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

The Ultimate Japanese Phrasebook

Author: Kit Pancoast Nagamura
Publisher: National Geographic Books
ISBN: 1568364911
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
The Ultimate Japanese Phrasebook is an ambitious new phrasebook for students who want to improve their speaking and listening skills. The book features 1,800 expressions for daily use, in English and Japanese, with the Japanese presented in both native script and roman letters. Topics include basic greetings, self-introductions, talking about the weather, getting around, ordering at a restaurant, visiting a Japanese friend’s home, special events (birthdays, funerals, weddings, baby’s birth), and much, much more. What sets this book apart from others is its focus on sentence-level utterances. Many phrasebooks present loads of useful vocabulary, but provide little or no guidance on how to use those words in actual sentences. The Ultimate Japanese Phrasebook shows readers how Japanese sentences work. All the sentences are of the sort learners are likely to use in Japan, whether as students or professionals. Throughout the book, key vocabulary is listed along the bottom of each page, allowing learners to build on what they already know. And there are notes and special columns on usage and communication strategies. Best of all, the book comes with a free MP3 audio CD containing all the sentences read aloud, with feeling, in both English and Japanese, so that readers can casually listen on their iPods or in their cars.

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.

An Introduction to Language and Linguistics

Author: Ralph Fasold
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 0521847680
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 481

Book Description
This accessible textbook offers balanced and uniformly excellent coverage of modern linguistics.

Introduction to Academic Writing

Author: Alice Oshima
Publisher: Longman Publishing Group
ISBN: 9780132410281
Category : Academic writing
Languages : en
Pages : 221

Book Description
This book helps "students to master the standard organizational patterns of the paragraph and the basic concepts of essay writing. The text's time-proven approach integrates the study of rhetorical patterns and the writing process with extensive practice in sentence structure and mechanics." - product description.

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.

The Craft of Research, 2nd edition

Author: Wayne C. Booth
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226065693
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 348

Book Description
Since 1995, more than 150,000 students and researchers have turned to The Craft of Research for clear and helpful guidance on how to conduct research and report it effectively . Now, master teachers Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, and Joseph M. Williams present a completely revised and updated version of their classic handbook. Like its predecessor, this new edition reflects the way researchers actually work: in a complex circuit of thinking, writing, revising, and rethinking. It shows how each part of this process influences the others and how a successful research report is an orchestrated conversation between a researcher and a reader. Along with many other topics, The Craft of Research explains how to build an argument that motivates readers to accept a claim; how to anticipate the reservations of thoughtful yet critical readers and to respond to them appropriately; and how to create introductions and conclusions that answer that most demanding question, "So what?" Celebrated by reviewers for its logic and clarity, this popular book retains its five-part structure. Part 1 provides an orientation to the research process and begins the discussion of what motivates researchers and their readers. Part 2 focuses on finding a topic, planning the project, and locating appropriate sources. This section is brought up to date with new information on the role of the Internet in research, including how to find and evaluate sources, avoid their misuse, and test their reliability. Part 3 explains the art of making an argument and supporting it. The authors have extensively revised this section to present the structure of an argument in clearer and more accessible terms than in the first edition. New distinctions are made among reasons, evidence, and reports of evidence. The concepts of qualifications and rebuttals are recast as acknowledgment and response. Part 4 covers drafting and revising, and offers new information on the visual representation of data. Part 5 concludes the book with an updated discussion of the ethics of research, as well as an expanded bibliography that includes many electronic sources. The new edition retains the accessibility, insights, and directness that have made The Craft of Research an indispensable guide for anyone doing research, from students in high school through advanced graduate study to businesspeople and government employees. The authors demonstrate convincingly that researching and reporting skills can be learned and used by all who undertake research projects. New to this edition: Extensive coverage of how to do research on the internet, including how to evaluate and test the reliability of sources New information on the visual representation of data Expanded bibliography with many electronic sources

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.

The Dutch Language in Japan (1600-1900)

Author: Christopher Joby
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004438653
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 514

Book Description
In The Dutch Language in Japan (1600-1900) Christopher Joby offers the first book-length account of the knowledge and use of the Dutch language in Tokugawa and early Meiji Japan, which had a profound effect on Japan’s language, society and culture.

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.