which consists in emotion and imagery†¦. In general, the imaginations of painters when they are merely ingenious, contribute more to exhibit the learning in the artist than to increase the beauty of the art†¦. In all the arts, the most beautiful imagination is always the most natural.Two examples from English literature take the position that the successful artist is the product of both birth and art (learning). We have an interes ting poem in honor of Shakespeare by Ben Jonson, in which the poet observes that â€Å"though the matter of poets be Nature,† it is the art of the poet which must shape it. In a reflection on Shakespeare’s own labor, Jonson notes, For a good poet’s made, as well as born.And such wert thou.33A similar reflection is made by Robert Herrick (1591 – 1674). Man is composed here of a two-fold part; The first of Nature, and the next of Art: Art presupposes Nature†¦.34And now, it might be interesting to consider what some of the great composers have written on this subject. First, there are some isolated thoughts from the diary of Robert Schumann, which has been dated about 1833. It is the curse of talent that, although it labors more steadily and perseveringly than genius, it does not reach a goal; while genius, floating on the summit of the ideal, grazes from above, serenely smiling. †¦..It is not a good thing to have acquired too much facility in any occupation. †¦.. The youthful works of masters who have become great, are looked upon with very different eyes than are the works of composers who promised as much, but did not keep their word. †¦.. Dare talent permit itself to take the same liberties as genius? †¦.. Talent labors, genius creates. †¦.. Few strikingly original works of genius have become popular.These comments on talent as opposed to genius by Schumann remind us of one of Wagner’s essays where he quotes Schopenhauer, Talent hits a mark we all can see, but cannot lightly reach; whilst Genius attains a goal we others do not even see.35Our original question was, â€Å"Are musicians born or made?† When you look at the sketch books of Beethoven, it is perfectly obvious that even so great a composer as he had to go to great efforts to â€Å"make† his compositions. In looking at these sketches one sometimes feels that if he had a gift, it was the gift of knowing what to reject. His b irth gift was Taste, not counterpoint. Mozart is another matter. As Schumann pointed out one time, the only way you can be a Mozart is to be born a Mozart.36 But, if you have to be born a Mozart, then what is going on in all those thousands of music schools around the world? It is an interesting question.It is even a more interesting question from the following perspective. You go to hear, let’s say, a piano recital. You are moved, you are inspired, and you say, â€Å"That was really musical.† What you are referring to in that moment is not taught in those music schools. What then is being taught in all those music schools? In our view most of this activity is centered in two areas: [1] A great amount of time is spent by music schools in the teaching of grammar. In no other field and in none of the other arts is such a disproportionate amount of time spent on grammar as opposed to meaning and purpose.Can one imagine, for example, Marlon Brando, Jack Nicholson, Marilyn Monroe and Jane Fonda at the Lee Strasberg Actors Studio in New York sitting around discussing grammar? In what music school is there even one comprehensive course in aesthetics? In what music school is there discussion on what music meant to Beethoven? Who will talk about music and character development? Who tells students why classical music is important and popular music is not? Who explains to students the difference between inspired  music and educational music? Who takes on the responsibility for explaining to students that music education is about commerce, but not art? [2] The other great field of activity in music schools is the instruction of students on how to become players of instruments, including the vocal instrument.But what studio teacher, as a part of the necessary technique, explains to the student how to move the emotions of the listener? In how many studios is the word â€Å"listener† even mentioned? What studio teacher brings up the subject of earning a living? One day students will ask that question and the house of cards will collapse. To conclude, surely everyone understands that one cannot learn, in any music school anywhere, to become a Mozart. That is not only a gift of God, but a gift God rarely dispenses. But there are other gifts, some of which are genetic, gifts of God to everyman. First and foremost among these is the ability to understand music as a listener without going to those music schools. And then there are the gifts which come from participation in music.Surely anyone whose means of making a living includes the performance of music, whether professional, community or school, must feel a recipient of a gift of the gods. You could be a dentist! How much would they have to pay you to stand and look into other people’s mouths all day? And finally there are those people who may not have the opportunity to perform, but understand the importance of music to society and give of themselves to make it happen. It was of them that Mendelssohn once wrote, The smallest real service to art†¦seems a blessing sent by God.

