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The Xenophobe's Guide to the English | |
Publisher: Oval books
Authors: Antony Miall and David Milsted
64 pages
Price £3.99
ISBN: 1-902825-26-8
Are you thinking of going to Britian this summer? Or are you just curious about the nation that gave the English language to the world? Or do you just wonder why the country that invented football is so bad at it? If the answer to any of these questions is 'yes' you might be interested in The Xenophobe's guide to the English a book that tries to teach you everything about the English in just 64 pages.
First, though, you need to know about the philosophy of Oval books. Their Xenophobe's Guides are a series of books. Each book is about a different nationality, and it tries to explain that nationality to others in a slightly jokey, not-completely-serious way. The same publisher does another series of books called thge Bluffer's Guides which do for other subjects what the Xenophobes guides do for different nationalities.
There are 16 chapters in the book, dealing with different parts of English life, from families, culture, and government to manners and behaviour. For some strange reason the book does not say much about sport, even though this is an important part of English life. Sometimes the book tries to be humourous, but even though it includes a chapter on English humour, there is nothing that will make you laugh out loud. On the other hand, it tells you about about English families (family members often don't like each other very much), public transport (terrible), and nationality (not all British people are English; as the Scots and Welsh will tell you - sometimes very loudly) and it does it reasonably accurately. The language is quite easy, and it is the sort of book you can take in your pocket to the airport and read on the plane.
Of course, we were interested in the section on language. The writers tell you that English has the largest vocabulary of any modern language (about 250,000 words in common use), and that most English people use only about 8,000 of them (some scholars think the number is nearer 50,000). They give an interesting reason why English has such a large lexicon - English leads other languages up dark little streets, and then steals all the best words from them.
One serious problem with this book is that it sometimes forgets that modern Britian is a multicultural society, and that many Englishmen and women prefer mutton vindaloo to fish and chips, or have rastafarian dreadlocks rather than bowler hats on their heads. Also, there is a wide range of social types in England, and what the book says about some English people is not true about others. (For example it says that an English person will apologise if you tread on his foot. Do not try this experiment on - for example - young men outside Millwall football club in south east London).
Who is this book for? It is not for anyone who wants to make a serious study of English language and culture. However, if you are a tourist who is visiting England you will find the book interesting and informative, as well as easy to read. It was updated to 2002, so it is completely up-to-date. If you want to try another book, and you don't mind something that is now a bit old-fashioned, try Mikes' classic How to be an alien which remains the funniest and most perceptive book written about English culture.
Verdict: Quick, light reading. Not the greatest book about the English, but what do you expect for £3.99?
Assessment 5/10