The most enjoyable way to learn about an unfamiliar culture is through its stories--especially when they're told in two languages! Thai Stories for Language Learners introduces 28 entertaining Thai stories with bilingual Thai and English versions presented on facing pages. The stories are adapted from traditional folktales with roots in the Thai oral tradition, classic Thai literature, and Thai versions of the Indian Jataka Tales--which describe the past lives of the Buddha. The stories in this book include: "The Frightened Rabbit" is a well-known story about rabbit who hears a loud thundering sound and concludes it is a landslide, without investigating further. He runs about telling others of the landslide, thus causing unnecessary panic. "A Horse-faced Woman" is one of the most popular folktales in Thailand because the heroine's appearance and character differ vastly from other Thai heroines. Her equine appearance, unpopularity with fellow villagers, and passionate desires to marry the handsome Prince Pin Thong collide. "A Myth of Phra Ruang" is a classic tale popular among Thai people. It tells the story of a legendary hero--Phra Ruang--who frees the people of Lavo (Lopburi) from the ancient Khmer rulers. When the Khmer king tries to kill him, Phra Ruang escapes and is ordained as a monk. And many more! Alongside each story, readers will find: A list of key vocabulary in the Thai script, Romanized form, and the English meanings A set of questions and writing activities A Thai pronunciation guide Online audio recording in order to improve pronunciation and comprehension. This book will be of interest to learners who are beginning to read and write the Thai language and would like additional practice, as well as to general readers interested in learning about Thai culture.

From an award-winning writer and linguist, a scientific and personal meditation on the phenomenon of language loss and the possibility of renewal. As a child Julie Sedivy left Czechoslovakia for Canada, and English soon took over her life. By early adulthood she spoke Czech rarely and badly, and when her father died unexpectedly, she lost not only a beloved parent but also her firmest point of connection to her native language. As Sedivy realized, more is at stake here than the loss of language: there is also the loss of identity. Language is an important part of adaptation to a new culture, and immigrants everywhere face pressure to assimilate. Recognizing this tension, Sedivy set out to understand the science of language loss and the potential for renewal. In Memory Speaks, she takes on the psychological and social world of multilingualism, exploring the human brain's capacity to learn-and forget-languages at various stages of life. But while studies of multilingual experience provide resources for the teaching and preservation of languages, Sedivy finds that the challenges facing multilingual people are largely political. Countering the widespread view that linguistic pluralism splinters loyalties and communities, Sedivy argues that the struggle to remain connected to an ancestral language and culture is a site of common ground, as people from all backgrounds can recognize the crucial role of language in forming a sense of self. Distinctive and timely, Memory Speaks combines a rich body of psychological research with a moving story at once personal and universally resonant. As citizens debate the merits of bilingual education, as the world's less dominant languages are driven to extinction, and as many people confront the pain of language loss, this is badly needed wisdom.

This is the first book to focus exclusively on an examination of early 21st-century adult reading aloud. The dominant contemporary image of reading in much of the world is that of a silent, solitary activity. This book challenges this dominant discourse, acknowledging the diversity of reading practices that adults perform or experience in different communities, languages, contexts and phases of our lives, outlining potential educational implications and next steps for literacy teaching and research. By documenting and analysing the diversity of oral reading practices that adults take part in (on- and offline), this book explores contemporary reading aloud as hugely varied, often invisible and yet quietly ubiquitous. Duncan discusses questions such as: What, where, how and why do adults read aloud, or listen to others reading? How do couples, families and groups use oral reading as a way of being together? When and why do adults read aloud at work? And why do some people read aloud in languages they may not speak or understand? This book is key reading for advanced students, researchers and scholars of literacy practices and literacy education within education, applied linguistics and related areas.

The easy way to learn the Korean Hangeul writing system! Fans of K-Pop and Korean dramas as well as beginning students of Korean will love this handy guide to the Korean Hangeul alphabet. Designed for both self-study students and use in a classroom, no prior knowledge of Korean is needed. With this workbook, you'll quickly learn to read, write and pronounce the letters and hundreds of useful Korean words and phrases. Reading and Writing Korean includes: Free online audio recordings to teach you to pronounce all the sounds of the language correctly Fun exercises to help you memorize a broad range of vocabulary--from numbers and Korean foods to pop culture and social media A set of free downloadable flash cards to help you memorize letters and words A complete answer key for all the exercises Mnemonic illustrations to help memorize the sounds of the letters Oxford University instructors Jieun Kiaer and Derek Driggs present the vowels, consonants, syllables and words in a systematic, step-by-step approach which takes you from tracing and copying individual letters to writing complete words and sentences in no time at all!

