Always on : language in an online and mobile world
Naomi S. Baron
Oxford [u.a.] Oxford Univ. Press 2008
Call no.: P107.B265

Joint Winner of the 2008 Duke of Edinburgh ESU English Language Book Award

This book is about how online and mobile technologies influence the way we read, write, present ourselves as well as its effect on social relationships.

The author did a study on IM lingo and also looked into the effects of gender on IM speech and writing.
Does out of sight equates to out of mind? Interestingly, the chapter on IM research mentioned that the presence of digital natives “lingers through their words”, even as they post away messages on their computers.

Why are online social networking sites like Facebook so popular? According to Cassidy, Facebook allows users to maintain friendships with minimum effort. Moreover, for many people, Facebook enable them to see and be seen.  A comparison was made between Facebook and IM, both of which can be used for presentation of self and for managing social relationships. The author also explored the reasons behind other online platforms like blogs and wikipedia. 

For more information, read the review in Times Higher Education.

Popularity: 10% [?]

Nipponia –a quarterly magazine that introduces people worldwide to timely contemporary subjects and traditional culture in Japan– has ceased publication.  However, earlier print issues of Nipponia from issue 48 (2009) are still available at the Library.  You can also access the online version in English and Japanese.

If you are going to the Land of the Rising Sun for your student exchange programme, there are many books on Japanese culture such as kabuki, origami, chanoyu and others that are available in our Library.  Here’s a short listing of our offerings.  If you need further assistance with book searches, please check with staff at the Service Desks.

Joyful origami boxes
Tomoko Fuse.�
Edition:  1st ed.�
Tokyo, Japan : Japan Publications Trading Co. ; New York : Distributors, U.S., Kodansha America through Farrar, Straus & Giroux, [1996]
Call no.: TT870.F993
Location: Lee Wee Nam Library

Kabuki heroes on the Osaka stage, 1780-1830
C. Andrew Gerstle.�
London : British Museum Press, 2005
Call no.: PN2924.5.K3G383
Location: ADM Library

Tea of the sages : the art of sencha
Patricia J. Graham.
Honolulu : University of Hawaii Press, c1998.
Call no.: GT2910.G741
Location: Business Library

Japanese inn and travel : illustrated = Nihon no ryokan.
[Tokyo] : Japan Travel Bureau, 1990.
Call no.: DS821.J35 VOL.14
Location: Chinese Library

Popularity: 11% [?]

The premise of this title is (simply enough) to explore how and why religion has endured through modern times.

The above statement may seem strange indeed, for religion is seemingly inextricably interwoven into the fabric of most if not all societies worldwide. However it will be valuable to pause and think about the changes in the world over the past few centuries.

In the field of politics and governance, the secular state is now the widely adopted model. Beyond the secular state, some administrations have even tried to suppress religion entirely in societies. One of the more recent examples is the state atheism of Communist China of the 1950s to 1960s, where religion was actively discouraged. For example the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s saw concerted efforts to reduce the influence of religion. Despite all this however, religion appears to be enjoying a resurgence in modern China.

In the field of science, large strides in areas such as Biology, Physics and Astronomy have led some individuals to question the validity of religious texts, such as the account of the Book of Genesis. Still the number of individuals who profess to hold a religion does not seem to have diminished.

The question raised by this book is thus why religion persists in the modern world. The author does not attempt to answer this question directly, but instead provides a historical overview of the rise and fall of religions of the world along with their main teachings. The analysis of religion alongside historical events is interesting and thought provoking. This book is highly recommended for anyone interested in the role religion has played in world history, or for anyone with a general interest in religion as a whole. However it is not recommended for advanced students as the scope of study is so broad as to make the analysis relatively shallow.

Title: Religion in world history
Authors: John C. Super and Briane K. Turley
Call number: BL65.H5S959
Available at: HSS Library

Popularity: 9% [?]

Thirty years ago, Feb 27, 1979, then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew called a meeting of ministers, ministers of state and senior civil servants to discuss how government papers and minutes can be written in clear, clean prose.

Below are excerpts of Mr Lee’s address on the quality of written English – which remains recognisibly the same even after 30 years.

“The facility to express yourself in a written language is yet another facet or manifestation of your ability, plus application and discipline.

Our biggest obstacle to better English is shyness. It is a psychological barrier. Nobody likes to stop and ask, “Please, what does that mean?” or “Please tell me, where have I gone wrong?” To pretend you know when
you don’t know is abysmal folly.

The written English we want is clean, clear prose. I choose my words carefully- not elegant, not stylish, just clean, clear prose. It means simplifying, polishing and tightening.”

