A Certain Je Ne Sais Quoi: Words We Pinched From Other Languages (I Used to Know That) - Tapa blanda

Reseña del editor

A handy guide to the meanings and origins of the many foreign phrases we use every day.

English as we know it today is enriched with many borrowings and influences from other languages. Aficionado, chutzpah, pro bono, hoi polloi, ketchup, nous, zeitgeist - we use these foreign words every day without thinking of their origins, but what do they actually mean? And just how and why did we English speakers absorb such exotic imports?

Each phrase has a fascinating history; colonialism, foreign trade, invasion and immigration all have their role to play in the evolution of our language. Did you know, for example, that 'lingua franca' is Italian for 'Frankish language' - a name given to a mixed common language used by diplomats of different nationalities in medieval times? Or that the seemingly modern 'bandana' comes from the Sanskrit for the ancient Indian technique of tie-dying fabric?

A Certain Je Ne Sais Quoi is an accessible and entertaining treasury of information that 'connoisseurs' (French) of the English language will love!

Contraportada

For all those aficionados of the English languagewho feel their spiel is lacking in panache, A CertainJe Ne Sais Quoi is a veritable smorgasbord ofwords and phrases to enliven your speech.

This entertaining guide looks at the many borrowings andinfluences that enrich the English language as we knowit today, explaining where they come from, why we usethem and what they really mean. With this book, you willlearn how to avoid any embarrassing faux pas and impressthe cognoscenti with your savoir faire in no time.