The Meaning of Tingo: Amazon.co.uk: Adam Jacot de Boinod: Books

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Product Description

Stephen Fry
A book no well-stocked bookshelf, cistern-top or handbag should be without.

The Economist, 24 September 2005
'The Meaning of Tingo' may well prove to be the must-have British stocking-filler for 2005

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Inside This Book (Learn More)

First Sentence
But it may not even be a word. Read the first page

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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover

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Customer Reviews

17 Reviews

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

Average Customer Review

3.5 out of 5 stars (17 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars An Empty Shell, 30 April 2008

By	Wildlife Bookworm "WB" - See all my reviews

'The Meaning of Tingo' is supposedly an extensive list of extraordinary phrases used in other languages and their meaning. It has an exciting premise, promising blurb, and enticing introduction. But from the very start it is a disappointment.

For a start de Boinod includes all the really humorous examples in his introduction leaving little else of real substance for the rest of the book. What it becomes is a book of translations from English words alongside their direct translations, which themselves are mostly mundane and normal. For example the first page shows a long list of different words meaning hello, which are interesting at first but quickly become tedious.

Furthermore there is no guide to how to pronounce the words, which wouldn't have been hard to include with proper research. This makes it impossible to understand how they are spoken.

There are not many sketches like the front cover and they are rarely humorous, as well as being done by a different artist. The book gets a excellent review from the great Stephen Fry but bearing in mind that he is the presenter of QI, the programme for which de Boinod is a researcher, this should be taken with a pinch of salt.

Occasionally there are truly interesting and quirky examples (such as the local name for Bangkok - the longest place name in the world), and these just about save it from a one star review. Ultimately 'The meaning of Tingo' strikes the reader as a good idea which didn't have the material to create a satisfactory book.

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31 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars All made up?, 15 Dec 2005

By	"smallesthelper" - See all my reviews

I bought this book as a present and only had a short look. The first German word I came across was "fisselig". Being a native German speaker I am not aware of its existence. I am not aware of a word in German that means "flustered to the point of incompetence" either. Should the expressions be known only in small areas of a country so that the "average" native does not know them I think it should be stated. Also, some of the other expressions are very outdated and unlikely to be familiar to many native German speakers.
I agree that books about language can be very entertaining and we Germans do have words the rest of the world doesn´t seem to have ("Schadenfreude" being an excellent example). However, I wonder about the existence and the definitions of the non German words in the book.

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10 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Poorly researched, inaccurate, 1 Nov 2007

By	Ilmarinen - See all my reviews

This book is a nice idea, but sadly resorts to stereotypes and relies on very worrying research. I came across a number of nonexistent words in the langauges that I speak....who knows how many more there are. It seems like the author did a lot of google searches and put them together in a book. A shame.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun and Interesting
This book is extremely interesting and fun to read. Those reviews that have said it is inaccurate and does not flow properly clearly do not understand the design of the book. Read more

Published 7 months ago by El Stevens

5.0 out of 5 stars It does what it says on the label
A wonderfully light and uplifting read. Great for the loo, waiting rooms or sharing with a friend over a glass of wine or a cup of coffee. Read more

Published 15 months ago by Scardy Cat

1.0 out of 5 stars Factually Deficient
Based on the fact that most expressions from my own language, German, were either very rare or completely new to me, and often inexplicably misspelled, I suspect similar problems... Read more

Published 16 months ago by G. Haberkorn

5.0 out of 5 stars Broaden your mind and have fun at the same time
If you have any interest at all in the world outside your own and you're intrigued by language and languages, you'll enjoy these books (The Meaning of Tingo and Toujours Tingo) as... Read more

Published 17 months ago by P. Reid

1.0 out of 5 stars Tedious Tingo
I'd read about this book in some of the press and was looking forward to getting it - what a disappointment. Read more

Published 19 months ago by Sam Coleridge

2.0 out of 5 stars Puzzled by the rave reviews
I picked up this book for the first time couple of days ago and I can't understand why it gets such rave reviews. Read more

Published 19 months ago by Jonathan Swift

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for the loo!
Adam Jacot de Boinod has put together an amazing collection of words from all the over the world that will astound you. Read more

Published on 6 Feb 2007 by M. Bond

1.0 out of 5 stars The dangers of dictionaries
The author doesn't seem to appreciate that there is more to understanding a langauge than looking words up in dictionaries. He is clearly no linguist. Read more

Published on 30 Nov 2006 by John

5.0 out of 5 stars Do you Tingo?
Adam Jacot de Boinod has put together an amazing collection of words from all the over the world that will astound you. Read more

Published on 24 Feb 2006

5.0 out of 5 stars Very funny book
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!!!! Read more

Published on 31 Jan 2006 by alflawrie

› See all 17 customer reviews...

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	59% buy the item featured on this page: The Meaning of Tingo 3.5 out of 5 stars (17)
	23% buy Lost In Translation: Misadventures in English Abroad 4.7 out of 5 stars (9) �4.49
	11% buy Toujours Tingo: Extraordinary Words to Change the Way We See the World 3.4 out of 5 stars (7) �7.69
	4% buy Still Lost in Translation: More Misadventures in English Abroad �6.50


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