Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd Edition, Version 4.0 (Windows & Mac) Review

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(More customer reviews)If you love words, there is no equal
At least Oxford University Press keeps trying. This is the 4th electronic version of the venerable Oxford English Dictionary. Each of the earlier versions had problems galore that Oxford was very lax in resolving or sometimes even admitting. Among the many small cruelties, you had to reinsert the data disk every 90 days. Or the failure to adapt to Windows Vista. Ah, well, if you want all those words at your fingertips, such suffering is a price to be paid.
Happily, 4.0 seems pretty stable. Gone is the insanity of needing to reinsert the data disk. OED 4.0 runs smoothly on Vista. Still missing are synonyms. Oxford is missing a profit opportunity by not including a thesaurus add-on. They have a print version: why not make it electronic?
The user interface is cleaned up from earlier versions.
Spelling errors still result in no match rather than presenting you with a list of possibilities. Using the two wildcards is your own option.
The advanced Search is a relatively primitive Boolean mechanism that provides you three terms to match in either the word entries or quotations using AND/OR/NOT operators. Frankly, it isn't all that advanced, but it will do.
When the OED is open, you can double-click on any word and the OED will display the definition. (Windows-only feature.) Mac users need to copy the word to the clipboard.
Speaking of copying, you can only copy the entire OED entry, which can be huge in many cases. Thus, you transfer it to a note application and then extract what you need. Cumbersome to say the least, but as paranoid as Oxford is about illegal copying, it keeps people from easily creating their own dictionaries.
The help function is browser based and reasonably thorough. There is, happily, a list for all the abbreviations used in the OED and any serious word hunter will be using it.
The joy of the OED, of course, is the words. More than 500,000 words defined and 2.5 million quotations demonstrating their use. Paradise for a writer or anyone entranced with the English language. Although, in terms of use, there are other electronic dictionaries that I prefer for ease of use and online references as well, the OED remains the absolute authority and I treasure it. Warts and all, I have grown up with it in print (the tiny print version with the magnifying glass) and all its electronic versions.
The OED is and remains the superlative resource for the English language.
Jerry


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The Oxford English Dictionary is the internationally recognized authority on the English Language, defining more than 500,000 words and tracing their usage through 2.5 million quotations from a wide range of literary and other sources. The text on the CD-ROM comprises the full text of the OED 2nd Edition , plus the three Additions volumes, as well as 7,000 new entries from the OED's continuing research. Most importantly, OED v4.0 on CD-ROM boasts superb search-and-retrieval software, designed specifically for the electronic version, enabling you to investigate the Dictionary in ways not possible with the print edition. Questions which might have taken years of patient research can now be answered in seconds. Existing functionality retained from earlier versions includes: Installation to the hard drive, so the CD is not required during use of the Dictionary Options to customize the entry display and show or hide pronunciations, spellings, etymology, and quotation text Flexible full text search options, with search filters and an option to rank entries and search results alphabetically or by date New to this version: Now compatible for Mac users as well as PC users Now compatible for Windows 7 operating system Flash-base Smoother and faster performance providing instantaneous search results New word-wheel which supports incremental letter-by-letter browsing 7,000 new words and meanings System Requirements Windows: Intel Pentium 4 1.6GHz processor or equivalent (2GHz recommended); Microsoft Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows 2000. Macintosh: Power PC G4 867MHz or faster processor; Intel Core Duo 2.13GHz or faster processor; Mac OS X v.10.4x or 10.5x. All platforms: 512MB of RAM; 1Gb free hard disk space; minimum monitor capability: 1024 x 768 pixels and high color (16 bits per pixel, ie 65,536 colors); local CD-ROM/DVD drive (for installation); runs from hard drive only.

