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In Other Words: An Illustrated Miscellany of the World's Most Intriguing Words and Phrases
"A delightful treasure house, literally a thesaurus, of linguistic marvels." --from the foreword by bestselling author Simon Winchester
A colorfully illustrated collection of more than ninety untranslatable words and phrases and the unique insights they offer into the cultures they come from.
Ever racked your brain for a word you're convinced should exist, yet is inexplicably absent from the dictionary? All languages have their limitations-should English fall short, the expression may lie elsewhere. That's where this book comes a quirky, international lexicon of linguistic gems that capture cultural untranslatables with satisfying precision.
Take for example the Japanese yoko meshi , “a meal eaten sideways,” describing the experience of trying to communicate in an alien tongue, or mono-no-aware , the appreciation of life's sadness. From the distinctive coziness of the Danish hygge , to the unrestrained dis of the Mayan bol (“in-laws” and “stupidity”), to the profound collectivism of the Zulu concept of ubuntu (roughly, “I AM because WE ARE"), these mots justes are grouped according to language and prefaced with insightful overviews of the relevant cultures by linguist Christopher J. Moore.
Embellished with 20 entertaining new untranslatable words and phrases and 90 characterful color illustrations by Lan Truong, and with a foreword by Simon Winchester, In Other Words is amusing, profound, and unputdownable--a gorgeously packaged gift book to entertain even the most well-versed polyglot with marvels of language from around the world.
A colorfully illustrated collection of more than ninety untranslatable words and phrases and the unique insights they offer into the cultures they come from.
Ever racked your brain for a word you're convinced should exist, yet is inexplicably absent from the dictionary? All languages have their limitations-should English fall short, the expression may lie elsewhere. That's where this book comes a quirky, international lexicon of linguistic gems that capture cultural untranslatables with satisfying precision.
Take for example the Japanese yoko meshi , “a meal eaten sideways,” describing the experience of trying to communicate in an alien tongue, or mono-no-aware , the appreciation of life's sadness. From the distinctive coziness of the Danish hygge , to the unrestrained dis of the Mayan bol (“in-laws” and “stupidity”), to the profound collectivism of the Zulu concept of ubuntu (roughly, “I AM because WE ARE"), these mots justes are grouped according to language and prefaced with insightful overviews of the relevant cultures by linguist Christopher J. Moore.
Embellished with 20 entertaining new untranslatable words and phrases and 90 characterful color illustrations by Lan Truong, and with a foreword by Simon Winchester, In Other Words is amusing, profound, and unputdownable--a gorgeously packaged gift book to entertain even the most well-versed polyglot with marvels of language from around the world.
128 pages, Hardcover
Published August 6, 2019
2 people are currently reading
144 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
January 19, 2022
I read In Other Words: A Language Lover's Guide to the Most Intriguing Words Around the World written by Christopher J. Moore in early 2020.
"Take a trip around the world of words and unlock the meaning of some of the most insightful, intriguing, and satisfying expressions on the planet, for which there are no English equivalents."
Christopher J. Moore closely studies all the languages of the world to find the most fascinating words and expressions and shares them with us in this book. Moore finds words in French, German, Italian, and other Western European languages; Czech, Russian, and other Eastern European languages; Yiddish; Nordic languages including Danish, Norwegian, and Icelandic; the Middle Eastern languages of Arabic, Turkish, and Persian; African languages; Asian languages; ancient and classical languages; and indigenous languages.
This is the kind of book that we who love words could read for a year.
Or two. Or three.
I immediately knew I wanted to get my own copy of the book. The version I was most interested in was the illustrated version, though, and it took me a while to acquire a copy. Happily, I found one at Daedalus Books last fall, and I shall now share three of my new favorite words and phrases with you.
GOTONG ROYONG
Indonesian (GOT-ong ROI-ongt)
"Indonesians use royong to mean 'mutual cooperation,' or more precisely, the relationship between a group of people who are committed to accomplishing a task of mutual benefit....The word is almost always used in conjunction with gotong to form a phrase that means 'to carry a heavy burden together....'"
Sounds like a phrase we could use here in the US...
