Languages
Explore a world of languages via ANU Press’ dedicated imprint exploring language teaching. Download the free ebook to use wherever you find yourself around the globe.
Displaying results 1 to 9 of 9.
Marhaba! An Introduction to Modern Standard Arabic »
Publication date: January 2023
Marhaba! An Introduction to Modern Standard Arabic is a unique student handbook specifically written and designed for flexible learning. It consists of 23 lessons that include a variety of online interactive tasks supported by a range of audio resources. Online learners develop reading, listening, speaking and writing skills at the introductory level of Modern Standard Arabic while getting an insight into the culture of the Arab world. This publication addresses the needs of a mobile and diverse cohort of Australian and international students who seek to acquire a basic knowledge of the grammar and syntax of Modern Standard Arabic, a form of the language common to all peoples of the Arab-speaking world, from North Africa to the Middle East and Asia.
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The Viṣṇu Purāṇa »
Ancient Annals of the God with Lotus Eyes
Authored by: McComas Taylor
Publication date: June 2021
This translation of The Viṣṇu Purāṇa is also available as a free audiobook (see the 'Additional Resources' tab).
Viṣṇu is a central deity in the Hindu pantheon, especially in his manifestation as the seductive cattle-herding youth, Kṛṣṇa. The purāṇas are sacred texts, which, as the Sanskrit name implies, are collections of narratives from ‘long ago’. The Viṣṇu Purāṇa is thus an ancient account of the universe and guide to life, which places Viṣṇu-Kṛṣṇa at the centre of creation, theology and reality itself.
This text, composed about 1,500 years ago, provides a comprehensive and accessible introduction to the most important themes and narratives that constitute the Hindu imagination: the creation and destruction of the universe, the origin of gods and mortals, the peopling of the world, and the structure and conduct of ideal brahminical society.
The Viṣṇu Purāṇa describes the trials of exemplary devotees, the existential struggles between gods and demons, and the exploits of legendary cultural heroes. It also contains many ecstatic songs of praise for the deity. The ever-popular accounts of Kṛṣṇa’s love games with the cattle-herding girls of Vṛṇdāvana, which have proliferated in literature, dance, song and visual arts over the millennia, are found here in authoritative form.
This faithful yet fluent blank-verse rendering of this great Hindu classic is the first new English translation in nearly 200 years. It will be welcomed by the scholarly community, while remaining readily accessible to a general readership.
Intermediate Ancient Greek Language »
Authored by: Darryl Palmer
Publication date: March 2021
Intermediate Ancient Greek Language is a series of Lessons and Exercises intended for students who have already covered most of an introductory course in the ancient Greek language. It aims to broaden and deepen students’ understanding of the main grammatical constructions of Greek. Further attention is given to grammatical forms to illustrate their functions.
In the Lessons, tragedy, comedy, historiography, oratory and philosophy are sources for dramatic material. The Cases have been deliberately placed late in the series of Lessons 36 to 41; students by now will be prepared to analyse Case usage. Consideration of prepositions in Lesson 42 naturally follows the Cases. Lesson 43, on correlative clauses, links with adjectival and adverbial constructions in previous Lessons. The final Lesson 44 deals with exclamations.
Throughout the book, the author relies on genuine Greek sources for the passages in the Lessons and Exercises.
A Linguistic History of Italy »
Storia Linguistica d'Italia
Authored by: John J Kinder, Grazia Scotellaro
Publication date: September 2020
Italy has a long and fascinating history that has been recorded since the earliest days of Rome itself: we know how politics, ideas, culture, art, architecture, music and much more, have developed over nearly three millennia. At the heart of the life of the peoples of the Italian peninsula and islands is their language. A Linguistic History of Italy tells the story of how the language spoken in Italy developed from Latin to multiple dialects, to the selection of Florentine for a national written language and how Italian became the common language of the entire nation. At each step on this amazing journey language intertwines with other components of Italian social life.
The chapters of A Linguistic History of Italy take you through the history of Italian society, art, ideas and language. The chapters focus on the turning points in language history – when Latin ‘became’ Romance, when local dialects were first used in writing, when Florentine was selected as the national language for literature, when Italian became the ‘national language’ – and show how those moments only fully make sense when seen in a broader context.
The text is written in both English and Italian, so you can improve your linguistic skills while immersing yourself in Italian culture. And the many images give a visual feast of Italian beauty through the centuries.
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Wiidhaa »
An Introduction to Gamilaraay
Authored by: John Giacon
Publication date: February 2020
The Gamilaraay language declined in use for many years after the colonisation of Australia. From around 1990, Gamilaraay people and others have been working to revive the language. This book draws on recent research into previous records and analyses of Gamilaraay and of the closely related, and better recorded, Yuwaalaraay. It provides an introduction to many aspects of the language including verbs, the case system and the extensive pronoun paradigm, in a format that students have found very helpful for the last 12 years.
Please note: Readers will need to download and open the PDF files in the latest version Adobe Acrobat to access and listen to the sound files within the book.
This textbook is used as course material in:
Gamilaraay – an introduction to an Australian Indigenous Language INDG2003 and INDG6003
Introduction to the Tibetan Language »
An eTextbook for spoken and literary Tibetan
Publication date: December 2018
This textbook includes twelve multi-media introductory lessons for Tibetan learners. There are sections that explain how to write and read the Tibetan alphabet, how to write and read Tibetan words, and easy colloquial and literary sentences. Each section includes a dialogue that is performed in videos and written down, written explanations of different aspects of the language, videos that demonstrate how to write, read and pronounce Tibetan, and exercises that will help solidify what you have learned. The book also includes links to online sources, including flashcards to aid vocabulary building.
