English as She Is Spoke: The New Guide of the Conversation in Portugese and English, in Two Parts
In 1855, Pedro Carolino set about writing an English phrasebook for Portuguese students. But there was just one problem: he didn't know any English. The linguistic train wreck that ensued is a classic of unintentional humor, now revived in the first newly selected edition in a century.
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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."
