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      • Teaching, Language & Reference
        December 2014

        Your Writing Well

        by Dr. Bob Davis

        Fifteen essays for anyone in any profession or academic level, Your Writing Well studies every aspect of the writing process, providing faster means to better products than do narrowly focused trade handbooks and academic texts. Having combed through writing pedagogy and cut through nonsense about composition and grammar, Dr. Davis provides an all-inclusive set of theory highlighting logic-based skills and practical strategies to create, develop, defend, and communicate coherently organized, well-expressed thoughts. Not marketed for dummies, Your Writing Well assumes readers have the smarts to follow mature common-sense guidance, grasp examples, and thus compensate for their existing lack of knowledge of what to do, how and why to do it, and where. Informed not by needless prohibitions but by relaxed, reassuring balances of freedom and prudent regulation, Your Writing Well is a comprehensive cure for all writers’ ailments and deficiencies.

      • Teaching, Language & Reference
        May 2020

        Hawaiian Language

        Past, Present, Future

        by Albert J. Schütz

        With color and black-and-white illustrations throughout, Hawaiian Language: Past, Present, Future presents aspects of Hawaiian and its history that are rarely treated in language classes. The major characters in this book make up a diverse cast: Dutch merchants, Captain Cook’s naturalist and philologist William Anderson, ‘Ōpūkaha‘ia (the inspiration for the Hawaiian Mission), the American lexicographer Noah Webster, philologists in New England, missionary-linguists and their Hawaiian consultants, and many minor players. The account begins in prehistory, placing the probable origins of the ancestor of Polynesian languages in mainland Asia. An evolving family tree reflects the linguistic changes that took place as these people moved east. The current versions are examined from a Hawaiian-centered point of view, comparing the sound system of the language with those of its major relatives in the Polynesian triangle. More recent historical topics begin with the first written samples of a Polynesian language in 1616, which led to the birth of the idea of a widespread language family. The next topic is how the Hawaiian alphabet was developed.  The first efforts suffered from having too many letters, a problem that was solved in 1826 through brilliant reasoning by its framers and their Hawaiian consultants. The opposite problem was that the alphabet didn’t have enough letters: analysts either couldn’t hear or misinterpreted the glottal stop and long vowels. The end product of the development of the alphabet—literacy—is more complicated than some statistics would have us believe. As for its success or failure, both points of view, from contemporary observers, are presented. Still, it cannot be denied that literacy had a tremendous and lasting effect on Hawaiian culture. The last part of the book concentrates on the most-used Hawaiian reference works—dictionaries. It describes current projects that combine print and manuscript collections on a searchable website. These projects can include the growing body of manuscript and print material that is being made available through recent and ongoing research. As for the future, a proposed monolingual dictionary would allow users to avoid an English bridge to understanding, and move directly to a definition that includes Hawaiian cultural features and a Hawaiian worldview.

      • Teaching, Language & Reference
        July 2017

        Korean Culture in 100 Keywords

        by Cho Yong-hee, Han Yumi, Tcho Hye-young

        The 100 keywords for this book have been selected through several rounds of surveys with the students at the Korean Cultural Center in Paris, France. The 100 facts address extensive sectors. The facts have been selected because they not only help French and global learners have an overall understanding of the state of Korea, but also represent the background knowledge necessary to study essential words and grammar in learning Korean from various aspects including culture, history, tradition and society. The 100 keywords thus chosen serve as the topic of each subject. This book has a total of 100 subjects, largely divided in six themes so that learners can easily search the subject they would like to know. The six themes are: Theme 1: Symbolic Icons (10 Subjects) Theme 2: Food, Clothing and Shelter (12 Subjects) Theme 3: Geography and Tourism (21 Subjects) Theme 4: Society & Daily Life (19 Subjects) Theme 5: History and Religion (20 Subjects) Theme 6: Arts and Culture (18 Subjects) Each subject consists of two pages. On the upper left side is a photo that can explain the subject at a glance. Under the photo is a Korean text that introduces contents that must be learned regarding the subject. In order to help the learning, two questions are added to check the learner’s understanding of the text. The answers are provided in the appendices at the end of this book. On the upper right side is the English translation of the Korean text. The translation will serve for learners to measure their level of Korean proficiency in terms of understanding; in addition, it will satisfy the need for Korean learners who have long wanted to have a bilingual textbook. On the bottom is the English translation of each Words and Expressions section to help readers understand the Korean text. Small photos that are relevant to each subject are added to provide greater enjoyment.

      • Teaching, Language & Reference
        January 2018

        Penang Hokkien–English Dictionary

        With an English–Penang Hokkien Glossary

        by Tan Siew Imm

        Penang Hokkien–English Dictionary: With an English–Penang Hokkien Glossary is the first comprehensively compiled dictionary of Penang Hokkien and carries over 12,000 entries after more than three years of research using a Sunway University Research Grant.   The unique language of Penang Hokkien is spoken in the Northern States — Perlis, Kedah and Penang — and the east coast states of Peninsular Malaysia. The spoken Hokkien language has now evolved over a significant amount of time and this new dictionary carefully captures the changes that have arisen. Apart from definitions in English, this dictionary offers a glossary for English words and their Penang Hokkien translations, as well as explanations and examples on how words or phrases are used.   This lexicon is suitable for both natural speakers of Penang Hokkien and those who wish to be more familiar with the language.    Click here for more information

      • History
        January 2019

        Arabic Heritage in the Post-Abbasid Period

        by Editor(s): Imed Nsiri

        This book introduces the reader to Arabic heritage, with a particular focus on the post-Abbasid era up to the nineteenth century, often labelled a period of decadence (‘aṣr al-inḥiṭaṭ). It will be a valuable resource for students, as well as researchers and academics wanting to see the larger picture of this period. This book introduces the reader not only to the literature of this era, but also to the different aspects of the heritage of Arabic civilization. The volume comprises seven chapters covering a range of topics, including Arab history, language and identity, Arab-Islamic science, al-Andalus, political and religious movements, Arabic literature, and al-Nahda.

      • Language: history & general works
        June 2005

        Rebuilding the Celtic Languages

        Reversing Language Shift in the Celtic Countries

        by O Neill, Diarmuid

        Focuses on the sociology of language and the lack of attention given to the Celtic languages, compared to some other European languages.

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