Exotic English: The Complete Guide to Foreign Words and Phrases in English

Exotic English: The Complete Guide to Foreign Words and Phrases in English

Where would you be with no fait accompli ? What should you do when something's taboo ? Where would you go with no status quo ? What to say to one who's blasé ? Want your ex-boss, dealt a last coup de grâce ? These are just some of the more than 4000 delightful foreign words and phrases to find in this book. You can enhance your conversational skills by using the tools provided in these chapters, arranged by language and subject. For example, let's say someone entered the room oozing confidence and style. You know there's a French word for it on the tip of your tongue. In the French chapter, a subcategory on desirable traits will reveal a list including élan, esprit, finesse, flair, panache, sang-froid, and savoir faire. There it is: panache ! Exotic English documents and highlights the colorful, foreign expressions like aficionado ( Spanish), cognoscenti (Italian), savoir faire ( French), non sequitur (Latin), paranoia (Greek), and schadenfreude (German), that populate the English language. It also calls the reader’s attention to the multitude of hidden, unaltered foreign terms that show up in everyday English from more than forty languages, such as angst, arena, aroma, bandana, bog, canoe, cargo, coup, drama, glitch, gusto, marina, mattress, poncho, raptor, reservoir, saga, silo, spa, spiel, studio, tattoo, tremor, trek, tycoon, volcano, and yurt. The book answers the question, “Why so many foreign words in English? When and where did this propensity for borrowing, blending, adopting and absorbing terms from other languages originate?” Exotic English is the only book where you can find the vast majority of the foreign words and phrases in current use, presented in an entertaining and accessible manner. It divides the terms by language and category, giving them historical context, grouping them with related terms, and rendering them more interesting and useful. The categories are often further divided into subjects, providing an excellent opportunity for vocabulary building. Here are some examples of the hierarchy of languages and subjects: Language: French . Category: Society and Relationships . Subject: How Not to Appear. Term : blasé : Uninterested, bored. Language: Latin . Category: Law . Term: cui bono : To whom the benefit? Who gains (from the crime or action)? Language: Greek . Category: Psychology . Term: dyslexia .: Inability to distinguish letters in proper order. Language: Italian . Category: Musical Terms . Subject: Compositions . Term: concerto: A piece for orchestra and solo instrument in three movements. Language: Yiddish . Category: People to Avoid . Term: schlemiel : A bungler. A ne'er do well. Language: Japanese . Category: The Martial Arts . Term: jujitsu : Unarmed combat designed to subdue an attacker, using holds, throws and blows. Numerous sidebars and highlight boxes throughout the book expand on themes in the text, providing entertaining examples of usage. The final chapter includes familiar quotations, mottos, maxims, and greetings from other languages , such as: Vive la différence! (French). In vino veritas (Latin). Che sarà sarà (Italian). L`chaim! (Yiddish). Kyrie eleison (Greek).