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Recommend some French-language books (or sites) for a intermediate French-learner.

Kurichina — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:01:22 -0800

Recommend some French-language books (or sites) for a intermediate French-learner, to (hopefully enjoy) reading with the aid of a dictionary and bescherelle. I'm looking for some French-language books to read but am at an odd spot in my comprehension. I don't want to read a textbook or books for kids, but my comprehension isn't high enough to read any truly complicated texts. I recently tested at a Government of Canada B/C Level (i.e. I'm comfortable with multiple tenses/forms but they do not come automatically), and was told by my tester that while my grammar was fairly solid, my weak vocabularly was primarily to blame for being in the B rather than C range. I think reading would be a somewhat entertaining way to get going on improving my vocabularly while I'm waiting for a class/ The sort of literature I'm looking for:

- novels (could include young adult or contemporary as long as it's a. good - do not want to be reading some schlockly teen romance, thanks - and b. not hugely complicated - I'm willing to use my dictionary, but hopefully wouldn't be constantly swithcing back and forth between dictionary and book)

- non-fiction (politics/history/art/entertainment etc, again as long as it's not hugely complicated)

- short stories

- magazines with somewhat 'meaty' and/or interesting content (like a Walrus or Geist sort of publication)

Essentially, I'm looking for the right balance between meaty enough to be interesting, but dumb enough for me to read in my second language. Know of anything that fits the bill? I've seen this question but I'm looking for specifically for something that would suit my language level.

Bạn có nói tiếng...Parlez-vous...Do you speak...?

handabear — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 04:35:34 -0800

Anybody familiar with a series of trilingual Vietnamese folk storybooks that were written in Vietnamese, English & French? I'm searching.. When I was a kid, my great-uncle had collected a series of books (more like very large pamphlets - they were roughly the size of an a4 sheet folded in half and bound by staples) that were of Vietnamese folk stories and fairy tales and they always had an illustration on one page and the story written in Vietnamese, English & French on the opposite. From what I remember, the illustrations were never in color. I think they were either simple line drawings done on a solid color background or they were block print. The illustrator may be a famous Vietnamese artist because I've seen the art in other places but never discovered the name of the creator.

Sound cool, eh? My uncle eventually gave these books to me but I foolishly gave them away when I was a teenager. I'd love to get a set of them again. Any clues??

Automated extraction of the gist of an article?

zaebiz — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 06:49:57 -0800

I often have a whole bunch of 500-3000 word articles to read - all reasonably plain English with headings and sub-headings (and occasionally images). Is there any software out there which will take an article (or articles) and write a reasonable one or two paragraph summary of the article, or produce a list of key points?

Ayudarme, por favor.

ricochet biscuit — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 16:16:28 -0800

Children's books in Spanish in Canada? or, Estoy buscando libros para niños en español (probablemente en Toronto).

I am looking for some gifts for my 50%-Chilean godson (whose Chilean-born mother wants him to keep a foot in both languages). He is in Vancouver, I am in Ottawa and I will be in Toronto a few days before taking them to him. I figure Toronto is likely my best bet.

He is not quite two (but is spelling already), so I am looking for something in the beginner's range. If anyone can recommend a good store in any of these three cities (and ideally, a title or two) I'd be grateful.

I haven't lived in Toronto in years, but I vaguely recollect a Spanish-language bookstore somewhere around Bloor and Palmerston that used to have kids books displayed in the window. Still there? Figment of my imagination? Input is welcomed.

New theories of Mimesis (in digital/hypertextual/hypermedial cultures)

0bvious — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 07:09:48 -0800

I am looking for writings on mimesis in regards new, digital, hypertext and hypermedial technologies and cultures. I am following the redefinition of mimesis. From Plato's disregard of oral culture, through his mimesis of Socrates' dialogues in writing. Following Plato, Aristotle's theory was always a written mimesis, thus the order and processes of representation and mimicry were fundamentally written.

In essence, I am interested in how the artefacts of oral culture differed in their mimesis to written culture, and thus, how our modern move from a written to a digital/hypertextual culture will similarly impact on mimetic embodiment.

(I am also concerned with the terms 'digital' and 'hypertextual' - perhaps they are too narrow. Oral, written cultures and then XXXXX? The terms 'Cybertext' and 'Ergodic' do not seem to cover the ground wide enough.)

I have been reading Marshall McLuhan, Jacques Derrida, Paul de Man and Gunter Gebauer's and Christoph Wulf's Mimesis: Culture--Art--Society. I am looking for writings on digital, hypertextual mimesis, and how it differs, how it has altered, the theoretical embodiment of representation in thought, artefacts, language and culture.

Your help, ideas and advice are much appreciated, as always

Books on Japanese etymology?