BEJAKA
Swedish (bay-AH-kah)
"A word that frequently recurs in Swedish and is quite untranslatable outside the Scandinavian and Germanic languages, it encapsulates a whole philosophy. Livbejakelse consists of liv, meaning 'life,' and bejakelse, meaning 'saying yes,' hence 'affirmation of life.' Bejaka means an enthusiastic, optimistic, or joyful attitude, and, when applied to life, signifies far more than just agreeing to live. Within this one word we sense a greeting --- a welcome to all the vicissitudes that life may bring and an understanding acceptance of people and things as they are."
Oh, I like this one a lot.
SHIBUI
Japanese (shib-OO-ee)
"Shibui describes an aesthetic that only time can reveal. As we become older and more marked by the riches of life's experience, we radiate with a beauty that stems from becoming fully ourselves. The term can be applied to almost anything --- a person, a house, or even a piece of aged wood."
Perfect, right? "We radiate with a beauty that stems from becoming fully ourselves."
July 6, 2020
I felt quite underwhelmed by this...
December 6, 2019
I adore words and language. It's why I pursued degrees in several of them. It's why I have a love/hate relationship with all the articles from places like Buzzfeed called things like "25 CRAZY Words You Won't Believe Exist in Europe!!!". When I saw this little book tucked away in my local little library box, I knew I had to give it a read.
It's a short book but has a lot of information in it, as it's a collection of words, phrases, and idioms that don't have exact translations in English. It's divided by region/language/country.
Each word or phrase has a cute little illustration to go along with it, and is near the pronunciation guide, the definition, the history of how it came to exist as a phrase, as well as examples on when or when not to use it and (when applicable) the nuances of using it.
I was pleased that I knew most of the British and French ones.... But I didn't know most of the rest. It's definitely educational, but written with a sense of humor so that it doesn't just read like a dictionary or textbook.
If you're a fan of languages or Etymology, or are looking for a gift for an English teacher, this book is perfect.
It's a short book but has a lot of information in it, as it's a collection of words, phrases, and idioms that don't have exact translations in English. It's divided by region/language/country.
Each word or phrase has a cute little illustration to go along with it, and is near the pronunciation guide, the definition, the history of how it came to exist as a phrase, as well as examples on when or when not to use it and (when applicable) the nuances of using it.
I was pleased that I knew most of the British and French ones.... But I didn't know most of the rest. It's definitely educational, but written with a sense of humor so that it doesn't just read like a dictionary or textbook.
If you're a fan of languages or Etymology, or are looking for a gift for an English teacher, this book is perfect.
August 14, 2019
I love language. And this was a lot of fun because you get to learn all kinds of idioms and phrases from different languages, specifically those that don't have literal translations. I'm going to try and use some of these in my day-to-day conversation.
July 15, 2021
I love linguistic and language
It was a wonderful little collection that left me wanting more. I’m glad it included some indigenous languages of North America, but I was also hoping to see either American English or Canadian example, as well as one from South America.
I was a little surprised the entry of billabong omitted that we have an English word for the same concept: oxbow lake.
I love this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8a3r-...) “Why Rivers Curve”, at the end it mentions that many languages have a word for a river leaving these u-shaped lakes/ponds. In English it’s an oxbow lake, but in Australia it’s bilabong, and many different regions have their own word for the concept.
It was a wonderful little collection that left me wanting more. I’m glad it included some indigenous languages of North America, but I was also hoping to see either American English or Canadian example, as well as one from South America.
I was a little surprised the entry of billabong omitted that we have an English word for the same concept: oxbow lake.
I love this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8a3r-...) “Why Rivers Curve”, at the end it mentions that many languages have a word for a river leaving these u-shaped lakes/ponds. In English it’s an oxbow lake, but in Australia it’s bilabong, and many different regions have their own word for the concept.
November 9, 2021
Very sweet, for the budding linguists in the world
April 11, 2020
The illustrations are wonderful accompaniments to the collection of words Christopher Moore selected for this text. There are number of interesting phrases and the colors and shapes by Lan Truong help keep the eye thinking and engaged. Some of my favorite illustrations are on page 51 with the shadow self entwined on the leg of the woman, page 98-99 with an elf running from a pitch fork, and page 122-123 with a wrapped woman in floral fabric. Yet my favorite words are hozh'q and yolki-palki. They are quite different from each other but are ones I had never heard of before. Hozh'q is a Navajo word for "the beauty of life, as seen and created by a person," and "...expresses ideas of order, happiness, health, and well-being, as well as balance and harmony." In contrast to this beautiful concept is the other phrase, of Russian origin, yolki-palki. It means "fir trees and sticks" but its usage is simply holy cow. I just love the way it rolls off the tongue.