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English-Russian Parallel Bible Review

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(More customer reviews)As a missionary for 13 years now (since '94) serving overseas with the Russian people, I couldn't DISAGREE with w.shriver's comments more. Unlike the modern versions, the KJV (Authorized Version) retains a lot of old English that has Russian equivalents: e.g. thee, thou, ye, you, ALL have equivalents. I was working on the Kamchatka peninsula with a student that also was working with English and he was confused because as he put it, "there is SO much difference between the English and Russian texts." I learned that he had been trying to use a NIV and Synodal (Russian) together. I procured him a KJV and he returned a few days later with a smile. His words were, "It is like a hand in a glove!" If someone wishes to use an inferior modern translation in English (like the ASV) then they should pair it with a modern Russian version as well. Granted a dictionary is occasionally require with a few of the archaic words in the KJV (there are really not as many as some wish to say) but we are SUPPOSED to study!
Well done!

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Alif Baa : Introduction to Arabic Letters and Sounds Review

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(More customer reviews)Recognize that Alif Baa is a college textbook designed as part of a three-year Arabic program. It is very detailed, but includes a lot of linguistic information that a beginner doesn't want. Al-Batal designed this as the definitive text on the Arabic Alphabet, and it is, but if you just want to learn how to read and pronounce Arabic in order to start studying, then you should go for a simpler text. Awde's "The Arabic Alphabet" is the one to choose.
Alif Baa will tell you all the different regional pronunciations of each letter, different handwriting variations, etc. IMHO, that is too distracting for the beginner who just wants to unscramble the script and distinguish k from m, and so forth. The problem is that this book doesn't identify what is essential and what is nice to know, so people come out confused about three different regional pronunciations of one letter, rather than learning jiim = j, etc. These differences don't become important until you have progressed well into Arabic.
Also, the Al-Batal series seems to guard the answer keys to their textbooks like state secrets, one of the biggest student complaints.
And of course, $40 is a lot to plunk down if you can get what you want out of an $8 book (like Awde's).

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A Conversation Book 1: English in Everyday Life, Revised Third Edition Review

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(More customer reviews)I use this book in a beginning level English class for Hispanics. I work all day at a computer-related job and volunteer teach ESL two nights a week. I really do not have enough time to think of new conversation starters all the time. I find that this book used in conjunction with other material is ideal for low level adults. It provides a non threatening, informative introduction into American life. It is a fun way to learn the basics.

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Presents an inviting approach to developing conversationfluency.This book presents picture dictionary-type pages,along with conversation and grammar practice, that provide readers with thevocabulary and speaking skills they need for everyday life.Forbeginning ESL learners.

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An Integrated Approach to Intermediate Japanese Review

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(More customer reviews)Though it doesn't have the same "genki" title as the other 2 standard Japanese textbooks published by the Japanese Times, this is essentially the 3rd book in the series, following a similar layout and integration. It has 15 chapters. At the beginning of each is a paragraph or two about something in Japanese culture. Each chapter has 3 or so conversations: a polite conversation, a medium-polite conversation, a casual, and then reading material. After that are the vocabulary lists, grammar points and exercises, and after that a similar reading material.
Though the conversations and reading material don't have translations, after reading them 2 or 3 times they should be understood. There is very little furigana over the kanji, which is sometimes frustrating when it's not a word that I plan on ever using or hearing. The reading text is sometimes dull and difficult to understand, so if you're not a serious Japanese student, this book may be a little dry. Some of the grammar is presented in JLPT level 2, but don't expect to be at that level upon finishing this book. Unfortunately there isn't a 4th book in this series yet, but after this, your Japanese should command compliments like "umai" instead of "jozu."

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1100 Words You Need to Know Review

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(More customer reviews)I recently purchased the 2000 edition to use with my college-bound students who need more vocabulary work, as, for many of them, English is not their first language. The presentation and layout are excellent, the extracts are interesting and informative, and the "Panorama" section is relevant. I am concerned, however, about the errors in the answer section and the occasional typo. I have found a total of 21 errors - surely too high for a text which aims to "improve college grades" and to help you "score high on the SAT1". Check the answers carefully - the errors are pretty obvious and so should have been spotted before publication. These spoil an otherwise excellent book which should have had 5 stars.

