ENGLISH AS SHE IS SPOKEN.
Tourists' phrase-books are ever a delightful and humorous study. A phrase-book, which a Frenchman was making great use of, contained following "simple" sentences : "Of rosbif before me, please, a plate put." "The train, please porter, to Waterloo when the train clears away, at what hour ?" "I desire the Palace of Buckingham the King to find." "One pound, please, a half me give. "The cottage to find of the Lord Mayor I wish." •'The train, she backwards starts at what hour ?" "The street, what name has he?" An Italian phrase-book which a worthy pa«!re was carrying gave a dialogue which would take place if the tourist entered a shop to buy a hat. It ran thus : "Hatter : 'lt is a lovely fine morning.' "Customer : 'Praise be to, goodness yes.' "Hatter : 'My little shop is bursting with big hats, sir." "Customer : 'One I will take with yearning, soft, and unlined with any sort of cloth..' "Hatter : 'lt is very strenuous to fit as your head is large exceedingly." "Customer: 'I am pressed much, shop I hurriedly wish to remove.' " And yet we manage to understand them. Who shall say that Englishmen are dull of comprehension after this?
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Bibliographic details
Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 2643, 21 January 1908, Page 7
Word Count
200ENGLISH AS SHE IS SPOKEN. Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 2643, 21 January 1908, Page 7
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