Citizen Premier — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 18:42:13 -0800

Are there any layman-accessible, English-language books or (less preferably) websites on Japanese etymology or the development of Japanese? If there's anything like etymonline for Japanese, I'd love to see it, even if it's Nihongo only. But I'd prefer a reference book.

I'd also like to read how Japanese culture is expressed in their language; for example, how "sen" can refer to the future and the past, and other such counter-intuitive facets of Japanese.

I love English etymology, and if I can start to understand Japanese word roots I know it'll be a big boost to my fluency.

How can I best learn the French language, grammar, and pronunciation?

christopherbdnk — Mon, 26 May 2008 22:42:34 -0800

How can I best learn the French language, grammar, and pronunciation? I am hoping over the summer to learn French with my wife. I am looking less to be able to communicate verbosely and more to comprehend complex French texts (both written and spoken) that are currently without English translation.

With that in mind, I am hoping to stay away from the "learn French in 30 Days!!!" sort of stuff and stick more with learning through grammar, written instruction, pronunciation keys, etc.

What's available?

Simple French-language booklets for Kenyan French teacher of elementary students?

vanoakenfold — Fri, 23 May 2008 04:00:38 -0800

On a recent trip to Kenya, we visited a school who is in need of simple French language instruction booklets for elementary-age children. Most all of the language guides I've found are texts along the dense hardback or college variety, or come on DVD which wouldn't be at all feasible. Any ideas? They already know English. Just some simple, basic French core grammar structuring and lessons. They've recently been loaded up with young refugees fleeing from nearby French-speaking countries and are hoping to teach some to English-speaking kids. The teachers are very intelligent and college-educated but lack the resources I've got.

Examples of Mise en Abyme (in form)

0bvious — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 06:57:37 -0800

Recursion filter: I recently came across the phrase 'Mise en Abyme' and have become fascinated by recursion in literature, language and film. What writings have used these themes in their form to address the questions they posed? The idea of presenting the form of a text/film/critique so that it exemplifies the question posed fascinates me (so for instance, if I asked 'what is recursion?' and my essay contained a footnote which refered back to the text which then refered back to the footnote, then in some simple sense I have a form of recursion in my essay).

What writers, film-makers etc. have integrated aspects of Mise en Abyme into their work in this exemplary manner? (I am more interested in non-fiction pieces, but realise that a lot of fiction out there which has used this technique are formally very unique.)

I have a copy of Gödel, Escher, Bach sitting on my bookshelf, staring at me. I am also well versed in the works of Foucault, Barthes and Derrida.

Thanks for reading

How Things 'Become': The Infinity of Definition

0bvious — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 09:18:41 -0800

I am looking for writings on the infinity of definition. I am interested in the exponentially divergent curve that is definition.

We create writings and art to better define the world, yet true definition is infinite.

We mediate the universe by erecting borders of definition, i.e. all striped, four-legged, hooved mammals are probably zebras. We categorise the universe into hierarchies, but the more we examine the more pronounced and expansive these hierarchies become.

Language is our greatest defining tool. Yet, the metaphors we evolve to expand the potential of language can themselves only be made to refer back to the language which created them. An infinite loop emerges in most definition.

As new technology emerges we use it to 'add' meaning to artifacts which are already partly defined. By looking at the world with ever more refined microscopes we bring reality into greater clarity. This metaphor can be expanded to refer to texts, art, archaeology, culture etc.

Who has written on the problem of definition? What critical theory has been written on the emergence of infinity?

This question adds on to past questions I have asked at MeFi including (in reverse order):

- Art and artifacts experienced through technology
- The mimetic and narrative capacities of artefacts
- Examples of 'The Infinite' in Myth and Their Effect on Conditions of Truth

Here's hoping you have some ideas...

Best medium-difficulty Chinese novel?

jasminerain — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 22:58:15 -0800

I want to read a book in Chinese to keep myself from getting rusty. What is a good novel for doing so? It has to be modern Chinese (classical Chinese twists my brain into noodles), and preferably available online. I tried reading the Harry Potter books in Chinese, but sounding out long strings of characters, only to find that they're phonetically translated names, became tiring rather quickly. The translations were also kind of awkward to read - I'd rather read something that was originally written in Chinese.

I'd like it to be online since that would let me use the Firefox extension pera-kun (a Chinese pop-up dictionary).

I'm not looking for anything along the lines of Journey to the West (xi you ji) or Dream of Red Chamber (hong long meng). I'd like something shorter, more manageable, with a plot that doesn't take too long to get into, if that makes sense. It doesn't have to be anything well-known or especially well-written; I'd just like it to tell a good story, one that is engaging and interesting.

Any suggestions?

Background: I speak Chinese natively, and took 3 years of it in college, but don't have the time to take it now in graduate school. My vocabulary is decent, so I can probably handle a modern novel with the help of the pop-up dictionary.

