Words That Go Ping

If it goes 'moo' then every child knows it's a cow. If it goes 'Wham! Bam! Crash!' we're in a fast-paced comic. But what goes 'krknout'? Barbara Lasserre takes us on a playful journey through the delightful world of words that mimic sounds. Normally relegated to children's books, cartoons and comedians, she shows how these often ancient words reveal unexpected things about the way we think, speak and act. A book for anyone who loves playing with words. 'When it comes to the crunch, Words That Go Ping is bound to reverberate. Zipping between Norwegian kisses and Japanese silence, my brain is still humming.' -David Astle, writer, crossword maker and general word nerd 'An immensely satisfying book covering a neglected aspect of language with impeccable skill, and written in an open, flowing and humorous style.' - Susan Butler AO, inaugural editor of the Macquarie Dictionary 'Barbara Lasserre has conjured up a magical world of word mimicry. Her wondrous little book will delight all who love language.' - Richard Walsh, author and publisher

The impoverished boss, Ike, was an unlucky guy. When he just arrived at the new unit, he found out that his female boss was a peerless beauty that he had provoked. What's more, he inadvertently discovered her boss's top secret.

This condensed anthology reproduces close to a dozen plays from Xiaomei Chen's well-received original collection, The Columbia Anthology of Modern Chinese Drama, along with her critical introduction to the historical, cultural, and aesthetic evolution of twentieth-century Chinese spoken drama. Comprising representative works from the Republican era to postsocialist China, the book encapsulates the revolutionary rethinking of Chinese theater and performance that began in the late Qing dynasty and vividly portrays the uncertainty and anxiety brought on by modernism, socialism, political conflict, and war. Chosen works from 1919 to 1990 also highlight the formation of national and gender identities during a period of tremendous social, cultural, and political change in China and the genesis of contemporary attitudes toward the West. PRC theater tracks the rise of communism, juxtaposing ideals of Chinese socialism against the sacrifices made for a new society. Post-Mao drama addresses the nation's socialist legacy, its attempt to reexamine its cultural roots, and postsocialist reflections on critical issues such as nation, class, gender, and collective memories. An essential, portable guide for easy reference and classroom use, this abridgment provides a concise yet well-rounded survey of China's theatricality and representation of political life. The original work not only established a canon of modern Chinese drama in the West but also made it available for the first time in English in a single volume.

There are a total of 30 short stories in this collection, divided into three parts. The first part is named after my early award-winning novel, "Lao Han's Pizzeria." The stories in this part are generally about the lives of new and old Chinese immigrants and students in the United States, which may be joyful, sad, or satirical. The second part is basically the work I wrote after I became a lawyer, with the part title “Prison Visitation." The stories in this part are mainly based on the people and matters I have represented as a lawyer (of course, the names are all fictitious). These stories mainly write about some Chinese new immigrants’ struggles, legal troubles, confusion, and helplessness in the U.S. The third part is a group of mini fictions with my award-winning work "Age Issue" as the part title. The mini fictions in this part are mostly humorous or satirical descriptions of the life dilemmas of new and old Chinese immigrants in the new cultural environment. There are no heroes, no gladiators, no politicians, and no celebrities. What you will read here is about the people we meet, the things we witness, and the emotions we experience every day in this country as immigrants.

In my previous life, I was bullied and trampled by others, and in the end, I unknowingly took the little life in my womb with me and left. God pity, I have the luck to return back to being ten years old, I must live clearly, what my parents' lives are, what my fate is, I only believe in people surpassing the heavens. Life was rough, a beautiful woman was weak, whose life was not turbulent? He did not seek for the peace and quiet of the years, but was willing to have a clear conscience. Join Collection

This book presents a complete method for the identification of metaphor in language at the level of word use. It is based on extensive methodological and empirical corpus-linguistic research in two languages, English and Dutch. The method is formulated as an explicit manual of instructions covering one chapter, the method being a development and refinement of the popular MIP procedure presented by the Pragglejaz Group in 2007. The extended version is called MIPVU, as it was developed at VU University Amsterdam. Its application is demonstrated in five case studies addressing metaphor in English news texts, conversations, fiction, and academic texts, and Dutch news texts and conversations. Two methodological chapters follow reporting a series of successful reliability tests and a series of post hoc troubleshooting exercises. The final chapter presents a first empirical analysis of the findings, and shows what this type of methodological attention can mean for research and theory.

An inspirational story that will resonate with all age groups from adults to teenagers, parents, mentors, and leaders, The Valley of Hope: A fable about self-discovery and a quest to find your true destiny takes us on an uplifting quest of self-discovery. Ping, a smooth little ball adopted by the Pong family is convinced his destiny is to be a golf champion. Misguidedly believing this is his true vocation, he strives valiantly to meet the aspirations of his family and bravely bears the vicious wrath of Thorn, his tutor in golf school, who whacks him relentlessly and fails miserably to get Ping to do anything right. Ping thinks he's a loser and finds solace among the Bad Balls for a while, but realises this too is not his true calling. Befriended by intriguing characters like Sunny the Sunflower, Chippie, Daphne, and Gardenia, Ping recognises the value of true friends, who strengthen his resolve and support him through his trials and tribulations as well as the joys and triumphs of his journey. With the help of Great Ping Fu, who acts as his guide and mentor, Ping encounters the lessons and mysteries of the Less Travelled Road, the Path Unknown, the Gardens of Criticism, Destruction, Forgiveness and Resentment to find his way onto the Destiny Train that sees him fulfil his potential. His journey ends in the Valley of Hope, where he discovers his true destiny. Carolyn Landesman is an inspirational leader, executive coach, and motivator. She believes in the power of self-help to change your life. Publisher's website: http: //sbpra.com/CarolynLandesman

Now available from Thomas Wolfe’s original publisher, the final novel by the literary legend, that “will stand apart from everything else that he wrote” (The New York Times Book Review)—first published in 1940 and long considered a classic of twentieth century literature. A twentieth-century classic, Thomas Wolfe’s magnificent novel is both the story of a young writer longing to make his mark upon the world and a sweeping portrait of America and Europe from the Great Depression through the years leading up to World War II. Driven by dreams of literary success, George Webber has left his provincial hometown to make his name as a writer in New York City. When his first novel is published, it brings him the fame he has sought, but it also brings the censure of his neighbors back home, who are outraged by his depiction of them. Unsettled by their reaction and unsure of himself and his future, Webber begins a search for a greater understanding of his artistic identity that takes him deep into New York’s hectic social whirl; to London with an uninhibited group of expatriates; and to Berlin, lying cold and sinister under Hitler’s shadow. He discovers a world plagued by political uncertainty and on the brink of transformation, yet he finds within himself the capacity to meet it with optimism and a renewed love for his birthplace. He is a changed man yet a hopeful one, awake to the knowledge that one can never fully “go back home to your family, back home to your childhood…away from all the strife and conflict of the world…back home to the old forms and systems of things which once seemed everlasting but which are changing all the time.”