BDeBooks
English as She Is Spoke by Pedro Carolino, José da Fonseca, book cover
Language Learning PDF EPUB

English as She Is Spoke

by Pedro Carolino, José da Fonseca

Downloads
100+
First published
1855
Pages
58
Download

About this book

Intended as a serious Portuguese to English phrase book, this little volume became famous instead as a masterpiece of unintentional comedy. Its authors apparently spoke no real English and worked by running a Portuguese to French guide through a French to English dictionary, producing phrases no living person ever uttered, from to craunch the marmoset to the walls have hearsay. Mark Twain wrote an admiring introduction to an American edition, judging the book perfect of its kind and certain to outlast its imitators. First published in 1855, it survives not as a language aid but as a beloved monument to translation gone gloriously wrong. Every page proves that good intentions and a bad dictionary can outlive their era.

Contents

About the author

Pedro Carolino, José da Fonseca

Jose da Fonseca was a Portuguese writer and lexicographer whose phrase book Pedro Carolino adapted into English, apparently without knowing the language. Little is recorded of Carolino, but the pair's names endure through the accidental comedy of their guide, first issued in the 1850s.

Open the author page

More from this genre

See all

Reviews and discussion

No ratings yet. Be the first reader to rate this book.

Rate this book

Pick a star, then sign in. Only readers who confirmed their email can rate.

No comments yet. Share a thought, a question or a favourite passage.

Copyright concern? Read our DMCA policy

Read or download

Public domain book This work is in the public domain and free of copyright. Anyone may read, download and share it.

No download needed. Text reader: adjustable size, font and theme.
  • EPUB 270 KB Best for iPhone, Android, Kobo and tablets
  • KINDLE Send to Kindle Kindle devices and the Kindle app. Uses the same EPUB file. Send
    1. Download the EPUB file to this device.
    2. Open Amazon's Send to Kindle page, sign in, and add the file. Open Send to Kindle (opens in a new tab)

    On a phone: open the downloaded EPUB and share it to the Kindle app.

    You can also email the file to your Kindle address (it ends in @kindle.com) from an email address you approved in your Amazon account.

  • PDF 479 KB Best for computers, laptops and printing

Downloads start right away. How to open EPUB on your phone

Book facts

First published
1855
Reading time
About 35 minutes
Pages
58
Language
English
Formats
PDF, EPUB, Read online