A useful guide for travellers in this region; get a handle on Tibetan grammar and pronunciation, find your way around by train, pedicab, taxi or bus, understand local gestures and body language, and read up on festival rites and rituals.
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National Geographic Traveler, September 2006 'Lonely Planet Phrasebooks. Portable, pocket-size, cheap, and available for almost any country you might want to visit...'
--This text refers to the
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By J. C. Eames
Format:Mass Market Paperback
This book will be going with me on my travels in 2004. It only gets 4 stars as it's only nearly perfect for my needs.
This is due to the fact it has no CD to help with the pronunciation. However it makes up for this outlining all the tones and pronunciation in the book. If your going to Tibet it has to go with you!
The book is of a good size being small enough to stuff into your bag, durable for stuffing into your bag!
Why spend over the odds on expensive software when you only need the basics and this has that and a lot more.
It deals with etiquette, eating out, getting about, checking in and various activities and a lot more!!
Well worth the money.
This is due to the fact it has no CD to help with the pronunciation. However it makes up for this outlining all the tones and pronunciation in the book. If your going to Tibet it has to go with you!
The book is of a good size being small enough to stuff into your bag, durable for stuffing into your bag!
Why spend over the odds on expensive software when you only need the basics and this has that and a lot more.
It deals with etiquette, eating out, getting about, checking in and various activities and a lot more!!
Well worth the money.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.2 out of 5 stars
9 reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Probably the best you'll find for what you need
23 Dec 2005
By Jason Stuart
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Mass Market Paperback
As a small language book that is only meant to give you the basics this is a great book.
A warning though... This book attempts to educated the reader in a "standard Tibetan language". They mention the three main dialects of U-tsang, Amdo, and Kham and claim that great interaction between them is leading to this standardization. It has not be my experience nor have I seen other scholars even mention the existence of such a standardization. From what I have learned the three dialects are quite different to the point of mutual misunderstanding. I do not feel that this book prepared me to speak Amdo, nor would it prepare anyone else to speak either Amdo or Kham. If that is your goal, good luck finding any book that can do that. But, for most people this is irrelevant. Most interaction with Tibetans by Westerners is with central U-tsang Tibetans. I never thoought about it before, but most of the Tibetan exiles are central/U-tsang.
Upon further consultation with some Tibetans I have come to the conclusion that some mishmash of the dialects does exist in the Tibetan diaspora in India. So this book would be more useful there. Keep in mind though that the original exodus into India consisted mostly of Central Tibetans and so this new amalgamation likely favors that dialects sensibilities.
A warning though... This book attempts to educated the reader in a "standard Tibetan language". They mention the three main dialects of U-tsang, Amdo, and Kham and claim that great interaction between them is leading to this standardization. It has not be my experience nor have I seen other scholars even mention the existence of such a standardization. From what I have learned the three dialects are quite different to the point of mutual misunderstanding. I do not feel that this book prepared me to speak Amdo, nor would it prepare anyone else to speak either Amdo or Kham. If that is your goal, good luck finding any book that can do that. But, for most people this is irrelevant. Most interaction with Tibetans by Westerners is with central U-tsang Tibetans. I never thoought about it before, but most of the Tibetan exiles are central/U-tsang.
Upon further consultation with some Tibetans I have come to the conclusion that some mishmash of the dialects does exist in the Tibetan diaspora in India. So this book would be more useful there. Keep in mind though that the original exodus into India consisted mostly of Central Tibetans and so this new amalgamation likely favors that dialects sensibilities.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent
28 May 2003
By Geri Rinna
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Mass Market Paperback
My main objective was learning to speak some Tibetan on a conversational level, and not just a traveler's level. The book teaches the writitng system and enough grammar to be able to correctly speak Tibetan as we speak everyday English. Nothing too deep and technical, but nothing too brief. The small book is absolutely jam-packed with words and phrases. It suits the need of both the traveler and one who wants a basic conversational ability in Tibetan. It's value exceeds the price greatly!
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Invaluable When Traveling Individually in Tibet
22 Feb 2006
By DigitalMan
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I've been to Tibet five times now, and each time I have carried my now well worn copy of this phrasebook with me. Without it, I'd be at a real loss. It is has proven wonderful for communicating with locals - not only in Lhasa, but also in far more remote parts of the country. It is safe to say that using this phrasebook has enhanced my experiences in Tibet many times over.
If I did have one criticism of it, it would be that while it does have a brief English to Tibetan Dictionary in back, it would greatly benefit from a Tibetan to English Dictionary as well. So many times Tibetans have picked up the phrasebook from me and searched in vain for a word that they are trying to find.
But that criticism is minor. If you're traveling in Tibet on your own, this phrasebooks is a must. Depending on how long you're going to be in the country, you may want to consider the LP Mandarin Phrasebook as well.....
If I did have one criticism of it, it would be that while it does have a brief English to Tibetan Dictionary in back, it would greatly benefit from a Tibetan to English Dictionary as well. So many times Tibetans have picked up the phrasebook from me and searched in vain for a word that they are trying to find.
But that criticism is minor. If you're traveling in Tibet on your own, this phrasebooks is a must. Depending on how long you're going to be in the country, you may want to consider the LP Mandarin Phrasebook as well.....
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4.2 out of 5 stars
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