Hailed for its coiled eroticism and the moral claims it makes upon the reader, this mesmerizing novel is a story of love and secrets, horror and compassion, unfolding against the haunted landscape of postwar Germany. When he falls ill on his way home from school, fifteen-year-old Michael Berg...  more

Hailed for its coiled eroticism and the moral claims it makes upon the reader, this mesmerizing novel is a story of love and secrets, horror and compassion, unfolding against the haunted landscape of postwar Germany. When he falls ill on his way home from school, fifteen-year-old Michael Berg is rescued by Hanna, a woman twice his age. In time she becomes his lover -- then she inexplicably disappears. When Michael next sees her, he is a young law student, and she is on trial for a hideous crime. As he watches her refuse to defend her innocence, Michael gradually realizes that Hanna may be guarding a secret she considers more shameful than murder.

Art and literacy experiences can be integrated into the classroom to great effect, and Susan Thompson shows us how. Interpreting and creating pictorial representations is an important step on the road to literacy, as is experimenting with combinations of symbols and text. When we value and...  more

Art and literacy experiences can be integrated into the classroom to great effect, and Susan Thompson shows us how. Interpreting and creating pictorial representations is an important step on the road to literacy, as is experimenting with combinations of symbols and text. When we value and support children's symbolic expression and communication, children respond and gain in confidence. This engaging book is a joyous exploration of visual expression combined with writing and reading. Included are instructions for more than two dozen printing, painting, collage, and other techniques that children will enjoy learning and using in their illustrations.

This book offers a sensitive approach to helping children become more strategic in their building of literacy skills and concepts. Underscored by rich child development theory, developmentally appropriate practices and sound research, the book offers a comprehensive array of literacy activities...  more

This book offers a sensitive approach to helping children become more strategic in their building of literacy skills and concepts. Underscored by rich child development theory, developmentally appropriate practices and sound research, the book offers a comprehensive array of literacy activities to support children's emergent-to-fluent literacy from the preprimary years through the fifth grade. Each strategy is paired with a classroom demonstration, and samples of children's work are included. This book offers numerous classroom-based, child-centered measurement tools as well as a useful description of the most common standardized tests used for diagnostic purposes. Portfolio implementation and student-led celebrations are also highlighted. Reproducible materials included. For pre-service and in-service teachers.

Surround yourself with lucky objects, the Chinese believe, and good fortune will come to you. In word and image, this exquisite volume-a delight to hold in the hand-explores the bounteous meanings of the five-fold symbols of happiness: luck, prosperity, longevity, happiness, and wealth. Drenched...  more

Surround yourself with lucky objects, the Chinese believe, and good fortune will come to you. In word and image, this exquisite volume-a delight to hold in the hand-explores the bounteous meanings of the five-fold symbols of happiness: luck, prosperity, longevity, happiness, and wealth. Drenched in color and lavishly illustrated from ancient and modern sources, Five-Fold Happiness interweaves both Chinese and English text. Peaches, the number eight, the imperial color of gold, a cat with one paw beckoning, or the dragon dance-here are some of the familiar images now revealed in their rich significance. Whether readers choose to embrace these symbols in their everyday lives or simply enjoy them on these glorious pages, Five-Fold Happiness is altogether auspicious.

From 1827 Henry Rawlinson, fearless soldier, sportsman and imperial adventurer of the first rank, spent twenty-five years in India, Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan in the service of the East India Company. During this time he survived the dangers of disease and warfare, including the disastrous First...  more

