World Dictionary of Foreign Expressions: A Resource for Readers and Writers - Hardcover

Gabriel G. Adeleye; Kofi Acquah-Dadzie; Kofi Acquah Dadzie

9780865164222: World Dictionary of Foreign Expressions: A Resource for Readers and Writers

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0865164223 ISBN 13: 9780865164222

Publisher: Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers, 1999

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A unique and indispensable reference for lovers of language.

Each entry
-identifies the language of origin and gives a polished translation
-provides a literal, word-by-word explication of each entry, which
-lets the reader know as exactly as possible what the phrase means

Additional features
-quotations from recent scholarship or journalism to model proper usage
-easy to follow format that's gentle on the eye

Also available:

An Introduction to Greek - ISBN 0865165548
Smith's English-Latin Dictionary - ISBN 0865164916

For over 30 years Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers has produced the highest quality Latin and ancient Greek books. From Dr. Seuss books in Latin to Plato's Apology, Bolchazy-Carducci's titles help readers learn about ancient Rome and Greece; the Latin and ancient Greek languages are alive and well with titles like Cicero's De Amicitia and Kaegi's Greek Grammar. We also feature a line of contemporary eastern European and WWII books.

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Selections From The Aeneid
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Language Notes

Text: English

From Booklist

Many words and phrases from other languages find their way into English. This is especially true in professional jargons. Literary, historical, and religious writings also contain expressions from other languages. Readers who are unfamiliar with these words need a source for translations.

This dictionary is a compilation of two separate projects undertaken by the authors: a dictionary of Latin terms for lawyers and a more general dictionary of terms from other languages for readers. It contains words and phrases from more than 20 languages, with an emphasis on Latin legal terms. There are abbreviations, single words, and phrases pertaining to history, literature, the arts, and, to a lesser degree, the sciences. Each alphabetical entry contains the term, its designation (noun, adjective, etc.), language, and translation. The translation includes a word-by-word explication as well as a finished version. Many entries also include sentences or phrases that illustrate usage.

Although the word-by-word explication of phrases is a unique feature, it is not necessarily useful. Unless a reader is familiar with the grammar of the language in question, the very literal translation involved here will not make sense. Making the leap from this crude rendering to the polished version is not easy because there is no explanation of the grammar rules. Some of the examples provided indicate less than thorough knowledge of idiomatic English. The French phrase au naturel is defined as "in the natural state. Nude. Naked." It is also defined as "done, performed, accomplished, etc. in a natural manner." The example for this definition is "James is a very pleasant man, and one of his assets is his au naturel behavior." Some of the transliterations and translations of Hebrew and Yiddish words are not accurate. Tzittzit, the knotted fringes on Jewish prayer shawls, are entered as zizith. A cross-reference from the first spelling would make the word easier to find. The Yiddish word yahrzeit is correctly translated as the anniversary of a death, but the added statement that it marks the end of the official mourning period is misleading because the date is observed annually. The terms schlemiel and schlimazel have almost identical definitions, although there are subtle differences. Schlemiel is clumsy, inept, and unlucky, while schlimazel is perpetually out of luck.

There are other dictionaries of foreign terms with more useful features. The Oxford Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases [RBB Ap 1 98] has 8,000 words and phrases from more than 40 languages. It includes pronunciation and has an index by language, which helps users locate specific expressions. The Harper Dictionary of Foreign Terms (3d ed., Harper, 1987) contains 15,000 expressions from more than 50 languages, with an English-language index. Either of these is better for general readers. The World Dictionary is most suitable for users who need translations of legal terms that they cannot find in Black's Law Dictionary.

Reference Books in Brief

The following is a list of additional recent and recommended reference sources.

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