British Language & Culture

Lonely Planet's "British Phrasebook" is a great introduction to the British way of life and speaking for foreigners. Whether you are an American going to visit the British Isles, or a person studying English as a foreign language this can be a good guide and reading supplement. Traditionally to Lonely Planet phrasebooks, this one gives you a short and easy-read introduction to the origin and modern state of English. Then follow the sections dealing with British English and regional languages. The section on British English is, again traditionally, an introduction to the language through British culture, institutions, traditions and way of life. Some chapters open with humorous sketches by S. Hughes that will make you laugh out loud. You will learn how to greet people, how to talk over the phone, how to find your way in the world of slang and cockney (not being a thorough textbook or dictionary of these), how to brace yourself with the features of British pronunciation (not being a course on phonetics), how to tell a British word or expression from an American (not being a British-American dictionary), how to address the Queen or peers (without making you bored with the detailed description of the aristocratic history). But most of the contents are not even the lists of typically British words and expressions. It is an interesting, sometimes funny, sometimes witty, often highly informative yet brief description of British culture (music, sports, food, drink, housing, etc.) and institutions (political, educational, etc.), as well as of ways of travelling, spending your free time and free money. If you need to know the names of high-street shops or intend to watch a report from some cricket match, think of driving a car or going on a train journey, want to read a paper and know what's meant and what's not - "British Phrasebook" is one way of helping you survive in Britain. The regional section tells you about regional accents and dialects of English with some examples. It also deals with Scottish Gaelic and Welsh. Here (in the last two chapters) there is a true phrasebook letting you say a lot of useful things in the native tongues of Scotland and Wales. Practical transcription enables you to pronounce sometimes quirky letter-combinations of these Celtic languages. Written in a simple language and entertaining manner, while being very informative "British Phrasebook" is nearly a must-have on your next trip to the Isles and will certainly be your good companion, which will easily fit in a pocket.

Nice one! I'm not a native speaker of English, but have learned English as a foreign language. What is the best about this book, the sections on those dialects. Also it's a good fun to sing some football songs like George Best the Superstar! Many more resourceful pages you will find in this book from Mr Blair's way of speaking to how to say "hello" in Welsh. You can always carry this book in your pocket, which is nice, too.

As an ex-pat American living in London, I find this book essential when trying to decipher the large number of different words and phrases that the Brits use: I can honestly tell you that the Phrasebook saved me from the horrors of a zucchini dinner when I found out what 'courgettes' really are. I also finally understood the meanings of 'put paid' and 'punters' and enjoyed the section on British sport: while I still don't fully understand cricket and have absolutely no idea about rugby, I now know a bit more than nothing, which is helpful the next time you're in a pub and a Test Match is on.The less helpful sections of the book were the bits on more obscure language usage like Cockney rhyming slang and Scots Gaelic: I've never heard any rhyming slang in London and when I was in the Highlands the only time I heard Gaelic was on the radio. However, I'm not complaining: it's a whole lot of fun to be able to know how to say 'caite am bheil an t-amar snamh' ('where's the swimming pool'), even if the Scots themselves don't understand, and now I know that nothing beats a good dinner of Lillian Gish (fish) with gay and frisky (whiskey).Anyway, the Phrasebook also contains a section for each part of Britain plus sections on pronounciation, accomodation, entertainment and society (how to address the Queen when you meet her) and, most important of all, a mini American-British dictionary.All in all, highly recommended.

The Aussies at Lonely Planet have done it again. I am totally convinced that Lonely Planet phrasebooks make for some of the most fun and entertaining reading around when it comes to foreign-language guides and this effort to demystify the oddities of the Queen's English just underscores that belief. Filled with asides about British culture and history -- and with a complete chapters on British sport, slang, regional accents/dialects, and Cockney rhyming slang -- this phrasebook is idea for a trip abroad or for simply trying to figure out what's going on on "Eastenders." The Scottish Gaelic and Welsh chapters are nice, although (and I'm just being picky here) a bit more on Cornish and Scots and anything on Manx would have been welcome additions.

This book is hillariously accurate. There are lots of dialects, slang, strange words, and a section on Gaelic and Welsh. Highly recommended