Now Available! Acquiring the Major Speech Functions is a practical handbook for students who plan to study in Russia or spend time in Russian-speaking communities and want to not only communicate with grammatical correctness but use the language in ordinary situations the way Russians dowhether for making requests, offering or accepting an invitation, consoling, complaining, or simply improving on how to start and maintain a conversation in Russian that is natural and culturally appropriate. Acquiring the Major Speech Functions includes: 13 SPEECH ETIQUETTE THEMES 62 LISTENING ACTIVITIES 59 DRILLS 84 SITUATIONAL SCENARIOS 62 WRITING ASSIGNMENTS

This highly illustrated textbook is both a reference and activity book for all beginners and early intermediate students of Arabic. As a reference book, it provides friendly theme-based vocabulary lists to perfect pronunciation through both listening and repetition. As an activity book, it helps absorb and practise vocabulary through a variety of engaging exercises. Each of the units in the book is divided into two sections with the first section suitable for early beginners, and the second section for late beginners or early intermediate students. Each section presents key vocabulary followed by a wide range of activities. This book assumes a reasonable knowledge of the Arabic script and basic grammar, and is intended for beginners and early intermediate students to back up learning elsewhere. Vocabulary acquisition and pronunciation are both important but sometimes tricky aspects of learning Arabic, and this book aims to help overcome this.

Originally published in 1935, this book was created to provide English students with a good understanding of Spanish pronunciation, particularly those students intending to teach Spanish. Illustrative figures and a short bibliography are included. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in Spanish, phonetics and the development of language teaching.

These speeches will address themselves to the minds and hearts of those who read them, but not with the effect they had with those who heard them; Clemens himself would have said, not with half the effect. I have noted elsewhere how he always held that the actor doubled the value of the author's words; and he was a great actor as well as a great author. He was a most consummate actor, with this difference from other actors, that he was the first to know the thoughts and invent the fancies to which his voice and action gave the color of life. Representation is the art of other actors; his art was creative as well as representative; it was nothing at second hand. I never heard Clemens speak when I thought he quite failed; some burst or spurt redeemed him when he seemed flagging short of the goal, and, whoever else was in the running, he came in ahead. His near-failures were the error of a rare trust to the spontaneity in which other speakers confide, or are believed to confide, when they are on their feet. He knew that from the beginning of oratory the orator's spontaneity was for the silence and solitude of the closet where he mused his words to an imagined audience; that this was the use of orators from Demosthenes and Cicero up and down. He studied every word and syllable, and memorized them by a system of mnemonics peculiar to himself, consisting of an arbitrary arrangement of things on a table-knives, forks, salt-cellars; inkstands, pens, boxes, or whatever was at hand-which stood for points and clauses and climaxes, and were at once indelible diction and constant suggestion. He studied every tone and every gesture, and he forecast the result with the real audience from its result with that imagined audience. Therefore, it was beautiful to see him and to hear him; he rejoiced in the pleasure he gave and the blows of surprise which he dealt; and because he had his end in mind, he knew when to stop. I have been talking of his method and manner; the matter the reader has here before him; and it is good matter, glad, honest, kind, just. W. D. HOWELLS.

Mark Twain's collected speeches showcase all of his brilliant wit as well as his incredible power as an orator; they are definitely worth taking the time to read.

Representative collection of 16 masterly orations, correspondence, including "House Divided" speech at the Republican State Convention, the First Inaugural Address, the Gettysburg Address, the Letter to Mrs. Bixby, expressing regret over the wartime deaths of her 5 sons, and the Second Inaugural Address.

