English As She Is Spoke: The New Guide of the Conversation in Portuguese and English, in Two Parts (English and Portuguese Edition) [Hardcover]

Jose da Fonseca (Author), Pedro Carolino (Author), Paul Collins (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2002

In 1855, when Jose da Fonseca and Pedro Carolino wrote an English phrasebook for Portuguese students, they faced just one problem: The didn't know any English. All they had 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.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Paul Collins is editor of the Collins Library and author of "Banvards Folly" (Picador) and the forthcoming travelogue memoir "Sixpence House" (Bloomsbury USA).

Product Details

• Hardcover: 133 pages
• Publisher: McSweeney's Books; Bilingual edition (April 2002)
• Language: English, Portuguese
• ISBN-10: 097190474X
• ISBN-13: 978-0971904743
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,036,924 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #58 in Books > Education & Reference > Foreign Language Nonfiction > Portuguese

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

57 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars To Craunch the Marmoset, October 14, 2003

By 

Robert I. Hedges - See all my reviews
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This review is from: English As She Is Spoke: The New Guide of the Conversation in Portuguese and English, in Two Parts (English and Portuguese Edition) (Hardcover)

This is one of my very favorite books of all time. Carolino and Fonesca wrote this to cure the phrase book gap in the 1800s. It seems that there was no Portuguese-English phrase book available at the time and they decided to take on the task of writing one despite the fact that neither spoke English. Likewise, they only owned Portuguese-French and French-English dictionaries which results in some surreal 'translations.' ("Do you cut the hairs?"; "Comb me."; "For to craunch the marmoset.") You will also learn a bit of taxonomy. Previously I had not known that a Hedgehog was a type of fish, for instance.

I can't recommend this gem of a book highly enough. I have an edition with a forward by Mark Twain in addition to this expanded edition. Twain and I both find this book perfect and unable to be improved on.

As Carolino says: "It must never to laugh of the unhappies."

49 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Everyone laughs when they look at this., October 23, 2002

By 

Frank Lynch "frank_lynch" (Brooklyn, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: English As She Is Spoke: The New Guide of the Conversation in Portuguese and English, in Two Parts (English and Portuguese Edition) (Hardcover)

.
In the 19th century, there were no english phrase books for the Portuguese market, and the authors sought to fill that gap with this book, now reprinted in full. Ah, what a futile, heartfelt exercise this book turned out to be, for they had no English-Portuguese/Portuguese-English dictionaries to work with, only English-French and French-Portuguese as a substitute, and knew no English themselves and had no English speaking editors. The required gyrations led to hilarious results.

Page after page of mangled sentences and hilarious absurdities follow the original Portuguese:

"Where correspond the bells?"
"She have always anything which is it bad."
"These are the dishes whose you must be and to abstain."

The authors also provided us with vocabulary for common terms (examples in the bed room are "the bed battom" and "the feet's bed") as well as typical dialogs you might have (for instance, when buying furniture, "Pardon me, it comes workman's hands.")

A little of this goes a long way, though; it's not for extended reading, but it's quite suitable for abbreviated sessions (and is better than Dave Barry for the bathroom because it's shorter and continuity doesn't matter a whit) or passing around at a party.

But it's a wonderful monument to misguided effort, and we enjoy it a lot. I've never seen anyone look at it without laughing.

32 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It seems me my Damask Crimson, June 10, 2003

By 

Charley (MD USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: English As She Is Spoke: The New Guide of the Conversation in Portuguese and English, in Two Parts (English and Portuguese Edition) (Hardcover)

My nephew (who as a hobby learned Esperanto) once pieces read of this book to our family. It was hilarious, and as you might have noticed, as the style my write of to be changed goodly.

In other words, from then on, we have delighted in making terrible nonexistent translations of nonsense for each other, and this book and its influence has made our lives that much more fun. When I heard it was once again available, I felt I had to let people know how enjoyable it is.

If the you to tootle melodious for is, then must needs of this book an buy! :-)