English as She Is Spoke · Theme
Linguistic Absurdity
How English as She Is Spoke develops Linguistic Absurdity.
The book is a comedic masterpiece of mistranslation, where Portuguese-to-English phrases are rendered nonsensically, such as 'The stone as roll not heap up not foam' and 'To craunch the marmoset,' highlighting the chaos of language learning.
Where it surfaces
- Author's Preface
The author's own language is filled with malapropisms and awkward phrasing, ironically undermining his goal of teaching correct Portuguese.
- English as She Is Spoke
The entire chapter is built on absurd English phrases that result from poor translation.
- Of the Man
The list contains many nonsensical or mistranslated terms (e.g., 'Lochsmith', 'Spendth', 'Heuth-cock'), highlighting the absurdity of the author's language learning method.
- Familiar Phrases
The chapter is a prime example of linguistic absurdity, with nonsensical translations like 'These apricots and these peaches make me and to come water in mouth' and 'This ink is white.'
- Familiar Dialogues
The dialogues are filled with malapropisms and literal translations, such as 'It pinches me too much upon stomack' and 'comb-me quickly; don’t put me so much pomatum.'
- Familiar Letters
The letters contain malformed English phrases such as 'what will to treat her beshop' and 'I know some thing more than to eat my soup', illustrating comical translation errors.
- Idiotisms and Proverbs
The literal translations of Portuguese proverbs into English create absurd and humorous phrases, such as 'To craunch the marmoset' and 'To buy cat in pocket'.