Mighty Fine Words and Smashing Expressions: Making Sense of Transatlantic English (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: transatlantic reader, other major dialects, lexical variants, British English, American English, American British (more...)

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

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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 (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #872,719 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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

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 "hillaryarb" (St. Louis, MO) - See all my reviews

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 Fun read, February 14, 2009

By	Michael Burdick "Doc Music" (Sedona, AZ) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I bought this book for two very specific reasons. 1) I went to high school with Mr. Hargraves, and 2) I married a British subject.

What fun and how informative! I've been learning British vernacular first-hand, but it was fun to see how the various words and phrases have come to be. Orin's book provides excellent advice on seemingly innocuous phrases that might get you into trouble. Additionally, he provides scholarly information for writers who need to compose prose that sounds "native" and fully understandable to those living on the other side of the pond.

If you plan on traveling in either direction, this book is for you!