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Aimed at college-bound students who need extra vocabulary help, this 20-minute-a-day program guides users towards a mastery of 920 new words and 200 useful idioms. All new in this edition are 46 words-in-context exercises that reflect the SAT change in emphasis regarding vocabulary questions.

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Berlitz Premier Italian (Berlitz Premier) (English and Italian Edition) Review

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(More customer reviews)I have been using the audio CD's and the online version. I had four years of Italian in high school and college so that makes it a little easier. But this is a wonderful way to learn for anyone, especially if you had never been introduced to the language before. In school, you waste time memorizing ect. but now I see that is one way to learn but I believe this system is better.

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BERLITZ ITALIAN PREMIERThree easy ways to learn ItalianLearn Italian the easy way with a straightforward system that helps you learn common words and phrases with vocabulary activities and sample conversations in three comprehensive levels: Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. Ideal for busy people learn on your computer, in your car or on the go!Three easy ways to learn:1. On your computer--Software for Windows and Macintosh**Total immersion learn by listening to actual conversations**Multimedia learning enhance your knowledge by watching videos**Flash card system reinforce your learning**Speech Analysis improve your pronunciation with practice conversations2. In your car listen to audio CDs (4 hours total) 3. On the go**Install the software on your Pocket PC or PDA**Specific exercises for iPod or other MP3 playersIdeal for All Levels: *Beginner**Meeting and greeting**Basic travel terms**Numbers and money**Colors**Sightseeing*Intermediate**Asking for Directions**Ordering a Meal**Shopping**At the Hotel**Emergencies*Advanced**Office Conversation**Speaking on the Phone**An Evening with Friends**Survival PhrasesWhat Makes It So Effective?*Interactive flash cards help you to learn essential words and phrases*Engaging videos teach real-life conversation skills*Speech analysis tools teach you to converse like a native*Entertaining games make learning fast and fun! System requirements:Windows: 98, 2000, ME, XP, Vista128 MB RAMCD-ROM driveMacintosh:

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Thinking about Mathematics: The Philosophy of Mathematics Review

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(More customer reviews)Anybody who's interested in why mathematics might have the least bit to do with philosophy will be interested in this book. To many the philosophy of mathematics may seem too specialized and peripheral to be of much interest. But such is not the case. The philosophy of math is intricately intertwined with many of the classic epistemological questions that I have never seen satisfactory answers to. This book will force you to think about things you have never considered before. Why does mathematics 'just happen' to describe empirical studies so well if mathematics is solely logical and in the head? Or is mathematics empirical and merely charading as necessary logical truth? These questions will be brought up in the book and the different answers given from the different philisophical sides.
Some of the book is a little dense and may be skimmed. He does go into detail a bit much in some places and the non technical reader will be lost. But Shapiro usually does do a good job of summarizing complex thoughts.
This book whetted my appetite for more and I plan on continuing thinking about these things and hopefully take some classes in mathematical logic and philosophy.

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This unique book by Stewart Shapiro looks at a range of philosophical issues and positions concerning mathematics in four comprehensive sections. Part I describes questions and issues about mathematics that have motivated philosophers since the beginning of intellectual history. Part II is an historical survey, discussing the role of mathematics in the thought of such philosophers as Plato, Aristotle, Kant, and Mill. Part III covers the three major positions held throughout the twentieth century: the idea that mathematics is logic (logicism), the view that the essence of mathematics is the rule-governed manipulation of characters (formalism), and a revisionist philosophy that focuses on the mental activity of mathematics (intuitionism). Finally, Part IV brings the reader up-to-date with a look at contemporary developments within the discipline. This sweeping introductory guide to the philosophy of mathematics makes these fascinating concepts accessible to those with little background in either mathematics or philosophy.

