(MENAFNEditorial)
American English Compendium: A Portable Guide to the Idiosyncrasies Subtleties Technical Lingo and Nooks and Crannies of American English. 4th ed. Rowman & Littlefield. 2014. 664p. bibliog. index. ISBN 9781442232822. $26.95; ebk. ISBN 9781442232839. REF
Intended for translators interpreters writers editors and advanced students of language who are looking for explanations of American words phrases proverbs expressions and jargon Rubinstein’s (emeritus English; Monterey Inst. of International Studies; 21st Century American English Compendium) resource fills the gap between the emergence of new words and their inclusion in standard dictionaries. This updated edition includes current Americanisms with explanations based upon cultural differences or “knowledge of the historical literary and cultural background of Western civilization.” The chapters on proverbs and popular American expressions contain similar identical and contradictory proverbs and expressions including foreign-language words and phrases (Arabic Chinese French German Hebrew Italian Japanese Korean Latin Norwegian Russian Spanish and Yiddish) commonly appearing in American English. Entries also indicate whether a literal translation is acceptable. Slang and colloquialisms are organized by topic. Other chapters cover odd words (e.g. “B4” for “before”) retronyms contronyms neologisms measurements abbreviations (e.g. “tnx” for thanks) acronyms colors currencies and tech-related words. The index (not seen) will include key words for proverbs expressions similes and slang. While there are plenty of general and specialized dictionaries available the strength of this book is that it offers a guide to the most common current technical idiosyncratic American proverbs slang and colloquialisms in a single portable volume. VERDICT More than a standard reference title this work provides a fascinating look at the American English language and will also do well in circulating Cty. Law Lib. Sherman TX collections.—Laurie Selwyn formerly with Grayson
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