From 1827 Henry Rawlinson, fearless soldier, sportsman and imperial adventurer of the first rank, spent twenty-five years in India, Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan in the service of the East India Company. During this time he survived the dangers of disease and warfare, including the disastrous First Anglo-Afghan War. A gifted linguist, fascinated by history and exploration, he became obsessed with cuneiform, the world's earliest writing. An immense inscription high on a sheer rock face at Bisitun in the mountains of western Iran, carved on the orders of King Darius the Great of Persia over 2,000 years ago, was the key to understanding the many cuneiform scripts and languages. Only Rawlinson had the physical and intellectual skills, courage, self-motivation and opportunity to make the perilous ascent and copy the monument. Here, Lesley Adkins relates the story of Rawlinson's life and how he triumphed in deciphering the lost languages of Persia and Babylonia, overcoming his brilliant but bitter rival, Edward Hincks. While based in Baghdad, Rawlinson became involved in the very first excavations of the ancient mounds of Mesopotamia, from Nineveh to Babylon, an area that had been fought over by so many powerful empires. His decipherment of the inscriptions resurrected unsuspected civilizations, revealing intriguing details of everyday life and forgotten historical events. By proving to the astonished Victorian public that people and places in the Old Testament really existed (and, furthermore, that documents and chronicles had survived from well before the writing of the Bible), Rawlinson became a celebrity and assured his own place in history.

Today's parents are increasingly concerned about the reading and spelling skills taught in schools and are taking charge of their children's education. Full of ideas and suggestions­­--from innovative preschool exercises to techniques that older children can use to increase reading...  more

Today's parents are increasingly concerned about the reading and spelling skills taught in schools and are taking charge of their children's education. Full of ideas and suggestions­­--from innovative preschool exercises to techniques that older children can use to increase reading speed and comprehension--­­Straight Talk About Reading will instantly help any parent lay a solid foundation for their child's formative educational years.

How to teach reading and writing?  The Spalding program works by first teaching a set of phoneme-letter units Spalding calls phonograms. These phonograms are printed on cards, six to a page, which are taught to the beginning reader/writer.  Subsequent chapters cover handwriting,...  more

How to teach reading and writing?  The Spalding program works by first teaching a set of phoneme-letter units Spalding calls phonograms. These phonograms are printed on cards, six to a page, which are taught to the beginning reader/writer.  Subsequent chapters cover handwriting, spelling rules, the students' use of individual notebooks, and what to focus on at each grade level.  This book is applicable to adult learners as well as young children.  Originally published in 1957.  The 4th revised edition is dated 1990.

"Space constraints prevent me from giving more than a mere flavour of the richness of Cytowic's thinking. With broad sweeps, he outlines a new landscape. . . . Read this book--and the more objective you think you are, the more open-minded you will need to be to appreciate it." -- The New...  more

"Space constraints prevent me from giving more than a mere flavour of the richness of Cytowic's thinking. With broad sweeps, he outlines a new landscape. . . . Read this book--and the more objective you think you are, the more open-minded you will need to be to appreciate it." -- The New Scientist In 1980, Richard Cytowic was having dinner at a friend's house, when his host exclaimed, "Oh, dear, there aren't enough points on the chicken." With that casual comment began Cytowic's journey into the condition known as synesthesia. The ten people in one million who are synesthetes are born into a world where one sensation (such as sound) conjures up one or more others (such as taste or color). Although scientists have known about synesthesia for two hundred years, until now the condition has remained a mystery. Extensive experiments with more than forty synesthetes led Richard Cytowic to an explanation of synesthesia--and to a new conception of the organization of the mind, one that emphasized the primacy of emotion over reason. Because there were not enough points on chicken served at a dinner almost two decades ago, Cytowic came to explore a deeper reality that he believes exists in all individuals, but usually below the surface of awareness. In this medical detective adventure, he reveals the brain to be an active explorer, not just a passive receiver, and offers a new view of what it means to be human--a view that turns upside down conventional ideas about reason, emotion, and who we are. * Not for sale in the United Kingdom and Eire

"Andrew Robinson has now followed up his beautifully illustrated The Story of Writing with a highly appropriate sequel­­Lost Languages, on undeciphered scripts. Many, it seems likely, will never be deciphered ..."­­Sir Arthur C. Clarke, C.B.E. A landmark study of the world's...  more