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German: A Self-Teaching Guide (Wiley Self-Teaching Guides) Review

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(More customer reviews)I have found this book's layout to be very clear and easy to follow. The introduction teaches in detail how German spelling are supposed to sound by providing english words that appoximate the sounds. This book seems to contain grammar lessons that are more extensive than those found in the popular "Teach Yourself" course. This book serves duly as a workbook in that you can write your answers to the exercises in the spaces provided and refer to the correct answers in the back of the book. My biggest gripe about the book is that there were no pictures. I love pictures!

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The fast track to speaking and understanding basic GermanSprechen Sie Deutsch? Now you can learn how--quickly and easily--with this practical, self-paced guide. It combines the user-friendly virtues of a phrase book with the learning tools of a full-fledged language course to provide you with the basic vocabulary and grammar you need to start using German right away. Completely revised and updated for today's usage, this new edition gives you: * A proven interactive format that lets you teach yourself at your own pace * Exercises to reinforce what you've learned * Clear explanations of German grammatical structures * More than 1,000 of the most frequently used German words * Sample dialogues with cultural notes and lists of termsSee inside for information on German pronunciation cassette.

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Learn Hindi Review

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(More customer reviews)As an Indian born and raised in America, I have always had a faint familiarity with the spoken Hindi language as I gleaned bits and pieces from the conversations between my parents. I had also learned the basics of reading and writing the Hindi script as a young child. Presently a college student, I have desired to become proficient in Hindi and reconnect to the country of my family. I purchased Dr. Khare's book in order to learn the proper way to translate and write Hindi text. Learn Hindi and Hindi Primer part 1 are two of the best tools I could have purchased for this purpose. I am the kind of person that is not satisfied with simply knowing how a phrase is commonly written or translated. I want to know why. I want to know the methodology and rules behind the grammar. To me, that is the best way to learn. Dr. Khare's books taught me how to approach translating sentences into Hindi with a clear and effective set of rules while other books can only hope the reader makes connections after going through the chapters three or four times. These two books complement one another so well. While one provides the conventions of grammar to translate virtually any thought into and out of Hindi, the other provides chapters devoted to steadily building your vocabulary and using those new words in simple sentences. There is plenty of repetition to make sure the reader masters a concept before moving on. Overall, I must say that these books provided the structure a disciplined person needs to really learn how to read, write, and translate Hindi. I wholeheartedly recommend it to beginners and those who have a faint knowledge of the script and I look forward to continuing my studies with these very books and hopefully mastering their concepts eventually.

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This book has been written for audiences who want to learn theHindi language with reading, writing, and comprehension as theirgoals.It is also very useful for teachers and students of Hindi in aschool or college setting.The book includes the alphabet, andgrammar: Nouns; pronouns, including their gender and number;adjectives; case; verbs; verb tenses; verb moods; interrogativesentences; and compound words.An appendix has been added for quickreference.Since this book was written for children as well asadults, the rules of grammar are explained in English in deatail --grammatically as well as in a lay person's language.At the end ofeach chapter there are related exercises.I hope this book willprovide the necessary tools to students who want to learn Hindi andalso help teachers teach the language to English speaking students.

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Triangulo: A Proposito, Manual para estudiante, Cuarta edicion, (Spanish Edition) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a pretty good prep book for the AP Spanish Language & Composition Exam. After page ii, it contains no English, so it's a really great opportunity for students to immerse themselves in Spanish as they prepare for the exam. The book is divided into ten chapters, each with a different theme (the home, health, the environment, etc.). Each chapter includes relevant vocabulary words and idioms, as well as 20-25 pages of AP-style exercises. The activities are great practice for the exam, and they typically relate to the theme of the chapter.
The book is a great resource, but there are a few important details to note:
-This book is intended for use in a classroom environment. Answers, solutions, and scoring rubrics are not included with the book. Furthermore, the CD's with the audio exercises must be purchased separately.
-This book was published in 2006. Therefore, it does not take into account the most recent changes to the AP Exam. Paragraph completions, for example, appear in this book even though they no longer appear on the AP Exam. This isn't too much of a problem, though. Every activity in the current form of the exam is represented in this book.
-The vocabulary section at the beginning of each chapter is a bit frustrating to work with. Vocabulary words are only presented in Spanish, so students are forced to look them up in the small glossary at the back of the book. This is particularly inconvenient because there's not always enough space to write in the English translation next to the Spanish words. Furthermore, there are a few vocabulary words that don't actually appear in the glossary.
Overall, this is a solid prep book for the AP Spanish Language & Composition Exam. The AP-style activities are incredibly similar to those on the actual AP exam, so the book really prepares students for success. It's an excellent resource for students in an AP class that uses the book. It's tough to justify the purchase of both the book and the exorbitantly expensive CD's, however, so those studying for the exam independently are far better off purchasing another resource.

