English as She Is Spoke: Or a Jest in Sober Earnest (Classic Reprint)

<p>"Nobody can add to the absurdity of this book, nobody can imitate it successfully, nobody can hope to produce its fellow; it is perfect." - Mark TwainHistorical and linguistic works are among humanity's greatest achievements. They enable us to investigate, uncover, communicate and grow. Another area that this book supports better is our innate human need to laugh. 'English as She is Spoke, or A Jest in Sober Earnest' was published in the eighteenth century, as a phrasebook of sorts designed for the adventurous Portuguese aristocrat. Pedro Carolino and in some lesser part Jose Fonseca worked this into existence, and by historical anomaly it was published for our future enjoyment. There was only one small flaw in this masterful plan, that the author of this book did not himself speak English. He relied extensively on dictionary material and literal translation of idiom which has inadvertently created a treasure trove for those who enjoy linguistic oddity and an accidental satire of idiom. The comedic genius of the work is enhanced substantially by the fact that the author clearly intended to deliver merely factual information and socially appropriate advice but has farcically managed to create an inappropriate and often ludicrous work of linguistic advice.Anyone with the faintest interest in knowing what it might be to 'craunch a marmoset' or whether a member of their prospective ship's crew has 'never not done a wreck' can only do themselves a favour and browse the pages. Whilst some of the unintended innuendo or outrageousness stands as a fantastic comedy resource by itself, there is also a subtler comedy about the formation of idiom and proverb in our English language, French and Portuguese.For linguists and those who love to laugh.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.</p>

Pedro, Carolino

Children's Books

Forgotten Books

English as She Is Spoke: Or, a Jest in Sober Earnest [extr. from P. Carolino's New Guide of the Conversation in Portuguese and English] with an Intr. by J. Millington

James Millington

Franklin Classics Trade Press

In 1855, when Jose da Fonseca and Pedro Carolino wrote an English phrasebook for Portuguese students, they faced just one problem: they didn't know any English. Even worse, they didn't own an English-to-Portuguese dictionary. What they did have, though, was a Portuguese-to-French dictionary, and a French-to-English dictionary. The linguistic train wreck that ensued is a classic of unintentional humor, now revived in the first newly selected edition in a century. Armed with Fonseca and Carolino's guide, a Portuguese traveler can insult a barber ("What news tell me? All hairs dresser are newsmonger"), complain about the orchestra ("It is a noise which to cleve the head"), go hunting ("let aim it! let make fire him"), and consult a handy selection of truly mystifying "Idiotisms and Proverbs."

English as She Is Spoke: Or, a Jest in Sober Earnest

Humor & Entertainment

Humor

Pryor Publications

"Nobody can add to the absurdity of this book, nobody can imitate it successfully, nobody can hope to produce its fellow; it is perfect." - Mark TwainHistorical and linguistic works are among humanity's greatest achievements. They enable us to investigate, uncover, communicate and grow. Another area that this book supports better is our innate human need to laugh. 'English as She is Spoke, or A Jest in Sober Earnest' was published in the eighteenth century, as a phrasebook of sorts designed for the adventurous Portuguese aristocrat. Pedro Carolino and in some lesser part Jose Fonseca worked this into existence, and by historical anomaly it was published for our future enjoyment. There was only one small flaw in this masterful plan, that the author of this book did not himself speak English. He relied extensively on dictionary material and literal translation of idiom which has inadvertently created a treasure trove for those who enjoy linguistic oddity and an accidental satire of idiom. The comedic genius of the work is enhanced substantially by the fact that the author clearly intended to deliver merely factual information and socially appropriate advice but has farcically managed to create an inappropriate and often ludicrous work of linguistic advice. Anyone with the faintest interest in knowing what it might be to 'craunch a marmoset' or whether a member of their prospective ship's crew has 'never not done a wreck' can only do themselves a favour and browse the pages. Whilst some of the unintended innuendo or outrageousness stands as a fantastic comedy resource by itself, there is also a subtler comedy about the formation of idiom and proverb in our English language, French and Portuguese. For linguists and those who love to laugh.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

English as She Is Spoke

<p>this book was intended as a Portuguese-English conversational guide or phrase book, but is regarded as a classic source of unintentional humour, as the given English translations are generally completely incoherent. The humour appears to be a result of dictionary-aided literal translation, which causes many idiomatic expressions to be translated wildly inappropriately. Mark Twain said of English as She Is Spoke that "Nobody can add to the absurdity of this book, nobody can imitate it successfully, nobody can hope to produce its fellow; it is perfect.</p>

Literature & Fiction

Fonseca, Jose De

Humor & Satire

SMK Books

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