Author: Jean-Benoît Nadeau
Publisher: Macmillan + ORM
ISBN: 1250023165
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 485
Get Book Here
Book Description
The authors of The Story of French are back with a new linguistic history of the Spanish language and its progress around the globe. Just how did a dialect spoken by a handful of shepherds in Northern Spain become the world's second most spoken language, the official language of twenty-one countries on two continents, and the unofficial second language of the United States? Jean-Benoît Nadeau and Julie Barlow, the husband-and-wife team who chronicled the history of the French language in The Story of French, now look at the roots and spread of modern Spanish. Full of surprises and honed in Nadeau and Barlow's trademark style, combining personal anecdote, reflections, and deep research, The Story of Spanish is the first full biography of a language that shaped the world we know, and the only global language with two names—Spanish and Castilian. The story starts when the ancient Phoenicians set their sights on "The Land of the Rabbits," Spain's original name, which the Romans pronounced as Hispania. The Spanish language would pick up bits of Germanic culture, a lot of Arabic, and even some French on its way to taking modern form just as it was about to colonize a New World. Through characters like Queen Isabella, Christopher Columbus, Cervantes, and Goya, The Story of Spanish shows how Spain's Golden Age, the Mexican Miracle, and the Latin American Boom helped shape the destiny of the language. Other, more somber episodes, also contributed, like the Spanish Inquisition, the expulsion of Spain's Jews, the destruction of native cultures, the political instability in Latin America, and the dictatorship of Franco. The Story of Spanish shows there is much more to Spanish than tacos, flamenco, and bullfighting. It explains how the United States developed its Hispanic personality from the time of the Spanish conquistadors to Latin American immigration and telenovelas. It also makes clear how fundamentally Spanish many American cultural artifacts and customs actually are, including the dollar sign, barbecues, ranching, and cowboy culture. The authors give us a passionate and intriguing chronicle of a vibrant language that thrived through conquests and setbacks to become the tongue of Pedro Almodóvar and Gabriel García Márquez, of tango and ballroom dancing, of millions of Americans and hundreds of millions of people throughout the world.
Author: Charles Carroll Marden
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Spanish language
Languages : en
Pages : 328
Get Book Here
Book Description
Author: Jacques De Bruyne
Publisher: Blackwell Publishing
ISBN: 9780631190875
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 685
Get Book Here
Book Description
A definitive grammar for all students of Spanish. Covers topics from basic pronunciation and the use of the noun, to particular problem areas such as difficulties with verbs and word order. Attention is paid to regional diversity within the language and in particular to Latin American variations.
Author: Marcial Prado
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 0471134481
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : es
Pages : 359
Get Book Here
Book Description
Contiene metodos para aprender los puntos claves del espa?ol conrapidez y facilidad (The fast, easy way to master the finer points of Spanish) Unsure about conjugating irregular Spanish verbs? Using thesubjunctive? Determining the appropriate definite article? Thiscomplete, accessible guide clarifies grammatical structure andexplains vocabulary usage to help you master Spanish. Whether youneed extra help for a course, want a quick review for a test, orsimply want to brush up your language skills, this is the book tohave. In this completely revised edition of More Practical SpanishGrammar, you'll find: * An interactive format that lets you work at your own pace * Exercises to reinforce what you've learned * Over 1,000 practical Spanish words and terms * Explanations of the more intricate grammatical rules of Spanish * Special !Atencion! sections that focus on problematic words andstructures
Author: John Butt
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1461583683
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : en
Pages : 533
Get Book Here
Book Description
(abridged and revised) This reference grammar offers intermediate and advanced students a reason ably comprehensive guide to the morphology and syntax of educated speech and plain prose in Spain and Latin America at the end of the twentieth century. Spanish is the main, usually the sole official language of twenty-one countries,} and it is set fair to overtake English by the year 2000 in numbers 2 of native speakers. This vast geographical and political diversity ensures that Spanish is a good deal less unified than French, German or even English, the latter more or less internationally standardized according to either American or British norms. Until the 1960s, the criteria of internationally correct Spanish were dictated by the Real Academia Espanola, but the prestige of this institution has now sunk so low that its most solemn decrees are hardly taken seriously - witness the fate of the spelling reforms listed in the Nuevas normas de prosodia y ortograjia, which were supposed to come into force in all Spanish-speaking countries in 1959 and, nearly forty years later, are still selectively ignored by publishers and literate persons everywhere. The fact is that in Spanish 'correctness' is nowadays decided, as it is in all living languages, by the consensus of native speakers; but consensus about linguistic usage is obviously difficult to achieve between more than twenty independent, widely scattered and sometimes mutually hostile countries. Peninsular Spanish is itself in flux.
