"This is the best kanji book available today. Designed for beginners with a basic knowledge of Japanese to use in the classroom or for self–study."—Modern Language Journal Everyday tasks like finding a street address or buying a train ticket can be an ordeal in Japan if you don't read kanji–the system of Japanese writing based on Chinese characters. Unfortunately, the kanji characters taught in most textbooks are not always those that you'll encounter in everyday situations. To fill this gap, a group of teachers from the prestigious University of Tokyo have pooled their talents to create 250 Essential Japanese Kanji Characters in two volumes: a practical way to learn the kanji most frequently used in daily life in Japan. Each lesson helps you master a new group of kanji, using an extremely effective approach that focuses on you, the learner, taking an active part. - Introductory Quizzes introduce everyday situations where you encounter kanji. - Vocabulary sections help you understand the readings and meanings of the kanji. - New Character Charts teach you new kanji systematically—for each character you'll learn its meanings, its basic on–kun readings, its stroke order, common compounds, and derivations. - Practice sections help you improve your skills in recognizing and using the kanji. - Advanced Placement Exam Practice Questions for each lesson follow the format of the College Boards Japanese Language and Culture examination. You'll also encounter authentic and practical materials that help you understand how kanji are used in real–life situations. Emails and texts, choosing the best dictionary in a library, understanding the weather report, navigating floors in a Tokyo department store—all are easier when you know kanji. After studying this book together with its companion 250 Essential Japanese Characters, Volume 1 you will have learned 500 of the most important characters in Japanese and thousands of words in which they appear.

Brimming with hidden histories and tantalizing twists, The Accidental Dictionary tells the extraordinary stories behind ordinary words.

A history of the English language traces its evolution from a Germanic dialect around 500 A.D. to its modern form, noting the influence of such groups and individuals as early Anglo-Saxon tribes, Alfred the Great, and William Shakespeare.

“If everybody’s first English teacher were Roy Blount Jr., we might still be trillions in debt, but we would be so deeply in love with words and their magic . . . that we’d hardly notice.” —Chris Tucker, The Dallas Morning News After forty years of making a living using words in every medium except greeting cards, Roy Blount Jr. still can’t get over his ABCs. In Alphabet Juice, he celebrates the juju, the crackle, the sonic and kinetic energies, of letters and their combinations. He has a strong sense of right and wrong, but he is not out to prescribe proper English. His passion is for questions such as these: Did you know that both mammal and matter derive from baby talk? Have you noticed how wince makes you wince? Three and a half centuries ago, Thomas Blount produced his Glossographia, the first dictionary to explore derivations of English words. This Blount’s Glossographia takes that pursuit to new levels. From sources as venerable as the OED and as fresh as Urbandictionary.com, and especially from the author’s own wide ranging experience, Alphabet Juice derives an organic take on language that is unlike, and more fun than, any other. “Amusing, bemusing, and smart as hell.” —Daniel Okrent, Fortune “Danced in Blount’s arms, English swings smartly.” —Jack Shafer, The New York Times Book Review “Gracefully erudite and joyous.” —Katherine A. Powers, The Boston Sunday Globe

Rabbinic tradition asserts that every letter of every word of Torah is a word in itself. Author Stan Tenen demonstrates that each letter is also a hand gesture, and it is at this level that Hebrew forms a natural universal language. All people, including children before they speak and people without sight, make natural use of these gestures. In The Alphabet That Changed the World, Tenen examines the Hebrew text of Genesis and its relationship to the alphabet. He shows how each letter is both concept and gesture, with the form of the gesture matching the function of the concept. There is thus an implicit relationship between the physical world of function and the conscious world of concept. Using many color illustrations, Tenen demonstrates geometric metaphor as the best framework for understanding the deepest meaning of the text. Geometry models embryonic growth and self-organization, and the core of many healing and meditative practices. Many subjects from contemporary science are shown to have been appreciated through the methods and means available to the ancients. The Alphabet That Changed the World makes this authoritative recovery of the “science of consciousness” in Genesis accessible for the first time.

The NPR panelist and humorist author of Alphabet Juice presents a second helping of dexterous and lighthearted vocabulary factoids, fripperies and phenomena compiled to raise awareness about the relationship between words and their various definitions. 50,000 first printing.

A major revision of the Fifth Edition of The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, the premier resource about words for people who seek to know more and find fresh perspectives. This new printing, which marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of the original American Heritage Dictionary, presents the most up-to-date research about the words in our language in an accessible and elegant design, featuring thousands of revisions, including more than 150 new words and senses. This is the fiftieth anniversary printing of The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language. This beloved dictionary has become the premier resource for anyone who wants to know precisely what words mean, where they come from, and how to use them effectively. It is renowned for presenting accurate and comprehensible definitions, etymologies based on the latest research, and authoritative usage guidance from the celebrated American Heritage Usage Panel. The fifth edition of the dictionary, published in 2011, included 10,000 new words and senses, as well as 4,000 new full-color images. This comprehensive update continues the tradition of exhaustive research and thorough review. Thousands of revisions to definitions and etymologies, 150 new words and senses, and new usage advice make this updated printing the most current print dictionary of its size available today. The American Heritage Dictionary combines clear, precise definitions with useful features that make it easier to choose your words and express yourself clearly. Your words really do define you. Make the most of them with the guidance of this respected work of reference.

Arabic in a Flash: Volume 1 is an excellent Arabic language learning resource for beginning–intermediate students of Arabic. These user–friendly Arabic flash cards continue to develop the language skills of beginning Arabic students and others interested in learning Arabic. Volume 1 has a strong focus on basic communication and vocabulary-building—the first 50 cards are divided into three main sections: sounds & orthography, basic communicative words, and key communicative expressions; the rest of the cards build on the most common verbs and related derivatives in the basic communicative patterns to extend the vocabulary base of the learner. - Contains 448 flash cards plus a 32–page index booklet. - Learn 448 main words plus 2,240 related words and phrases—2,240 basic vocabulary items. - Arabic script, romanized forms and English meanings given for all items. - A sample sentence in Arabic with its English translation shows how the main word is used.

Arabic in a Flash: Volume 2 is an excellent Arabic language learning resource for beginning–intermediate students of Arabic. These user–friendly Arabic flash cards continue to develop the language skills of beginning Arabic students and others interested in learning Arabic. While Volume 1 has a strong focus on basic communication and vocabulary-building, Volume 2 works to further develop vocabulary and introduces everyday activities, travel and leisure and economic and employment issues. - Contains 448 flash cards plus a 48–page index booklet. - Learn 448 main words plus 1,792 related words and phrases—2,240 basic vocabulary items. - Arabic script, romanized forms and English meanings given for all items. - A sample sentence in Arabic with its English translation shows how the main word is used.

Goes beyond general etymology primers to counsel language enthusiasts on how to understand the pure significance of words, explaining the ways in which correct usage has a potential for enabling deliberate and positive communication, inner peace and more productive professional and personal relationships. 75,000 first printing.