The Meaning of Tingo: And Other Extraordinary Words from Around the World

If rated on sheer entertainment value, this book would earn 4.5 stars. Unfortunately, as has been documented in several internet fora, the author's credulity far outweighs his scholarship. Quite simply, an unhealthy percentage (at my estimate 20-30%) of the 'words' quoted in this book simply do not exist*. Thus, on scholarship, the book earns only 1.5 stars.

My 3-star overall rating represents an average of the 4.5 for entertainment value and 1.5 for scholarship.

* Two of the more egregious examples are the infamous 'razbliuto', alleged to be a Russian word meaning 'the sentimental feeling you have about someone you once loved but no longer do', but whose existence is denied by any native Russian-speaker, and 'Scheissenbedauern', an alleged German word for `the disappointment one feels when something turns out not nearly as badly as one had expected'. There is no such word as 'Scheissenbedauern' in German - nor could there be, as it doesn't even obey the standard rules of German for forming portmanteau words (it would have to be 'Scheissbedauern'). Even minimal checking on the author's part would have alerted him to the bogus nature of this entry. Unfortunately, it becomes clear that, time after time, the author failed to carry out even the most basic fact-checking for this book.

In other reviews of this book it's already mentioned that, amongst others, the Chinese, Russian and German examples in this book are for a large part dodgy or just plainly wrong. This is also the case for the examples from the Dutch language the author cites from. The blurb states that he read '140 websites' in order to compile this book, as well as some '280 dictionaries'. (Does Mr Jacot de Boinod know how many languages there are in the world?) He should have spoken to some international linguists, and have somebody else get the notes down instead. On the jacket of the book, this example is highlighted: 'The Dutch word for skimming stones is plimplampetteren.' No, it isn't - there is no such word in the Dutch dictionary. Or on the web, for that matter. There is however, a word called pimpampetten, which is a card game for children based on trivia. (examples can be seen at www.anderspel.nl/pimpampet.html).

On the back cover, Stephen Fry is raving about how delighted he is now that he knows how the Dutch render the word of Rice Krispies - according to the book, this should be: 'Knisper! Knasper! Knusper!'. I don't know which language the author got this from in order to give false information to Stephen Fry or any other member of his reading audience. I would estimate that about 70-80% of the examples from the Dutch language are mistaken. It's like Python's old Hungarian Prasebook, but much less funny. All in all, it's quite a disaster and I am somewhat concerned that a prestigious house like Penguin has published this with no further editing or checking done.

This book has a lot of amusing linguistic information in it. However a number of reviewers have pointed out that it has inaccuracies.
It also has a strange stress on a limited number of languages. I can appreciate for instance the author's passion for Yiddish, and the little paragrah he writes on ways of cursing and insulting in Yiddish- but I wonder at the total absence of Hebrew and Aramaic in this work.
There are little essays which are informative including one on languages which are threatened with extinction. Another discourses on the number of languages in the world. I was surprised to learn at how many different languages there are in Papua New Guinea.
I found the little section on especially long- words, compounds of various kinds also interesting.
This book has a lot of amusing information in, and should be treated as a work of entertainment not serious scholarship.

I keep the book out for anyone to read. People pick it up, read the cover, thumb through the book and grow a smile every time. Everyone finds a word that they were somehow living without. It's pretty fantastic to watch someone get attached to a word and use it. One comment was, "I had a buddy that tingoed my entire CD collection during my freshman year!"

My favorite today, Wabi, a flawed detail that enhances the elegance of the whole work of art.

This is an amazing written piece of poetry and comedy at the same time. The
different chapers are very imaginative, and the translations are beyond
belief!!!! It just shows how crazy the world is, when you look at it close
up!! Diffinetly worth a read - this is an awesome planet, and this book is
an awesome book