Humanities & Social Sciences Library

Calling all word lovers, you can now access Collins Wordbanks Online from any of the common PCs located in the Library!

Collins Wordbanks Online contains 57 million words of written and spoken English from both American and British sources. Language data is derived from the Bank of English — the Collins corpora of modern written and spoken text.

With Wordbanks, you can:
–view language samples as they are used in real life
–carry out linguistic research for your thesis
–analyze the semantics behind the usage of a particular word

More information can be found on our databases page or on the information page for Collins Wordbanks Online.

Popularity: unranked [?]

Shakespeare country [videorecording]
Kent, UK : Delta Music., 2002.
Call no.: E570470

Charming Stratford upon Avon, with its picturesque black and white Tudor houses, is where Shakespeare had once lived. Tour Shakespeare country for yourself in this 55 minute audiovisual journey, where you can live and breathe Shakespeare just by looking at the thatched cottages in the Warwickshire countryside. A falconry centre with flight displays by resident falcons are also part of the countryside museum experience for Shakespeare pilgrims. In modern times, dramatic twists and turns of his plays are acted out in the Globe Theatre, the architecture of which you can view in this DVD.

Old England [videorecording]
New Wave Pictures Production ; produced by Robin Bextor.
UK: Green umbrella, 2004.
Call no.: K570500

Old Sarum, Stonehenge and the elegant Salisbury Cathedral are the key highlights in this DVD. See re-enactments of battle scenes by men in chain mail shirts, take a glimpse into the lives of royalty and enjoy the many aerial views of Stonehenge, Winchester and Salisbury. This is an excellent introduction to Old England especially for those who have yet to visit the place.

Popularity: unranked [?]

Vague language explored
edited by Joan Cutting.
Basingstoke [England] ; New York : Palgrave Macmillian, 2007
P299.A46V126

New perspectives on language and sexual identity
Liz Morrish and Helen Sauntson.
Basingstoke : Palgrave Macmillan, 2007.
P120.S48M875

Identity trouble : critical discourse and contested identities
edited by Carmen Rosa Caldas-Coulthard, Rick Iedema.
Basingstoke [England] ; New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2008.
P302.I19

The grammar detective : solving the mysteries of basic grammar
Gillian Mary Hanson.
London : Continuum, 2008
PE1112.M393

English as a lingua franca : a corpus-based analysis
Luke Prodromou.
London ; New York : Continuum, c2008.
PE1073.P964

ICT and language learning : from print to the mobile phone
Marie-Madeleine Kenning.
Basingstoke : Palgrave Macmillan, 2007.
P53.28.K36A

Linguistic policies and the survival of regional languages in France and Britain
Anne Judge.
Basingstoke [England] ; New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2007.
P119.32.F7J92

Language interrupted : signs of non-native acquisition in standard language grammars
John McWhorter.
Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2007.
P204.M177

Popularity: 14% [?]

Merriam-Webster now has a PODCAST for solo words in its Word of the Day feature. I’m floored! After all, online dictionaries are just for you to check the spelling, meanings of words and pronunciation, right? Well, it seems that Merriam-Webster thinks that these are not enough. So get ready for souped-up versions of dictionary entries with a jazzy twist!

The only thing not quite right about the site is that it doesn’t provide the “proper”phonetic transcription. The above is your Friday Word of the Day . TGIF!

Popularity: unranked [?]

Need some ideas on what to do during the university vacation? Why not check out some audio books at the Media Resource Library. Here are some recommendations:

French Women don’t get fat: the secret of eating for pleasure
Mireille Guiliano.
New York : Random House Audio Voices, p2005.
Call no.: A565114 DISCS 1-3

Want to know the French secret of staying slim and still eat normally?Here’s a refreshing, quirky and interesting audio book from a French lady’s perspective. The author’s French accent is a bit disconcerting, but you can still hear her clearly. Comes with a tiny accompanying recipe booklet for Mousse Au Chocolat, “Magical” Leek Soup and other food. An author interview is also included.

The devil wears Prada
Lauren Weisberger.
New York : Random House Audio, p2003.
Call no.: E565133 DISCS 1-5

Even if you have read the book, listening to “The devil wears Prada” is a whole new experience. The protagonist’s boss sounds too sweet to be the boss from hell though. Want to hear it for yourself? Check out this title at the Media Resource Library.

A walk in the woods
Bill Bryson.
New York : Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio Pub., p1998.
Call no.: F565089 DISCS 1-5

Read by Bill Bryson himself, this audio book is about the author’s journey on the Appalachian Trail, which stretches from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Marine. If you’d like to know more about the AT (nickname for the trail), this audio book is for you.

The rule of four : a novel
Ian Caldwell & Dustin Thomason.
New York : Simon & Schuster Audio, p2004.
Call no.:H565045 DISCS 1-6
Call no.: K565046 DISCS 7-11

The reader’s lively delivery of the story allows listeners to be transported to Princeton where two students are poring over a 500 year old book in an attempt to unlock its secrets. The opening words of the reader are sufficient to warrant your attention. Coded manuscripts, a violent murder and a Renaissance prince all add up to make this item an audio adventure in itself.

The Media Resource Library also has a fine selection of other audio book titles such as the following:

Breaking the Da Vinci Code
The tipping point
Longitudes and attitudes: exploring the world after September 11
The wisdom of crowds

Visit us at Blk N2, Level B3 today!

Popularity: unranked [?]

Cover image of accompanying text that goes with the DVD

Manga,interesting snippets of life in Japan and episodes of a senior high school exchange student’s experiences in Japan all make this DVD set a cool way to learn Japanese. The main character, Erin, is a UK exchange student in a Japanese senior high school. As such, this DVD allows students to gain an insight into living and studying in Japan from a foreign student’s perspective.

Erin becomes a cute anime character in the DVD drama

Erin talking to her Japanese classmate in the DVD drama

The accompanying text has English, Chinese, Korean and Portugese text translation of the key dialogues. Additionally, the manga story telling format reflects the skit that is presented in the DVD. This 3 volume DVD set is available in the Media Resource Library.

All images: copyright of the Japan Foundation.

Erin ga chōsen nihongo dekimasu : dībuidī de manabu nihongo
Bojinsha ; The Japan Foundation, 2007.
D576199 VOL.1 –DVD
G576200 VOL.1 –Audio Visual text
J576201 VOL.2 –DVD
L576202 VOL.2 –Audio Visual text
B576203 VOL.3 — DVD
D576204 VOL.3 –Audio Visual text

Popularity: unranked [?]

Are you perpetually curious and always on the lookout for nuggets of information about the world? Is trivia pursuit your favourite game?   Have you ever wondered…

Who is King Tantalus and what is the story behind the word ‘tantalize’ in the English language?

Which character in Charles Dickens’ work had died by spontaneous human combustion?

Is eau de cologne first made in Cologne?

The Library’s subscription to Oxford Reference Online (ORO) holds the keys to the above questions.  Sign up for Oxford Reference Online’s fact of the day to get your daily cuppa of information.  Need more help on ORO? Check with your librarian.

Popularity: unranked [?]