 | Quick Links | Multilingual Books Home | Browse | Search | E-mail Us |  |
1-877-401-6750
| |||||
|
Order Toll Free 1-877-401-6750 |
||||
|
Thanks for reading the Multilingual Books newsletter, your source for foreign language news, information, and product information and specials from Multilingual Books. This is also available as a web page at our website, www.multilingualbooks.com. In this issue:
Send to a Friend
Unsubscribe/Subscribe Information If you were forwarded this newsletter and would like to subscribe, we offer automated subscription: Subscribe, or, send an e-mail from the address you want to subscribe to multilingualbooks-subscribe@topica.email-publisher.com. Thank you. |
| ||||
|
|
Mandarin language is music to the brain
From eurekalert.org
It’s been shown that the left side of the brain processes language and the right side processes music; but what about a language like Mandarin Chinese, which is musical in nature with wide tonal ranges?
UC Irvine researcher Fan-Gang Zeng and Chinese colleagues studied brain scans of subjects as they listened to spoken Mandarin. They found that the brain processes the music, or pitch, of the words first in the right hemisphere before the left side of the brain processes the semantics, or meaning, of the information.
The results show that language processing is more complex than previously thought, and it gives clues to why people who use auditory prosthetic devices have difficulty understanding Mandarin. The study appears in this week’s online early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. In the English language, Zeng says, changes in pitch dictate the difference between a spoken statement and question, or in mood, but the meaning of the words does not change. This is different in Mandarin, in which changes in pitch affect the meaning of words.
"Most cochlear implant devices lack the ability to register large tonal ranges, which is why these device users have difficulty enjoying music … or understanding a tonal language," says Zeng, a professor of otolaryngology, biomedical engineering, cognitive sciences, and anatomy and neurobiology.
In his hearing and speech lab at UCI, Zeng has made advances in cochlear implant development, discovering that enhancing the detection of frequency modulation (FM) significantly boosts the performance of many hearing aids devices by increasing tonal recognition, which is essential to hearing music and understanding certain spoken languages like Mandarin.
See the full article at: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-12/uoc--mli121206.php
Send to a Friend
Please send this along to anyone you think might be interested by clicking the link above.
| Quick Links | Multilingual Books Home | Top of Page |
25 Digital Downloads in 11 Languages
We are proud to announce that our digital download store now offers 25 downloadable courses in 11 languages! The Language Associates Digital Editions are the popular FSI courses in full digital format - all course material is included, but all audio is in MP3 format and all reading material is in PDF format. These courses are considered by many to be the best and most complete language courses available. Get the benefits of full FSI courses with increased portability and substantial savings! Please note that Digital Edition courses require a computer capable of playing MP3s and displaying PDF files. Digital Edition downloads are currently available for French, Hebrew, Hungarian, Greek, Italian, Spanish, Thai, Arabic, Portuguese, Igbo, and Iraqi.
Download and save! We are introducing our downloads at less than half the price of the hardcopy courses. Why? Well, when you buy in downloadable format, we save, so you save! No printing, reproduction, packaging, handling, and shipping costs for us means big savings for you.
Check out our Digital Editions Download Store!
December Top Products
Send to a Friend
Please send this along to anyone you think might be interested by clicking the link above.
| Quick Links | Multilingual Books Home | Top of Page |
|
Last month's quiz: You (probably) won't find these in your dictionary! Which of the following are (English) words and what are their meanings? All the items, though seldom-used, obsolete, or neologisms, have definitions and (at least arguably) are words. No score was deducted for claiming that any given item was not a word, but only entries with all the definitions received full score.
Flaffer - to rustle or flutter, as do birds. Seldom-used, obsolete. Last month's winner is Bob C. Congratulations and thanks to everyone who entered. This month's quiz: The idea of the "New Year" is celebrated around the world and also around the year; as early as September for followers of the Jewish or Coptic faiths or as late as April in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and parts of India. Below are names of some New Year celebrations; name the country for each. And we wish you a very happy New Year!
Hogmanay The answers and the winner will be in our next newsletter. Winner will receive their choice of one Talk Now or World Talk language CD-ROM! No purchase necessary to enter. E-mail your entry to:
info@multilingualbooks.com |  |
Send to a Friend
Please send this along to anyone you think might be interested by clicking the link above.
| Quick Links | Multilingual Books Home | Top of Page |
Language Varieties
From the site: "This site is about varieties of language that differ from the standard variety that is normally used in the media and taught in the schools. These include pidgins, creoles, regional dialects, minority dialects and indigenized varieties." Includes detailed definitions, audio examples, web links and other references. A small but content-heavy site.
Check it out at http://www.une.edu.au/langnet/.
Send to a Friend
Please send this along to anyone you think might be interested by clicking the link above.
| Quick Links | Multilingual Books Home | Top of Page |
 
|
Save with FREE shipping on Tell Me More!
Tell Me More Language Software Save with FREE shipping on Tell Me More for one week only! Use promo code M-TFS-DEC to receive this special. |
 |
Save with FREE shipping on Foreign Service Institute Courses!
Foreign Service Institute Courses
Language Associates FSI Digital Editions For a limited time, save with FREE shipping on any Foreign Service Institute Course including Digital Editions! Use promo code M-FSF-DEC to receive this special. Order today! |
|
BIG Savings on FSI Portuguese 1 or French 1 Digital Edition Downloads!
Language Associates Digital Edition Course Downloads BIG Savings! FSI Portuguese 1 Digital Edition Download - Only $50 - Save $25!
| ||
|
BIG Savings! FSI French 1 Digital Edition Download - Only $45 - Save $40!
|
Send to a Friend
Please send this along to anyone you think might be interested by clicking the link above.
Unsubscribe / Subscribe Information
This newsletter is intended as a service to language enthusiasts and customers of Multilingual Books. You have received this because our records indicate you have ordered products from us or have asked to join our mailing list. If this message was unwanted, we apologize and offer an automated unsubscribe service: Unsubscribe, or, send an e-mail from the address you want to unsubscribe to multilingualbooks-unsubscribe@topica.email-publisher.com.
| Contact Us: Address: 1900 East Union, Seattle, WA 98122 - Phone: 206-328-7922 - Fax: 206-328-7445 - Order Toll Free: 1-877-401-6750 - |
 | Quick Links | Multilingual Books Home | Top of Page |  |
|
Multilingual Books Internet Language Company 1900 East Union Seattle, WA 98122 |
Business: 1-877-401-6750 Sales: 1-877-401-6750 Fax: 206-328-7445 E-mail:info@multilingualbooks.com |
| Copyright © 1996-2006 Internet Language Company | |
Tell Me More Language Software