Looking for an online store to easily find and purchase popular/classic books translated/written in European French. Mag subscriptions too!

iamkimiam — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 10:34:10 -0800

I'm looking for popular books, novels, magazines, comic books...in European French (not Canadian French). I'd also like to be able to easily order/purchase them from home (preferably from places like Amazon.com). Searching for books on Amazon.com is time-consuming...it would seem I need to think of a book I want, and search for it individually. I'd love to be able to find a list of popular books, etc. available for purchase somewhere. I'm looking for classics, short stories, current and past best sellers, and magazine subscriptions.

Some examples of the ultimate finds would be:
1984, or other George Orwell stories (except for Animal Farm)
Catcher in the Rye, Ordinary People, The Great Gatsby
Snow Crash, Geek Love, The Corrections
Any book or magazine about surfing
Fashion magazines

I could probably figure this out myself with some extensive googling, but your suggestions and experiences would free up the rest of my day and save me a lot of headache. I know there's got to be a compiled list somewhere, but I can't seem to get to it on my own. Merci!

The Little Prince in Irish

Captain Shenanigan — Sat, 09 Dec 2006 14:58:00 -0800

Help me acquire The Little Prince in Irish (An Prionsa Beag.) I have a goal to make a nuisance of myself in 12 languages. I plan to use The Little Prince (one of my favorite books) as a study aid and I already have it in 11 of them (including Esperanto) but I have been unable to get ahold of a copy in Gaelic. The only edition I know of was published as An Prionsa Beag by Fat Lagan Press in 1997 (ISBN 1873687338) and it has been out of print for a while.

reading in Russian

mustcatchmooseandsquirrel — Sat, 15 Jul 2006 19:34:40 -0800

What should I read in Russian and where can I get it? What current Russian novels should I read? Also, aside from my school library, where could I order these books in Russian online without having to pay ridiculous amounts of money?

I am a native speaker of the language but, having lived in the United States for most of my life, am not great at reading in Russian. I really need to improve my abilities.

Most of the current/modern books that have been suggested to me are dull - I don't want to read romance detective novels. The first book that I picked up and loved was Nochnoi Dozor (got it after I watched the movie and found that I liked the plot and the writing style was at the right level for my reading level]

I would not mind reading classic literature in Russian but I've found that there are too many hard signs and unfamiliar words floating around [not to mention depressing plots] for me to really feel comfortable in my reading.

In English the authors of the style of thing I would want in Russian are Tom Robbins, Terry Pratchett, Murakami, Richard Brautigan, or Neil Gaiman. But really any book that can hold my interest would be good.

What's up with the Oxyrhynchus papryi?

ScotchLynx — Fri, 04 Nov 2005 22:44:59 -0800

In the spring there was a lot of discussion about the Oxyrhynchus papyri, but since then the news has totally died down. Has anything new been deciphered yet? A lot of stuff was supposedly in those papyri. I feel like if we had a Sappho poem in June, they'd at least have some idea of what else we're going to get. Maybe I'm just really impatient.

French language books/CDs

strikhedonia — Wed, 13 Jul 2005 22:26:15 -0800

What are the best books and/or CDs to help me improve my French? I'm travelling to Lyon in the winter as part of a study abroad program, so I really want to have a solid grounding of the language so I don't look like an idiot when I get there. I've taken a couple college-level classes, but I don't feel like I have that good of a grasp on it. I know the basics, but I really want to become at least proficient before I go.

I'm looking for "learn French in 30 days" type stuff to help me brush up on my grammar and vocab, but I'd like any recommendations for French novels/magazines/music/etc as well.

Software and books for learning Chinese?

pracowity — Mon, 02 May 2005 15:06:48 -0800

What are the best software (Windows XP) and books for learning Chinese? I know absolutely no Chinese and I have no access to native speakers or Chinese teachers.

Identify book like Lunatic Lovers of Language?

rwhe — Fri, 22 Apr 2005 10:02:27 -0800

In the 1980s I came across a slim book about people with language-related mental disorders, such as a person who had a phobia of English and chose to speak French for the rest of his life. This book was NOT Lunatic Lovers of Language by Marina Yaguello. Can you identify it? More details: I came across this book remaindered at the Yale Coop circa 1985-1987. It had a biographical chapter for each person (as I recall) and treated its subjects sympathetically but with some humour. It seemed to have been published by a small or academic press.

It's one of my lasting regrets that I did not buy this book when I had the chance. However, I bought the Codex Seraphinianus remaindered at the same store for $30, so I suppose there are compensations...

Good spanish writing?

swift — Mon, 08 Nov 2004 14:54:15 -0800

Anyone have recommendations on good (but preferably easy) Spanish-language literature?