front cover of La ütz awäch?
La ütz awäch?
Introduction to Kaqchikel Maya Language
By R. McKenna Brown, Judith M. Maxwell, and Walter E. Little
University of Texas Press, 2006

Kaqchikel is one of approximately thirty Mayan languages spoken in Belize, Guatemala, Mexico, and, increasingly, the United States. Of the twenty-two Mayan languages spoken in Guatemala, Kaqchikel is one of the four "mayoritarios," those with the largest number of speakers. About half a million people living in the central highlands between Guatemala City and Lake Atitlán speak Kaqchikel. And because native Kaqchikel speakers are prominent in the field of Mayan linguistics, as well as in Mayan cultural activism generally, Kaqchikel has been adopted as a Mayan lingua franca in some circles.

This innovative language-learning guide is designed to help students, scholars, and professionals in many fields who work with Kaqchikel speakers, in both Guatemala and the United States, quickly develop basic communication skills. The book will familiarize learners with the words, phrases, and structures used in daily communications, presented in as natural a way as possible, and in a logical sequence. Six chapters introduce the language in context (greetings, the classroom, people, the family, food, and life) followed by exercises and short essays on aspects of Kaqchikel life. A grammar summary provides in-depth linguistic analysis of Kaqchikel, and a glossary supports vocabulary learning from both Kaqchikel to English and English to Kaqchikel. These resources, along with sound files and other media on the Internet at ekaq.stonecenter.tulane.edu, will allow learners to develop proficiency in all five major language skills—listening comprehension, speaking, reading, writing, and sociocultural understanding.

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A Learner's Dictionary of Kazakh Idioms
Akmaral Mukan
Georgetown University Press, 2012

Kazakh, a Turkic language that uses Cyrillic script, is the official state language of Kazakhstan and is also spoken by people in parts of China, Russia, and neighboring Central Asian countries. This unique learner’s dictionary features simple definitions, literal translations, English equivalents, full example sentences, and grammar and usage for over 2,000 Kazakh idioms.

As students progress to the upper-intermediate and advanced levels of language learning, they come in contact with cultural concepts embedded in simple words that they have learned as part of everyday vocabulary. Thus, they expand their vocabulary into idiomatic expressions. Upper-intermediate and advanced learners of Kazakh will find this extensive reference work useful to understand those culturally bound idioms.

Idioms in this reference volume are organized into categories—the human body, food, clothing, color, number, animals, and nature—that best represent the topics on which language learners focus at the beginning and intermediate levels of language study. Five indexes make finding the idiom you want—by idiom, keyword, or expression in both Kazakh and English—easier.

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Let's Speak Twi
A Proficiency Course in Akan Language and Culture
Adams Bodomo, Charles Marfo, and Lauren Hall-Lew
CSLI, 2010

Let’s Speak Twi is an introductory language-learning textbook for speakers of English and other languages who seek proficiency in Akan Twi, the most widely used and understood native language of Ghana. Included in the book are several practice exercises and activities; an extensive range of culturally relevant topics and dialogues; lists of idiomatic, colloquial, and euphemistic expressions; a reference glossary; and tips on culturally appropriate behavior.

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