Showing titles in Linguistics

People do bad things. They misspeak, mislead, and misbehave. They lie, cheat, steal, and kill. Often, afterward, they apologize. But what makes a successful apology? Why does Joe Biden's 2007 apology for referring to Barack Obama as "articulate and bright" succeed, whereas Mel Gibson's 2006 apology for his anti-Semitic tirade fails? Naturally, the effectiveness of an apology depends on the language used, as well as the conditions under which we offer our regrets.

Lady Windermere's Fan is a four-act comedy by Oscar Wilde. Like many of Wilde's comedies, it bitingly satirizes the morals of Victorian society, particularly marriage. The story concerns Lady Windermere, who discovers that her husband may be having an affair with another woman. She confronts her husband but he instead invites the other woman, Mrs. Erlynne, to his wife's birthday ball. Angered by her husband's unfaithfulness, Lady Windermere leaves her husband for another lover. Or does she?

Zane Grey's tale shines like the gold in this story. He deftly combines the contemporary history of the border uprising between the United States and Mexico with a fast-moving adventure tale. The prologue describes the finding of gold and the sad plight of the prospectors who discovered it. They will the treasure to the story's heroine. Dick Gale, an eastern college football star, and not much else, teams up with an old friend to rescue the girl and make a man of himself.

All of us want to leave a mark on our world. We want to be remembered for the good we did. This is the dilemma for author Ellis Parker Butler, a contemporary of Mark Twain. In the case of Butler, he found that the more he followed rabbit trails and gathered 'goat-feathers' without actually doing much to finish the work he thought was more important, the less fulfilled he became. Filled with humor and wit, this author's lamentation is both understood and smiled at.

This short story takes you back to the start of radio in America. Filled with just the right amount of humor this story takes a millionaire's final wish and makes it possible for him to broadcast an approved message through a loud speaker in his headstone. This captured the attention of the nation, but no one expected the worst case scenario, but it is just this scenario that empties a cemetery. Narrated by Glenn Hascall.

Urged on by the lovely Hilda, Solness, a successful builder, takes their relationship a step too far.

A magical fairy tale, which features a feisty princess who has the unfortunate curse of life without gravity. Can the curse be broken before she floats away. Beautifully retold to entertain children of all ages.

Allan Quatermain, or Hunter Quatermain as his friends call him, recounts his South African adventure of hunting four lions.

Nome, where gold glitters in the sand and armies of men come to scoop it out. For the lucky ones, fortunes are made overnight. But fortunes can be lost just as fast. Claim jumpers are as thick as fleas. With the backing of a greedy judge, big-city interests are moving in and seizing small claims through smart, corrupt, legal manipulations. Tricked by the city slickers and frustrated by the corrupt court, the hardy miners take matters into their own hands.

The Lady, or The Tiger, written by Frank R. Stockton and narrated by Rebecca Thomas, invites the listener into a semi-barbaric world where justice is decided by fate. The right choice rewards the innocent with marriage; the wrong choice punishes the guilty by serving him to a starving tiger. When the princess' lover is sent to the arena, she discovers the secret of the choice. But what choice does she herself make?

First published in 1853 amidst rumors that Thomas Jefferson fathered children with one of his slaves, Clotel is a fictional chronicle of one such child. After Jefferson's death, his mistress and her two daughters are auctioned. One daughter, Clotel, is purchased by a white man from Virginia who impregnates her. Despite the promise of marriage, Clotel is instead sold to another man and separated from her daughter. After escaping from the slave dealer, Clotel returnss to Virginia to reunite with her daughter - now a slave in her father's house.

Convinced of the worthiness of a giant, earth-boring machine, David Innes becomes a willing participant in an experiment. On the machine's maiden attempt at boring through the Earth, David and inventor Perry are trapped in the control room as the machine turns into a runaway. It bores steadily down toward the center of the Earth until finally it penetrates into a strange, subterranean world. The two travelers are immediately welcomed by a huge bear-like creature interested solely in having them for breakfast.

Between Conniston, of His Majesty's Royal Northwest Mounted Police, and Keith, the outlaw, there was a striking physical and facial resemblance. Both had observed it, of course. It gave them a sort of confidence in each other. Between them it hovered in a subtle and unanalyzed presence that was constantly suggesting to Conniston a line of action that would have made him a traitor to his oath of duty. For nearly a month he had crushed down the whispered temptings of this thing between them.

Whether we’re aware of it or not, we spend much of our time in this globalised world in the act of translation. Language is a big part of it, of course, as anyone who has fumbled with a phrasebook in a foreign country will know, but behind language is something far more challenging to translate: culture. As a traveller, a mistranslation might land you a bowl of who-knows-what when you think you asked for noodles, and mistranslations in international politics can be a few steps from serious trouble.

Surprisingly few people take any time to think about how they are learning languages. They usually just trust their teacher or friends' advice. This is inefficient at best and often liable to failure at worst. Language learning and learning in general have been over-complicated by a mass of theories, methods, and techniques. This makes life harder than it needs to be. This book attempts to cut through the noise and give a clear description of how languages are actually learned.

This story is from The Reminiscences of Sherlock Holmes (His Last Bow) collection. Further adventures by the master of observation and deduction, as faithfully recounted by his companion and greatest admirer, Dr Watson. "The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans," "The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax", and "The Adventure of the Dying Detective" are among the stories. David Timson's award-winning performances continue with this series.

This story is from The Reminiscences of Sherlock Holmes (His Last Bow) collection. Further adventures by the master of observation and deduction, as faithfully recounted by his companion and greatest admirer, Dr Watson. "The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans," "The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax", and "The Adventure of the Dying Detective" are among the stories. David Timson's award-winning performances continue with this series.

This is a story from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes III collection. In this collection are four more individual cases for Mr. Sherlock Holmes, narrated by his faithful friend and admirer Dr. Watson. They dive into the opium dens of London in "The Man with the Twisted Lip," recall the curious history of "The Musgrave Ritual," come face to face with the grisly evidence contained in "The Cardboard Box," and go on a wild-goose chase in "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle." The powers of Sherlock Holmes prevail.

Originally published in 1902, "The Monkey's Paw" is a classic horror short story written by author W. W. Jacobs. In the story, the paw of a dead monkey is a talisman that grants its possessor three wishes, but the wishes come with an enormous price. Proceeds from sale of this title go to Reach Out and Read, an innovative literacy advocacy organization.

Eve's Diary," is the comic tale of Eve, the first woman in the Judeo-Christian creation story. Written in diary form, Eve offers a first-person account of her relationship with Adam, life in Eden, and their experiences after the Fall. "Eve's Diary" is one of many in a series of stories that Twain wrote, all revolving around Adam and Eve. Proceeds from sale of this title go to Reach Out and Read, an innovative literacy advocacy organization.