Alphabetical: How Every Letter Tells a Story
Michael Rosen - 2013
Whether it's how letters are arranged on keyboards or Viking runes, textspeak or zip codes, this book will change the way you think about letters for ever. How on Earth did we fix upon our twenty-six letters, what do they really mean, and how did we come to write them down in the first place? Michael Rosen takes you on an unforgettable adventure through the history of the alphabet in twenty-six vivid chapters, fizzing with personal anecdotes and fascinating facts. Starting with the mysterious Phoenicians and how sounds first came to be written down, he races on to show how nonsense poems work, pins down the strange story of OK, traces our five lost letters and tackles the tyranny of spelling, among many many other things. His heroes of the alphabet range from Edward Lear to Phyllis Pearsall (the inventor of the A-Z), and from the two scribes of Beowulf to rappers. Each chapter takes on a different subject - whether it's codes, umlauts or the writing of dictionaries. Rosen's enthusiasm for letters positively leaps off the page, whether it's the story of his life told through the typewriters he's owned or a chapter on jokes written in a string of gags and word games. So if you ever wondered why Hawaiian only has a thirteen-letter alphabet or how exactly to write down the sound of a wild raspberry, read on ...
In Other Words
Jhumpa Lahiri - 2015
For Jhumpa Lahiri, that love was for Italian, which first captivated and capsized her during a trip to Florence after college. And although Lahiri studied Italian for many years afterward, true mastery had always eluded her. So in 2012, seeking full immersion, she decided to move to Rome with her family, for “a trial by fire, a sort of baptism” into a new language and world. In Rome, Lahiri began to read, and to write—initially in her journal—solely in Italian. In Other Words, an autobiographical work written in Italian, investigates the process of learning to express oneself in another language, and describes the journey of a writer seeking a new voice. Presented in a dual-language format, it is a book about exile, linguistic and otherwise, written with an intensity and clarity not seen since Nabokov. A startling act of self-reflection and a provocative exploration of belonging and reinvention.
How to Speak Any Language Fluently: Fun, stimulating and effective methods to help anyone learn languages faster
Alex Rawlings - 2017
It uses techniques that can easily be incorporated into your daily life, while making use of whatever resources you have available. Whether you are starting out with your first foreign language or wishing to add to your repetoire, you'll find a wealth of easy-to-follow advice and achievable goals. Discover how to:-Speak with greater confidence and accuracy-Effectively learn vocabulary and grammar -Use time on the internet and social media to learn a language-Read real books, websites and articles in a foreign language-Pass exams that certify your language skills
Greek to Me: Adventures of the Comma Queen
Mary Norris - 2019
In Greek to Me, she delivers another wise and funny paean to the art of self-expression, this time filtered through her greatest passion: all things Greek.Greek to Me is a charming account of Norris’s lifelong love affair with words and her solo adventures in the land of olive trees and ouzo. Along the way, Norris explains how the alphabet originated in Greece, makes the case for Athena as a feminist icon, goes searching for the fabled Baths of Aphrodite, and reveals the surprising ways Greek helped form English. Filled with Norris’s memorable encounters with Greek words, Greek gods, Greek wine—and more than a few Greek men—Greek to Me is the Comma Queen’s fresh take on Greece and the exotic yet strangely familiar language that so deeply influences our own.
Dirty Japanese: Everyday Slang from "What's Up?" to "F*%# Off!"
Matt Fargo - 2006
GET D!RTYNext time you’re traveling or just chattin’ in Japanese with your friends, drop the textbook formality and bust out with expressions they never teach you in school, including:•Cool slang•Funny insults•Explicit sex terms•Raw swear wordsDirty Japanese teaches the casual expressions heard every day on the streets of Japan:What's up?Ossu?How's it hanging?Choshi doyo?I'm smashed.Beron beron ni nattekita.I love ginormous tits.Kyo'nyu daiskui.Wanna try a threesome?Yatte miyo ka sanpi?I gotta take a leak.Shonben shite.He's such an asshole.Aitsu wa kanji warui kara.
Discovery
Mark Henrikson - 2016
You know the names: Columbus, Cortez, Montezuma, and Ponce de León. You were taught the how and why of their actions in school, but did the history books get it right? History, after all, is written by the victor.Come explore the Age of Discovery as you’ve never seen it before, through the eyes of Hastelloy and his crew. The Origins universe breaks new ground with the addition of the Lazarus crew’s collective chronicles of our history.
Learning Chinese Characters
Alison Matthews - 2007
This otherwise daunting task is made easier by the use of techniques based on the psychology of leaning and memory. key principles include the use of visual imagery, the visualization of short "stories," and the systematic building up of more complicated characters from basic building blocks.Although Learning Chinese Characters is primarily a book for serious learners of Mandarin Chinese, it can be used by anyone with an interest in Chinese characters, without any prior knowledge of Chinese. It can be used alongside (or after, or even before) a course in the Chinese language. All characters are simplified (as in mainland China) but traditional characters are also given, when available.Key features:-Specially designed pictures and stories are used in a structured way to make the learning process more enjoyable and effective, reducing the need for rote learning to the absolute minimum.-The emphasis throughout is on learning and remembering the meanings and pronunciations of the characters. Tips are also included on learning techniques and how to avoid common problems.-Characters are introduced in a logical sequence, which also gives priority to learning the most common characters first.-Modern simplified characters are used, with pronunciations given in pinyin. Key information is given for each character, including radical, stroke—count, traditional form, compounds, and guidance on writing the character.This is a practical guide with a clear, concise and appealing layout, and it is well—indexed with easy look—up methods. The 800 Chinese characters and 1,033 compounds specified for the original HSK Level A proficiency test are covered.
