How to Learn a Foreign Language

How to Learn a Foreign Language
Author: Paul Pimsleur
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 160
Release: 2013-10
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1442369027

In this entertaining and groundbreaking book, Dr. Paul Pimsleur, creator of the renowned Pimsleur Method, the world leader in audio-based language learning, shows how anyone can learn to speak a foreign language. If learning a language in high school left you bruised, with a sense that there was no way you can learn another language, How to Learn a Foreign Language will restore your sense of hope. In simple, straightforward terms, Dr. Pimsleur will help you learn grammar (seamlessly), vocabulary, and how to practice pronunciation (and come out sounding like a native). The key is the simplicity and directness of Pimsleur’s approach to a daunting subject, breaking it down piece by piece, demystifying the process along the way. Dr. Pimsleur draws on his own language learning trials and tribulations offering practical advice for overcoming the obstacles so many of us face. Originally published in 1980, How to Learn a Foreign Language is now available on the 50th anniversary of Dr. Pimsleur’s publication of the first of his first audio courses that embodied the concepts and methods found here. It's a fascinating glimpse into the inner workings of the mind of this amazing pioneer of language learning.

Coordinating Constructions

Coordinating Constructions
Author: Martin Haspelmath
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing
Total Pages: 594
Release: 2004-07-29
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 9027295247

This is the first book on coordinating constructions that adopts a broad cross-linguistic perspective. Coordination has been studied intensively in English and other major European languages, but we are only beginning to understand the range of variation that is found world-wide. This volume consists of a number of general studies, as well as fourteen case studies of coordinating constructions in languages or groups of languages: Africa (Iraqw, Fongbe, Hausa), the Caucasus (Daghestanian, Tsakhur, Chechen), the Middle East (Persian and other Western Iranian languages), Southeast Asia (Lai, Karen, Indonesian), the Pacific (Lavukaleve, Oceanic, Nêlêmwa), and the Americas (Upper Kuskokwim Athabaskan). A detailed introductory chapter summarizes the main results of the volume and situates them in the context of other relevant current research.

Linguistic Diversity and National Unity

Linguistic Diversity and National Unity
Author: William A. Smalley
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 460
Release: 1994-06-15
Genre: Foreign Language Study
ISBN: 9780226762883

Unlike other multi-ethnic nations, such as Myanmar and India, where official language policy has sparked bloody clashes, Thailand has maintained relative stability despite its eighty languages. In this study of the relations among politics, geography, and language, William A. Smalley shows how Thailand has maintained national unity through an elaborate social and linguistic hierarchy. Smalley contends that because the people of Thailand perceive their social hierarchy as the normal order, Standard Thai, spoken by members of the higher levels of society, prevails as the uncontested national language. By examining the hierarchy of Thailand's diverse languages and dialects in light of Thai history, education, culture, and religion, Smalley shows how Thailand has been able to keep its many ethnic groups at peace. Linguistic Diversity and National Unity explores the intricate relationship between language and power and the ways in which social and linguistic rank can be used to perpetuate order.

Educating Immigrant Students in the 21st Century

Educating Immigrant Students in the 21st Century
Author: Xue Lan Rong
Publisher: Corwin Press
Total Pages: 345
Release: 2008-09-26
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1452294054

"A comprehensive and important examination of the education of immigrant students in the U.S. Rong and Preissle′s focus on cultural and linguistic transformation across four generations is truly unique." —Stacey J. Lee, Professor of Educational Policy Studies University of Wisconsin-Madison "Rong and Preissle′s first edition has become a standard reference for the education of immigrant students. The evolution and expansion of their research to encompass transnational and transcultural theoretical frameworks is cutting edge and absolutely timely given the changing, almost discursive nature of immigration within an increasingly complicated and shifting world context." —A. Lin Goodwin, Associate Dean and Professor of Education Teachers College, Columbia University Clear guidelines for making informed instructional decisions for immigrant students. Between 1990 and 2005, the number of immigrants and their children in the United States reached more than 70 million, or more than 20% of the nation′s population. Today, educators face significant shifts in the educational landscape. This revised sourcebook supplies educational policy makers and administrators with the information they need to address new challenges in providing children of diverse backgrounds with a quality education. This new edition of Educating Immigrant Children gives educators contemporary perspectives on immigration by clarifying the current demographic data and its significance for schools. The authors present updated information on the unique needs of immigrant students, including children from the Middle East and students of white non-Hispanic backgrounds, and help educators explore evidence-based practices and policies for adapting and improving the learning environment. The second edition examines: Factors that influence linguistic transition and educational achievement Strategies for working with immigrant families Equitable assessment approaches and accountability measures Data-based management methods for informed decision making Wide-ranging and illuminating, this book should be on the shelf of every educator and anyone who plays an active role in the education of immigrant children.

Classifiers

Classifiers
Author: Alexandra Y. Aikhenvald
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Total Pages: 562
Release: 2000-03-30
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 0191543985

Almost all languages have some ways of categorizing nouns. Languages of South-East Asia have classifiers used with numerals, while most Indo-European languages have two or three genders. They can have a similar meaning and one can develop from the other. This book provides a comprehensive and original analysis of noun categorization devices all over the world. It will interest typologists, those working in the fields of morphosyntactic variation and lexical semantics, as well as anthropologists and all other scholars interested in the mechanisms of human cognition.

Mainland Southeast Asian Languages

Mainland Southeast Asian Languages
Author: N. J. Enfield
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 281
Release: 2019
Genre: Foreign Language Study
ISBN: 0521765447

A concise introduction to the languages of mainland Southeast Asia that provides a new look at this unique area.

Dictionary of Languages

Dictionary of Languages
Author: Andrew Dalby
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 754
Release: 2015-10-28
Genre: Reference
ISBN: 1408102145

Covering the political, social and historical background of each language, Dictionary of Languages offers a unique insight into human culture and communication. Every language with official status is included, as well as all those that have a written literature and 175 'minor' languages with special historical or anthropological interest. We see how, with the rapidly increasing uniformity of our culture as media's influence spreads, more languages have become extinct or are under threat of extinction. The text is highlighted by maps and charts of scripts, while proverbs, anecdotes and quotations reveal the features that make a language unique.