This book outlines best practice and effective strategies for teaching English as a foreign language to D/deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) students. Written by a group of researchers and experienced practitioners, the book presents a combination of theory, hands-on experience, and insight from DHH students. The book brings together a variety of tried and tested teaching ideas primarily designed to be used for classroom work as a basis for standby lessons or to supplement courses. Placing considerable emphasis on practical strategies, it provides educators and practitioners with stimulating ideas that facilitate the emergence of fluency and communication skills. The chapters cover a wide range of interventions and strategies including early education teaching strategies, using sign -bilingualism in the classroom, enhancing oral communication, speech visualization, improving pronunciation, using films and cartoons, lip reading techniques, written support, and harnessing writing as a memory strategy. Full of practical guidance grounded in theory, the book will be a useful resource for English teachers and all those involved in the education of deaf and hard of hearing learners across the world; including researchers, student teachers, newly qualified teachers, school supervisors, and counsellors.

This edited collection provides unprecedented insight into the emerging field of multilingual education in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Multilingual education is claimed to have many benefits, amongst which are that it can improve both content and language learning, especially for learners who may have low ability in the medium of instruction and are consequently struggling to learn. The book represents a range of Sub-Saharan school contexts and describes how multilingual strategies have been developed and implemented within them to support the learning of content and language. It looks at multilingual learning from several points of view, including 'translanguaging', or the use of multiple languages - and especially African languages - for learning and language-supportive pedagogy, or the implementation of a distinct pedagogy to support learners working through the medium of a second language. The book puts forward strategies for creating materials, classroom environments and teacher education programmes which support the use of all of a student's languages to improve language and content learning. The contexts which the book describes are challenging, including low school resourcing, poverty and low literacy in the home, and school policy which militates against the use of African languages in school. The volume also draws on multilingual education approaches which have been successfully carried out in higher resource countries and lend themselves to being adapted for use in SSA. It shows how multilingual learning can bring about transformation in education and provides inspiration for how these strategies might spread and be further developed to improve learning in schools in SSA and beyond. Chapter 3 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com.

Performing Power explores 18th-century fabrication of the royal image by focusing on the example of King Gustav III (1746-1792) - one of Sweden's most acclaimed and controversial monarchs - who conspicuously chose theater as the primary media for his image-making and role construction. The text postulates that Gustav III was motivated by theater's ability to aid him in fulfilling Enlightenment's tenet of broadly educating the populace and inculcating it with royal ideology. That he was an amateur actor, stage director, and playwright were other engines driving his choice. The project challenges and expands the commonly accepted perception of Gustav III's contribution to Swedish theater, which has generally been limited to founding its National Opera, developing its national drama, and forming its national dramatic repertoire. Maria Berlova presents Gustav III as a performing King who strategically used political events as a framework through which he could embody the image of the ideal or enlightened monarch as presented by Voltaire. Through this, Performing Power explores the tight relationship and complex bond between theatrical arts and politics. This unique study will be of great interest to students and scholars in theater studies, 18th-century culture, and politics.

There is a growing body of research on English-medium Instruction (EMI) in Asian contexts, and much of this research points out difficulties experienced by stakeholders. This volume takes up the issue of support for EMI, which is, and which can be, offered to students outside of the classroom in order to help them succeed academically in an EMI environment. Dr Ruegg's book demonstrates the effectiveness of such support in the Japanese context. It begins by examining the support currently available for students in English-medium full degree programmes then goes on to examine one successful support service in more detail in order to determine the kinds of effects that can be achieved by establishing such a centre. The research reported in this book was conducted in Japan, but the findings will apply in other locations, especially in other Asian countries. The information provided in the book is expected to inform institutions who are looking to either establish an English-medium degree programme or improve on an existing programme by sharing information about the practices of other institutions.