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This nationally recognized text is written to ensure students are prepared for the integrated-skills format for the AP Spanish Language Exam. The student text continues to emphasize vocabulary acquisition. Each of the ten chapters will treat a different theme and recycle vocabulary throughout. The text has been written in order to prepare students for success with the nine different evaluation types required for the exam. The audio portion of the program includes 90 audio activities plus 100 articles of interest to high school students on a wide variety of authentic topics. Each chapter contains vocabulary building and testing activities as well as a Spanish-to-English glossary.

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Nakama 2: Japanese Communication, Culture, Context Review

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(More customer reviews)I used both Nakama I and Nakama II for the first four semesters of university Japanese classes, and Nakama I was brilliant--the early introductions to hiragana and katakana, the mnemonic devices, the themed vocabulary lists. I felt that it gave us a great start, but Nakama II went downhill.
I have two main gripes with this book: the bizarre choices for kanji in each chapter and the selective information given about grammatical structures. Nakama II does not teach the most common kanji or kanji with common elements that will be more useful with further study; it takes the idea of "themed" learning and creates situations where, say, you can write all of the kanji in yuubinkyoku (post office) before you can write "migi" (right) and "hidari" (left). This problem extends to the vocabulary lessons as well--light on basic everyday-use verbs, for example, but heavy on less-necessary words.
Frankly, I also didn't get the approach Nakama II takes to grammar--the idea that "here is a grammatical structure, usable only in the narrow context it's presented as a part of, with no further explanation." We learned the "nakereba naranai" construction a good two chapters, I believe, before we learned what the "ba" form was at all. When the more complete explanation is given, it's treated like an entirely new concept.
Nakama II is not all bad, by any means; in fact, it's superior to other textbooks I've purchased, and I'm not quite sure if there is any one Japanese textbook helpful in all areas. But if you attend a school that uses Nakama, keep your fingers crossed that you get as lucky as we were to have a teacher who was intelligent and helpful, or that you can be extremely diligent in filling in the gaps left by this text.
And if you have decided to study Japanese, I wish you the best of luck. ^_^

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A two year proficiency-oriented program that emphasizes practical communication and the development of listening, reading, writing, and speaking skills. Twelve thematic chapters focus on high-frequency communication situations. Chapter dialogues illustrate typical daily events in Japanese life and provide realistic contexts in which to learn vocabulary and grammar.

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Dirty Spanish: Everyday Slang from "What's Up?" to "F*%# Off" (Dirty Everyday Slang) Review

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(More customer reviews)They never teach you slang in those high school foreign language classes. At least they never did in mine. But of course, we all wanted to learn how to swear in the language we were learning. I became better acquainted with the intricacies of another language when Maria, a foreign exchange student from Colombia, and I became friends. I mispronounced something that caused her (1) face to turn tomato red, and (2) to break out in hysterical laughter. Although I knew I'd just committed some major faux pas, she would never tell me what I'd actually said. That alerted me to the fact that I'd better be careful what I say when I try to speak someone else's language.
A little book like Dirty Spanish is a great tool. Not only will it help you to not sound as if you've just wandered out of Spanish 101 in high school, you'll learn that harmless slang in Mexico might get you a fist in the nose in Spain. Divided into chapters such as Howdy Spanish, Friendly Spanish, Party Spanish, Body Spanish, Angry Spanish and Hungry Spanish (among others), the author also tells you which Spanish-speaking country uses the particular phrase. There's lots to learn in these 126 pages, and you'll laugh along the way.
Dirty Spanish is indispensable for any trip you're planning to a Spanish-speaking country, or if you just want to understand what Spanish-speaking employees are saying as they walk past. (I'd received a compliment and didn't even know it!)
[...]

