Kaqchikel is one of approximately thirty Mayan languages spoken in Belize, Guatemala, Mexico, and, increasingly, the United States. Of the twenty-two Mayan languages spoken in Guatemala, Kaqchikel is one of the four "mayoritarios," those with the largest number of speakers. About half a million people living in the central highlands between Guatemala City and Lake Atitlán speak Kaqchikel. And because native Kaqchikel speakers are prominent in the field of Mayan linguistics, as well as in Mayan cultural activism generally, Kaqchikel has been adopted as a Mayan lingua franca in some circles.
This innovative language-learning guide is designed to help students, scholars, and professionals in many fields who work with Kaqchikel speakers, in both Guatemala and the United States, quickly develop basic communication skills. The book will familiarize learners with the words, phrases, and structures used in daily communications, presented in as natural a way as possible, and in a logical sequence. Six chapters introduce the language in context (greetings, the classroom, people, the family, food, and life) followed by exercises and short essays on aspects of Kaqchikel life. A grammar summary provides in-depth linguistic analysis of Kaqchikel, and a glossary supports vocabulary learning from both Kaqchikel to English and English to Kaqchikel. These resources, along with sound files and other media on the Internet at ekaq.stonecenter.tulane.edu, will allow learners to develop proficiency in all five major language skills—listening comprehension, speaking, reading, writing, and sociocultural understanding.
Kazakh, a Turkic language that uses Cyrillic script, is the official state language of Kazakhstan and is also spoken by people in parts of China, Russia, and neighboring Central Asian countries. This unique learner’s dictionary features simple definitions, literal translations, English equivalents, full example sentences, and grammar and usage for over 2,000 Kazakh idioms.
As students progress to the upper-intermediate and advanced levels of language learning, they come in contact with cultural concepts embedded in simple words that they have learned as part of everyday vocabulary. Thus, they expand their vocabulary into idiomatic expressions. Upper-intermediate and advanced learners of Kazakh will find this extensive reference work useful to understand those culturally bound idioms.
Idioms in this reference volume are organized into categories—the human body, food, clothing, color, number, animals, and nature—that best represent the topics on which language learners focus at the beginning and intermediate levels of language study. Five indexes make finding the idiom you want—by idiom, keyword, or expression in both Kazakh and English—easier.
Let’s Speak Twi is an introductory language-learning textbook for speakers of English and other languages who seek proficiency in Akan Twi, the most widely used and understood native language of Ghana. Included in the book are several practice exercises and activities; an extensive range of culturally relevant topics and dialogues; lists of idiomatic, colloquial, and euphemistic expressions; a reference glossary; and tips on culturally appropriate behavior.
While it has long been determined that Abraham Lincoln’s writings were influenced by the King James Bible, until now no full-length study has shown the precise ways in which the Gettysburg Address uses its specific language. Refuting the view that the address was crafted with traditional classical references, this revealing investigation provides a new way to think about the speech and the man who wrote it. A. E. Elmore offers chapter and verse evidence from the Bible as well as specific examples from the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer to illustrate how Lincoln borrowed from these sources to imbue his speech with meanings that would resonate with his listeners. He cites every significant word and phrase—conceived, brought forth, struggled, remaining, consecrate, dedicate, hallow, devotion, new birth, to name a few—borrowed by Lincoln from these two religious texts for use in his dedication of the Gettysburg National Cemetery.
Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address focuses on a number of overlooked themes and ideas, such as the importance of literary allusion and the general public’s knowledge of the Bible in the age of Lincoln. It provides fresh answers to old questions and poses new questions: Was Lincoln a common thief who made use of words from previously published materials as well as from works by his contemporaries? Was he a genius whose literary and political skills were unmatched? No one who reads this highly engaging study will ever think about Lincoln or the Gettysburg Address the same way again.
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