Author: John Butt
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1444137905
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : en
Pages : 609
Get Book Here
Book Description
For many years A NEW REFERENCE GRAMMAR OF MODERN SPANISH has been trusted by students and teachers as the standard English-language reference grammar of Spanish. Now updated to include the latest findings of the Royal Spanish Academy's official grammar book, 'La Nueva gramática de la lengua española', making A NEW REFERENCE GRAMMAR OF MODERN SPANISH FIFTH EDITION even more relevant to students and teachers of Spanish. Key features of this fifth edition include: a 'Guide to the Book', enabling you to make the most of this new edition new vocabulary such as topical and technological terms, bringing you up-to-date with contemporary spoken Spanish more Latin-American Spanish, ensuring world-wide coverage aclearer guidance to recommended usage -advice on the Academy's latest spelling rules. Whether a student or a teacher of Spanish, you can be sure that this fifth edition of A NEW REFERENCE GRAMMAR OF MODERN SPANISH will provide you with a comprehensive, cohesive and clear guide to the forms and structures of Spanish as it is written and spoken today in Spain and Latin America.
Author: Angela Howkins
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :
Get Book Here
Book Description
Spanish Grammar in Context uses authentic text to illustrate and explain the key areas of Spanish grammar, and then offers a range of exercises for students to test their understanding and to produce effective language of their own. Aimed at intermediate and advanced learners, and with a key to the exercises provided, the book is suitable for independent and tutor-led study. Sourced from contemporary literature, newspaper and magazine articles from both Spain and Latin America, the texts are up-to-date and topical, and together with the exercises which have been expanded for the second edition, give students a comprehensive coverage of Spanish grammar.
Author: Brandon Simpson
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780981646602
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : en
Pages : 108
Get Book Here
Book Description
Why does this word have an accent? When do I use ser and estar? Why por and not para? I don't understand the difference between the imperfect and the preterit. The subjunctive? I give up! Do these questions sound familiar to you? If they do, you have the right book. I had the same exact questions when I was studying Spanish. Now, I know them well enough to explain in this book. I have to admit that I don't always know the reason why I use one form instead of another; I learned a lot just from reading and listening to spoken Spanish.
Author: Jean-Benoît Nadeau
Publisher: Macmillan + ORM
ISBN: 1429932406
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 597
Get Book Here
Book Description
Why does everything sound better if it's said in French? That fascination is at the heart of The Story of French, the first history of one of the most beautiful languages in the world that was, at one time, the pre-eminent language of literature, science and diplomacy. In a captivating narrative that spans the ages, from Charlemagne to Cirque du Soleil, Jean-Benoît Nadeau and Julie Barlow unravel the mysteries of a language that has maintained its global influence despite the rise of English. As in any good story, The Story of French has spectacular failures, unexpected successes and bears traces of some of history's greatest figures: the tenacity of William the Conqueror, the staunchness of Cardinal Richelieu, and the endurance of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Through this colorful history, Nadeau and Barlow illustrate how French acquired its own peculiar culture, revealing how the culture of the language spread among francophones the world over and yet remains curiously centered in Paris. In fact, French is not only thriving—it still has a surprisingly strong influence on other languages. As lively as it is fascinating, The Story of French challenges long held assumptions about French and shows why it is still the world's other global language.
Author: Luis Aragones
Publisher: McGraw Hill Professional
ISBN: 0071840656
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : en
Pages : 257
Get Book Here
Book Description
Publisher's Note: Products purchased from Third Party sellers are not guaranteed by the publisher for quality, authenticity, or access to any online entitlements included with the product. What you need to know to master basic Spanish grammar McGraw-Hill: Beginning Spanish Grammar guides you through this often-difficult subject, clearly explaining essential concepts and giving you the practice you need to reach your language goals. With an easy and unintimidating approach, each chapter introduces one grammar topic followed by skill-building exercises, allowing you to learn and study at your own pace. At the end of this workbook, you will have mastered grammar areas such as gender, articles, adjectives, possessives, and verb tenses and will be ready to take your grammar knowledge to the next level. Features: 107 units, each presenting one topic in a bite-sized,two-page format More than 400 exercises that give you real confidence in your new language skills A bilingual glossary featuring hundreds of terms for quick reference Numerous illustrations and usage examples showing Spanish grammar in context Luis Aragones and Ramon Palencia are Spanish-language learning experts. Grupo SM is the third-largest educational publisher in the Spanish-speaking world. McGraw-Hill: Beginning Spanish Grammar is the first book in a three-part series: after completing this workbook you can build on your skills with McGraw-Hill: Intermediate Spanish Grammar and McGraw-Hill: Advanced Spanish Grammar.