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GET D!RTYNext time you're traveling or just chattin' in Spanish with your friends, drop the textbook formality and bust out with expressions they never teach you in school, including:•Cool slang•Funny insults•Explicit sex terms•Raw swear wordsDirty Spanish teaches the casual expressions heard every day on the streets of Spain and Latin America:•What's up?¿Qué tal?•I'm wastedEstoy fumigado.•Your mom's a ten.Tu vieja es un cuero.•I gotta take a piss.Necesito mear.•I wanna nail that ass.Quiero clavar ese culo.•What a sunnuvabitch!¡Qué 'jueputa!•Goooooaaalll!¡Gooooooolllll!

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Oxford Latin Course, Part I Review

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(More customer reviews)I can understand why most professors who teach latin in a formal school setting find this course (Three books and a reader, ISBN #s 0195212037, 0195212053,019521207x,0195212096, there are teacher's books available with all four) inadequate. This course is for students looking for a text that presents latin in a progressive and understandable format, which focuses on immersion in reading latin rather than consumption of immense volumes of grammatical information. The grammar is introduced slowly as it is needed (The grammar excercises in the second half of the book need to be done concurrantly with the chapter). The editors obviously are attempting to make learning latin easier by building vocabulary functionally and simply. This is essential for anyone that doesn't have the time to spend memorizing endless charts, or who struggles to understand grammar when it is abstracted from practical use in reading the language. It is much more useful to gain a working knowledge of vocabulary and grammar and then to memorize all the principle parts, conjugations, declensions, etc. I recommend using the oxford course first then moving to wheelock's for mastery of latin grammar.
In the end, this course is excellent for students because it is presented in a way that allows for a simple, progressive, and functional introduction to Latin. They lack answers ( though I haven't seen the teacher's text) but taking the time to check your work using the vocabulary lists and glossary is good review. The comics are terribly drawn and somewhat annoying, but are trivial. If the editors forgot some principles, any student that will miss them will study more advanced courses anyway. These books are the answer for anyone like me who found it impossible to learn the language from endless and voluminous sections on grammar, and I was one of the top students in my college course (I didn't have the time to take anything beyond the introduction and have had to teach my self since).

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Designed for North American students, this special version of the Oxford Latin Course combines the best features of both modern and traditional methods of Latin teaching, providing an exciting, stimulating introduction and approach to Latin based on the reading of original texts.In this four-volume North American edition, the order of declensions corresponds to customary U.S. usage and the spelling is Americanized. In addition, it offers full-color illustrations and photographs throughout Parts I and II and an expanded Teacher's Book with translations for each part. Parts I -III are built around a narrative detailing the life of Horace, based closely on historical sources, which helps students to get to know real Romans--with their daily activities, concerns, and habits--and to develop an understanding of Roman civilization during the time of Cicero and Augustus. Part IV is a reader consisting of extracts from Caesar, Cicero, Catullus, Virgil, Livy, and Ovid. The Oxford Latin Course, 2/e has been carefully designed to maximize student interest, understanding, and competence. It features a clearer presentation of grammar, revised narrative passages, new background sections, more emphasis on daily life and on the role of women, a greater number and variety of exercises, and review chapters and tests. Each chapter opens with a set of cartoons with Latin captions that illustrate new grammar points. A Latin reading follows, with new vocabulary highlighted in the margins and follow-up exercises that focus on reading comprehension and grammatical analysis. A background essay in English concludes each chapter. Covering a variety of topics--from history to food, from slavery to travel, these engaging essays present a well-rounded picture of Augustan Rome. The Oxford Latin Course, Second Edition offers today's students and teachers an exceptionally engaging and attractive introduction to the language, literature, and culture of Rome--one that builds skills effectively and is exciting to use.

