Download or read book Mondegreen written by Volodymyr Rafeyenko and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2022-04-19 with total page 202 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A mondegreen is something that is heard improperly by someone who then clings to that misinterpretation as fact. Fittingly, Volodymyr Rafeyenko’s novel Mondegreen: Songs about Death and Love explores the ways that memory and language construct our identity, and how we hold on to it no matter what. The novel tells the story of Haba Habinsky, a refugee from Ukraine’s Donbas region, who has escaped to the capital city of Kyiv at the onset of the Ukrainian-Russian war. His physical dislocation—and his subsequent willful adoption of the Ukrainian language—place the protagonist in a state of disorientation during which he is forced to challenge his convictions. Written in beautiful, experimental style, the novel shows how people—and cities—are capable of radical transformation and how this, in turn, affects their interpersonal relations and cultural identification. Taking on crucial topics stirred by Russian aggression that began in 2014, the novel stands out for the innovative and probing manner in which it dissects them, while providing a fresh Donbas perspective on Ukrainian identity.

Download or read book Mondegreens written by J. A. Wines and published by Michael O'Mara Books. This book was released on 2012-02-28 with total page 143 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mondegreens is a side-splittingly funny collection of wonderful and absurd mishearings, that is certain to appeal to English language aficionados everywhere.

Download or read book The Encyclopedia of Misinformation written by Rex Sorgatz and published by Abrams. This book was released on 2018-03-27 with total page 422 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “In an era of ‘alternative facts,’ Rex Sorgatz’s The Encyclopedia of Misinformation helps put things in perspective.” —Fast Company This compendium of misinformation, deception, and self-delusion throughout history examines fakery in the context of science and advertising, humor and law, sports and video games, and beyond. Entries span eclectic topics: Artificial Intelligence, Auto-Tune, Chilean Sea Bass, Clickbait, Cognitive Dissonance, Cryptids, False Flag Operations, Gaslighting, Gerrymandering, Kayfabe, Laugh Tracks, Milli Vanilli, P.T. Barnum, Photoshopping, Potemkin Villages, Ponzi Schemes, Rachel Dolezal, Strategery, Truthiness, and the Uncanny Valley. From A to Z, this is the definitive guide to how we are tricked, and how we trick ourselves. “Occasional salty language and pop-culture references make this compendium of 300 short entries a delightful mix of high- and lowbrow.” —Booklist

Download or read book Shadowrun Legends Worlds Without End written by Caroline Spector and published by Catalyst Game Labs. This book was released on 2018-09-11 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: AN EVIL BEYOND ANYTHING IN CENTURIES... Aina remembers the world of centuries ago—she was there. Now she's here in the Awakened era of shadowrunners and simulations, magic and metas. And she may have brought an old nemesis along with her... This new evil is as ancient and powerful as time. It does not bend before assassins, megacorps, shamans, or dragons. Aina, Harlequin, and their fellow immortal elves might have the power to stop it...but will she be able to convince them to join the battle before it's too late?

Download or read book What in the Word written by Charles Harrington Elster and published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. This book was released on 2005 with total page 308 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Presents a humorous look at the English language, including information on word and phrase origins, slang, style, usage, punctuation, and pronunciation.

Download or read book Pedal Culture written by Ronald Light and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2021-12-30 with total page 129 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Pedal Culture is a themed exploration of guitar effects pedals as cultural artifacts, derived from a 2017 design exhibition at San Francisco State University curated by the author. An anthropological quest, understanding how effects stompboxes allow for quasi-supernatural power transference from on high to guitarists is just one of the many themes Ronald Light explores. Exhibits showcase symbolic associations in the branding of sonic effects with cultural touchstones from popular arts and culture: material manifestations of noir literature, retro-futuristic cinema, and Japanese anime; graphic metaphors for female pudenda; explicit reference to murder and mayhem; and all too obvious associations to guacamole and chips. The curatorial tone of Pedal Culture employs an irreverent sensibility expressed in a whimsical and ironic attitude toward its subject. In the expansive (and expensive) world of guitar gear, this richly photographed volume fuses form, content, and aesthetics. This is Pedal Culture!

Download or read book The Christmas Hour written by John Martin Hill and published by Xlibris Corporation. This book was released on 2003-04-10 with total page 488 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Amanda. Will she be a Monica or a Mother Teresa? Americas young women today are Monica clones, J-Lo and Britney wannabes and its all about me, me, me. Right? Amanda, straight A senior at the National Cathedral School for Girls, knowingly enters into a forbidden relationship with Parker, a teacher at the St. Albans School for Boys. Then, in a dramatic turn of events, Amanda must make a choice: simply forget Parker ever existed, or prove that when todays young women face enormous adversity they still can show great courage, compassion and class. Her eventual choice in this unusal love story, reaching to the White House, State Department and Congress, will climax one beautiful spring day in the Nave of the Washington National Cathedral.

Download or read book English Words written by Heidi Harley and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2017-11-01 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: English Words is a comprehensive and accessible introduction to the study of English words from a theoretically informed linguistic perspective. accessibly written to give students a command of basic theory, skills in analyzing English words, and the foundation needed for more advanced study in linguistic theory or lexicology covers basic introductory material and investigates the structure of English vocabulary introduces students to the technical study of words from relevant areas of linguistics: phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, historical linguistics and psycholinguistics

Download or read book Dim Wit written by Rosemarie Jarski and published by Random House. This book was released on 2008-12-05 with total page 576 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'They misunderestimated me' George W. Bush Einstein said only two things are infinite - the universe and human stupidity. So in deference to the dumbing down of our culture, comes Dim Wit - a collection of the most jaw-droppingly stupid things ever said. The cast includes every famous foot-in-mouther from George W Bush to Prince Philip, Paris Hilton to Jade Goody, not to mention hundreds of unsung idiots plucked from villages the world over. The result is a confederacy of dunces more pro-fun than profound - a clever witticism may coax an inward smile but it takes a really stupid remark to deliver a belly laugh. So pick up Dim Wit and prepare to embrace your inner moron - it may be the smartest thing you do... 'My grandma overheard two women talking in a doctor's surgery. After a while, one said to the other, "Do you know, Mary, I don't feel too well. I think I'll go home."' - Robyn Jankel 'I don't think anyone should write his autobiography until after he's dead.' - Samuel Goldwyn 'Winston Churchill? Wasn't he the first black President of America? There's a statue of him near me - that's black.' - Danielle Lloyd

Download or read book The Ants Are My Friends written by Martin Toseland and published by Portico. This book was released on 2013-01-25 with total page 175 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Linguistic mistakes. We all make them. And if your name is George W Bush, you might make them more often than others. In 'The Ants are My Friends' (delightfully misheard from Bob Dylan's "Blowing in the Wind") Martin Toseland has collected the very best (and very worst) linguistic gifts of the gaffe. The catergories features include: Malapropisms (named after Mrs Malaprop in Sheridan's "The Rivals" where the wrong word pops out to bizarre results); Eggcorns (where a new word is created from misheard real one - the name comes from someone misunderstanding 'acorn' as 'eggcorn', as it has the same shape); Bushisms (the humour in which cannot be misunderestimated); and Mondegreens or misheard lyrics, which include such classic examples as: Who Ya Gonna Call, Gus Foster ("Ghostbusters" by Ray Parker Junior); Last Night I Dreamed of Some Bagels ("La Isla Bonita" by Madonna); Sparing His Life For His Mum's Sausages ("Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen); It's a Fruit, Fruit Samba ("Cruel Summer" by Bananarama); and, Mr Tangerine Man ("Mr Tambourine Man" by Bob Dylan).

Download or read book That or Which and Why written by Evan Jenkins and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-10-31 with total page 179 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: That or Which, and Why is an insightful and witty guide to writing. Based on Evan Jenkins's long-running column 'Language Corner' in Columbia Journalism Review, the book is compiled of brief, alphabetically arranged entries on approximately 200 major writing stumbling blocks, from the wonderful world of 'that' and 'which' to trickier terrain like the correct usage of common idiomatic expressions. Working from his experiences as a newsroom editor and teacher, Jenkins' humorous tone puts the reader at ease, unlike many of the writing and usage guides out there that are off-putting in their rigidity and dogmatism. He takes the 'we're-all-in-this-together' approach to teaching better writing - maintaining a light tone throughout the book and emphasizing flexibility and easy-to-use guidelines rather than delivering orders from Grammar-on-high.

