Stories For Language Learners – serie

Learn about Japanese culture while improving your language skills!Japanese Folktales for Language Learners presents 22 traditional stories in parallel Japanese and English versions on facing pages, with detailed notes and exercises aimed at beginning to intermediate learners. This book can be used as a language reader and will be of great interest to anyone wishing to learn more about Japanese culture and folklore.The stories in this collection gradually increase in length and complexity as the book progresses. They include:"The Candy-Buying Ghost" - A female ghost mysteriously buys candy every night from a small village shop, until one night she reveals her true identity and her tragic story. "The Old Man Who Made Trees Blossom" - Regarded as one of the five greatest Japanese folktales, this touching story tells of a kind old man who uses his magical powers for good. "The Abandoned Mother" - An elderly woman is abandoned at the top of a mountain by her own son, a reference to the old practice of senicide in Japan. Vocabulary lists, cultural notes, exercises and discussion questions help to reinforce an understanding of the stories and bolster language skills. Free online recordings of all the stories are provided.

Learn about Korean culture while improving your language skills!Korean Folktales for Language Learners presents 36 traditional folktales in parallel Korean and English versions on facing pages, with detailed notes and exercises aimed at beginning to intermediate language learners. Free online recordings of all the Korean stories are available to help students improve their pronunciation and comprehension skills. The stories—which gradually increase in complexity as the book progresses—include:"The Tiger with the Frozen Tail" - A wily rabbit persuades a hungry tiger to break a hole in the ice of a frozen river to catch fish with his tail. When the hole freezes, the tiger is trapped. "The Shepherd and the Fairy" - The Heavenly Jade Emperor's daughter falls in love with a shepherd boy who plays beautiful music. She wants to marry him, but her angry father turns her into a goldfish."The Money in the Cauldron" - When a burglar breaks into the home of a poor scholar, he finds there is nothing to steal. The burglar feels sorry for him and leaves money behind.This elegantly illustrated volume is designed to help language learners expand their Korean vocabulary and grammar. The Korean vocabulary lists, exercises and audio recordings are designed as practice for first- and second-year Korean students. This entertaining anthology in English is complemented by cultural notes and discussion questions that further reinforce understanding Korean culture.

A great story can lead a reader on a cultural and linguistic journey—especially if it's in two languages!Vietnamese Stories for Language Learners introduces 40 traditional Vietnamese folktales with bilingual Vietnamese and English versions presented on facing pages. Each story is followed by cultural notes, vocabulary lists, and a set of discussion questions and exercises for further comprehension.Online audio recordings by native speakers help readers improve their pronunciation and inflection, while a Vietnamese-English glossary provides an easy way to reference unfamiliar terms. Illustrations by award-winning Vietnamese illustrators Nguyen Thi Hop and Nguyen Dong help to bring these traditional tales to life.This book is a great supplementary reader for self-study learners or in Vietnamese language courses, but will be enjoyed by anyone who wishes to learn about Vietnamese folktales and culture.Learn Vietnamese the fun way—through the country's rich literary history!Audio recordings can be accessed at the Tuttle Publishing website

Arabic Stories for Language Learners—a language learning experience for beginner to intermediate students of the Arabic language.The traditional stories of a country are invaluable at providing insight into understanding the culture, history and language of a people. A great way to learn Arabic, the sixty-six stories found in Arabic Stories for Language Learners present the vocabulary and grammar used every day in Arabic-speaking countriesPulled from a wide variety of sources that have been edited and simplified for learning purposes, these stories are presented in parallel Arabic and English, facilitating language learning in the classroom and via self-study. Each story is followed by a series of questions in Arabic and English to test comprehension and encourage discussion. Online companion audio helps students of Arabic improve their pronunciation and inflection, and immerses non-students into the uniquely Arabic storytelling style.All audio content is alternatively accessible on the Tuttle Publishing website