Part 1 is an introduction to reading and writing Tibetan.
Part 2 builds on these skills and helps Tibetan learners develop conversational skills.
Part 3 introduces literary Tibetan by building on the commonalities between it and conversational Tibetan.
Here is everything you need to learn the world's highest language.
This textbook is used as course material in:
Tibetan 1 TIBN1002 and TIBN6002
Tibetan 2 TIBN1003 and TIBN6003
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Reading Embraced by Australia »
Hiroshima Modules 1 and 2
Authored by: Carol Hayes, Yuki Itani-Adams
Publication date: December 2016
Hiroshima Modules 1 and 2 provide a first-hand account of surviving Hiroshima's atomic bomb.
This eText is the first volume of an advanced Japanese language comprehension series aimed firstly at improving Japanese language skills, and secondly at introducing readers to a first-hand account of Australia and Japan’s shared WWII and post-WWII history. Made up of two modules, this eText includes audio recordings of the text, movie files of recorded interviews with Teruko Blair and interactive comprehension quiz questions to help readers engage with the Japanese text.
The story is drawn from war bride and Hiroshima survivor Mrs Teruko Blair's 1991 Japanese memoir, Embraced by Australia (『オーストラリアに抱かれて』), published by Asahi TV Press.
Hiroshima Modules 1 and 2 take readers on a journey behind the eyes of then 20-year-old Teruko. Module 1 covers only a few days in Teruko’s life, in the lead up to the bombing, the horrific impact of the bomb and how she and her family just managed to escape the black rain. Module 2 continues on from Module 1, describing how Teruko and her family survived by managing to escape across the Ōta River to a friend’s farm. The story ends with the survival of all four children and both their parents, which is nothing short of miraculous.
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Modern Japanese Online »
The first course to mastering modern Japanese
Authored by: Naomi Ogi, Duck-Young Lee
Publication date: July 2016
Modern Japanese Online is designed to provide beginning learners of the Japanese language with a solid base of the major grammar and expressions of Japanese in a flexible electronic mode. With detailed explanations and practical exercises, successful learners will gain quality knowledge of the system of the Japanese language, as well as exceptional skills to deal with a variety of verbal expressions necessary for daily conversations.
The learning objectives have been designed and organised on a step-by-step basis. With detailed explanations and rich exercises, Modern Japanese Online aims at ‘easy to use and easy to learn’.
Modern Japanese Online is based on the Grammar and Expressions sections in 日本語がいっぱい 'Nihongo ga Ippai' (published in 2010, by Hituzi Shobo, Tokyo), which is aimed at developing communication skills in terms of Grammar, Expressions, Natural Conversation Notes, Creative Dialogues, and Cultural Notes. Since Modern Japanese Online mainly focuses on the Grammar and Expressions, it is recommended that learners use this eText in conjunction with日本語がいっぱい for comprehensive study of Japanese.
The combined use of Modern Japanese Online and日本語がいっぱい 'Nihongo ga Ippai' aims to cover most grammar items and expressions up to the Level N4 of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test.
Note: Due to the large file size, this ebook might take a little while to open in your ebook reader.
This textbook is used as course material in:
Japanese 1: Spoken JPNS1012 and JPNS6112
Japanese 1: Written JPNS1014 and JPNS6114
Japanese 2: Spoken JPNS2003 and JPNS6113
Japanese 2: Written JPNS2005 and JPNS6115
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The Joy of Sanskrit »
A first-year syllabus for tertiary students
Authored by: McComas Taylor, Grazia Scotellaro
Publication date: February 2014
The Joy of Sanskrit is a complete first-year course of twenty-five weeks designed for university students. We teach Sanskrit as a living tradition. This is in recognition of the fact that many of our students have backgrounds in Indic religions and Indian cultural practices, including yoga, art, music, dance and song. As a living tradition, we believe that the reception of language (especially the ability to read), should be balanced with its production (writing, speaking, chanting and singing). With this in view, each weekly unit has three parts: 1. simple Sanskrit conversational patterns, 2. a verse from the oral tradition, and 3. the all-important grammar section. The grammar is based on the textbook Introduction to Sanskrit by Prof. Thomas Egenes. Each week includes introductory videos, audio files to help you with correct pronunciation, and an audio commentary on the text book.
By the end of the course, you will be able to conduct a coherent conversation on a range of simple topics, you be able to chant accurately twenty-six well-known verses, and you will have a good grasp of all the most common grammatical forms, so that you are ready to begin reading simple narratives.
In addition to this Joy of Sanskrit e-text, you will need to purchase Introduction to Sanskrit, Parts 1 and 2. (T. Egenes, Motilal Banarsidass, 3rd edition or later), as it contains all the written exercises and solutions.
The Joy of Sanskrit etext is in ePub format, and you will need multimedia-enabled epub reader to access the video and audio content successfully.
If you have an iPad, iPhone or iPod touch, open The Joy of Sanskrit in iBooks
If you have an Android tablet, you will need this app: epubreader
If you have a Mac, Bookreader Lite works very well
If you are running Windows, you can read the ePub with Azardi, available here: http://azardi.infogridpacific.com/azardi-download.html
You can choose to download the complete Joy of Sanskrit e-text or to download each half as separate files.
This textbook is used as course material in:
Sanskrit 1 SKRT1002 and SKRT6102
Sanskrit 2 SKRT1003 and SKRT6103
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Not available for purchase