The significance of Hrothgars sermon in Beowulf essays

The significance of Hrothgar's sermon in Beowulf essays The significance of Hrothgars sermon in Beowulf (lines 1700-1784) Hrothgar delivers this speech in his royal hall Heorot, where the Geats and the Danes are celebrating Beowulfs victory over Grendels mother. This victory has finally freed the Danes of the monsters which had been terrorizing them for twelve years. Hence, there is much rejoicing and feasting over the victory as Beowulf and his warriors are feted and rewarded by Hrothgar. Beowulf had earlier given a speech recounting the details of his fight with the monster. He then presented the golden hilt of the sword salvaged from the monsters den to Hrothgar. In accepting this relic, Hrothgar launches into a long moralizing speech of advice to Beowulf. In his speech Hrothgar highlights the code of the heroic world and the serious repercussions if one were to break or disregard this heroic ideal. According to this code, the relationship between the king/lord and his men, known as thanes/warriors, is very important. It is the responsibility of the thanes to defend their lord and his lands and also to fight his wars. This relationship is one of mutual loyalty, trust and respect. The thane vows his loyalty to his lord and eventually becomes his companion. In return, the king/lord is responsible for looking after the welfare of his warriors. He offers them shelter, helmets, gold rings, bracelets, swords, beer, mead and a home. A good lord is of noble character and he is generous with his wealth and he forms a close bond with his men through merrymaking and feasting. This ideal of the heroic world is known as comitatus and it is an important characteristic of the Anglo-Saxon race. Thus, Hrothgars reference to Heremod is meant as a warni ng to Beowulf on the serious repercussions if a lord were to disregard this code. Heremod, a Danish king, who was at one time a renowned and glorious youth became tyrannical and broke the virtues of the heroic co...

