"The hypothesis suggested by Benjamin Lee Whorf that the structure of a person's language is a factor in the way in which he understands reality and behaves with respect to it has attracted the attention of linguists, anthropologists, psychologists, philosophers, as well as a large segment of the public." Science
"Benjamin Lee Whorf's scholarly contributions were substantial both in technical linguistics and in the broader area for which he is best known, the relation between language perception and thought.... The basic thesis, stated by others before Whorf but developed by him and given his name in recent literature, is that our perception of the world and our ways of thinking about it are deeply influenced by the structure of the languages we speak.... Any student of comparative literature or other cross-cultural study of values must at least take Whorf SMYTHs thesis into account . . ." -- Literature East and West, the Newsletter of the Conference on Oriental-Western Library Relations of the Modern Language Association of America.
"With his edition of Language, Thought, and Reality, Professor Carroll has . . . performed an invaluable service for linguists everywhere . . . A carefully planned and skillfully edited presentation of Whorf THEs philosophy of language, to which has been added an interesting foreword by Stuart Chase, an invaluable essay by Carroll, and an extremely illuminating and useful bibliography. . ." -- International Journal of American Linguistics
"An essay showing why Hopi is superior to English as a scientific language, a criticism of Basic English as Complex English, and an account of the semantics of fire prevention are not only readable but delightful." - New Yorker

This is the result of an ongoing project to collect and distribute the most obscure and rare words in the English language (such as aprosexia, diurnation, galeanthropy, nidor or symmetrophobia). It also contains a few words which do not have equivalent words in English. This version of the dictionary contains 2103 words, though it is constantly growing.

Learn the basic techniques every successful playwright knows

Among the many "how-to" playwriting books that have appeared over the years, there have been few that attempt to analyze the mysteries of play construction. Lajos Egri's classic, "The Art of Dramatic Writing," does just that, with instruction that can be applied equally well to a short story, novel, or screenplay.

Examining a play from the inside out, Egri starts with the heart of any drama: its characters. All good dramatic writing hinges on people and their relationships, which serve to move the story forward and give it life, as well as an understanding of human motives -- why people act the way that they do. Using examples from everything from William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" to Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll's House," Egri shows how it is essential for the author to have a basic premise -- a thesis, demonstrated in terms of human behavior -- and to develop the dramatic conflict on the basis of that behavior.

Using Egri's ABCs of premise, character, and conflict, "The Art of Dramatic Writing" is a direct, jargon-free approach to the problem of achieving truth in writing.

Douglas Robinson presents an innovative approach to translation by integrating translation theory and the practical skills required by the working translator. The book provides the type of information and advice that novice translators really need:
* how to translate faster and more accurately
* how to deal with arising problems and stress
* how the market works
* includes a wide variety of lively activities and exercises to facilitate the learning of both theory and practice
* includes a detailed Teachers Guide - contains suggestions for discussion and activities and hints for the teaching of translation.
Becoming a Translator has been specifically designed for introductory undergraduate courses in the theory and practice of translation. It will also be of interest to professional translators and students of translation and language.