"Andrew Robinson has now followed up his beautifully illustrated The Story of Writing with a highly appropriate sequel­­Lost Languages, on undeciphered scripts. Many, it seems likely, will never be deciphered ..."­­Sir Arthur C. Clarke, C.B.E. A landmark study of the world's most important undeciphered writing systems and the current race to crack them Maybe it's the tantalizing possibility of giving new voice to long-hushed peoples and civilizations. Perhaps it's the puzzle solver's delight in the mental challenges posed by breaking their codes. Whatever the reasons, the public has long been fascinated with undeciphered ancient scripts and the ongoing efforts to crack them. In Lost Languages, Andrew Robinson reports from the front lines of the global efforts now under way to crack the Meroitic hieroglyphs of ancient Nubia, the Etruscan alphabet, the Indus Valley Sealstones, the Zapotec script­­the earliest in the Americas­­and five other major "lost languages." An enthralling story of genius, passion, and competition, Lost Languages provides a revealing look at how decipherment is done. In what is truly an archaeological mystery book, the author examines each script in detail and reviews what is known about the people who created it, while weaving in the intriguing cast of characters currently competing for the glory of cracking these ancient codes.

This user-friendly book with step by step directions gives any reader the tools to teach someone else to read. With easy to follow lesson plans, built in evaluation, and tips on how to reach students in the way they learn best, anyone can teach a child, teen or adult, an individual or group, a...  more

This user-friendly book with step by step directions gives any reader the tools to teach someone else to read. With easy to follow lesson plans, built in evaluation, and tips on how to reach students in the way they learn best, anyone can teach a child, teen or adult, an individual or group, a beginning or at-risk reader. The book's emphasis is on the important early basic skills of: *Memorizing a sight word vocabulary of words used most often, which can't be figured out by using the most commonly used phonics rules. *Using the most commonly used phonics rules to figure out words used most often, which don't need to be memorized, and obtaining a firm knowledge of how to apply those rules to future unknown words. *developing basic comprehension skills to assure that the reader understands what the words are saying. Check lists are provided for determining how the student learns best. Multiple activities and unique yarns, called "Silly Stories," and cartoon illustrations make phonic rules and sight words fun to learn and more memorable. Lists of consonant and vowel sounds, sight and phonetic words, plus rules used to figure out words are included in the Appendices.

R. Buckminster Fuller (1895–1983) was an architect, engineer, geometrician, cartographer, philosopher, futurist, inventor of the famous geodesic dome, and one of the most brilliant thinkers of his time. For more than five decades, he set forth his comprehensive perspective on the world's...  more

R. Buckminster Fuller (1895–1983) was an architect, engineer, geometrician, cartographer, philosopher, futurist, inventor of the famous geodesic dome, and one of the most brilliant thinkers of his time. For more than five decades, he set forth his comprehensive perspective on the world's problems in numerous essays, which offer an illuminating insight into the intellectual universe of this "renaissance man." These texts remain surprisingly topical even today, decades after their initial publication. While Fuller wrote the works in the 1960's and 1970's, they could not be more timely: like desperately needed time-capsules of wisdom for the critical moment he foresaw, and in which we find ourselves. Long out of print, they are now being published again, together with commentary by Jaime Snyder, the grandson of Buckminster Fuller. Designed for a new generation of readers, Snyder prepared these editions with supplementary material providing background on the texts, factual updates, and interpretation of his visionary ideas. A biography of Buckminster Fuller's "thought development," Ideas and Integrities presents an intimate self-portrait of the experiences and discoveries behind his groundbreaking ideas and inventions. Through in-depth essays like "Total Thinking," "Design for Survival – Plus," and "The Comprehensive Man," spanning the period from his earliest writings to the invention of the geodesic dome and his explosion onto the world stage, he delivers a powerful manifesto for the comprehensive design revolution he had championed: "To make man a success on earth.... we must design our way to positive effectiveness." Buckminster Fuller's prophetic 1962 book Education Automation brilliantly anticipated the need to rethink learning in light of a dawning revolution in informational technology – "upcoming major world industry." Along with other essays on education, including "Breaking the Shell of Permitted Ignorance," "Children: the True Scientists" and "Mistake Mystique" this volume presents a powerful approach for preparing ourselves to face epochal changes on spaceship earth: "whether we are going to make it or not... is really up to each one of us; it is not something we can delegate to the politicians – what kind of world are you really going to have?"

"This collection of readings is about all children and the early years of schooling." A good collection of essays that covers what the teacher needs to know about her student, in order to be effective.  Particularly helpful regarding the Concepts About Print Task. ...  more

"This collection of readings is about all children and the early years of schooling." A good collection of essays that covers what the teacher needs to know about her student, in order to be effective.  Particularly helpful regarding the Concepts About Print Task.  "This collection of readings is about all children and the early years of schooling."

Scientists have long theorized that abstract, symbolic thinking evolved to help humans negotiate such classically male activities as hunting, tool making, and warfare, and eventually developed into spoken language. In Finding Our Tongues, Dean Falk overturns this established idea, offering a...  more

Scientists have long theorized that abstract, symbolic thinking evolved to help humans negotiate such classically male activities as hunting, tool making, and warfare, and eventually developed into spoken language. In Finding Our Tongues, Dean Falk overturns this established idea, offering a daring new theory that springs from a simple observation: parents all over the world, in all cultures, talk to infants by using baby talk or ?Motherese.? Falk shows how Motherese developed as a way of reassuring babies when mothers had to put them down in order to do work. The melodic vocalizations of early Motherese not only provided the basis of language but also contributed to the growth of music and art.Combining cutting-edge neuroscience with classic anthropology, Falk offers a potent challenge to conventional wisdom about the emergence of human language.

A child's very first word is a miraculous sound, the opening note in a lifelong symphony. Most parents never forget the moment. But that first word is soon followed by a second and a third, and by the age of three, children are typically learning ten new words every day and speaking in complete...  more

A child's very first word is a miraculous sound, the opening note in a lifelong symphony. Most parents never forget the moment. But that first word is soon followed by a second and a third, and by the age of three, children are typically learning ten new words every day and speaking in complete sentences. The process seems effortless, and for children, it is. But how exactly does it happen? How do children learn language? And why is it so much harder to do later in life? Drawing on cutting-edge developments in biology, neurology, psychology, and linguistics, Charles Yang's The Infinite Gift takes us inside the astonishingly complex but largely subconscious process by which children learn to talk and to understand the spoken word. Yang illuminates the rich mysteries of language: why French newborns already prefer the sound of French to English; why baby-talk, though often unintelligible, makes perfect linguistic sense; why babies born deaf still babble -- but with their hands; why the grammars of some languages may be evolutionarily stronger than others; and why one of the brain's earliest achievements may in fact be its most complex. Yang also puts forth an exciting new theory. Building on Noam Chomsky's notion of a universal grammar -- the idea that every human being is born with an intuitive grasp of grammar -- Yang argues that we learn our native languages in part by unlearning the grammars of all the rest. This means that the next time you hear a child make a grammatical mistake, it may not be a mistake at all; his or her grammar may be perfectly correct in Chinese or Navajo or ancient Greek. This is the brain's way of testing its options as it searches for the local and thus correct grammar -- and then discards all the wrong ones. And we humans, Yang shows, are not the only creatures who learn this way. In fact, learning by unlearning may be an ancient evolutionary mechanism that runs throughout the animal kingdom. Thus, babies learn to talk in much the same way that birds learn to sing. Enlivened by Yang's experiences with his own young son, The Infinite Gift is as charming as it is challenging, as thoughtful as it is thought-provoking. An absorbing read for parents, educators, and anyone who has ever wondered about the origins of that uniquely human gift: our ability to speak and, just as miraculous, to understand one another.

The Writing and Spelling Road to Reading and Thinking materials involve phonics, orthography, grammar and syntax content, 47 rules of spelling, syllabication, capitalization and apostrophes, a scope and sequence, an overview of rationale and concepts, history/research, the management and...  more

The Writing and Spelling Road to Reading and Thinking materials involve phonics, orthography, grammar and syntax content, 47 rules of spelling, syllabication, capitalization and apostrophes, a scope and sequence, an overview of rationale and concepts, history/research, the management and motivation of children, standards/assessments, and lesson objetives. We stress four important methodologies: multi-sensory, direct instruction, Socratic instruction, and using wall charts.

Told through a lively text and colorful handmade arpilleras (quilt-like murals) from Peru, this musical story about a little boy's preparations for Carnaval is rich with the culture of the Andean mountains.

When Napoleon invaded Egypt in 1798, his troops and scientists were astonished to discover ancient temples, tombs, and statues, all covered with strange markings-the last remnants of a language lost in time.  After the Rosetta Stone was uncovered, hope was raised that the mystery of this...  more

When Napoleon invaded Egypt in 1798, his troops and scientists were astonished to discover ancient temples, tombs, and statues, all covered with strange markings-the last remnants of a language lost in time.  After the Rosetta Stone was uncovered, hope was raised that the mystery of this ancient writing could be solved.  Egyptomania spread throughout Europe, and the quest to decipher the hieroglyphs began in earnest, for it was understood that fame and fortune awaited the scholar who succeeded.In rural France, Jean-Francois Champollion, the brilliant son of an impoverished bookseller, was obsessed with breaking the code of the ancient Egyptians texts.  At sixteen years of age he decided that he would dedicate his life to the decipherment of hieroglyphs.Suffering from hardships of poverty, but with devoted support from his older brother, Champollion made slow but significant progress in decipherment.  After the Revolution, however, France was a dangerous place; an unguarded word could mean ruin, exile, or even death.  Always possessed of strong political beliefs, Champollion often found himself in grave personnel danger.  Yet he continued to strive for the key to the ancient texts, and he persevered despite ill health and the knowledge that he was at the mercy of vicious political enemies. Even more troubling to him was the threat of failure-his closest competitor, the English physician Thomas Young, also working to solve the puzzle of the hieroglyphs, and he was rapidly gaining ground.  In 1812,  Champollion made the decisive breakthrough, beating Young to the prize and becoming the first person to be able to read the ancient Egyptian language in well over a thousand years.The Keys of Egypt is the fascinating true story of the race to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphs and of the rediscovery of the world of ancient Egypt- a world that had been closed to the West for centuries.

The deciphering of the Rosetta stone was one of the great intellectual achievements of all time, unlocking the secrets of thousands of years of Egypt’s ancient civilization. Yet in the past two centuries, the circumstances surrounding this bravura feat of translation have become shrouded...  more

The deciphering of the Rosetta stone was one of the great intellectual achievements of all time, unlocking the secrets of thousands of years of Egypt’s ancient civilization. Yet in the past two centuries, the circumstances surrounding this bravura feat of translation have become shrouded in myth and mystery. Now in his spellbinding book, Daniel Meyerson recounts the extraordinary true story of how the lives of two geniuses–the emperor Napoleon and the linguist Jean-François Champollion–converged in a breakthrough that revolutionized our understanding of the past.In this sweeping narrative, the haunting story of the Rosetta stone–its discovery in a doomed battle, the plot to secure it, the agonizing race to unlock its secrets, and the pain it seemed to inflict on all who touched it–reads like the most engrossing fiction. As counterpoint to the stories of the brilliant linguist and the visionary emperor, Meyerson interweaves the ancient tales of love, intrigue, brutal death, and miraculous rebirth that were hidden for centuries on the walls of Egyptian tombs–stories that Champollion finally made accessible to the world.

1908-9 - HOW TO DECIPHER , AND STUDY OLD DOCUMENTS A GUIDE TO THE READING OF ANCIENT MANUSCRIPTS E. E. THOYTS MRS. -- PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION - THE preface to a book is a necessary evil. T It is the authors explanation of the causes which prompted its production. Of this little book two...  more

1908-9 - HOW TO DECIPHER , AND STUDY OLD DOCUMENTS A GUIDE TO THE READING OF ANCIENT MANUSCRIPTS E. E. THOYTS MRS. -- PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION - THE preface to a book is a necessary evil. T It is the authors explanation of the causes which prompted its production. Of this little book two editions are already exhausted and a third becomes necessary, for still it is the only simple and inexpensive guide to the subject, and is to be found among the Standard works in the British Museum. It is a very large and difficult subject whereon to write a small book, the chief difficulty being to know what to omit, so as not to confuse the beginner by too much information at first start but it is a fascinating subject, and once started upon the student will try all sources to gain more information, and for this a list of books on kindred subjects is given. Only a beginner can realise how difficult at first the simplest works look till the eye grows accustomed to the old form of lettering. It is V disheartening work at first trying to recognise a word or even a letter of some old deed, and very little progress can be attained under three or even six months. Gradually and steadily the knowledge comes with experience, but often some curiously formed capital letter may occur to puzzle one. No one can aspire to be an antiquary who is unable to read old deeds. Antiquarian knowledge is learnt it does not come by nature, though to some extent, doubtless, it is inherited the man who employs a professional to do the technical part, such as reading a deed or blazoning a shield, is not a real antiquary for he is unable to question the accuracy of the information. From my wifes book I have myself found so much interest and help that I know others must and will find it equally useful as a beginners guide. JOHN HAUTENVILL C E O PE. November, 1909. AUTHORS PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION 0 describe the things which puzzled me T when, as a beginner, I first essayed to read and understand the old records of bygone times. Written in a language I knew not, relating to customs no longer existing, all was strange and unfamiliar. I toiled on by degrees light dawned and the difficulties melted away...

This book incisively presents recent research in the area of language development and relates those findings to practices that parents and teachers can implement at home and in classrooms with theor own children and students.

An accessible exploration of a burgeoning new field: the incredible evolution of language The first popular book to recount the exciting, very recent developments in tracing the origins of language, The First Word is at the forefront of a controversial, compelling new field. Acclaimed science...  more

An accessible exploration of a burgeoning new field: the incredible evolution of language The first popular book to recount the exciting, very recent developments in tracing the origins of language, The First Word is at the forefront of a controversial, compelling new field. Acclaimed science writer Christine Kenneally explains how a relatively small group of scientists that include Noam Chomsky and Steven Pinker assembled the astounding narrative of how the fundamental process of evolution produced a linguistic ape?in other words, us. Infused with the wonder of discovery, this vital and engrossing book offers us all a better understanding of the story of humankind.

In this classic, the world's expert on language and mind lucidly explains everything you always wanted to know about language: how it works, how children learn it, how it changes, how the brain computes it, and how it evolved. With deft use of examples of humor and wordplay, Steven Pinker weaves...  more

In this classic, the world's expert on language and mind lucidly explains everything you always wanted to know about language: how it works, how children learn it, how it changes, how the brain computes it, and how it evolved. With deft use of examples of humor and wordplay, Steven Pinker weaves our vast knowledge of language into a compelling story: language is a human instinct, wired into our brains by evolution. The Language Instinct received the William James Book Prize from the American Psychological Association and the Public Interest Award from the Linguistics Society of America. This edition includes an update on advances in the science of language since The Language Instinct was first published.