March 2, 2022
A very short book, but nevertheless with great insights into some of the phrases you come across in daily conversations. I remember being on a TV University Quiz show and had to answer questions from a category ASIAN WORDS IN ENGLISH. I guess my love for linguistics is still alive 12 years later.
It's also interesting to learn about other cultures, the Japanese have no word for water, they do have a word for cold water and a word for hot water, but no word for just water. They also write vertically, the Arabs write from right to left! Anyway what am I saying, the book leaves a craving! Hunger for more on the topic
It's also interesting to learn about other cultures, the Japanese have no word for water, they do have a word for cold water and a word for hot water, but no word for just water. They also write vertically, the Arabs write from right to left! Anyway what am I saying, the book leaves a craving! Hunger for more on the topic
November 29, 2018
this little books is an assortment of words that are foreign, but have no exact counterpart in the English language. Each word is accompanied by a pronunciation, a definition and usage example, plus a cartoon style illustration. The words are sorted by national language groupings - Asian, Eurpean, Nordic, ancient, and indigenous. It is a fun book to peruse.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 26, 2018
Being a person fascinated with additional language, the book was intriguing for me. The use of illustrations made this reading very delightful read and the insight into the origin and history of many words which we have been using regularly was informative. I am looking forward to use the new ones that I learnt.
February 17, 2020
I love words, especially words that are not translatable to English. Words that leak cultural importance. Words that express onomatopoeia with sounds you have never considered like Froufrou, the rustling of a woman's skirt. Some words like doppelganger and mantra, are commonplace to most of us. However, this book still enlightens with some obscure words and orgins.
August 18, 2020
It was a fun read but not one I'd necessarily keep around on my shelf. I enjoyed learning about the phrases or the words that had to use a sentence or two in English to convey the meaning. There were a few words that were defined in this book that weren't that exciting and I wasn't sure why they were included, but not everything can be perfect. And I loved the illustration style.
October 2, 2019
I had hoped for something more from this quick read, which feels like a collection of Readers Digest interstitial nuggets. "Fire, Women, and Dangerous Things" it's not, but a pleasing pastime, and easily shared.
February 10, 2020
This was fun and a quick read. Not sure why Scots Gaelic was lumped in with Latin, Ancient Greek and Sanskrit as belonging to the Ancient World, though, rather than with English, French, German, etc., in Europe.
July 21, 2021
This was a nice super quick read.
It’s always super interesting how different cultures in the world use language differently to describe certain things.
There’s truly something so fascinating about language and words and the fact that there are so many variations of it.
It’s always super interesting how different cultures in the world use language differently to describe certain things.
There’s truly something so fascinating about language and words and the fact that there are so many variations of it.
March 12, 2022
This is a cute little gift book that was in my stocking one Christmas. It doesn’t have many terms in it, but those it does have are both interesting and useful. I enjoyed the little trip around the world in words.
January 5, 2023
Nice quick book similar to some others I’ve read. I think it would’ve been nice (when applicable) to have the words written in their own alphabet too, as how they’re actually written, and not only in the Latin/Roman alphabet (with the phonetic spellings).
October 7, 2018
There needs to be a word strictly used for the joy and accomplishment of finishing a book.
I suggest joachbok (JOH-ack-bohk)
I suggest joachbok (JOH-ack-bohk)
September 5, 2019
Excellent! Quite a few of these words/concepts help illustrate the richness in languages that exist on earth.
October 8, 2019
A cute little quick read about cleaver sayings in many languages.
February 22, 2021
Linguistics is pretty fun. Love seeing how foreign words capture concepts and ideas that aren't difficult to describe in English.
November 9, 2019
3.5🌟 - Thank you @BloomsburyPublishing for this complimentary copy.
A fun way to look at languages across the world. Not every expression can convey the same color, meaning or intention when translated or in the case of this book and, are considered untranslatable. I enjoyed reading this book that was nowhere close to being a SAGA (Icelandic) but felt like HIZA O MAJIERU (Japanese). The book includes lovely and colorful illustrations. Reading this over tea, that surprisingly wasn't MASALA CHAI (Urdu), but felt like HYGGE (Danish) all the same.