The most enjoyable way to learn about a new culture is through its stories—especially when they're told in two languages!This book introduces 40 stories from the Philippines through bilingual Tagalog and English texts presented on facing pages. Paired with cultural notes, vocabulary lists, exercises, comprehension questions and free online audio recordings, Tagalog Stories for Language Learners is an excellent resource for intermediate language learners, or those who wish to pick up a bit of Phlippine cultural knowledge.This compilation includes a mix of traditional folktales retold for a modern audience, as well as several well-known works of contemporary Philippine literature. Along the way, you will meet fabulous mythological characters like the Bagobo goddess Mebuyan and the shape-shifting Aswang. Other characters cope with day-to-day issues, such as the domestic worker who cannot find her keys and a beauty queen who leaves behind her comfortable city life in order to help peasants in the countryside.Four of the stories are by well-known Filipino writers and are presented in complete or partially condensed form. These include:Estrangheritis by Inigo Ed. Regalado (1907) — The writer is critical of Filipinos who exalt all things foreign while, in fact, benefitting from their own land but unappreciative of their national culture.Desire by Paz Latorena (1928) — The story of a Filipino woman who has to deal with the narrow-mindedness of a foreigner who is far more interested in her body than in her personality.Greta Garbo by Deogracia Rosaro (1930) — Monina, who looks like Greta Garbo, plans a weekend getaway with her beau, only to be left at the station waiting, and later discovers he has gone on a honeymoon!Maria Elena Paterno's Sampaguita (1991) —Two popular legends about the Sampaguita (Philippine jasmine flower) which touch on the themes of courage and forbidden love.

Explore Korean Culture Through Bilingual Folktales—Build Language Skills as You Read!Korean Stories for Language Learners brings 42 traditional Korean folktales to life, presented in both Korean and English on facing pages. This unique collection is perfect for beginners in the language, whether you're a student in a first- or second-year Korean course or someone eager to explore the richness of Korean culture.Each story is accompanied by cultural notes, discussion questions, and practical language exercises, making it a valuable resource for expanding your vocabulary and deepening your understanding of Korean traditions. As you progress through the book, the stories increase in complexity, helping you develop your language skills step by step.Beautifully illustrated and thoughtfully designed, this volume includes glossaries in both languages and a helpful introduction to Hangul, the Korean writing system. To further support your learning, native speaker audio recordings are available online to guide your pronunciation and listening comprehension.Whether you're passionate about language learning or fascinated by Korean folktales, this book offers a window into Korea's cultural heritage while building essential language skills.

This diverse anthology of traditional tales from across the Indonesian archipelago includes short stories, origin myths, historical legends, poetry, diary entries, news reports and dialogues. Each of the 20 stories is presented in parallel English and Indonesian versions on facing pages, making this a great resource for intermediate language learners.Although written in the Indonesian national language, the stories hail from many different ethnic cultures and include a number of female characters who reveal the challenges faced by women in Indonesian society. In adopting this approach, the authors make the stories relevant and engaging for students, as well as provide fascinating windows onto the regional cultures found among these islands.The stories in this volume include:"Forbidden Love"—A story from West Kalimantan that tells of the tragic love between two first cousins who had to pay a hefty price for their love"Freshwater Dolphins of the Mahakam River"—A story in the form of blog reports from Borneo telling the legend of the freshwater dolphins in the Mahakam River and the challenges faced by the peoples of East Kalimantan"Pitung, the Hero of Batavia"—A story from Jakarta in which a Robin Hood-like figure who stole from the rich to pay the poor, played a heroic role in defending the poor against foreign-run gangs in colonial timesAnd many more!Authors Katherine Davidsen and Yusep Cuandani are experienced language teachers who use these texts in their high school classes at international schools in Jakarta to fulfill the requirements for International Baccalaureate and Cambridge IGCSE curriculum courses in Indonesian language and culture.The stories are graded in terms of difficulty. Each one is accompanied by a set of discussion questions, a detailed vocabulary list, cultural notes keyed to the text and online native-speaker audio recordings. An extensive Indonesian-English glossary is provided at the back of the book.

