Pedro Carolino's Books

English as She Is Spoke

By: Pedro Carolino

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In 1855 Pedro Carolino set out to write an English phrasebook for Portuguese travelers visiting England. The only problem was that he couldn’t speak English. Undeterred by this minor setback, Carolino decided to base his guide on a respected Portuguese–French phrasebook written by José da Fonseca. He took the French translations of Portuguese, and used a French–English dictionary to translate those to English. The result was an unintentional comedy of literal translation, as English phrases like “the walls have ears” became “the walls have hearsay” (via the Portuguese as paredes têm ouvidos), and “waiting for someone to open the door” became “to craunch the marmoset” (via a ridiculous misreading of archaic English, and the shape of the grotesque door knockers popular at the time). The entire guide was quite large, and not only was it of no practical use as an actual phrasebook, but its length made it too much of a slog to appeal as a comedy. But its legend slowly grew, until in 1883 it was republished in an abridged form as a book of humor titled English as She Is Spoke (a phrase which, incidentally, doesn’t appear in the book itself). The abridged edition, taking the comedic highlights from the long and tedious original, is the edition that became famous. This Standard Ebooks edition is based on that abridgment. The book’s absurd mistranslations were said to have made Lincoln laugh aloud when read to him by his secretary John Hay, and Mark Twain said that “nobody can add to the absurdity of this book, nobody can imitate it successfully, nobody can hope to produce its fellow; it is perfect.”

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BoD - Books on Demand

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ISBN 13

9791041801244

English as She Is Spoke

The Guide of the Conversation in Portuguese and English

By: Pedro Carolino

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English as She Is Spoke

The Guide of the Conversation in Portuguese and English

By: Pedro Carolino

Unintentionally hilarious Portuguese-English phrase book written by an author who spoke no English. In his Introduction to this literary curiosity, Mark Twain warmly praised it for its "miraculous stupidities.

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Page Count

129

Publisher

Courier Dover Publications

Published Date

ISBN 10

0486835006

ISBN 13

9780486835006

English as She Is Spoke

The Guide of the Conversation in Portuguese and English

By: Pedro Carolino

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English as She Is Spoke

The Guide of the Conversation in Portuguese and English

By: Pedro Carolino

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129

Publisher

Courier Dover Publications

Published Date

ISBN 10

0486835006

ISBN 13

9780486835006

English As She Is Spoke

By: Jose de Fonseca,Pedro Carolino

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English As She Is Spoke

By: Jose de Fonseca,Pedro Carolino

In 1855, when Jose da Fonseca and Pedro Carolino wrote an English phrasebook for Portuguese students, they faced just one problem: they didn't know any English. Even worse, they didn't own an English-to-Portuguese dictionary. What they did have, though, was a Portuguese-to-French dictionary, and a French-to-English dictionary. The linguistic train wreck that ensued is a classic of unintentional humor, now revived in the first newly selected edition in a century. Armed with Fonseca and Carolino's guide, a Portuguese traveler can insult a barber ("What news tell me? All hairs dresser are newsmonger"), complain about the orchestra ("It is a noise which to cleve the head"), go hunting ("let aim it! let make fire him"), and consult a handy selection of truly mystifying "Idiotisms and Proverbs.

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Simon and Schuster

Published Date

ISBN 10

1625580312

ISBN 13

9781625580313

Book's by Pedro Carolino

English as She Is Spoke

English as She Is Spoke

English as She Is Spoke

English as She Is Spoke

English as She Is Spoke

English as She Is Spoke

English As She Is Spoke

English As She Is Spoke

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