Presenting comprehensive research conducted with learners and educators in a range of settings, this volume showcases self-reflection as a powerful tool to enhance student learning. The text builds on empirical insights to illustrate how language professionals can foster critical self-reflection amongst learners of English as an additional language. This text uses ecologically sensitive practitioner research that addresses issues of both practical and pedagogical significance in the fields of TESOL, language teaching and learning, and teacher education. By synthesizing interdisciplinary research and theory, chapters show how various types of self-reflection-including guided and non-guided; group and individual forms; and written, oral, and technology-mediated reflection-can promote autonomous, self-regulated learning amongst students at various levels. Whilst offering readers a strong grounding in the theoretical and empirical knowledge that supports self-reflection, the volume gives constant attention is given to praxis, with a focus on effective pedagogical strategies and tools needed to implement, encourage, and evaluate critical learner reflection in readers' own teaching or research. This volume will be a critical resource for language-teaching professionals interested in critical learner reflection, including in-service, pre-service, and teacher educators in the field of TESOL. Scholars and researchers in the fields of applied linguistics and language education more broadly will find this volume valuable.

Focusing on the needs and experiences of underrepresented students in the US, this text explores how pre-college outreach programs can effectively support the development of students' writing skills in preparation for the transition from high school to college. Synthesizing data from a longitudinal study focusing on multilingual, low-income, and first-generation students, this volume provides in-depth exploration of the strategies and resources used in a pre-college literacy program in the US. Grounded in an expansive, qualitative study, chapters reveal how outreach practices can encourage student-led research, writing, confidence, and collaboration. More broadly, programs are shown to help tackle issues of inequality, increase college readiness, and reduce difficulties with writing which can restrict minority students' access to higher education and their longer-term college attainment. This text will benefit researchers, academics, and educators with an interest in English and literacy studies, multicultural education, and pre-college writing instruction. Those interested in bilingualism, translingualism, writing studies, English as a second language (ESL), and applied linguistics will also benefit from the volume.

How to Write in Arabic teaches intermediate and advanced learners how to use the Arabic linguistic features that are key to achieving written fluency. Each unit contains carefully selected exercises where students practise their vocabulary and grammar in a wide range of registers and contexts - such as writing a CV, a short story, a love letter, an essay and many more. In addition to brand-new drills and vocabularies, this second edition also features three new units. The unit on Arabic expressions and vocabulary provides learners with a variety of phrases in context. The unit on media writing focuses on themes such as diplomacy, elections, the economy, the environment and revolutions, amongst others. And the unit on writing errors helps learners spot and correct common mistakes, especially in punctuation and tense.

This research- and pedagogy-oriented book delves into the study and application of incidental vocabulary acquisition in English through captioned videos. This technology offers EFL students of different ages more opportunities for vocabulary learning compared to the traditional classroom. This book reviews the conceptual, methodological, theoretical, and practical issues associated with captioned videos and offers innovative ideas to help researchers, graduate students, and classroom practitioners enhance learners' vocabulary acquisition at all levels.

This book introduces a new framework for analyzing second language (L2) learners' written texts. The authors conducted a major study on changes and differences in English L2 learners' writing performance to advance understanding of the nature of L2 writing development over time, in relation to L2 instruction and testing, and to offer a model that professionals and researchers can use in their own longitudinal and cross-sectional studies of L2 writing development. Grounded in research, data, theory, and technology, this will be a welcome how-to for language test developers, scholars, and graduate students of (L2) writing and assessment.

Practical Chinese Usage offers post-beginner to near advanced students of Chinese a guide to the most frequently misused and confusing words in the language. Entries are arranged in alphabetical order for ease of reference. Sample sentences with pinyin and English translations are provided after each explanation. Examples of typical mistakes made by students are clearly marked throughou. Each entry is annotated in accordance with the New HSK guidelines, indicating the level of difficulty. Practical Chinese Usage provides students of Chinese with the necessary tools to refine their use of expressions and synonyms in order to communicate effectively in the Chinese language.

Intermediate Welsh: A Grammar and Workbook is designed for learners who have achieved basic proficiency and wish to proceed to more complex language. It presents a broad range of grammatical topics, illustrated by examples, which serve as models for the varied exercises that follow. The emphasis throughout is on colloquial spoken Welsh used by modern-day native speakers. Features include: a clear, accessible format; many useful language examples; jargon-free grammar explanations; sample drills and exercises; a full key to the exercises. This new edition has been redesigned for greater clarity and further examples have been updated.

This second edition of The Routledge Handbook of Language Testing provides an updated and comprehensive account of the area of language testing and assessment. The volume brings together 35 authoritative articles, divided into ten sections, written by 51 leading specialists from around the world. There are five entirely new chapters covering the four skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking, as well as a new entry on corpus linguistics and language testing. The remaining 30 chapters have been revised, often extensively, or entirely rewritten with new authorship teams at the helm, reflecting new generations of expertise in the field. With a dedicated section on technology in language testing, reflecting current trends in the field, the Handbook also includes an extended epilogue written by Harding and Fulcher, contemplating what has changed between the first and second editions and charting a trajectory for the field of language testing and assessment. Providing a basis for discussion, project work, and the design of both language tests themselves and related validation research, this Handbook represents an invaluable resource for students, researchers, and practitioners working in language testing and assessment and the wider field of language education.

