quarta-feira, janeiro 24, 2007

Babelfish 0.0, to studious youth

« The most notorious phrase-book ... was published in Paris in 1855 by Pedro Carolino, with the title O Novo Guia da Conversação, en Portuguez e Inglez. The portuguese author compiled this work by translating a book of French dialogues word for word into English with the help of a dictionary.
The Preface reads:
A choice of familiar dialogues, clean of gallicisms, and despoiled frases, it was missing yet to studious portuguese and brazilian youth; and also to persons of other nations. . . We expect then, who the little book (for the care what we wrote him, and for her typographical correction) that may be worth the acceptation of the studious persons, and especially of the Youth, at which we dedicate him particularly.
The 'English' phrases recommended by the author include: 'Do you cut the hairs?'; 'It knock one's the door, go to and see who is it'; 'I have put my stockings outward'; and 'These apricots and these peaches make me and to come water in the mouth'. »

(The Oxford Guide to Word Games, p. 178)

Sem comentários: