Musashi

Author: Eiji Yoshikawa
Publisher: Vertical, Inc.
ISBN: 1568364512
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 1547

Book Description
The classic samurai novel about the real exploits of the most famous swordsman. Miyamoto Musashi was the child of an era when Japan was emerging from decades of civil strife. Lured to the great Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 by the hope of becoming a samurai—without really knowing what it meant—he regains consciousness after the battle to find himself lying defeated, dazed and wounded among thousands of the dead and dying. On his way home, he commits a rash act, becomes a fugitive and brings life in his own village to a standstill—until he is captured by a weaponless Zen monk. The lovely Otsu, seeing in Musashi her ideal of manliness, frees him from his tortuous punishment, but he is recaptured and imprisoned. During three years of solitary confinement, he delves into the classics of Japan and China. When he is set free again, he rejects the position of samurai and for the next several years pursues his goal relentlessly, looking neither to left nor to right. Ever so slowly it dawns on him that following the Way of the Sword is not simply a matter of finding a target for his brute strength. Continually striving to perfect his technique, which leads him to a unique style of fighting with two swords simultaneously, he travels far and wide, challenging fighters of many disciplines, taking nature to be his ultimate and severest teacher and undergoing the rigorous training of those who follow the Way. He is supremely successful in his encounters, but in the Art of War he perceives the way of peaceful and prosperous governance and disciplines himself to be a real human being He becomes a reluctant hero to a host of people whose lives he has touched and been touched by. And, inevitably, he has to pit his skill against the naked blade of his greatest rival. Musashi is a novel in the best tradition of Japanese story telling. It is a living story, subtle and imaginative, teeming with memorable characters, many of them historical. Interweaving themes of unrequited love, misguided revenge, filial piety and absolute dedication to the Way of the Samurai, it depicts vividly a world Westerners know only vaguely. Full of gusto and humor, it has an epic quality and universal appeal. The novel was made into a three-part movie by Director Hiroshi Inagai. For more information, visit the Shopping area

Essential Japanese Phrasebook & Dictionary

Author: Tuttle Studio,
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
ISBN: 1462919197
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : en
Pages : 283

Book Description
Essential Japanese Phrase Book & Dictionary teaches you the practical phrases and expressions needed for common, everyday interactions in Japan in a clear, concise, accessible and enjoyable way. Key features of this Japanese phrasebook and dictionary include: Over 1,500 practical phrases for everyday use An English to Japanese dictionary with over 2,000 terms and expressions Essential expressions used for meeting people, starting conversations, and asking and replying to simple questions Manga illustrations to illustrate critical phrases and situations A pronunciation guide and Japanese grammar notes explain the basic sounds and sentence patterns of the Japanese language The latest Japanese vocabulary and phrases for smartphones, social media and more Japan travel tips, cultural notes and much more! All words and phrases are in Romanized form as well as the Japanese script. Basic Japanese grammar and pronunciation notes get you speaking right away, and tips on culture and etiquette allow you to interact in Japanese without making serious blunders. Whether you're a novice or have some experience with the language, this is a reference you'll turn to again and again when visiting Japan and interacting with Japanese people.

Is That a Fish in Your Ear?

Author: David Bellos
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
ISBN: 0865478724
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 385

Book Description
A New York Times Notable Book for 2011 One of The Economist's 2011 Books of the Year People speak different languages, and always have. The Ancient Greeks took no notice of anything unless it was said in Greek; the Romans made everyone speak Latin; and in India, people learned their neighbors' languages—as did many ordinary Europeans in times past (Christopher Columbus knew Italian, Portuguese, and Castilian Spanish as well as the classical languages). But today, we all use translation to cope with the diversity of languages. Without translation there would be no world news, not much of a reading list in any subject at college, no repair manuals for cars or planes; we wouldn't even be able to put together flat-pack furniture. Is That a Fish in Your Ear? ranges across the whole of human experience, from foreign films to philosophy, to show why translation is at the heart of what we do and who we are. Among many other things, David Bellos asks: What's the difference between translating unprepared natural speech and translating Madame Bovary? How do you translate a joke? What's the difference between a native tongue and a learned one? Can you translate between any pair of languages, or only between some? What really goes on when world leaders speak at the UN? Can machines ever replace human translators, and if not, why? But the biggest question Bellos asks is this: How do we ever really know that we've understood what anybody else says—in our own language or in another? Surprising, witty, and written with great joie de vivre, this book is all about how we comprehend other people and shows us how, ultimately, translation is another name for the human condition.

English as a Global Language

Author: David Crystal
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1107611806
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : en
Pages : 227

Book Description
Written in a detailed and fascinating manner, this book is ideal for general readers interested in the English language.

Warraparna Kaurna!