Download or read book The Enlightened Bracketologist written by Nigel Holmes and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2008-12-09 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Every March, the NCAA men's basketball tournament blankets newspapers and the Internet, and attracts millions of television viewers over the course of three weeks. Will a perennial favorite like Duke win? Or will it be a dark horse like Gonzaga? The phenomenon known as March Madness galvanizes a nation of viewers as few other sports events can. The reason? Bracketology. America eagerly watches as 64 teams become 32, then 16, then 8, then 4, then 2, and finally #1. Now it's time to use the same rigorous method for everything that really matters in culture, people, history, the arts and more. In The Enlightened Bracketologist the editors have organized the world's most haunting and maddeningly subjective questions into a scheme of binary pairings that finally reveal what is truly the best in its class: La Tache or Chateau Latour? (1) Barry Bonds or Terrell Owens? (2) "Vissi d'arte" or "Dove Sono"? (3) OJ verdict or JFK assassination? (4) "Top of the world, Ma" or "Nobody's perfect"? (5) Two by two, The Enlightened Bracketologist pits our cultural mainstays against each other; only the finest survive. Every double-page spread of this book will contain a series of brackets compiled by experts and celebrities, with text call-outs that highlight the reason why one competitor moves on and another doesn't. Already committed are Elvis Costello on popular songs; David Bouley on cookbooks; Leon Fleisher on piano music; Reneé Fleming on opera arias; Henry Beard on French phrases; Joseph Ward on wine.

Download or read book Engineering of Music for the Digital Age written by Jeffrey Ewing and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2024-10-23 with total page 380 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Musical scores – like literature, poetry, and technical manuals – are documents. The central tenet of this book is that musical composition in the digital age is a form of document engineering. In essence, music shares with other forms of creative content generation – from poetry to prose, and from science to science fiction – the need for structure, flow, and sources for creativity. Musical composition is considered in this book as the creative process of engineering musical documents with regards to its arrangement, form, texture, and instrumentation, etc. This "document" then instructs a performance or the creation of an alternative document, such as a recording. In this book, the arrangement of phrases, patterns, and structures seen in music will be illustrated to give new composers a starting point to begin planning and making decisions about their own compositions. The book will also guide those who need assistance in completing a piece. While this is a book about musical composition, it is not meant to be a manual on music theory. Instead, the book keeps its focus on the structural elements of a composition. Its aim is to give the audience a structural road map for composing; whether they are starting a piece from the first note, having a melody in mind already, or need help overcoming a creative hurdle. The book examines compositions that clearly define a form or technique. Among the key compositional elements are: Form, Phrase, Period, and Expression in Composition Rhythm/Motive Melody and Harmony Tonal Center Mode Mixture and Modulation Accompaniment/Instrumentation/Orchestration Composition Techniques and Notation Targeted examples cover all stages of writing a piece, helping to build the reader’s composition from the first note into a complete work without promoting a style or harmonic practice. Each chapter contains a sidebar addressing helping the composer to add creative sources for the music making process. Finally, the book concludes with a chapter on creativity in terms of how composed music can affect our lives and even our fairy tales.

Download or read book Word Wizard written by Richard Lederer and published by St. Martin's Griffin. This book was released on 2007-04-01 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: After a multi-decade career of stimulating readers to appreciate and laugh at the glories and oddities of our English language, beloved language maven Richard Lederer has collected his very best and most popular pieces in Word Wizard. In this career-capping anthology the reader will find essays that enlighten, inspire, and tickle the funny bone. From his hilarious bloopers to his hymns of praise to the English language, these essays are the brightest gems of a storied career. Word Wizard includes a new introduction, prefaces for each essay, sprightly verse, and material never before published in Leader's language books. With classic chapters such as "The World According to Student Bloopers," "English Is a Crazy Language," and "The Case for Short Words," and shiny new essays such as "The Way We Word" and "Add Wealth to Your Vocabulary," Word Wizard is sure to delight language lovers and Lederer fans everywhere.