Divergence of Hungarian and Finnish Languages

Divergence of Hungarian and Finnish Languages Geographic isolation is a term commonly used in biogeography to explain how a species might diverge into two distinct species. What is often overlooked is how this mechanism serves as a major driving force for many cultural and linguistic differences among different human populations. This article explores one such case: the divergence of Hungarian and Finnish. Origins of the Finno-Ugrian Language Family Also known as the Finno-Ugrian language family, the Uralic language family consists of thirty-eight living languages. Today, the number of speakers of each language varies immensely from thirty (Votian) to fourteen million (Hungarian). Linguists unite these diverse tongues with a hypothetical common ancestor called the Proto-Uralic language. This common ancestral language is posited to have originated in the Ural Mountains between 7,000 to 10,000 years ago. The origin of the modern Hungarian people is theorized to be the Magyars who resided in the dense forests on the Western side of the Ural Mountains. For unknown reasons, they migrated to western Siberia at the beginning of the Christian era. There, they were vulnerable to the onslaught of military attacks by eastern armies such as the Huns. Later, the Magyars formed an alliance with the Turks and become a formidable military power that raided and fought throughout Europe. From this alliance, many Turkish influences are evident in the Hungarian language even today. After being driven out by the Pechenegs in 889 CE, the Magyar people searched for a new home, eventually settling on the outer slopes of Carpathians. Today, their descendants are the Hungarian people who still inhabit the Danube Valley. The Finnish people split off from the Proto-Uralic language group approximately 4,500 years ago, traveling west from the Ural Mountains to ​the south of the Gulf of Finland. There, this group split into two populations; one settled in what is now Estonia and the other moved northward to modern-day Finland. Through differences in region and over thousands of years, these languages diverged into unique languages, Finnish and Estonian. In the middle ages, Finland was under Swedish control, apparent from the significant Swedish influence present in the Finnish language today. The Divergence of Finnish and Hungarian The diaspora of the Uralic language family has led to geographic isolation between members. In fact, there is a clear pattern in this language family between distance and language divergence. One of the most obvious examples of this drastic divergence is the relationship between Finnish and Hungarian. These two major branches split approximately 4,500 years ago, compared with Germanic languages, whose divergence commenced an estimated 2,000 years ago. Dr. Gyula Weà ¶res, a lecturer at the University of Helsinki in the early twentieth century, published several books about Uralic linguistics. In Finland-Hungary Album (Suomi-Unkari Albumi), Dr. Weà ¶res explains that there are nine independent Uralic languages that form a language chain from the Danube valley to the coast of Finland. Hungarian and Finnish exist on the polar opposite ends of this language chain. Hungarian is even more isolated due to its peoples history of conquering while traveling across Europe toward Hungary. Excluding Hungarian, the Uralic languages form two geographically continuous language chains along major waterways. Coupling this vast geographic distance with several thousand years of independent development and vastly differing history, the extent of the language diversion between Finnish and Hungarian is not surprising. Finnish and Hungarian At first glance, the differences between Hungarian and Finnish seem overwhelming. In fact, not only are Finnish and Hungarian speakers are mutually unintelligible to each other, but Hungarian and Finnish differ significantly in basic word order, phonology, and vocabulary. For example, although both based on the Latin alphabet, Hungarian has 44 letters while Finnish has only 29 in comparison. Upon closer inspection of these languages, several patterns reveal their common origin. For example, both languages employ an elaborate case system. This case system uses a word root and then the speaker can add several prefixes and suffixes in order to tailor it for their specific needs. Such a system at times leads to extremely long words characteristic of many Uralic languages. For example, the Hungarian word megszentsà ©gtelenà ­thetetlensà ©ges translates to a thing that is almost impossible to make unholy, originally coming from the root word szent, meaning holy or sacred. Perhaps the most significant similarity between these two languages is the relatively large number of Hungarian words with Finnish counterparts and vice versa. These common words generally are not exactly alike  but can be traced to a common origin within the Uralic language family. Finnish and Hungarian share approximately 200 of these common words and concepts, most of which concern everyday concepts such as body parts, food, or family members. In conclusion, despite the mutual unintelligibility of Hungarian and Finnish speakers, both originated from a Proto-Uralic group that resided in the Ural Mountains. Differences in migration patterns and histories led to geographic isolation between language groups that in turn led to the independent evolution of language and culture.

Risk and return, portfolio diversification and the Capital Asset Essay

Risk and return, portfolio diversification and the Capital Asset Pricing Model; The cost of equity (Starbucks Co.) - Essay Example (Valuebasedmanagement.net, 2011) This paper will therefore provide computation and will also discuss the cost of equity of Starbucks besides computing the cost of equity for Nestle and McDonalds to make a comparison. Further, cost of equity will also be calculated by using dividend discount model as well as arbitrage pricing theory. The above calculations show that the overall cost of equity for Starbucks is 11.82% based on the data provided. This value is higher than the cost of equity of an average firm on the S&P 500 index thus indicating that the overall risk profile of Starbucks may be higher than an average firm. It may be due to the fact that the investors, considering the dynamics of the industry and particular performance of the firm in the industry, may not be willing to put their bets on Starbucks. The cost of equity should have been lower than an average firm on the S&P considering the overall market strength of Starbucks and brand power. The above comparison between McDonalds, Nestle as well as Starbucks shows that the return on equity for other two firms is lower as compared to Starbucks. The lower cost of equity of these firms suggests that these firms have relatively stable risk profile due to their stronger financial performance as well as fundamentals. What is also important to note that these firms are diversified in nature whereas Starbucks is only relatively focused on the sale of coffee only? It is therefore of no surprise that the cost of equity of such firms is relatively lower than Starbucks Dividend discount model is another important model to find out the fair values of the stock based on the dividends. (Investopedia.com, 2011 ). This model considers dividends as the future cash flows to be received and accordingly the price of the stock is calculated by using following formula: Thus the expected rate of return is obtained by considering a linear combination of different macroeconomic factors combined with