Mighty Fine Words and Smashing Expressions: Making Sense of Transatlantic English [Hardcover]

Orin Hargraves (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0195157044 | ISBN-13: 978-0195157048 | Publication Date: December 19, 2002

Have you ever traveled to England, been offered a "fairycake," and not known how to respond? Have you ever had to explain the difference between a "sleeping policeman" and a "speed bump" to a visiting Brit? Are you sure you know the difference between a "chip" and a "crisp"? (Transatlantic English) is a practical and entertaining guide to the differences between American and British English. As if written from a point in the Atlantic ocean exactly between Britain and the U.S., this book catalogs the differences between the "two" languages by taking a culturally neutral stance - addressing the needs of both British and American readers and listeners. Not a collection of lists, the chapters of (Transatlantic English) are arranged around important and familiar topics, including Politics, Law, and Government; Business and Money; Medicine and Healthcare; Education; Food, Clothing, and Shelter; Profanity and Obscenity, making this book essential not only for word lovers, but also students abroad, business and casual travelers, and anyone confused by the differences in our common tongue. With (Transatlantic English) you won't be caught with your "knickers" down again.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Hargraves, a lexicographer and cohabitant of the United States of America and Britain, has written a well-organized guide to the differences between American and British English. The historical introduction makes for interesting reading, and Hargraves has clearly made an effort to provide an unbiased account. In fact, instead of suggesting that the two dialects should move toward uniformity, he declares that native speakers of each would be enriched by an understanding of the other. The subsequent two chapters on lexicography and syntax would be helpful for nonnative speakers of English, although knowledge of grammatical terms is assumed. The majority of the book, however, is devoted to lexical variations between the dialects, organized by subject/ theme, such as "Money, Business and Work" and "Education." There is even a wittily written chapter on "what you don't say." Perhaps from a linguist's point of view, Hargraves is too quick to dismiss other, less dominant regional dialects such as Australian, Canadian, and South African English. Nevertheless, on what could have been a rather dry and technical subject, Hargraves has written a very readable book that is as entertaining for native speakers to dip into as it is informative for nonnative speakers or editors.
Rebecca Bollen, Jersey City, NJ
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"A well-organized guide to the differences between American and British English....A very readable book that is as entertaining as it is informative."--Library Journal "A scholarly but highly readable dissection of the differences between British and American English."--Copyeditor

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (December 19, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195157044
• ISBN-13: 978-0195157048
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #837,166 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Orin Hargraves was born in Denver and grew up in Creede, Colorado. He graduated from the University of Chicago (BA with Honors) in 1977. He served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco in the 1980s. He is the author of three guidebooks in the Culture Shock! series: Morocco, London, and Chicago. He began his career in lexicography while living in London in the early 1990s. He has since written numerous articles and books about language, as well as contributing to dozens of dictionaries from publishers internationally. At present he lives in rural Maryland. He is vice president and president-elect of the Dictionary Society of North America, and also edits the book reviews for its journal. He writes the monthly "Language Lounge" column for VisualThesaurus.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Yankee toolkit for over there, December 26, 2002

By 

Jason Hundertmark (London, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mighty Fine Words and Smashing Expressions: Making Sense of Transatlantic English (Hardcover)

I bought this author's book on London and happened to notice that he wrote this one too, so I picked it up. Glad I did! It's really just what I needed for understanding the ins and outs of British English. Everything is treated by subject matter and I have found the book a real gold mine for trying to figure out just what people are talking about here (in London). The methodical presentation of spelling differences is really informative - it goes a lot deeper than I thought! The chapter on grammar is useful too, and I skipped some of the technical terminology but the examples of usage really told me what I needed to know. And I actually started hearing a lot of this stuff, as soon as I read about it. Spooky! Maybe people were using these constructions all along and I just blanked it out because I didn't really understand everything. All the chapters that treat different subject areas are also laid out well, and I found the one on health and healthcare really helpful in my job; it's mind-blowing how different the NHS is from US healthcare, you really have to learn a whole new vocabulary for dealing with it (I thought surgery was something a doctor did, not a place where he worked!). The chapter about swear words and other language you should avoid is a hoot! And really, the author's sense of humor comes through everywhere; I found myself chuckling all the way through it, at the same time I was learning. Thanks to this book, I can follow a cricket match or read an article about one and actually understand what they're talking about. Who knew that would ever happen? I really recommend this book strongly to any American who deals with, or wants to get better acquainted with British English; it would probably also be useful for Brits trying to understand Yanks.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars British and American English decoded admirably, December 26, 2002

By 

Hillary Arbuthnot - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mighty Fine Words and Smashing Expressions: Making Sense of Transatlantic English (Hardcover)

I received this book as a "welcome to America" gift and I have hardly taken my nose out of it since! It's just what I was looking for: the only book I know of that treats systematically the differences between British and American English, and I did look for something on this before coming here. The two introductory chapters, on the differences between spelling and grammar, are alone worth the cost of admission: I have never seen this subject laid out so thoroughly, knowledgeably, and with such a sense of humour to boot! It is a great help to me as I try to negotiate various American institutions in real life, having done it only from a transatlantic distance before. I wish I'd had this book years ago, but as it is only just published, I guess that wasn't possible. The thematic chapters, which take up a large part of the book, are arranged to provide a great deal of related vocabulary in the same place and this has proved very helpful; for example, the summary descriptions of the American and British criminal justice systems, with all the pertinent terminology highlighted. I have even learned the odd fact about my own native (British) institutions, and understand what Chancery is at last! Don't miss the chapter on offensive language and the cross-cultural misunderstandings that may arise around this! I hardly stopped laughing. Recommend very highly, for any speaker of English who travels, reads, or talks between the US and UK and wants to get the definitive answers for just what the differences are between the top two dialects of the world's first language.

5.0 out of 5 stars Deciphering Brit, December 9, 2011

By 

TT (Chicago, IL, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mighty Fine Words and Smashing Expressions: Making Sense of Transatlantic English (Hardcover)

Went to London armed with this baby loaned to me from a friend. Determined to find this book upon my return, I found it here. I purchased it and similar others. Next time I fly over the pond, I will be armed with Brit Lingo Book Arsenal of Verb-age via this stellar book.