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Israeli Hebrew for Speakers of English (Book 1) Review

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(More customer reviews)I was amazed to find there was no review for this series of books. While they have been out for a few years, I would regard them as one of the best resources for independent learning of Israeli Hebrew, and even as an intro for learning Biblical Hebrew because of the excellent pedagogy employed. The audio tapes for Books 1 and 2 are available on the internet (thank you!) and are definitely worth the time to check out, instead of so many audio recordings out there that use 'non-native' speakers. It's quite obvious from a teacher's perspective that this product was very well thought out. Mansoor's books and tapes are also a good product to use.

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Contents of the Israeli Hebrew Series The Israeli Hebrew for Speakers of English series consists of threefull textbooks plus a workbook that introduces the Hebrewalphabet. The series, designed for use with both university, highschool and adult education students, leadsthe language learner throughthe fundamentals of Modern Hebrew morphology, syntax and lexicon, andprepares him for advanced studies in the language. The series isintended to be compatible with the Modern Hebrew Computer-AssistedInstruction program, a computer-based supplement to classroom languageinstruction, originally designed for use on the University of Illinoisand Control Data Corporation PLATO systems. The textbooks aredesigned, however, to be used independently of the computerprogram. The books are accompanied by audio tapes (available free atdubenbooks.freeyellow.com.)Our Educational Philosophy It has been the assumption of the authors that the spoken rather than the written language should be emphasized during the initial stages of language learning. In the first two books of the series, we attempt to provide the student with a firm foundation in Israeli Hebrew as it is spoken in informal contexts by educated native speakers. The decision to teach informal spoken Hebrew has led to occasional departures from normative Hebrew. For example, in informal contexts, educated native speakers of Hebrew generally pronounce 'you plural wrote' as katavtem, and not as ktavtem. Thus, we have taught the form katavtem actively and have only mentioned the pronunciation ktavtem in passing the existence of the more formal . We believe this to be justified because we wish to prepare our students to speak and understand the Hebrew spoken by native speakers in Israel today.Although a colloquial style is emphasized during the initial stages of Hebrew study, a progression toward more literaryusage can be seen in the latter chapters of BookTwo and throughout Book Three. The goal of the series as a whole is to enable the advanced student to deal competently with the full range of styles in use in Israel. This would include conversational, journalistic and literary Hebrew. We believe that an emphasis on informal spoken Hebrew during the first year of study facilitates theaccomplishment of this goal.Types of Exercise Materials Related to our emphasis on the spoken language is the decision to stress oral rather than written drill in the first two volumes of the series. The pedagogical philosophy of the series is pragmatic. Choral repetitions, chain drills and transformation drills, the staples of the traditional audio-lingual method, have been used extensively. The use of audio-lingual drills does not mean that we view language learning as no more than rote habit formation. Rather, we believe that in learning a language like Hebrew, which is characterized by a multitude of a forms for verbs and nouns, repetitive drills are one type of useful exercise. It is true that these drills are less interesting for students than exercises that employ communicative skills, but they can be made less dull by a few tricks: These drills should generally be done orally and with the students' books closed. Their purpose is to develop oral facility in the structure being taught. Teachers who are inexperienced in this m!ethod should be warned that drills of this type must be carried out very rapidly, or their mechanical nature is likely to lead to inattention on the part of the student. When used properly, however, these drills remain a very effective method of introducing and practicing a new grammatical structure. In addition, grammar drills must be used in conjunction with communicative activities that are designed by instructors to match the interests of their class.Throughout the books, reading passages and grammar points are used to present and explain difficult structures as well as new vocabulary. The books were designed by linguists specializing in grammar (syntax and morphology), and an attempt has been made to make the grammatical descriptions both simple and scientifically correct. The grammar points may serve as a guide to both teacher and student as to the main emphasis of unit. We also include a variety of exercises, such as matching drills and translation exercises, which are intended primarily for use as homework. We have tried to provide many more exercises than could be conveniently done in class. Our intent is to allow the classroom teacher maximum flexibility in choosing exercises that fill the needs of his or her class.We would also like to emphasize again that much classroom time should be spent on communicative activities which force students to use and understand the language, not simply to practice grammatical forms.