How does language work, and how do we learn to speak? Why do languages change over time, and why do they have so many quirks and irregularities? In this original and totally entertaining book written in the same engaging style that illuminated his bestselling classics, The Language Instinct and...  more

How does language work, and how do we learn to speak? Why do languages change over time, and why do they have so many quirks and irregularities? In this original and totally entertaining book written in the same engaging style that illuminated his bestselling classics, The Language Instinct and How the Mind Works, Seven Pinker explores the profound mysteries of language.By picking a deceptively simple phenomenon--regular and irregular verbs--Pinker connects an astonishing array of topics in the sciences and the humanities: the history of languages; the theories of Noam Chomosky and his critics; the attempts to create language using computer simulations of neural networks; what there is to learn from children's grammatical "mistakes"; the latest techniques in identifying genes and imaging the brain; and major ideas in the history of Western philosophy. He makes sense of all this with the help of a single, powerful idea: that language comprises a mental dictionary of memorized words and a mental grammer of creative rules. His theory extends beyond language and offers insight in the very nature of the human mind.

Already hailed as a masterpiece, Foundations of Language offers a brilliant overhaul of the last thirty-five years of research in generative linguistics and related fields. "Few books really deserve the cliche 'this should be read by every researcher in the field,'" writes Steven Pinker, author...  more

Already hailed as a masterpiece, Foundations of Language offers a brilliant overhaul of the last thirty-five years of research in generative linguistics and related fields. "Few books really deserve the cliche 'this should be read by every researcher in the field,'" writes Steven Pinker, author of The Language Instinct, "But Ray Jackendoff's Foundations of Language does." Foundations of Language offers a radically new understanding of how language, the brain, and perception intermesh. The book renews the promise of early generative linguistics: that language can be a valuable entree into understanding the human mind and brain. The approach is remarkably interdisciplinary. Behind its innovations is Jackendoff's fundamental proposal that the creativity of language derives from multiple parallel generative systems linked by interface components. this shift in basic architecture makes possible a radical reconception of mental grammar and how it is learned. As a consequence, Jackendoff is able to reintegrate linguistics with philosophy of mind, cognitive and developmental psychology, evolutionary biology, neuroscience, and computational linguistics. Among the major topics treated are language processing, the relation of language to perception, the innateness of language, and the evolution of the language capacity, as well as more standard issues in linguistic theory such as the roles of syntax and the lexicon. In addition, Jackendoff offers a sophisticated theory of semantics that incorporates insights from philosophy of language, logic and formal semantics, lexical semantics of various stripes, cognitive grammar, psycholinguistic and neurolinguistic approaches, and the author's own conceptual semantics. Here then is the most fundamental contribution to linguistic theory in over three decades.

Ever wonder where phrases such as 'Rendez-vous with Destiny' and the like come from? Did you know the connection between the word 'boondoggle' and the Boy Scouts? Find out here. There are also valuable lists of words taken from the Algonquian languages, including mugwump! So...  more

Ever wonder where phrases such as 'Rendez-vous with Destiny' and the like come from? Did you know the connection between the word 'boondoggle' and the Boy Scouts? Find out here. There are also valuable lists of words taken from the Algonquian languages, including mugwump! So if you need to know about words like skedaddle, hunky-dory, and shebang, this is the book for you. Includes a very comprehensive List of Words and Phrases.

It's as easy as waving bye-bye! Babies have a lot to say, even before they can actually speak familiar animal names like "dog" and "bunny." Baby Signs are simple gestures that allow babies and toddlers to communicate what they see, what they need, and even how they feel. Research has shown...  more

It's as easy as waving bye-bye! Babies have a lot to say, even before they can actually speak familiar animal names like "dog" and "bunny." Baby Signs are simple gestures that allow babies and toddlers to communicate what they see, what they need, and even how they feel. Research has shown that Baby Signs decrease frustration and tantrums and help your baby talk sooner. When to begin: When your child starts to wave bye-bye. How to do it: Show your baby the sign and point to the picture. Always say the word as you make the sign. Improvise: Make up your own signs -- your baby probably will too!