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Foreign Language Reference
This is the first genuine etymological dictionary of Old Chinese written in any language. As such, it constitutes a milestone in research on the evolution of the Sinitic language group. Whereas previous studies have emphasized the structure of the Chinese characters, this pathbreaking dictionary places primary emphasis on the sounds and meanings of Sinitic roots. Based on more than three decades of intensive investigation in primary and secondary sources, this completely new dictionary places Old Chinese squarely within the Sino-Tibetan language family (including close consideration of numerous Tiberto-Burman languages), while paying due regard to other language families such as Austroasiatic, Miao-Yao (Hmong-Mien), and Kam-Tai.
Designed for use by nonspecialists and specialists alike, the dictionary is highly accessible, being arranged in alphabetical order and possessed of numerous innovative lexicographical features. Each entry offers one or more possible etymologies as well as reconstructed pronunciations and other relevant data. Words that are morphologically related are grouped together into "word families" that attempt to make explicit the derivational or other etymological processes that relate them. The dictionary is preceded by a substantive and significant introduction that outlines the author's views on the linguistic position of Chinese within Asia and details the phonological and morphological properties, to the degree they are known, of the earliest stages of the Chinese language and its ancestor. This introduction, because it both summarizes and synthesizes earlier work and makes several original contributions, functions as a useful reference work all on its own.
Unlike many more recent grammars, this work contains few inaccuracies or errors. Moreover, although it is a reference grammar, it cites many examples of sentences, phrases, and figures of speech found in classical Arabic prose and poetry. Originally published in two volumes, it has been republished here in one volume; however, the original arrangement has been retained. Thus, Volume One covers orthography and orthoëpy, and parts of speech (including extensive coverage of verbs and nouns, numerals and the particles). Volume Two deals with syntax, including the component parts of a sentence, the sentence in general, and different kinds of sentences. A final section discusses prosody. Three indexes assist students in finding words, constructions, and grammatical categories.
This third edition incorporates a number of helpful revisions, additions and corrections made to the second edition by W. Robertson Smith and M. J. de Goeje. The result is an unmatched resource for English-speaking students wishing to master the intricacies of Arabic.
A concise and accessible introduction to the topic, this book traces the history of cuneiform from its beginnings in the fourth millennium BC to its eventual demise in the face of the ever expanding use of alphabetic Aramaic in the first millennium BC. The authors explain how this pre-alphabetic system worked and how it was possible to use it to record so many different languages. Drawing on examples from the British Museum, which has the largest and most venerable cuneiform collection in the world, this lively volume includes elementary school exercises, revealing private letters, and beautiful calligraphic literature for royal libraries.
A complete handbook for learning to read and write Japanese hiragana, the syllabary that is the first of Japan's three writing systems introduced to all beginning students. Using real-world examples, illustrations, quizzes, and practice squares, this book teaches correct stroke order as well as examples of how hiragana are used for question words, adverbs, special words, and pronunciation of difficult characters.
A complete handbook for learning to read and write Japanese katakana, the syllabary that is the second of Japan's three writing systems introduced to all beginning students. Using real-world examples, illustrations, quizzes, and practice squares, this book teaches correct stroke order as well as examples of how katakana are used for words borrowed from other languages, for emphasis, and in advertising for its "cool" factor.
Communicate effectively with the ultimate bilingual, bidirectional guide to French and North American English.
With up-to-date coverage of essential current vocabulary, this is a perfect translation tool for teachers, travelers, and language learners of all skill levels.
This all-inclusive dictionary also features full-color, atlas-style maps, concise grammar guides, and regular verb conjugation lists.
For almost a century, Gesenius' Hebrew Grammar has proven to be one of the most comprehensive works on Hebrew, covering all aspects of the language, including historical background, pronunciation, etymology, syntax, and sentence structure. Generally recognized as the most useful and authoritative reference grammar for Biblical Hebrew, the text includes indices of Hebrew words, subjects, and Biblical passages as well as an extremely valuable appendix listing paradigms.
An indispensable resource for students and translators, Gesenius' book remains the most usable reference grammar for classical Hebrew.
"Get Started in Hindi" requires no prior experience in the language and gives you the opportunity to study at a reasonable, steady pace. This course makes the process nearly painless--it is written in a friendly and supportive tone, and the structure offers you plenty of opportunities for self-practice. You are in control of your learning experience, so you never feel overwhelmed or rushed.
This practical course introduces the new language without inundating you and includes dialogues and exercises, a helpful pronunciation section, manageable lists of practical vocabulary, a glossary of grammar terms, and more.
