Reviews

Hundreds of resources to help you teach yourself

New York Mart: Tons of Space, Tons of Food

5 Mandarin, Food and Drink

This sprawling Brooklyn store in Sunset Park’s Chinatown has a remarkable array of produce. When I visited New York Mart in late 2012, I did not look at the meat or fish, though those sections were crowded with customers,…

Great Works at University of Rochester!

General, Websites

The goal of Three Percent is to be “a destination for readers, editors, and translators interested in finding out about modern and contemporary international literature.” Originating at the University of Rochester, the website got its name through the sad fact…

Advanced Italian Grammar: Some Great Practice

4 Italian, Books

Practice Makes Perfect: Advanced Italian Grammar by Marcel Danesi is part of a series of compact, more focused books within the larger Practice Makes Perfect series from McGraw-Hill. Overall I like this one. Advanced Italian…

Elementary Korean? I Think I Needed a Teacher to Accompany This

3 Korean, Books, Multimedia

I was pretty quickly overwhelmed by Elementary Korean. It is a textbook, accompanied by a CD to help with pronunciation. It is in fact a heavy, nearly $70 textbook, and the accompanying Elementary Korean Workbook is…

Elementary Korean Workbook: I Enjoyed What Little I Did in This

3 Korean, Books, Multimedia

In my very brief encounter with this Elementary Korean Workbook, I liked it reasonably well. It comes with a CD and is a companion to the big orange Elementary Korean textbook also reviewed in…

See Their Website for Information on Upcoming Events

Japanese, Museums/Cultural, Classes/Conversation, Kids

Tenri’s mission is to “promote the study of Japanese language and the appreciation of international art forms.” Located in Greenwich Village, it offers classes, exhibits, and performing-arts events.

Doyers Street

5 Mandarin, Neighborhoods

The most well-known Chinatown by far in New York City (there are several) embraces areas that were once inhabited by Italian, Irish, Eastern European, and other immigrant groups. Historical residues are everywhere. You can get there on multiple subway lines;…

Their Flagship Publication Is Called 'Language'!

General, Organizations

Founded in 1924, the Linguistic Society of America seeks to advance the scientific study of language. The organization puts out various linguistics publications, has an annual meeting in early January that causes hundreds of linguists to converge on whatever city is…

McGraw-Hill's Italian Vocabulary: Quirky But Entertaining

4 Italian, Books, Vocabulary

McGraw-Hill offers Practice Makes Perfect vocabulary books for multiple languages. I have found them odd in ways, with silly sentences providing awkward transitions between groups of thematically linked words. But I like them nonetheless, and I…