South Africa essays

South Africa essays South Africa is the southernmost part of the continent of Africa. It is one of the earth's oldest and stable landmasses. This is why there are no folded mountain ranges. The only mountain ranges that are similar to that kind of range, would be those in the southern tip. This is where the north-south ranges meet an east-west range in the Paarl area. The rest of the country has been slightly pitted so that interior lakes like the Okovango Delta have no outlet to the sea. Most of the country is at an elevation of 3,000 to 6,500 feet above sea level. South Africa lies north of 35 S latitude and is surrounded on three sides by the Indian and Atlantic oceans. Two large high-pressure areas control the weather in South Africa brought over by both of the oceans, in the winter a belt of depressions moves northward to bring rains to the south. During the summer moist tropical air masses migrate southward, bringing frequent thunderstorms. There are not many rivers in South Africa, and those few are not navigable. The unpredictable rainfall makes drought in the areas a very common problem. The towns and cities cannot depend on a consistent source of water for the year. Water supplies for both the town and the country must be very well planned, so there is no drought. Wells are usually the source for irrigation and general water supply in the countryside, however the urban and industrialized areas need the use of dams. On the major rivers of South Africa it is easy to see many of the plus 360 dams that have been built. These are easily found on the Orange, Vaal, Limpopo, and the Tugela rivers. Many of the dams provide hydroelectric power to the national electricity grid. Located on the upper Orange River are two of the largest dams in South Africa. The Lesotho Highlands Water Project was developed to supply water to the Transvaal industrial area by mid 1990's. Even though there are an abundant amount of dams in the country, t...

How to Pronounce Italian American Surnames

How to Pronounce Italian American Surnames Everyone knows how to pronounce their last name, right? Since surnames are obviously a point of pride, its not hard to understand why families would insist on pronouncing them a certain way. But second- and third-generation Italian Americans who have little or no knowledge of Italian are often unaware of how to correctly pronounce their last names, resulting in anglicized versions that bear little aural resemblance to the original, intended form. Thats Not Italian In popular culture, on TV, in movies, and radio, Italian surnames are frequently mispronounced. Endings are truncated, extra syllables are added where none exist, and vowels are barely mouthed. Its no wonder, then, that many Italian Americans cannot pronounce their last names the way their forefathers did. If you cringe when hearing Italian words mispronounced, are interested in how your surname was meant to be pronounced in the original language, or want to recognize your own last name when spoken by a native Italian, there are a few simple rules to follow. When Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel sang, in the 1969 Grammy Awards Record of the Year song Mrs. Robinson, Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio? they turned the Yankee Hall of Famers last name into four syllables. In fact, the Italian pronunciation should be dee-MAH-joh. In 2005, amidst the blanket media coverage of the Terri Schiavo case (brain-dead and in a coma, her husband went to court to have her taken off life support) the American media persisted in pronouncing her last name as SHY-vo, which to Italian speakers sounded very wrong. The correct pronunciation is skee-AH-voh. There are many other examples in which no attempt is made for even a close approximation of standard Italian pronunciation, which has lead to the spread of careless sounding out of Italian last names. Ironically, in Italy native Italian speakers struggle with the same dilemma of whether to pronounce surnames on the grounds of nationality (i.e., to italicize a last name) or on the basis of the origin of the surname. The Correct Way If many English speakers cannot seem to pronounce Italian last names correctly, how can you avoid common pronunciation mistakes in Italian? Remember that Italian is a phonetic language, which means words are usually pronounced as they are written. Determine how to break down your surname into syllables and learn how to pronounce Italian consonants and vowels. Ask a native Italian or someone fluent in the language how to pronounce your cognome italiano, or post a message on the forums such as: How to pronounce the surname Lucania correctly (hint: its not loo-KA-nia, or loo-CHA-nia, but loo-KAH-nee-ah). At some point, the linguistic clouds will part, and youll be able to pronounce your Italian last name as it was meant to be. Stumbling, Mumbling Pronunciation There are a few letter combinations in Italian that frequently trip up even the most assiduous speaker, and lead to the mangled pronunciation of last names. For example, Albert Ghiorso was the co-discoverer of a number of chemical elements. But pronouncing the surname Ghiorso shouldnt require a Ph.D. in chemistry. The scientists last name is not enunciated gee-OHR-so but rather ghee-OR-soh. Other potential tongue-twisters include double consonants, ch, gh, and the ever-tricky gli. Master these articulation challenges, and youll sound like a native when pronouncing memorable Italian last names such as: Pandimiglio, Schiaparelli, Squarcialupi, and Tagliaferro.