Lonely Planet British Phrasebook: With Two-Way Dictionary (Lonely Planet Phrasebook: India) [Paperback]

Elizabeth Bartsch-Parker (Author), Stephen Burger (Author), Roibeard O'Maolalaigh (Author)

Book Description

Series: Lonely Planet Phrasebook: India | Publication Date: August 1999

This new language guide demysitifies the "mother tongue" for English-speaking visitors to Britain. It includes chapters on dialects and accents, as well as Scottish and Welsh, and an extensive vocabulary list.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...Lonely Planet phrase books have long taken a hip, streetwise approach." -- Atlanta Journal-Constitution, May 27, 2004

"Lonely Planet Phrasebooks. Portable, pocket-size, cheap, and available for almost any country you might want to visit..." -- National Geographic Traveler, September 2006

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.
* When we update our guidebooks, we check every listing, in person, every time.
* We always offer the trusted filter for those who are curious, open minded and independent.
* We challenge our growing community of travellers; leading debate and discussion about travel and the world.
* 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. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications (August 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0864424841
• ISBN-13: 978-0864424846
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 3.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,132,288 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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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