501 German Verbs
Henry Strutz - 1982
The arrangement is one verb per page in easy to comprehend table form. Each verb is listed with its principal parts and followed by complete conjugation in all tenses. Additional material includes tables of strong verbs arranged according to pattern of change, and a section on prefix verbs and model auxiliaries. An added feature in this edition is a set of 27 verb tests with answers explained. Language students will also find weather expressions as they are used with impersonal verbs, a selection of German idioms and proverbs, and a concise review of rules for verb tenses and moods. This book, with its emphasis on grammatical form, makes a fine classroom supplement for beginner, intermediate, and advanced courses in German.
IELTS Band 9 Grammar Secrets
Cambridge IELTS Consultants - 2014
We show you how to develop your grammar and vocabulary into more formal, precise and advanced English. We will explain how to organise your sentences, your paragraphs and your entire essay in a way that will impress English-speaking college tutors and examiners. Above all, we give you the methods to quickly change your writing from normal, day-to-day English into Band 9 Academic English. Packed with examples, models and guidelines to follow, these methods have been used with great success by our students for IELTS and University preparation. Start getting the results you need - and write the Academic way. ABOUT THE AUTHORS: Cambridge IELTS Consultants are a team of IELTS trainers and past examiners based in Cambridge, United Kingdom. They have many years experience of preparing students for IELTS at University level, assessing the speaking tests and developing course books to guide candidates through the Cambridge IELTS process. They really are the experts!
Talk English: How To Learn From The Success To Speak English Like A Native, A Step-By-Step Guide To Learn Spoken English
Ken Xiao - 2015
Follow The Effortless Step-By-Step Instructions In The Book To Completely Get Rid Of Your Accent and speak English like a native! How to speak English fluently? Learn from the success to perfect your English pronunciation, your tone, your flow, your expression, and everything you need to speak English naturally just like a native speaker would to make you speak English like a native speaker. So that instead of saying "how learn English" --> you would naturally say "how to learn English." What Level Of English Fluency Will You Achieve: Short Answer: Native. How to speak English like a native? Effortlessly Follow The Step-By-Step Instructions In The Book To Achieve The Highest Level Of Fluency, Making You Speak English Like A Native Speaker. The Author Is A Successful English Learner: This Book Is Written By An English Learner Who Successfully Learned To Speak English Like A Native Speaker. While Knowing Only Little English, The Author Started To Learn English Fluency At The Age Of 20 And Successfully Turned His Broken English Into Fluent English In Just 6 Months. "English spoken" It's actually "Spoken English." In The Continuing Effortless Practices, He Then Perfected His Fluency, Making Him Speak English Like A Native. "How speak English?" Well, it's "How to speak English?" You'll naturally speak it in the right way after following the step-by-step instructions in the book. Likewise, "English grammer," "Grammar English." it's actually "English grammar." Use For English And Any Other Language: The Author Founded The Myfluentenglish Formula Which He Used To Perfect His Speaking In English. Using The Same Formula, The Author Also Perfected His Speaking In Two Other Languages. This Formula Is Designed To Make You Speak English Like A Native. The Formula Is Also Designed To Make You Speak Any Other Language Like A Native. Just Follow The Step-By-Step Instructions In The Book. The best way to speak English. It's OK to type "The best way to speak Englosh." One out of 100 people would type Englosh instead of English. Learn English tenses, English verbs, grammar, vocabulary, fluency and everything you need to speak English like a native naturally by following the instructions in Talk English! What Comes With It: Talk English - How To Learn From The Success To Speak English Like A Native, A Step-By-Step Guide To Learn Spoken English + Bonus 1: Let's Get Started - 3 Strategies To Start Speaking English Immediately + Bonus 2: Let's Talk - How To Start A Conversation In English + Bonus 3: Vocabulary Built Solid - 6 Ways To Build A Rock Solid Vocabulary + Bonus 4: Free Lifetime Access To Native Study Materials. What readers are saying: THIS is the book every English learner NEEDS to read. Crystal F. Canada After 2 weeks, the change is significant. Most importantly I think like a native speaker starting building a little bit in my subconsciousness. Dexuan L. China How I can speak English so fast without accent? With your tips I can do it. I will recommend to my friends with broken English because I think your book is very helpful for me and other people like me to learn speak fluent English. Thank you so much! Farah A. Iran The book provides the readers a workable way on how to get to speak fluent English. It's simple, straightforward, and most important of all, its focused and not too way long to cost the readers too much time. Joanne L.
Polyglot: How I Learn Languages
Kató Lomb - 1970
A translator and one of the first simultaneous interpreters in the world, Lomb worked in 16 languages for state and business concerns in her native Hungary. She achieved further fame by writing books on languages, interpreting, and polyglots.Polyglot: How I Learn Languages, first published in 1970, is a collection of anecdotes and reflections on language learning. Because Dr. Lomb learned her languages as an adult, after getting a PhD in chemistry, the methods she used will thus be of particular interest to adult learners who want to master a foreign language.