Language defines us as a species, placing humans head and shoulders above even the most proficient animal communicators. But it also beguiles us with its endless mysteries, allowing us to ponder why different languages emerged, why there isn't simply a single language, how languages change over time and whether that's good or bad, and how languages die out and become extinct.

Grammar! For many of us, the word triggers memories of finger-wagging schoolteachers, and of wrestling with the ambiguous and complicated rules of using formal language. But what is grammar? In fact, it's the integral basis of how we speak and write. As such, a refined awareness of grammar opens a world of possibilities for both your pleasure in the English language and your skill in using it, in both speech and the written word.

What is our species' greatest invention? Medicine, computers, space travel? Not even close. The innovation that underlies each of our past achievements and those we still aspire to is language. Language is the ultimate invention of Homo sapiens - one that has allowed us to change the physical and social world around us in every conceivable way, and an invention that has fundamentally changed us, as well.

【シリーズ解説】本場アメリカのビジネスシーンで使われている生の会議スキル。自己紹介から会議の議事進行まで、ドラマ仕立てのストーリーに添って、楽しくレッスンできます。ビジネスは「仕事」とはいうものの、「社交」の場でもあります。ビジネスの世界で成功するには社交界での成功なしでは成り立ちません。このシリーズを通して、ビジネスと社交における「ビジネス会話」、「文書スキル」、そして「社交スキル」を学習します。このシリーズは、国際的な会議を開催しそれに参加するグループの人々を追いながら学習していきます。それぞれの登場人物を通して、ビジネススキルはもちろん、国際的な時代の文化や友情、はたまた恋愛関係についてまで学べます。またこのシリーズでは「アメリカ社会」、「ビジネス文化」、「国際的な問題」についても取り上げます。ビジネス英語を聞く、話す、ということは、言葉だけではなく、その文化的背景の違いを理解することが一番重要です。このシリーズは、そんなビジネスシーンで英語を使おうとしている人にぴったりのエッセンスが満載です。　【シリーズストーリー】日本人エンジニアの昭が、シリコンバレーのスタートアップで活躍する姿を等身大で描いています。シャイだけど仕事に関してはとても優秀な昭。上司や同僚との付き合い方、国際会議での振舞い方、上手なプレゼンの進め方、はたまた片思いの彼女への気持ちの伝え方など、日常生活が満載

E. H. Gombrich's world history, an international best seller now available in English for the first time, is a text dominated not by dates and facts but by the sweep of experience across the centuries, a guide to humanity's achievements, and an acute witness to its frailties.

Bringing together the imaginative strategies of fiction storytelling and new ways of narrating true, real-life events, creative nonfiction is the fastest-growing part of the creative writing world. It's a cutting-edge genre that's reshaping how we write (and read) everything from biographies and memoirs to blogs and public speaking scripts to personal essays and magazine articles.

Following Jane from her childhood as an orphan in Northern England through her experience as a governess at Thornfield Hall, Charlotte Brontë's Gothic classic is an early exploration of women's independence in the mid-19th century and the pervasive societal challenges women had to endure. At Thornfield, Jane meets the complex and mysterious Mr. Rochester, with whom she shares a complicated relationship that ultimately forces her to reconcile the conflicting passions of romantic love and religious piety.

Linguistics falls in the gap between arts and science, on the edges of which the most fascinating discoveries and the most important problems are found. Rather than following the conventional organization of many contemporary introductions to the subject, the author of this stimulating guide begins his discussion with the oldest, "arts" end of the subject and moves chronologically through to the newest research - the "science" aspects.

Before you take that trip to the UK, get a solid foundation of English! Start speaking English in minutes, and learn key vocabulary, phrases, and grammar in just minutes more with Introduction to British English. Our native English hosts break down all the sentences, grammar, and more in a simple, easily understandable way!

Banter, chit-chat, gossip, natter, tete-a-tete: these are just a few of the terms for the varied ways in which we interact with one another through conversation. David Crystal explores the factors that motivate so many different kinds of talk and reveals the rules we use unconsciously, even in the most routine exchanges of everyday conversation.

古代から中世へ，一大転換期を舞台にした思想劇－キリスト教の基礎を据え，正統と異端を産み落とした教義論争史にわけいる．

The history of a language is the history of the people who speak it, those who read and write it, and those who come into contact with it. Now, this series invites you to explore your heritage from an unconventional angle: through the origin and development of the English language. Leading your expedition is Christopher R. Fee, an award-winning professor and medievalist whose expertise spans Old English, Old Norse, and historical linguistics. With flair and gusto, he draws from this well of knowledge to help you trace the evolution of English across a fascinating range of cultures.

No skill is more important in today's world than being able to think about, understand, and act on information in an effective and responsible way. What's more, at no point in human history have we had access to so much information, with such relative ease, as we do in the 21st century. But because misinformation out there has increased as well, critical thinking is more important than ever. These 24 rewarding lectures equip you with the knowledge and techniques you need to become a savvier, sharper critical thinker in your professional and personal life.

In this groundbreaking biography of the Japanese emperor Hirohito, Herbert P. Bix offers the first complete, unvarnished look at the enigmatic leader whose 63-year reign ushered Japan into the modern world. Never before has the full life of this controversial figure been revealed with such clarity and vividness. Bix describes what it was like to be trained from birth for a lone position at the apex of the nation's political hierarchy and as a revered symbol of divine status.

Noted Japan expert Professor Mark J. Ravina of the University of Texas at Austin covers the politics, economics, and culture of the island nation since World War II - a conflict that saw the end of Japan’s dream of regional conquest, which Professor Ravina calls Empire 1.0. The country’s postwar leaders radically changed course, renouncing a strong military to pursue Empire 2.0 - Japan as an economic colossus.