The most enjoyable way to learn about an unfamiliar culture is through its stories—especially when they're told in two languages! Thai Stories for Language Learners introduces 28 entertaining Thai stories with bilingual Thai and English versions presented on facing pages. The stories are adapted from traditional folktales with roots in the Thai oral tradition, classic Thai literature, and Thai versions of the Indian Jataka Tales—which describe the past lives of the Buddha. The stories in this book include:"The Frightened Rabbit" is a well-known story about rabbit who hears a loud thundering sound and concludes it is a landslide, without investigating further. He runs about telling others of the landslide, thus causing unnecessary panic."A Horse-faced Woman" is one of the most popular folktales in Thailand because the heroine's appearance and character differ vastly from other Thai heroines. Her equine appearance, unpopularity with fellow villagers, and passionate desires to marry the handsome Prince Pin Thong collide. "A Myth of Phra Ruang" is a classic tale popular among Thai people. It tells the story of a legendary hero—Phra Ruang—who frees the people of Lavo (Lopburi) from the ancient Khmer rulers. When the Khmer king tries to kill him, Phra Ruang escapes and is ordained as a monk. And many more!Alongside each story, readers will find:A list of key vocabulary in the Thai script, Romanized form, and the English meaningsA set of questions and writing activitiesA Thai pronunciation guideOnline audio recording in order to improve pronunciation and comprehension.This book will be of interest to learners who are beginning to read and write the Thai language and would like additional practice, as well as to general readers interested in learning about Thai culture.

Learn about Myanmar while improving your language skills!Aimed at beginning to intermediate language learners, this book introduces 25 stories from Myanmar in parallel Burmese and English versions presented on facing pages. It can be used as a reader in Burmese language courses or by anyone who simply wishes to enjoy stories from Myanmar, both modern and traditional, and develop a deeper understanding of Burmese language and culture.This elegantly illustrated volume is designed to help language learners expand their vocabulary as well as their listening and reading comprehension. The stories gradually increase in length and complexity as the reader's language skills improve.The charming stories in the book include:"Yangon Diary" Aung Kyaw recounts a typical day in the bustling capital city of Yangon, including having breakfast in a teashop and battling the constant traffic jams. This chapter teaches key basic language for talking about our everyday lives."The Water Festival" Zin Moe describes the New Year's celebration of Thingyan, when people throw water at each other and the whole country turns into one big water fight!"The Sound of the Harp" A traditional and tragic love story set in the ancient temple city of Bagan, which was the country's capital from the ninth to the thirteenth centuries. When a princess falls in love with a common harp player, the King is furious and barricades them in a cave to die. But to this day the sound of the harp can still be heard there on the night of a full moon.Free audio recordings of the stories are available online to help students improve their pronunciation and comprehension skills. Cultural notes and discussion questions reinforce an understanding of the stories, and bolster language skills. An overview of the Burmese script is also provided.

Learn about Arabic culture while improving your language skills!This fascinating book presents 28 traditional Arabic tales in parallel English and Arabic versions on facing pages.The stories all have charming black & white illustrations, and include:The Blue-Eyed Yamamah: The story of a legendary blue-eyed woman who has the amazing ability to see far into the distanceLayla and the Wolf: The story of a little girl who faces grave danger and learns the true importance of familyThe Judge and the Talking Tree: A greedy man who, through the teachings of a wise judge, learns to appreciate what he has This Is Life: A man learns through experience that what is good for him might not be good for his neighbor And many more interesting tales from Arabic-speaking cultures!Each story is accompanied by a vocabulary list, cultural notes, and exercises to help beginning students. The stories increase in length and complexity as the book progresses, and free online audio recordings of the Arabic and English versions are available online.This book is not only an accessible language resource for self-study, but also a wonderful book for anyone who wants to learn about Arabic culture through charming folktales!