front cover of Indian Sign Language
Indian Sign Language
A Linguistic Analysis of Its Grammar
Samar Sinha
Gallaudet University Press, 2017

Samar Sinha presents pioneering research into the grammatical properties of Indian Sign Language (ISL), a language used by members of the Deaf community in India. This detailed and well-illustrated study describes the grammar of ISL and is supplemented by comparative and theoretical analyses in the core areas of sublexical structure, morphology, and syntax. Sinha offers a field-based, comprehensive analysis that covers topics such as

                      o   sign formation parameters
                      o   syllable structure
                      o   sonority hierarchy
                      o   semantics of space
                      o   pluralization strategies
                      o   phi-features
                      o   indexing and localization
                      o   agreement
                      o   word order

               He provides a description of the Indian Deaf community that serves to frame his analysis of ISL and highlights the need for greater awareness and acknowledgment of the language and its users. The lack of research on ISL in Indian academia has slowed efforts toward the standardization of ISL and the development of pedagogical materials. This work adds to the growing understanding of natural human language in general and ISL in particular. It also contributes to the empowerment of the Deaf community in India and will strengthen the efforts carried out by d/Deaf activists and researchers.

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Introduction to Classical and New Testament Greek
A Unified Approach
Michael Boler
Catholic University of America Press, 2020
The defining feature of this textbook is the treatment of classical and New Testament Greek as one language using primary sources. All the example sentences the students will translate are real Greek sentences, half of which are taken from classical literature and philosophy and half of which are directly from the New Testament. The advantage of this approach is that it highlights the linguistic, literary, and historical connections between classical Greece and early Christianity. Rather than having students memorize isolated tables and artificial sentences, Michael Boler spent years combing through thousands of pages of literature, philosophy, and scripture to find short, powerful sentences that not only teach the grammatical concepts in each chapter, but also contain seeds of wisdom that will spark wonder and discussion. Introduction to New Testament and Classical Greek is born out of classroom experience in a Catholic liberal arts university whose students were disappointed to be forced to choose between textbooks that taught classical Greek in isolation and ones that focused exclusively on the New Testament. By the end of this book, students will have read over 200 lines of scripture and an equal amount of ancient literature from Homer to Aristotle. They will also have the grammatical knowledge to continue to read classical and New Testament Greek. Each chapter contains a section at the end that delves deeply into the etymology and background of the words and passages encountered in the respective chapter. Professors will thus be able to use these chapters as a bridge to philosophical, theological, historical, and literary topics that will enrich the class.
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Introduction to Middle Welsh
Joshua Byron Smith
Catholic University of America Press, 2026
Introduction to Middle Welsh offers a comprehensive introduction to Middle Welsh grammar, leading the student through sixty chapters of carefully scaf­folded exercises and readings. Written in an engaging style and aimed toward learners without any knowledge of Modern Welsh, this book guides students to a high intermediate level of proficiency with the language, focusing par­ticularly on prose. The first twenty chapters employ both original Middle Welsh sentences and simplified sentences based on originals, allowing learners to master basic grammatical concepts without being overwhelmed by vocabulary. New vo­cabulary is introduced at the end of each lesson, so that learners can complete the exercises and translation without looking up words in the glossary. The glossary, for its part, contains over 1,500 vocabulary items, which provides students with many of the most commonly used words in Middle Welsh liter­ature. When available, useful etymologies are also provided, making connec­tions to languages that students might already know. In addition to several hundred carefully chosen sentences for translation exercises, Introduction to Middle Welsh includes eighteen selections from literature, ranging from poetry to law, showing the variety of the Middle Welsh literary corpus. Ideal for the classroom or self-taught learners, Introduction to Middle Welsh will appeal to those with an interest in Welsh, medieval literature, and Celtic studies.
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An Introduction to Moroccan Arabic and Culture
Abdellah Chekayri
Georgetown University Press, 2011

An Introduction to Moroccan Arabic and Culture and the accompanying multimedia DVD are designed to enable students to communicate effectively using Moroccan Arabic. Since Moroccan Arabic is rarely written or used in formal communication, the strength of the book lies in training learners in speaking and listening skills that can be used in everyday situations.

Upon completing this course, students should be able to:
• greet people
• introduce themselves
• ask and reply to simple questions
• use days and numbers in context
• order food
• shop
• make appointments and reservations
• give directions
• talk about future plans
• use common idiomatic expressions

Each chapter includes:
• cultural introductions to social, religious, or cultural aspects of Moroccan society
• listening comprehension exercises
• vocabulary exercises
• dialogues and texts
• conversation practice
• grammar instruction on how native speakers structure their speech
• interactive and video materials to support cultural understanding, listening, speaking, and grammar explanations

The book uses Romanized transcription alongside Arabic script for the first three chapters and thereafter only the Arabic script. It also includes a glossary and answer key. It requires approximately 120 contact hours, plus 180-240 additional hours of preparation outside class. A novice student should reach the intermediate-mid level of proficiency by the end of this course.

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front cover of An Introduction to the Shoshoni Language
An Introduction to the Shoshoni Language
Dammen Daigwape
Drusilla Gould
University of Utah Press, 2003
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An Introductory Grammar of Old English with an Anthology of Readings
Robert D. Fulk
Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, 2014

front cover of An Introductory New Testament Greek Course, Revised Edition
An Introductory New Testament Greek Course, Revised Edition
Francis T. Gignac, SJ
Catholic University of America Press, 2015
Many Christians have the desire to read the New Testament in its original language. Unfortunately, books that introduce the student to New Testament Greek either tend to be long-winded, or overly simplified, or both. In this book, legendary scholar of biblical Greek, the late Frank Gignac provides a straight-forward "just the facts" approach to the subject. In fifteen lessons, he presents the basics of the grammar and the vocabulary essential for reading the Gospels in the original language. All the reader need do is to supply the desire to learn. As Gignac writes, "good luck as you begin to learn another language! It may be sheer drudgery for a while, but the thrill will come when you begin to read the New Testament in the language in which it was written."
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Itzaj Maya Grammar
Charles A Hofling
University of Utah Press, 2000

The Itzaj Maya language is a member of the Yukatekan Maya language family spoken in the lowlands of Guatemala, Mexico, and Belize, a family that includes Maya, Mopan, and Lakantum. Many classic Maya hieroglyphic texts were written in an earlier form of these languages, as were many important colonial documents. In addition to being a valuable record of ancient language, Andrew Hofling’s Itzaj Maya Grammar contributes greatly to the study of these older documents.

This exemplary grammar completes a basic documentation that began with Itzaj Maya Texts and Itzaj Maya-Spanish-English Dictionary. It’s coverage of the linguistic structures of Itzaj includes the phonological, morphophonological, and syntactic structures. Each morphological and grammatical construction is carefully explained, with additional examples of each construction included.

Itzaj Maya Grammar is a landmark contribution to the study of discourse in Maya language. When used with Hofling’s previous texts, it provides a thoroughly dynamic documentation of the language, useful to all interested in the study of Yukatejan languages or linguistics.

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