Friday, January 24, 2020

Ingerno 8: The passage Across The Styx :: Dante Divine Comedy

Ingerno 8: The passage Across The Styx In the summer of 1373 the Florentine Commune commissioned Giovanni Boccaccio to deliver a series of public lectures on Dante's Divine Comedy, and these readings and commentaries on individual cantos which were presented in the church of Santo Stefano di Badia between October 1373 and April 1374 are the first in a tradition which continues vigorously in many parts of the world in our own day.1 We do not know exactly when Boccaccio gave his lectures on the eighth canto of the Inferno, but in retrospect we may note that they fall roughly at the midpoint of his series, which was regrettably interrupted at the beginning of canto 17. Boccaccio begins his reading of Inferno 8 by remarking its unusual opening:2 [Dante] says therefore in the first part:  «I say, continuing ». We may be somewhat perplexed by these words since everyone readily understands that the poet perforce continues the subject matter already begun and needs not note this fact; and we are even more perplexed because up to this point he has not employed this technique to continue his narrative. And, therefore, in order to dispel this state of perplexity, it must be made known that Dante had a sister, who was married to one of our fellow citizens.... True to his reputation as a master racconteur, Boccaccio tells how, after Dante had left his native city of Florence in exile, his wife, Gemma, fearful that harm would come to their property, placed certain valuable items in several strongboxes for safe keeping, and among these were copies of some of her husband's writings, including the first seven cantos of the Inferno. As Boccaccio reports, these cantos eventually came to light and were read by several people who, appreciating their excellence, recommended that they be sent to their author so that he might continue and complete this wonderful undertaking. And so, learning that Dante was then residing with Moroello Malaspina in Lunigiana, these interlopers forwarded him the seven cantos, and, as Boccaccio tells the story, Dante, having received such encouragement, set himself about his task and began the eighth canto with the words  «Io dico seguitando... » __ or, as we might say today,  «Well, as I was saying... ». While providing an interesting though less than satisfactory

Thursday, January 16, 2020

Plump legs indicate the dog is eating right

I decided to write about having a pug for this paper because I feel a certain level of affinity for these types of dogs.   I did this paper by asking around, especially people who have dogs of their own and pet shop attendants.   I also did some research on the internet as to nature of these dogs.Pugs are toy dogs that are very emotional and have a low self-esteem.   They look quite like a bulldog but smaller in size and usually have short mocha or khaki fur with a shade of black.   When buying a pug pup or adopting one, the first thing to do is to check on the health of the pup before taking him/her home.Plump legs indicate the dog is eating right; check also for the ribs – they should not be very prominent on the underside of the dog.   Being conscious of the skin condition of the dog should also be considered; owners should take notice of any sign of a rash or a skin infection.A dry puppy nose indicates that the dog is probably sick.   Pugs have over sensitive e yes that are easily infected; so it would be wise to check on the eyes also.   After going through the physical condition of the dog, you should ask about the immunization shots already given to the dog like rabies and distemper shots.After this has been confirmed, look for the ownership papers and make sure that your pug comes from a line of purebreds.   Often, if the dog comes with canine association papers, it will already have a name in its birth certificate; otherwise, you can name the pup on your own.   Opt for a short name, about one or two syllables, so that the dog can easily familiarize itself with its name.When you have decided on buying or adopting your pug, it’s now time to get him/her into a suitable transporting case/cage.   Make sure to put your caged pug in the back seat or in a back cargo compartment and never in the trunk or your dog might die of suffocation or dehydration.Upon reaching home, you pug will be a bit disoriented, and will tend to crawl and lay in one corner.   Other puppies can be very enthusiastic, but not pug pups that are a bit more nervous when it comes to new environments.   Take time to take your pug around the house and orient the pup of the various areas in the house; occasionally pet the pup to give it reassurance.   Then, after the initial orientation, give the pup some water.Then, next familiarize the pup with the more specific areas it is supposed to be in, like its sleeping basket, its feeding area, and its litter box.   Since the dog is still a pup, it would not be difficult to house break the pup.   This should be done next and in the following days.   Make sure to reward the pup if it litters in its box and expressively train it to do so.   Right after feeding the pup, wait for about thirty minutes to one hour and take it to its litter box and wait for it to defecate; when it does, pat it or reward it with a toy or something.After making sure that your pup is well oriented with its s urroundings, give it its first meal.   Then allow it to rest.In the following days, keep a routine sequence of activities to accustom the pup to its regular day.   Try to train it with simple commands like sit and heel.   Always use a low commanding voice when training your pup.   Rewarding the pup with doggie treats will make it more susceptible to obeying simple commands.A few things that one should remember when keeping a dog is to always make it feel cared for and loved – this is especially needed with pugs that are quite partial when it comes to associating with humans.   Make sure that you feed your dog regularly, about twice a day, and always have a steady supply of water for it.Pay attention to hygiene such as teeth hygiene and its general hygiene.   Give your pup regular baths, about once every two days.   Also take your pug to the vet regularly.   If necessary, take your dog to the vet if you think it is sick.

Wednesday, January 8, 2020

Pronouncing the Spanish B and V

Although the Spanish b and v arent difficult to pronounce, they are often confusing for beginning Spanish students, who are easily tempted to give them the same sounds as they have in English. How B and V Are Pronounced Alike The most important thing to remember about pronouncing the Spanish b and v is that in standard Spanish they are pronounced exactly alike. Although English makes a clear distinction in how the two letters are pronounced, Spanish does not. For all practical purposes, the b and v can be thought of as the same letter in terms of pronunciation. In fact, is isnt unusual for native Spanish speakers, especially children, to confuse them when spelling, and a few words (such as ceviche or cebiche, a type of seafood dish) can be spelled with either letter. What can make matters somewhat complicated for beginning Spanish students is that each of the letters has two distinct sounds that vary depending on the letters or sounds around them, and both are different from (although similar to) the English sounds. The two sounds are: The hard b or v: This sound is known in phonetics as a voiced stop. It is much like the English b but less explosive.The soft b or v: This sound is the more common of the two and is classified as a voiced bilabial fricative, meaning that a voiced sound that is squeezed between the two lips, forming a kind of buzzing sound. In other words it is much like the English v but with the two lips touching instead of the lower lip and upper teeth. The sound of the English v such as in the word victory does not exist in standard Spanish. The hard b or v is used after pauses, such as at the beginning of a sentence or when a word is standing alone and begins with b or v. It is also used after the m or n sounds, the latter of which can sound much like an m when it comes before a b or v. Some speakers also use the hard b or v after the d in words such as advertencia (warning). See the boldfaced examples in these sentences: Vamos a la playa. (Lets go to the beach. The v comes at the beginning of the sentence.)Queremos terminar el embargo contra el paà ­s. (We want to end embargo against the country. The b comes after an m.)Envolvieron los galletas con film transparente. (They wrapped the cookies in plastic wrap. The n in envolvieron sounds much like an m. Note how the only the first v in envolvieron gets the hard sound.) In other situations, the soft b or v is used. Between vowels it can become extremely soft. La evolucià ³n se estudia en clases de biologia. (Evolution is studied in biology classes. Note how the b in biologà ­a gets the soft sound even though it comes at the beginning of the word. In normal speech, there is no pause between biologà ­a and the preceding word.)Cantabamos en la playa. (We were singing on the beach. The b is pronounced because it comes between two vowels.) ¡Brava! (Excellent!) (The first letter gets the hard sound because its at the beginning of an utterance, but the v is between vowels.) In the word obvio (obvious), the b gets the hard sound, while the v gets the soft sound. When spelling out loud in Spanish, the b is sometimes referred to as be alta, be grande, or be larga in order to distinguish it from the v, usually called uve (which became its official name a few years ago), ve baja, ve chica, or ve corta. The Problem of Homophones Although the Latin b and v were pronounced differently, they gradually merged in Spanish. As a result, some words are spelled differently but have the same pronunciation. Usually the context will make clear which word was meant. Here are the most common such homophones: basta (enough), vasta (vast)bello (beautiful), vello (down of a bird)bienes (property), vienes (conjugated form of venir, to come)rebelarse (to rebel), revelarse (to reveal oneself)baca (luggage rack), vaca (cow)acerbo (bitter), acervo (heritage) Key Takeaways In standard Spanish, the b and v are identical in terms of pronunciation.The b and v are pronounced somewhat like a soft version the English b after a pause and after the m sound.In other situations, the b and v are pronounced somewhat like the English v but with the lips touching each other.