British Language & Culture (Lonely Planet Language & Culture) (Language Reference) [Paperback]

Lonely Planet (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2007

We're chuffed to bits to present this tour of Ole Blighty's lingo. It's the dog's bollocks! Try it out on the lads down your local, have a few pints, and don't worry about sounding naff - if it all goes pear-shaped, wait for the sound of 'Oh, bless!' as they pat you on the back and buy you another bevvie.

-Features special sections on Scottish, Welsh, Cornish, and Scots (Lallans).
-Lonely Planet's English Language & Culture series gets behind the scenes of languages you thought you knew.
-Get into the culture and humour behind common - and not so common - English expressions and learn about the local languages that inspired them.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This pocket-sized book plunges right into the meaning of scores of colorful but baffling expressions one encounters in British English..." --Chicago Tribune, August 5, 2007

From the Publisher

Who We Are
At Lonely Planet, we see our job as inspiring and enabling travellers to connect with the world for their own benefit and for the benefit of the world at large.

What We Do
* We offer travellers the world's richest travel advice, informed by the collective wisdom of over 350 Lonely Planet authors living in 37 countries and fluent in 70 languages.
* We are relentless in finding the special, the unique and the different for travellers wherever they are.
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* We always offer the trusted filter for those who are curious, open minded and independent.
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* We tell it like it is without fear or favor in service of the travellers; not clouded by any other motive.

What We Believe
We believe that travel leads to a deeper cultural understanding and compassion and therefore a better world.

Product Details

• Paperback: 255 pages
• Publisher: Lonely Planet; 2nd edition (March 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 186450286X
• ISBN-13: 978-1864502862
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 3.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #412,315 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #13 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Reference > Foreign Languages > Instruction > Miscellaneous
  • #15 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Nonfiction > Social Sciences > Anthropology > Cultural
  • #18 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Travel > Europe > Great Britain > General

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

55 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars required reading for Americans in Britain, August 22, 2000

By 

A Customer - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lonely Planet British Phrasebook: With Two-Way Dictionary (Lonely Planet Phrasebook: India) (Paperback)

As an ex-pat American living in London, I find this book essential when trying to decipher the large number of different words and phrases that the Brits use: I can honestly tell you that the Phrasebook saved me from the horrors of a zucchini dinner when I found out what 'courgettes' really are. I also finally understood the meanings of 'put paid' and 'punters' and enjoyed the section on British sport: while I still don't fully understand cricket and have absolutely no idea about rugby, I now know a bit more than nothing, which is helpful the next time you're in a pub and a Test Match is on.

The less helpful sections of the book were the bits on more obscure language usage like Cockney rhyming slang and Scots Gaelic: I've never heard any rhyming slang in London and when I was in the Highlands the only time I heard Gaelic was on the radio. However, I'm not complaining: it's a whole lot of fun to be able to know how to say 'caite am bheil an t-amar snamh' ('where's the swimming pool'), even if the Scots themselves don't understand, and now I know that nothing beats a good dinner of Lillian Gish (fish) with gay and frisky (whiskey).

Anyway, the Phrasebook also contains a section for each part of Britain plus sections on pronounciation, accomodation, entertainment and society (how to address the Queen when you meet her) and, most important of all, a mini American-British dictionary.

All in all, highly recommended.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun and Informative, June 13, 2000

By 

T. C. Ross (Washington, D.C.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lonely Planet British Phrasebook: With Two-Way Dictionary (Lonely Planet Phrasebook: India) (Paperback)

The Aussies at Lonely Planet have done it again. I am totally convinced that Lonely Planet phrasebooks make for some of the most fun and entertaining reading around when it comes to foreign-language guides and this effort to demystify the oddities of the Queen's English just underscores that belief. Filled with asides about British culture and history -- and with a complete chapters on British sport, slang, regional accents/dialects, and Cockney rhyming slang -- this phrasebook is idea for a trip abroad or for simply trying to figure out what's going on on "Eastenders." The Scottish Gaelic and Welsh chapters are nice, although (and I'm just being picky here) a bit more on Cornish and Scots and anything on Manx would have been welcome additions.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent companion for non-British visitors to the UK, July 17, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (London) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lonely Planet British Phrasebook: With Two-Way Dictionary (Lonely Planet Phrasebook: India) (Paperback)

This book is hillariously accurate. There are lots of dialects, slang, strange words, and a section on Gaelic and Welsh. Highly recommended