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Fundamentals of Speech Recognition Review

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(More customer reviews)This book is a comprehensive and excellent introduction to the ever-expanding
field of Automatic Speech Recognition. Starting with models of speech
production, speech characterization, methods of analysis (transforms etc),
the authors go onto discuss pattern comparison, hidden Markov models (HMMs),
and design and implementation of speech recognition systems, right from
isolated word recognition to large vocabulary continuous speech recognition
systems. Neural networks and their use in speech recognition is also presented,
though somewhat briefly.
Rabiner was the author of the first widely-read tutorial on HMMs, so
naturally the presentation of HMMs is one of the strong points of this
textbook. The theory is developed in detail, but in an easy to follow
fashion, starting with the very basics and with plenty of helpful examples.
The implementation is discussed at great length as well, starting with
the simplest of tasks and progressing to the state-of-the-art (circa 1993).
That isn't to say that HMMs are the only good part of this book - indeed,
practically every topic, whether it be perception, transforms, vector quantization
or dynamic programming, is presented with great clarity. This book really is easy to
learn from, with numerous examples and illustrations.
The field of speech recognition is inherently multi-disciplinary in nature,
drawing upon various areas of study, including Physics, Physiology, Acoustics,
Signal Processing and Computer Science, to name but a few. The authors do a
great job of explaining all these facets, as well as the mathematics that
is an essential tool.

The only caveat is that it's now a little old (published 1993), since the
field has been growing by leaps and bounds - so while the basics remain
the same, things have changed and hence what's said here should not be
taken as the last word on the subject.
Perhaps a new edition is due, and would certainly be most welcome.
However, for an excellent, accessible introduction to this exciting field,
this is still a great choice.

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Provides a theoretically sound,technically accurate, and complete description of the basicknowledge and ideas that constitute a modern system forspeech recognition by machine. Coversproduction, perception, and acoustic-phoneticcharacterization of the speech signal; signal processing andanalysis methods for speech recognition; pattern comparisontechniques; speech recognition system design andimplementation; theory and implementation of hidden Markovmodels; speech recognition based on connected word models;large vocabulary continuous speech recognition; and task-oriented application of automatic speech recognition. For practicing engineers, scientists,linguists, and programmers interested in speech recognition.

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Minna no Nihongo, Book 1 (Bk. 1) (Japanese Edition) Review

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(More customer reviews)This textbook treats you like an adult who needs to speak in Japan. Each lesson introduces a few sentence patterns (i.e. grammar), gives relevant vocabulary, shows how to use it in useful situations, and provides lots of opportunity for practice.
The vocabulary is excellent. It is aggressive: it requires us to learn about 50 new words per lesson, and reuses the vocab from previous lessons. It is also well chosen: the vocab logically matches the sentence patterns for that lesson so that we can learn and practice them together. But it doesn't ask us to memorize exhaustive themed categories (animals, etc...). It recognizes that many adults need to talk about "reports" more often than "horses".
Minna No Nihongo uses a lot of pairwork, and I have found it most effective studying in a class with a teacher or at least with a dedicated partner.
The book itself is unique. I've never seen another like it. It is written for foreigners in Japan so it is written completely in japanese. Then students can buy the accompanying translation and grammatical notes (recommended) in the language of their choice (English, Korean, Chinese, etc.).

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