The Firefly Five Language Visual Dictionary: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian - Hardcover

Corbeil, Jean-Claude; Archambault, Ariane

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1552977781 ISBN 13: 9781552977781

Publisher: Firefly Books, 2004

Synopsis

35,000 entries and 6,000 color images from the arts, science, nature, industry and more.

Do you know what that comb with the uneven teeth is called? Do you know the Spanish name for it? With The Firefly Five Language Visual Dictionary, finding and translating the names of thousands of objects, animals, and plants in five major languages is fast, simple and fun.

The Firefly Five Language Visual Dictionary is an unparalleled reference to the world around us. Six thousand color illustrations are labeled in the five languages showing in color what other dictionaries can only describe in text. All the clear, concise illustrations are organized into a series of fully indexed sections.

Each key word and phrase is connected to the detailed illustrations making identification and translations quick and accurate.

The scope and depth of this reference are immense, covering an incredibly detailed range of terms for:

• Astronomy and Earth
• Flora, fauna and humans
• Food, kitchen and around the house
• Gardening, clothing, articles
• Arts and architecture
• Communications, transport and machinery
• Energy, science and society
• Sports and games.

This edition is ideal for anyone learning Spanish, French, German and Italian or those learning English as a second language.

About this title

About the Author

Jean-Claude Corbeil is an expert in linguistic planning, with a world-wide reputation in the fields of comparative terminology and socio-linguistics. He serves as a consultant to international organizations and governments.

Ariane Archambault is a specialist in applied linguistics who taught foreign languages before becoming a terminologist and editor of dictionaries.

From Booklist

This visual dictionary employs more than 6,000 full-color pictures to illustrate a vast array of objects and their corresponding names in English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish. More than 35,000 terms are grouped into 17 broad subjects ("Animal Kingdom," "Communications and Office Automation" "Society," etc.) and range from technical terminology such as dew point, moraine, and tyrannosaur to everyday words such as doorknob and waffle iron. The authors, Corbeil, sociolinguist and specialist in comparative terminology, and Archambault, specialist in applied linguistics, address both the academic (such as heraldic symbols) and the practical (such as street signs). Terms not only include types of objects, such as the more than 20 distinct places to sit (bar stool, bench, love seat, ottoman, sofa, etc.) but also provide names for specific components of such objects (apron, seat, stile, etc.). The illustrations are crisp and extremely detailed and are printed on glossy white stock. Researchers can access terms by browsing through color-tabbed pages that indicate the different topical subsections or by consulting one of the five language-specific indexes.

The only other reference comparable to this is DK's 2002 publication, the Five-Language Visual Dictionary. Although the DK offering features full-color photographs, it is considerably less comprehensive, presenting 1,600 illustrations defining 10,000 terms in about 400 pages. In comparison, Firefly runs 1,092 pages. One drawback to the current work is its small dimensions. Pages measure about seven by eight inches, necessitating the use of a relatively small font for the definitions. This is a minor concern, however. Where else are researchers going to find a complete listing of all the elements of the periodical table in five different languages compiled in one place? Irresistible for browsers, serviceable as either a basic visual dictionary or thesaurus, and of immense value to second-language learners, this is recommended for high-school, public, and academic collections. Kathleen McBroom
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Firefly Books
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 1552977781
• ISBN 13: 9781552977781
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 1100