Quotes extracted from the “Adress by the Prime Ministers, Ministers of State and Senior Civil Service Officers at the Regional Language Centre on 27 Feb 79″. Click here to view the full speech.

Popularity: 12% [?]

Are you raring to go to Korea for your exchange programme this semester?  Need some key language titles to brush up your Korean conversational skills so that you can  speak with the native speakers while you are on the ski slopes of Yong Pyong or shopping in Dongdaemun?  Here are this month’s recommendations!

Korean in 60 minutes [sound recording].
New York : Berlitz, p2008.
Call number: PL913.K84M

If you need to brush up your Korean listening and speaking skills in a hurry, you’d need to get your hands on this CD.  The title includes basic expressions, as well as key words and phrases to get you started on practicing your Korean.  Booklet included.

Korean : a complete course for beginners. [sound recording]
New York, N.Y. : Living Language, c2007. 
Call number: PL913.K84CC  (book)
Call number:  PL913.K84CC DISCS 1-6  (Audio CD) 

This simple and effective introduction to Korean will teach you everything you need to speak, understand, read, and write in Korean. A handy guide for beginners that has natural dialogues, clear grammar notes, vocabulary words and key expressions.  Immerse yourself in Korean culture, cuisine, history, geography, and more.

Listening Korean for beginners.
Elizabeth, NJ : Hollym, 2007.
Call number: PL913.L478K + 2 CDs

This is one of the titles in the Hollym series of Korean titles on reading, writing and speaking. The key focus of this book and CD set is to improve your listening and speaking skills in Korean. Published by the National Institute of the Korean Language and the International Korean Language Foundation.

Popularity: unranked [?]

NTU Library and Elsevier Presents Navigating the Book Publishing Process
Date: Wednesday, 25 March 2009 Time: 3 – 5:00pm Venue: LT 6 Nanyang Technological University
Interested in publishing a book? It may not be as difficult as you think. Let Denise Penrose, Editorial Director from Elsevier Science & Technology Books show you what a publisher look for in book authors. Denise will also cover various aspects of the publishing process:
How to get started When to consider co-authors How to identify the right publisher for your project What is the book proposal process (and how to use it to your advantage) How to negotiate the contract What about art, references, and permissions What happens when you’re done
Programme Outline 2:45pm Registration starts 3:00 – 3:20pm The future of online books and its impact on research effectiveness By Robert Gorter, Regional Sales Manager Asia Pacific, Elsevier Science & Technology 3:20 – 3:40 pm Library as a Resource By Lim Kong Meng , Head, Engineering Library 3:40 – 5:00 pm Navigating the book publishing process By Denise Penrose, Editorial Director, Asia Pacific, Elsevier Science & Technology Books
The event is free. Click here to register.

Popularity: unranked [?]

Test Subjects Who Call the Scientist Mom or Dad
By PAM BELLUCK
Published: January 18, 2009
New York Times

A select group of scientists have been using their children as subjects for their research projects.

Deb Roy, at M.I.T., fixed video cameras and microphones throughout his home, recording 70 percent of his son’s waking hours for his first three years, is amassing 250,000 hours of tape for a language development study he calls the Human Speechome Project. The Project is “an effort to observe and computationally model the longitudinal language development of a single child at an unprecedented scale”.

Little Darius Sinha has been participating in his Dad’s research since he was a baby. His attempt to say the word “water” was captured in a sound byte, and this is his contribution to his Dad’s language database . Dr. Sinha, whose son is used as his research subject for this speech recording,is expanding the project to include other children, applying the research to autism.

But doing research on their own children may affect the parent-child relationship between the two.  For full
details, read on.  Check out the NYT video as well.

Popularity: unranked [?]

Dear Library Users,

All NTU Libraries will be closed at 11a.m. on (New Year Eve), 31st December 2008.

We are closed on (New Year), 1st Jan 2009.

Thank you.

Popularity: unranked [?]

Dear Library Users,

All NTU Libraries will be closed at 1p.m. on (Christmas Eve), 24th December 2008.

We are closed on (Christmas Day), 25th December 2008.

Thank you.

Popularity: unranked [?]

Do you know that you can land up with a foreign accent due to an injury? Foreign Accent Syndrome (FAS) is beyond the patient’s control and can be quite distressing since an individual’s voice forms part of one’s identity.

Professor Sheila Blumstein, a linguist from Brown University, talks about her encounter with a FAS patient in this story. According to Prof Blumstein, there is a generic foreign accent which is shaped by our own language experience.  Whether we label an accent as French, Russian, Spanish and the like depends on our own encounter with such languages. The accent is in the ear of the beholder.

For more full text articles on FAS or linguistics, check out Academic Search Premier via EBSCOHost, one of our Library’s subscribed databases.

Popularity: unranked [?]