The accompanying audio CD features recordings by native speakers and contains dialogues from the book as well as exercises in listening and speaking.
Decodes the long history of Hebrew and its influential place as the ancestor of many modern written languages
Hebrew as a language is just over 3,000 years old, and the story of its alphabet is unique among the languages of the world. Hebrew set the stage for almost every modern alphabet, and was arguably the first written language simple enough for everyone, not just scribes, to learn, making it possible to make a written record available to the masses for the first time. Written language has existed for so many years--since around 3500 BCE--that most of us take it for granted. But as Hoffman reveals in this entertaining and informative work, even the idea that speech can be divided into units called "words" and that these words can be represented with marks on a page, had to be discovered. As Hoffman points out, almost every modern system of writing descends from Hebrew; by studying the history of this language, we can learn a good deal about how we express ourselves today. Hoffman follows and decodes the adventure that is the history of Hebrew, illuminating how the written record has survived, the significance of the Dead Sea Scrolls and ancient translations, and attempts to determine how the language actually sounded. He places these developments into a historical context, and shows their continuing impact on the modern world. This sweeping history traces Hebrew's development as one of the first languages to make use of vowels. Hoffman also covers the dramatic story of the rebirth of Hebrew as a modern, spoken language. Packed with lively information about language and linguistics and history, In the Beginning is essential reading for both newcomers and scholars interested in learning more about Hebrew and languages in general.
Kanji come to life with over 250 graphically illustrated mnemonics for learning essential Japanese characters. Colorful pages are filled with horses and tigers, palaces and pulpits, kings and lunatics, samurai and wizards. A world of soldiers, swords, spies, demons, fire, smoke, gushing blood, and dragons with claws and fangs.
While the format looks and feels more like a colorful story book than a textbook, KanjiPictoGraphix Dragon Book taps powerful learning methods derived from Rowley's career as an educational therapist and professor of information design.
The book begins with an 'Elements' chart of the building blocks of Japanese written language. Pages are organized into clusters of characters with common elements and meanings. The result is a semantic, meaningful narrative that makes learning the complex written forms easy to understand and remember. The hundreds of visual mnemonics draw upon a combination of visuals with genuine etymological roots along with contemporary visual interpretations to help you learn to read Japanese kanji quickly and joyfully.
Kanji are over 2,000 years old, so you will see some non-PC imagery that reflects ancient ideas about religion, women, men, children, animals, and old people. Rather than whitewash this, the book illustrates the meanings and ideas of an ancient, beautiful, and, at times, provocative language.
Michael Rowley is the founder and creative director at VizCab.com, a family-run print and mobile media design and branding business in Silicon Valley, California. He is the author of KanjiPictoGraphix for iPhone and iPad. His Twitter feed @KanjPicto distills and dissects the meanings of Japanese kanji vocabulary words. Early in his career Michael worked as an educational therapist at the Dannen School at La Cañada, taught English at Chaminade University Tokyo, digital imaging at The American Film Institute in Hollywood, and information design at Art Center Pasadena. He lives with his sweetheart, Kiki, and their four dogs and is a volunteer at ProjectRescueMe.com, an organization to rescue animals and end petlessness.
Learn to Read Latin
This book is the only introductory manual for writing Chinese characters prepared specifically for an English-speaking audience. The author guides the reader through the fundamentals of writing and introduces the different types of script used in China today, their evolution, their place in Chinese tradition, and the relation among them. The book provides basic instruction in writing with a modern fountain pen rather than a brush. Only commonly used characters--both simplified and full forms--appear as examples and exercises. Also included is an explanation of how to look up characters in a Chinese dictionary.
This attractive and charming book, full of anecdotes and calligraphic aphorisms, is both a useful classroom tool and an enjoyable reading experience for anyone with an interest in the language and culture of China.
A comprehensive introduction to modern Israeli Hebrew, Lessons in Modern Hebrew: Level I and Level II provide English-speaking students and well-motivated individuals with all the basic classroom tools necessary for mastery of the language. The lessons introduce the student to the core vocabulary which is then included in reading passages, conversational text, and written communication. All grammatical features of modern Hebrew are thoroughly explained and reinforced by drills and exercises. The books have been classroom-tested at the University of Michigan. Both audio-lingual and cognitive approaches are used.
Cassettes are available from the University of Michigan Language Resource Center Phone: (734) 764-0424; Email: lrc.contact@umich.edu.