Download or read book Strange to Say Etymology as Serious Entertainment written by Deborah Warren and published by Paul Dry Books. This book was released on 2021-08-30 with total page 204 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “You can’t stop language, because when all’s said and done is never.” In her witty account of the origins of many English words and expressions, Deborah Warren educates as she entertains―and entertain she does, leading her readers through the amazing labyrinthian history of related words. “Language,” she writes, “is all about mutation.” Read here about the first meanings of common words and phrases, including dessert, vodka, lunatic, tulip, dollar, bikini, peeping tom, peter out, and devil’s advocate. A former Latin teacher, Warren is a gifted poet and a writer of great playfulness. Strange to Say is a cornucopia of joyful learning and laughter. Did you know… Lord Cardigan was a British aristocrat and military man known for the sweater jackets he sported. A lying lawyer might pull the wool over a judge’s eyes―yank his wig down across his face. In the original tale of Cinderella, her slippers were made of vair (“fur”)―which in the orally-told story mistakenly turned into the homonym verre (“glass”). Like laundry, lavender evolved from Italian lavanderia, “things to be washed.” The plant was used as a clothes freshener. It smells better than, say, the misspelled Downy Unstopable with the ad that touts its “feisty freshness,” unaware that feisty evolved from Middle English fisten―fart.

Download or read book What the Ear Hears And Doesn t written by Richard Mainwaring and published by Sourcebooks, Inc.. This book was released on 2022-12-27 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "You'll never listen to the world the same way again. A truly ear-opening experience!" —Chris Ferrie, award-winning physicist and author of Where Did the Universe Come From? And Other Cosmic Questions For readers of Neil deGrasse Tyson and Bill O'Neill, What the Ear Hears (and Doesn't) is a fascinating science book for adults that explores the physics principle of frequency and the (sometimes weird) role it plays in our everyday lives. What do the world's loneliest whale, a black hole, and twenty-three people doing Tae Bo all have in common? In 2011, a skyscraper in South Korea began to shake uncontrollably without warning and was immediately evacuated. Was it an earthquake? An attack? No one seemed quite sure. The actual cause emerged later and is utterly fascinating: Twenty-three middle-aged folks were having a Tae Bo fitness class in the office gym on the twelfth floor. Their beats had inadvertently matched the building's natural frequency, and this coincidence—harnessing a basic principle of physics—caused the building to shake at an alarming rate for ten minutes. Frequency is all around us, but little understood. Musician, composer, TV presenter, and educator Richard Mainwaring uses the concept of the Infinite Piano to reveal the extraordinary world of frequency in a multitude of arenas—from medicine to religion to the environment to the paranormal—through the universality of music and a range of memorable human (and animal) stories laced with dry humor. Whether you're science curious, musically inclined, or just want to know what a Szechuan pepper has to do with physics, What the Ear Hears (and Doesn't) is an immensely enjoyable read filled with "did you know?" trivia you'll love to share with friends.

Download or read book Pronunciation and Phonetics written by Adam Brown and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-03-26 with total page 373 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This engaging, succinct text is an introduction to both phonetics and phonology as applied to the teaching of pronunciation to English language learners. Section 1 selectively covers the main areas of phonetics and phonology, without going into any area in more depth than the average English language teacher requires or that the average English language teacher trainee can handle. Section 2 focuses on practical issues related to learners and how they learn languages, and what represents good practice in terms of classroom activities for pronunciation—including aspects such as targets, motivation and priorities. The chapters end with activities to help the reader understand concepts. Section 3 provides innovative sample activities which put into practice the theoretical points covered in the first two sections, answers to the various exercises, recommended further reading (both print and non-print), a glossary of technical phonetic terms, and a bibliography of works on pronunciation teaching. The text is accompanied by a Companion Website with audio recordings of model pronunciations and audio material relating to the activities.