Tuesday, May 12, 2020

Is the G in Guacamole Silent

How do you pronounce the word guacamole in Spanish? The quick answer: It depends. This word is often a minor source of confusion for Spanish students because the official pronunciation of guacamole given in dictionaries is something like gwa-ka-MOH-leh, but quite a few native Spanish speakers use the pronunciation wa-ka-MOH-leh. Note the difference in the first syllable. Pronunciation of Guacamole The fact is both pronunciations of the initial g in guacamole and some other words that begin with g are common. Although the g can be silent or close to silent in these words, when it is pronounced it is somewhat softer (or pronounced further back in the throat) than the g in English words such as go. Heres a partial explanation of what is happening. In general, the Spanish g is pronounced much as it is in English, although softer. When it comes between vowels, it typically becomes soft enough to sound like an aspirated h, the same as the Spanish letter j. For some speakers, the sound, even at the beginning of a word, can become so soft as to be unnoticeable to English speakers, and perhaps even inaudible. Historically, thats what happened with the Spanish h. Succeeding generations made its sound softer and softer, eventually causing its sound to disappear. The standard pronunciation of guacamole would be to sound out the g. But pronunciation does vary with region, and speakers in some areas often do drop the sounds of some letters.   Heres another explanation of whats happening with the Spanish pronunciation: Some speakers of English pronounce words that begin with wh using an aspirated h. For them, witch and which are not pronounced the same. For those who do distinguish the two sounds, the wh is something like the way some Spanish speakers pronounce the first sounds of gua, gà ¼i or gà ¼e. Thats why some dictionaries give gà ¼isqui as a variant spelling of the Spanish word for whiskey (although usually the English spelling is used). Origin of theWord Guacamole Guacamole came from one of the indigenous languages of Mexico, Nahuatl, which combined the words ahuacatl (now aguacate in Spanish, the word for avocado) and with molli (now mole in Spanish, a type of Mexican sauce). If you noticed that aguacate and avocado are vaguely similar, thats no coincidence — the English avocado is derived from aguacate, making them cognates. Nowadays, of course, guacamole is also a word in English, having been imported into English because of the popularity of Mexican food in the U.S.

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Stupidity Definition Paper Free Essays

Emily Thompson Mrs. Clem Advanced Composition October 25, 2012 What An Idiot! Of the 14 million people on the planet, not one of them was born stupid. Everyone possesses some level of intelligence at birth. We will write a custom essay sample on Stupidity Definition Paper or any similar topic only for you Order Now Yet, as some grow older, they transform from great beings of high intellect to creatures that seem to have little to no aptitude. During the years that they grow up, most of these stupid people do not lose knowledge; they gain it. What is the reason for their degeneration into stupidity? Perhaps stupidity is not a lack of intelligence, as many believe. Maybe, it is the refusal to utilize one’s intelligence to the highest possible degree. Unwillingness to learn is unmistakably present in the life of a stupid person. Last week, I was discussing schoolwork with a friend of mine when he said that he recently failed a paper on the usage of commas. I was aghast that a sixteen-year-old student could fall short in the simple arena of comma usage, but this happens every day. My friend and others like him have sat through countless classes that have taught them how to use commas. However, they cannot determine the correct site of a comma because they have deliberately decided that neither self-improvement nor the acquisition of knowledge is an important objective in their lives. For whatever reason, they have chosen to be ignorant, and thus, they are stupid. In addition, laziness consumes the life of a stupid person. Stupid people will not apply themselves in anything that is not pleasurable. Stupid teenagers sit in their rooms all weekend playing Black Ops because it takes less effort and brainpower to play  a  game  than it does to write an English paper. In the same manner, stupid adults engross their minds in college football all weekend rather than cleaning out their garage. To make matters worse, both stupid adults and  stupid  teenagers complain about their unfinished papers and filthy garages. Furthermore, stupid people do nothing to get themselves out of their undesirable situations. Unless motivated  to change their surroundings, these stupid people continue to sit in their laziness and incessantly grumble about their unfavorable, yet repairable, conditions. Stupid people constantly refuse to use common sense in their words. When a thought enters the mind of a stupid person, it immediately converts into words. The stupid person does not censor what they say, so they will question obviously true statements and declare completely unintelligent babble. Since they are stupid, they do not contain their senseless questions and statements. If they would only think through their thoughts before transforming them into words, stupid people would appear to be much less stupid. In addition to not using common sense before speaking, stupid people do not use common sense before performing their actions either. Recently at volleyball practice, I was standing still when a fellow player of mine launched a ball at my head. I looked at my teammate and scowled. She obviously did not mean to send the ball at my face. In fact, she did not mean to kick it at anything in particular. However, she also did not consider that if she kicked this ball, it might travel in an undesired direction and injure someone. Stupid people do not consider the effects of their actions. Consequently, they travel through life recklessly while immediately turning their impulsive ideas into actions. Although stupid people can reform themselves into intelligent, productive members of society, these conversions are infrequent. It seems that there is no hope to entirely eradicate the existence of stupid people. However, if we remove all the warning labels, the problem may sort itself out. How to cite Stupidity Definition Paper, Papers

Saturday, May 2, 2020

Danone Yakult free essay sample

DANONE – FUTURE STRATEGY IN INDIA Background: Danone, a French company, is the world’s sixth largest packaged food company and the world’s leading dairy player. It believes in mergers and acquisitions in order to fuel its geographic and product-line expansion. It has positioned itself as a Health and Wellness company. It operates under four business divisions- †¢Fresh dairy products, †¢baby nutrition †¢water and †¢health nutrition Danone’s brand strategy has been focused on health benefits and convenience. Danone and the Wadia group own equal stakes in Associated Biscuits International Holdings, Britannia’s controlling shareholder. Both companies have been in discussions to untangle differences over issues that range from intellectual property rights(IPR) in Britannia’s popular Tiger brand, a minority stake purchase by Danone in Bangalore-based nutraceuticals firm Avesthagen, and Danone’s application to the Indian government to do business in India on its own. Yakult, a Japanese player, is engaged in the manufacturing and selling of food and beverages, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. We will write a custom essay sample on Danone Yakult or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page It pioneered the concept of probiotics and its probiotic milk called yakult is its flagship product. It aims to provide a healthy life to as many people as possible Danone brought in Yakult. The JV formed is restricted to the Indian market. The main reason for choosing Yakult was their unique product line. The 50-50 JV (equity alliance) was formed between Yakult and Danone in 2005 to manufacture and market probiotic curd in India. Objective: By means of the project, we are trying to pursue the following learning objectives: †¢To diagnose and solve the key issues ingrained in an international joint venture †¢To apply the course takeaways in a practical scenario (the given case) such that the relevance/limitations of stated theories can be understood †¢Formulate a comprehensive case, based on ompany and industry archives, for future analysis Proposed Methodology (Case Structure) Parent Company Situation Danone is a subsidiary of Groupe Danone and marketed as Dannon worldwide. The original company was founded in 1919 by Isaac Carasso in Barcelona and was a small yogurt producing factory. Ten years later, French company came into the existence. Danone is a Fre nch multinational corporation of food products and has the world leadership in fresh dairy products. It also has a leading position in the products like cereals and biscuits. It also has become the leading vendor of packaged water with the market share of 20% in Asia. Danone has grown rapidly over the years through joint ventures, especially in emerging markets. As a result of its strategy of growth, it recently signed joint ventures with various companies like Al Safi in Saudi Arabia, Yakult in India and Vietnam, Alqueria in Colombia, and Mengniu in China. Management model Danone adopts fresh and new prospectives; their fleet of pedal-powered delivery bikes is an example for the same thereby, going beyond a traditional distribution network. This company is characterized by its optimistic, desire to grow and take the lead approach. In spite of its small size, it has grown tremendously over the years with its well-known brands, global development, and continuous innovations. Danone is a ‘glocal’ company, meaning it is both global and local (since its operation is adapted to its local market). Its subsidiaries established in various countries works for local consumers. Danone is visible everywhere in the world but as a local brand. For e. g. , In the US, the company name Danone is not written the same way as in France. Indian Dairy Industry Situation The Indian dairy market grew strongly in 2005-2009 period, reaching double digit rates, as a result of strong sales growth in the cheese category. Gradual deceleration is expected in the forecast period; however, the growth within the market will remain strong. The Indian dairy market generated total revenues of $4. 4 billion in 2009, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11. 9% for the period spanning 2005-2009. Year $ million Rs. million â‚ ¬ million % Growth 2005 2,798. 5 136,705. 1 2,012. 5 2006 2,982. 6 145,701. 2,145. 0 6. 6% 2007 3,174. 5 155,075. 6 2,283. 0 6. 4% 2008 3,851. 6 188,148. 7 2,769. 9 21. 3% 2009 4,388. 0 214,355. 7 3,155. 7 13. 9% CAGR: 2005–09 11. 9% Source: Datamonitor ? Indian Dairy Industry: Segments Category % Share Milk 90. 5% Spreadable fats 3. 7% Yogurt Fromage Frais 3. 6% Cheese 1. 6% Cream 0. 6% Chilled desserts 0. 0% Total 100% Source: Datamonitor Indian Dairy Industry: Key Players Company % Sha re Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation 32. 5% Kerala Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation 9. 7% Mother Dairy Fruit Vegetable Pvt. Ltd. 9. 6% Others 48. 1% Total 100% Source: Datamonitor Key Issues faced by company Following are the key decisions Danone has to take in Indian market oTo exit from Associated Biscuits International Holdings, joint venture with the Wadia group oTo enter Indian market with Danone groups products and choose one of the following modes ? To use existing joint venture with Yakult to manufacture and distribute Danone’s own products ? To go alone in Indian market to manufacture and distribute its own products, separately from existing joint venture with Yakult