Author: Rob Amery
Publisher: University of Adelaide Press
ISBN: 1925261255
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 398

Book Description
This book tells the story of the renaissance of the Kaurna language, the language of Adelaide and the Adelaide Plains in South Australia, principally over the earliest period up until 2000, but with a summary and brief discussion of developments from 2000 until 2016. It chronicles and analyses the efforts of the Nunga community, and interested others, to reclaim and relearn a linguistic heritage on the basis of mid-nineteenth-century materials. This study is breaking new ground. In the Kaurna case, very little knowledge of the language remained within the Aboriginal community. Yet the Kaurna language has become an important marker of identity and a means by which Kaurna people can further the struggle for recognition, reconciliation and liberation. This work challenges widely held beliefs as to what is possible in language revival and questions notions about the very nature of language and its development.

Uprising

Author: Margaret Peterson Haddix
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1416911715
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 360

Book Description
Newly arrived in New York City in 1910, Bella is desperate to send money home to her family in Italy, and becomes one of the hundreds of workers at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. But one fateful March night, a spark ignites some cloth in the factory, resulting in a fire that will become one of the worst workplace disasters in history.

Survey of the State of the Art in Human Language Technology

Author: Giovanni Battista Varile
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521592772
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 546

Book Description
Languages, in all their forms, are the more efficient and natural means for people to communicate. Enormous quantities of information are produced, distributed and consumed using languages. Human language technology's main purpose is to allow the use of automatic systems and tools to assist humans in producing and accessing information, to improve communication between humans, and to assist humans in communicating with machines. This book, sponsored by the Directorate General XIII of the European Union and the Information Science and Engineering Directorate of the National Science Foundation, USA, offers the first comprehensive overview of the human language technology field.

Maria Montessori

Author: Rita Kramer
Publisher: Diversion Books
ISBN: 1635761093
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 594

Book Description
The definitive biography of a physician, feminist, social reformer, educator, and one of the most influential, and controversial women of the 20th century. Maria Montessori effected a worldwide revolution in the classroom. She developed a new method of educating the young and inspired a movement that carried it into every corner of the world. This is the story of the woman behind the public figure—her accomplishments, her ideas, and her passions. Montessori broke the mold imposed on women in the nineteenth century and forged a new one, first for herself and eventually for those who came after her. Against formidable odds she became the first woman to graduate from the medical school of the University of Rome and then devoted herself to the condition of children considered uneducable at the time. She developed a teaching method that enabled them to do as well as normal children, a method which then led her to found a new kind of school—the Casa dei Bambini, or House of Children—which gained her worldwide fame and still pervades classrooms wherever young children learn. This biography is not only the story of a groundbreaking feminist but a vital chapter in the history of education. “Highly recommended for educators, parents, and moderate feminists who seek inspiration from one of the most accomplished women of this or any other age.”—Publishers Weekly

Conversational Italian for Travelers

Author: Kathryn Occhipinti
Publisher: Stella Lucente, LLC
ISBN: 9780990383451
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
The textbook, Conversational Italian for Travelers, is a fun, friendly book, not formal like most language books, and teaches everything one needs to know to travel to Italy. If you want to really understand the Italian of today, you need this book! We learn language and culture as we follow the character Caterina in dialogues that detail her travels through Italy. As she boards planes, trains, and finally takes a ride in her cousin's car, we learn how to do these things in Italian. When she meets up with her Italian family, we learn the phrases of communicating with others, including what to say if you meet someone special, how to go shopping and how to use the telephone. Finally, Caterina goes on a trip to Lago Maggiore with her Italian family, and we learn phrases needed to stay at a hotel, go sight-seeing, and of course, go to the restaurant and order wonderful Italian food! Many Italian dishes commonly ordered in Italian restaurants are listed in the last three chapters of the boo

The Life of Slang

Author: Julie Coleman
Publisher: OUP Oxford
ISBN: 0191630721
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 468

Book Description
This book traces the development of English slang from the earliest records to the latest tweet. It explores why and how slang is used, and traces the development of slang in English-speaking nations around the world. The records of the Old Bailey and machine-searchable newspaper collections provide a wealth of new information about historical slang, while blogs and tweets provide us with a completely new perspective on contemporary slang. Based on inside information from real live slang users as well as the best scholarly sources, this book is guaranteed to teach you some new words that you shouldn't use in polite company. Teachers, politicians, broadcasters, and parents characterize the language of teenagers as sloppy, repetitive, and unintelligent, but these complaints are nothing new. In 1906, an Australian journalist overheard some youths on a street-corner: Things will be bally slow till next pay-day. I've done in nearly all my spond. Here, now; cheese it, or I'll lob one in your lug. Lend us a cigarette. Lend it; oh, no, I don't part. Look out, here's a bobby going to tell us to shove along. What, he wondered, was the world coming to. For the 411, read on ...