Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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43 of 44 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the few "essential" reference books I've found, October 28, 2000
I can't say enough good things about this little gem. It's an outstanding reference book. The author's mastery of Spanish is rather humbling, but he is able to convey a great deal of knowledge using a writing style that is both relaxed and very enjoyable to read. This book is a sort of Spanish-to-English dictionary, but it doesn't simply list English equivalents of a Spanish word the way a regular bilingual dictionary does. It goes into a discussion of the word in question and explains the little nuances and shades in meaning in a way that most dictionaries never come close to doing. The definitions given include examples and anecdotes that put the words in context to help the reader better grasp their meaning. When necessary, the author is always careful to point out the various meanings a particular word might have in different parts of the Spanish-speaking world. Further, the author is not afraid to list "off-color" or vulgar words in an attempt to save the reader from unwittingly making a fool of him or herself by using the wrong word in the wrong part of the world. My only "complaint" is that this book isn't even longer and more exhaustive than it is (it's 303 pages), although the book's relative brevity makes it easier to completely read and digest. Still, a second volume that picks up where this one leaves off would be wonderful to have. I've lived in South America and have a four-year college degree in Spanish, yet I still learn something new (or relearn something I've forgotten) every time I pick up this book. Students of all ability levels from beginning to very advanced will benefit from this work. That said, I think most beginning students will already have enough on their hands with learning the nuts and bolts of Spanish grammar and acquiring a basic vocabulary. For that reason, I tend to think that a book of this type is better suited for intermediate and up students. Along with a good dictionary like the Larousse Gran Diccionario, this is a must-own reference book for any serious student of the Spanish language.
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32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Read it from cover to cover., November 25, 1999
This book is really beyond praise -- one of the most enjoyable and yet edifying books I have ever read. You can see clearly that the author has a real knowledge of the whole Spanish-speaking world, from Spain to Tierra del Fuego. (This is one reason why this book is considerably better than Keenan's book, which focuses on Mexican usage almost exclusively.) In addition to sound advice about False, Unreliable, and Good Friends, (words that appear similar in Spanish and English but whose meanings may or may not be the same) he has some absolutely fascinating tidbits of information: e.g., -barra- in music means the vertical bar-line; what we call a musical bar or measure is compás. Speaking of bars, I think he's had a few nights out with these -hispanohablantes-, and thus he understands the culture in a familiar and deeply amicable way. He has a fine sense of humor and insight. I read the book cover to cover and recommend the same without reservation.
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29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Old Title (Beyond the Dictionary) Was Better, May 20, 2000
It's kind of hard to review a book when you are speechless with admiration. In the US we don't have much of a culture of foreign language learning, so we fail to appreciate the importance of vocabulary. I read a remark by Hemingway once to the effect that when he decided to tackle Spanish he bought a dictionary and began to read, so it lead me to try an experiment. I took a bilingual dictionary and started to read the *English* side and I soon discovered that there was hardly a single English phrase in the entire dictionary (bilingual dictionaries have less vocabulary than a big monolingual dictionaries, naturally) that one would not expect a fluent English speaker to know. This was frightening, because it implied that a fluent Spanish speaker would probably know all the words and idioms on the Spanish side! So how should a native English speaker, who wishes to become fluent in Spanish, make a serious effort at expanding his vocabulary in Spanish? The problem with reading a bilingual dictionary (a la Hemingway) is that such dictionaries are notoriously inaccurate and are virtually completely devoid of contextual information that would serve to illustrate how words are actually used. It would be an exaggeration to say that Bryson's book fills the entire gap; it's too small for that, but it does fill quite a few gaping holes, and it is beautifully written with a lot of amusing anecdotes that help one *remember* what is being taught. He has also changed the way I think about language. His book has taught me, among other things, to always look for English cognates as a means of alerting myself to how Spanish speakers use different metaphors than English speakers to express similar concepts. Before Bryson I was less conscious of the Spanish I used & my mastery was diminished as a result. For that habit of mind, and for the many useful clarifications, I am very grateful. Mr. Bryson thank you so much for this fine book. I only wish there were a few academics who took an interest in offering the kind of service you have offered us. Then perhaps we would have a Colloquial Spanish the size of a Gran Larousse. - John Strong
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