A few to remember - DAST U DEL BÂZ BUDAN (Persian) | SHIBUI (Japanese)
Don't be an ATTACCABOTTONE (Italian) because I'll run the other way.
A fun way to look at languages across the world. Not every expression can convey the same color, meaning or intention when translated or in the case of this book and, are considered untranslatable. I enjoyed reading this book that was nowhere close to being a SAGA (Icelandic) but felt like HIZA O MAJIERU (Japanese). The book includes lovely and colorful illustrations. Reading this over tea, that surprisingly wasn't MASALA CHAI (Urdu), but felt like HYGGE (Danish) all the same.
A few to remember - DAST U DEL BÂZ BUDAN (Persian) | SHIBUI (Japanese)
Don't be an ATTACCABOTTONE (Italian) because I'll run the other way.
May 5, 2020
This review originally appeared in "Technical Communication: Journal for the Society for Technical Communication" in May 2020, Volume 67 Number 2.
Every language has its idiosyncrasies that makes it just a tiny bit more difficult to understand if you are not a native speaker. Is that because some people experience schadenfreude when witnessing others garble common sayings? Perhaps it is a universal weltschmertz (world pain)? Or maybe just a need to create a book that explains colloquialisms from across the globe so you can use them in everyday conversation. So, Bob’s your uncle, Christopher Moore created In Other Words: An Illustrated Miscellany of the World’s Most Intriguing Words and Phrases to fill that gap.
This book contains dozens of phrases from multiple cultures, spanning ancient Greece to modern Japan. Moore has grouped these phrases, along with their accompanying translations and explanations by time and region, for example, “the ancient word” or “the far north.” A handy pronunciation guide is located at the start, and each cultural phrase has a phonetic pronunciation included. Often the direct translation of the word or phrase means little in English, such as cavoli riscaldati (Italian for “reheated cabbage”), so Moore explains the true meaning of the colloquialisms. In the case of cavoli riscaldati, it stems from a longer proverb about a pointless attempt to revive a former love affair. Additionally, most entries are supplemented by a wonderful illustration by Lan Truong which further adds flavor to the piece. Together, Moore’s clever writing and the beautiful illustrations make for a delightful book. The intended audience must be Americans, since the one culture that is not investigated is that of American jargon. This absence is barely noticed as you page through the book absorbing multicultural sayings.
Perhaps joining a kōhanga reo (Maori for “language nest”, where children are taught almost-dead languages) will help you boost your foreign vocabulary. Or, consider building up your guanxi by giving this book as a gift for your favorite lexophile. Could owning In Other Words turn you into a word worm yourself? By hook or by crook, it will!
Every language has its idiosyncrasies that makes it just a tiny bit more difficult to understand if you are not a native speaker. Is that because some people experience schadenfreude when witnessing others garble common sayings? Perhaps it is a universal weltschmertz (world pain)? Or maybe just a need to create a book that explains colloquialisms from across the globe so you can use them in everyday conversation. So, Bob’s your uncle, Christopher Moore created In Other Words: An Illustrated Miscellany of the World’s Most Intriguing Words and Phrases to fill that gap.
This book contains dozens of phrases from multiple cultures, spanning ancient Greece to modern Japan. Moore has grouped these phrases, along with their accompanying translations and explanations by time and region, for example, “the ancient word” or “the far north.” A handy pronunciation guide is located at the start, and each cultural phrase has a phonetic pronunciation included. Often the direct translation of the word or phrase means little in English, such as cavoli riscaldati (Italian for “reheated cabbage”), so Moore explains the true meaning of the colloquialisms. In the case of cavoli riscaldati, it stems from a longer proverb about a pointless attempt to revive a former love affair. Additionally, most entries are supplemented by a wonderful illustration by Lan Truong which further adds flavor to the piece. Together, Moore’s clever writing and the beautiful illustrations make for a delightful book. The intended audience must be Americans, since the one culture that is not investigated is that of American jargon. This absence is barely noticed as you page through the book absorbing multicultural sayings.
Perhaps joining a kōhanga reo (Maori for “language nest”, where children are taught almost-dead languages) will help you boost your foreign vocabulary. Or, consider building up your guanxi by giving this book as a gift for your favorite lexophile. Could owning In Other Words turn you into a word worm yourself? By hook or by crook, it will!
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews