McNally Robinson Booksellers
52 Prince St
212.274.1160
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Elizabeth Little, Biting the Wax Tadpole
- When
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Thursday Jan 10, 2008 (7pm)
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Elizabeth Little's Biting the Wax Tadpole: Confessions of a Language Fanatic touches upon dozens of languages, both foreign and fictitious. But while the author worked previously as a travel writer, the book won't teach you how to chat up a stranger or ask for directions abroad. Instead, it sidesteps mundane instruction for all the glorious quirks and conundrums of human speech, taking aim at amateur etymologists who spend more time in the sun than in the stacks. If you're that kind of traveler, stop in for some participial knee-slappers, grab your own copy, and later, if you want to recommend the book to a Chinese-speaking friend, tell them they should really read Coca-Cola — a rough transliteration of the title.