'The thrill is that you're actually figuring it out on your own. You're engaging with another language, not just parroting it... It's an excellent way to start, and leaves the listener thinking, Hey, Ich kann do dis.' - New Yorker, David Sedaris, humorist and author, on learning German with the Michel Thomas Method Looking for a convenient language course that fits your lifestyle and gets you speaking a new language in a matter of weeks, not years? The original no-books, no-homework, no-memorizing method is in tune with the way the brain prefers to receive, store and retrieve information. You'll stick with it because you'll love it. This Taster course is the first hour of the eight-hour Foundation German course. Within this first hour you will learn 50 essential words of German thanks to the Michel Thomas Method, perfected over 50 years by celebrated psycholinguist Michel Thomas. * Pick up German naturally and unforgettably without strain * Learn from listening and speaking, without the pressure of writing or memorizing * Build up your German in manageable steps by thinking out answers for yourself * Progress to the full Foundation German course with confidence in the method. WHAT'S NEW? This new edition includes remastered audio and comes in new, eco-friendly recyclable packaging. WHY IS THE METHOD SO SUCCESSFUL? 'What you understand, you know; and what you know, you don't forget.' - Michel Thomas Before there was machine learning, there was Michel Thomas. For over 50 years he worked on decoding languages by breaking them down into their most essential component parts. These 'building blocks' are introduced to the learner sequentially in such a way that you reconstruct the language for yourself - to form your own sentences, to say what you want, when you want. This unique method draws on the principles of instructional psychology and works with the way your brain prefers to receive, store and retrieve information. Knowledge is structured and organized so that you absorb the language easily and don't forget it. The method is designed to eliminate the stress which prevents you from relaxing and allowing the brain to work in the way which accepts learning in a seemingly painless, very exciting and highly motivating way. HOW DO THE COURSES WORK? 'All stress inhibits true and effective learning' - Michel Thomas During the course, you will join Michel Thomas and two students in a live lesson, learning from both their successes and their mistakes to keep you motivated and involved throughout the course. You, as the learner, become the third student and participate actively in the class. Within the very first hour you will be able to construct simple phrases by listening and thinking out answers for yourself without the pressure of writing or stress of having to memorize. You will learn at your own pace, pausing and repeating where necessary, and complete the course in about 3-5 hours. WHAT WILL I ACTUALLY ACHIEVE? 'I am the architect who builds the house. It's up to you to decorate it.' - Michel Thomas The Michel Thomas Method will help you kick-start, continue, and flourish in your German language learning journey. It is not intended to get you perfectly fluent, but it will get you speaking and using German, with proper pronunciation, faster than most any other method. It is designed to give you a strong foundation and good working knowledge of a language from which you can expand and later 'add decoration' to. It is a rapid method for learning, but still requires effort and concentration on the part of the learner. WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THE COURSE?* Start German includes one audio CD. The booklet is available to download from www.michelthomas.com. LEARN ANYWHERE AND ANYTIME! Reclaim your pockets of free time to learn a new language! Don't be tied to chunky books or your computer, Michel Thomas Method audio courses let you learn whenever and wherever you want, in as little or as much time as you have. WHERE DO I GO NEXT? Foundation German follows on from the Start course.

This new edition of the Luath Scots Language Learner featuring updated information is suitable as an introductory course or for those interested in reacquainting themselves with the language of childhood and grandparents. There are dictionaries and grammar books but this is the first-ever language course. The book assumes no prior knowledge on the reader's part. Starting from the most basic vocabulary and constructions, the reader is guided step-by-step through Scots vocabulary and the subtleties of grammar and idiom that distinguish Scots from English. An accompanying audio recording conveys the authentic pronunciation, especially important to readers from outside Scotland.

This dissertation presents a study on the acquisition of telicity by Spanish and English native speakers. In addition to the study of acquisition, it investigates the syntactic and semantic properties of locatum constructions (e.g., the water filled the bucket), which are sentences that contain two internal arguments and whose subject is non-agentive. This dissertation explores the syntactic and semantic properties of elements of the verb phrase that had not been previously considered in the interpretation of telicity, such as the role of non-agentive subjects and the type of movement that takes place in the checking of the verb's telic features.Contrary to the assumption that only the direct internal argument of the verb can delimit an event, I argue that objects generated in the lower verb phrase, by virtue of being an internal argument of the verb can delimit an event. An object delimits an event by checking the verb's telic features in spec-AspP, either by covert or overt movement. If a predicate contains one internal argument (e.g., the boy filled the bucket) the checking of the verb's telic features takes place via covert movement. That is, only the NPs specific quantification features move covertly to check the verb's telic features in spec-AspP. However, if the predicate contains two internal arguments (e.g., fill the bucket with water), the surfaced subject (e.g., the water filled the bucket) by virtue of being an internal argument of the verb, checks the verb's telic features as the category and its features move overtly to subject position.The study shows that young children understand telicity when the verb's telic features are checked via overt movement, but have difficulties understanding telicity when the verb's telic features are checked via covert movement. I propose that predicates whose telicity involves overt movement should be acquired earlier than predicates whose telicity involves covert movement because overt movement is an operation that happens between D-structure and S-structure before the sentence is pronounced. Predicates whose telicity involves covert movement might be acquired at a later age of development because covert movement happens between S-structure and LF after the sentence is pronounced.

The second volume in a four-part language course, this textbook builds on the spoken language lessons from Book 1 and contains more advanced speaking exercises and practice dialogs, as well as activities to reinforce the material presented in Book 1. The material of Book 2 is arranged in five levels, each of which covers the same set of topics, but each succeeding level both consolidates and extends the learnerAEs proficiency in the topic. The lessons are followed by appendices on etiquette and social behavior in Burma and an outline of Burmese grammar. Okell also presents more extensive vocabulary lists, both Burmese-English and English-Burmese, which are arranged by topic and include such categories as names of clothes, foods, and talking with Buddhist monks.Like the other titles in this series, Book 2 is accompanied by audio files and can be used either under the instruction of a teacher or for self-study. The series was developed over a period of several years and was tested, modified, and expanded after use in the classroom. Language professors and their students or those learning Burmese on their own will appreciate the accessible approach and the manageable size of the lessons of the very practical textbooks in this series.

Say farewell to language faux pas forever!

Based on the revolutionary Easily Pronounced Language Systems approach, "Say It Right in Thai" makes mastering correct Thai pronunciation simple. With "Say It Right" you'll learn how to use hundreds of Thai words and phrases in everyday conversation.

This amazing guide gives you easy-to-read vowel symbols that, when combined with consonants, make pronunciation easy. With "Say It Right in Thai" you will: Learn more than 500 essential Thai words and phrases Easily create sentences using "Phrasemakers" Get a quick reference to more than 500 word pronunciations in the "Say It Right" travel dictionary

Topics include: Essential Words & Phrases; Arrival/Departure; Transportation; Hotel Survival; Restaurant Survival; Shopping; and Health

Say farewell to language faux pas forever!

Based on the revolutionary Easily Pronounced Language Systems approach, "Say It Right in Greek" makes mastering correct Greek pronunciation simple. With "Say It Right" you'll learn how to use hundreds of Greek words and phrases in everyday conversation.

This amazing guide gives you easy-to-read vowel symbols that, when combined with consonants, make pronunciation easy. With "Say It Right in Greek" you will: Learn more than 500 essential Greek words and phrases Easily create sentences using "Phrasemakers" Get a quick reference to more than 500 word pronunciations in the "Say It Right" travel dictionary

Topics include: Essential Words & Phrases; Arrival/Departure; Transportation; Hotel Survival; Restaurant Survival; Shopping; and Health

Say farewell to language faux pas forever

Based on the revolutionary Easily Pronounced Language Systems (EPLS) approach, "Say It Right in Korean" makes mastering correct Korean pronunciation simple. With Say It Right you'll learn how to use hundreds of Korean words and phrases in everyday conversation. This amazing guide gives you easy-to-read vowel symbols that, when combined with consonants, make pronunciation easy. With "Say It Right in Korean" you will: Learn more than 500 essential Korean words and phrases Easily create sentences using "Phrasemakers" Get a quick reference to more than 500 word pronunciations in the Say It Right travel dictionary

INNOVATIONS is a new five-level general English course for classes looking for new material with a fresh approach. Based on a language-rich, lexical/grammatical syllabus, it starts from the kinds of natural conversations that learners want to have. Online Teacher Training available!

Is American English in decline? Are regional dialects dying out? Is there a difference between men and women in how they adapt to linguistic variations?
These questions, and more, about our language catapulted Robert MacNeil and William Cran--the authors (with Robert McCrum) of the language classic "The Story of English--across the country in search of the answers. "Do You Speak American? is the tale of their discoveries, which provocatively show how the standard for American English--if a standard exists--is changing quickly and dramatically.
On a journey that takes them from the Northeast, through Appalachia and the Deep South, and west to California, the authors observe everyday verbal interactions and in a host of interviews with native speakers glean the linguistic quirks and traditions characteristic of each area. While examining the histories and controversies surrounding both written and spoken American English, they address anxieties and assumptions that, when explored, are highly emotional, such as the growing influence of Spanish as a threat to American English and the special treatment of African-American vernacular English. And, challenging the purists who think grammatical standards are in serious deterioration and that media saturation of our culture is homogenizing our speech, they surprise us with unpredictable responses.
With insight and wit, MacNeil and Cran bring us a compelling book that is at once a celebration and a potent study of our singular language.

Each wave of immigration has brought new words to enrich the American language. Do you recognize the origin of

1. blunderbuss, sleigh, stoop, coleslaw, boss, waffle?
Or
2. dumb, ouch, shyster, check, kaput, scram, bummer?
Or
3. phooey, pastrami, glitch, kibbitz, schnozzle?
Or
4. broccoli, espresso, pizza, pasta, macaroni, radio?
Or
5. smithereens, lollapalooza, speakeasy, hooligan?
Or
6. vamoose, chaps, stampede, mustang, ranch, corral?

1. Dutch 2. German 3. Yiddish 4. Italian 5. Irish 6. Spanish

Das Thema Fremdwortbildung gehoert erst seit kurzem zum Forschungsgegenstand der germanistischen Wortbildungslehre. In traditionellen Arbeiten blieb dieser Bereich - auch aus puristischen Grunden - dagegen weitgehend ausgespart. Die Bestrebungen, diese Lucke zu schliessen, reichen bis in die 1960er Jahre zuruck. Seitdem wurde die Fremdwortbildungsforschung zwar intensiviert, doch bestehen auch noch heute zahlreiche Forschungsdesiderate, wozu sowohl empirische Untersuchungen als auch methodisch-theoretische UEberlegungen zahlen. Der Band zeichnet anhand von 31 Beitragen die Forschungsgeschichte nach und soll zugleich Anregungen fur die zukunftige Klarung offener Fragen und Probleme liefern. Eine Einfuhrung und eine Bibliographie runden die Textsammlung ab und dienen der weiteren Orientierung.

In order to speak French as it is spoken by native-speakers, one needs not only to hear the language, but to know what to listen for. This comprehensive and accessible guide to current French pronunciation fulfils precisely this need.

The first three chapters outline the book's aims, level and scope, as well as the general principles of French phonetics. The author also alerts the reader to regional variations in the pronunciation of French. He then turns to specifics, including vowels, semi-consonants and consonants, providing the reader with the basic knowledge needed to understand later chapters which discuss these parts of speech at greater length. Interspersed are other chapters covering such important aspects of French pronunciation as rhythmic groups, the syllable, liaison and intonation.

The orientation of "An Introduction to French Pronunciation" is consistently practical, and phonetic theory and technical terminology are kept to the minimum necessary. It will be of interest to anyone with a basic knowledge of French who needs help and advice in achieving a more authentic pronunciation.