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Is the English Language Greek to You? Don’t Know “Caveat Emptor” from a “Cul-de-Sac”?

New Dictionary Makes You a “Connoisseur” of Foreign Phrases

(ARA) — Do you ever feel like the English language you’ve spoken all your life is changing? New words enter the dictionary every year, challenging even the most dedicated vocabulary lovers to keep up.

Foreign phrases, in particular, are flooding into English at unprecedented speed through the Internet, news media, entertainment, and fashion. Most of us barely noticed when the comedy sequel Hot Shots! Part Deux came out in the 1990s—its playful French subtitle required no explanation for an audience familiar with foreign phrases in pop culture.

As part of an increasingly global society, foreign expressions are becoming household terms faster than you can say nouveau arrivé (“new arrival”). Even if high-school German wasn’t your strong point, you can expand your linguistic toolkit with the World Dictionary of Foreign Expressions: A Resource for Readers and Writers.

Two decades in the making, this dictionary includes phrases from more than twenty languages—Spanish, Hindi, Chinese, German, Afrikaans, and many others. Neil Steinberg of the Chicago Sun-Times writes that “a quick scan provides intriguing expressions in languages from Sanskrit to Yiddish… almost every entry invites contemplation.”

English speakers may be surprised to discover the origins of many familiar words. “Index” and “recipe” are Latin. “Taboo”? That one’s Polynesian—meaning “forbidden,” especially in religious or social contexts.

Foreign expressions often slip into everyday English as euphemisms. Pet owners “neuter” their dogs; in centuries past, choirboys who underwent a more extreme version became “castrati.” (A practice now—thankfully—grâce à Dieu—extinct.)

Whether you’re a traveler wanting to enrich your vocabulary or a law student grappling with Latin legal terminology, the World Dictionary of Foreign Expressions offers a wealth of bon mots (“clever or witty sayings”).

For more information, visit the Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers website. The dictionary is available at Barnes & Noble and Borders bookstores.

Courtesy of ARA Content, www.aracontent.com e-mail: info@aracontent.com