Pop Culture in Language Education provides comprehensive insight on how studies of pop culture can inform language teaching and learning. The volume offers a state-of-the-art overview of empirically informed, cutting-edge research that tackles both theoretical concerns and practical implications. The book focuses on how a diverse array of pop culture artifacts such as pop and rap music, movies and TV series, comics and cartoons, fan fiction, and video games can be exploited for the development of language skills. It establishes the study of pop culture and its language as a serious subfield within language education and applied linguistics and explores how studies of pop culture, its language, and its non-linguistic affordances can inform language education at various levels of proficiency and with various learner populations. Presenting a broad range of quantitative and qualitative research approaches including case studies on how pop culture has been used successfully in language education in and beyond the classroom, this book will be of great interest for academics, researchers, and students in the field of language education, applied linguistics, psycholinguistics, and sociolinguistics, as well as for language teachers and materials developers.

A complete introduction to the letters and sounds of Persian, the ideal starting point for anyone new to the Persian language wanting to build a strong foundation on which to develop their language skills. Video and audio support show learners how each letter is written and pronounced. Exercises throughout allow the student to learn the alphabet over the course of several weeks through rigorous practice, and provides the opportunity to internalize the alphabet.

Chan's exploration of the acquisition of English grammar and phonology by Cantonese learners of English as a Second Language (ESL) offers insights into the specific challenges that learners often encounter and posits ways to help them overcome those challenges. Possible sources of the challenges are also examined. The book covers the basic differences between English and Cantonese grammar as well as those between English and Cantonese phonology. Chan discusses the kinds of grammatical and phonological problems that Cantonese ESL learners often have in their acquisition of English. In terms of grammar, various structures are reviewed, including errors which are clearly due to L1 interference and also those which may not be directly L1-related. Learners' common misconceptions about relevant concepts are also revealed. In terms of phonology, both speech perception and speech production problems at the segmental and suprasegmental levels are examined. For learner problems which may be the result of L1 interference, a contrastive approach is adopted in analysing the cause and nature of the errors. Chan also offers readers pedagogical insights to target common grammatical problems, including the use of an algorithmic approach, the use of a discovery-based consciousness-raising approach and the use of metalinguistic explanations. As far as the learning of English phonology is concerned, she argues that the training of speech production should go hand-in-hand with that of speech perception. Future research can experiment with the proposed teaching ideas with Cantonese ESL learners and learners of other native languages. Researchers and ESL teaching professionals will find the insights and research contained within this volume invaluable when encountering or researching Chinese ESL learners.

This book provides a unique analysis and description of the linguistic challenges faced by school students as they move from primary to secondary school, a major transition, which some students struggle with emotionally and academically. The study: * draws on a bespoke corpus of 2.5 million words of written materials and transcribed classroom recordings, provided by the project's partner schools; * combines quantitative and qualitative approaches to the corpus data to explore linguistic variation across school levels, registers and subjects; * describes the procedures of corpus compilation and analysis of written and spoken academic language, showing how modern corpus tools can be applied to this far-reaching social and educational issue; * uncovers differences and similarities between the academic language that school children are exposed to at primary and secondary school, contrasting this against the backdrop of the non-academic language that they encounter outside school. This book is important reading for advanced students and researchers in corpus linguistics, applied linguistics and teacher education. It carries implications for policymakers and schools looking to support students at this critical point in their schooling.

Heritage Speakers of Spanish and Study Abroad is an edited volume that provides emerging research on heritage speakers of Spanish in immersion contexts in theoretical, empirical, and programmatic terms. This edited collection seeks to expand our understanding of heritage speakers of Spanish by incorporating research on their linguistic, sociolinguistic, and pragmatic development during and after a sojourn abroad, by discussing the complexities of their identity formation and negotiation during immersive stays, and by highlighting programmatic innovations that could be leveraged to better serve diverse learners in study abroad contexts. This volume advances the fields of both heritage language education and research on immersion study in a variety of ways, and will be of interest to scholars of applied linguistics, sociolinguistics, second language acquisition, and educational linguistics, especially those interested in study abroad programming and Spanish for heritage speakers.