Surely it refers to not understanding some British expressions.
This site helps interpret term.
The Best of British - The American's guide to speaking British...
- Thread starter Sharlene
- Start date
Read this Book! It's a must for Newbies!
This site helps interpret term.
The Best of British - The American's guide to speaking British...
Yep, I guessed that and the link is really good but I was but nosey to know if there were any specific terms which were causing confusion...
N
naturelover
Guest
I've just spent 3 days in bed with some horrible bug, not novovirus thank God, and between feeling sorry for myself and hours of sleeping, I managed to finish Ginnie's book.
What a triumph! I had heard parts of some of these stories directly from Ginnie and Grahame, but on reading it as a whole it is a very humbling experience. I didn't realise just how much they'd roughed it in the early days.
It made me laugh, made me cry (especially the story of the returned pipe), made me examine my own values and judgements of the people and life here. I spout out the "Mine is not a better way, just a different way", but it is still hard to suspend judgement on some occasions.
A thoroughly worthwhile read. Many thanks for writing it and for all your help over the years, Ginnie. I bet there are countless folks who have benefitted from your generosity of spirit and telling it like it is, but usually from a place of kindness and tolerance, often sorely tested by the sound of it.
Long may your happiness here continue.
Linda
What a triumph! I had heard parts of some of these stories directly from Ginnie and Grahame, but on reading it as a whole it is a very humbling experience. I didn't realise just how much they'd roughed it in the early days.
It made me laugh, made me cry (especially the story of the returned pipe), made me examine my own values and judgements of the people and life here. I spout out the "Mine is not a better way, just a different way", but it is still hard to suspend judgement on some occasions.
A thoroughly worthwhile read. Many thanks for writing it and for all your help over the years, Ginnie. I bet there are countless folks who have benefitted from your generosity of spirit and telling it like it is, but usually from a place of kindness and tolerance, often sorely tested by the sound of it.
Long may your happiness here continue.
Linda
As many of you will have realised, I've stayed out of this thread up to now because I don't want to fall foul of the spam rules 
. However it would be rude not to respond to the many nice comments and I thank all of you particularly Sharlene for her very well constructed review. Yes johnsr of course I'll sign it & we do so look forward to seeing you both again as we do every year when you visit. I found another very well constructed review here:
http://dominicantoday.com/app/article.aspx?id=25127
As you know I don't normally post links to DT but hats off to whoever wrote this because it is intelligent & articulate. It also helps me by pointing out the need for more historical info plus descriptions of the town in which the story took place.
I'm grateful to HB and others for the comments about idiom - Brit English & US English. Whilst writing I had a Canadian read the whole draft and an American read the first half in draft form (the American was atypical in that part of his education took place in UK & Australia so his exposure to a range of idioms is larger than most of us). Based on their suggestions I included explanatory footnotes, which became endnotes in the final version. The only trouble with endnotes is..........no one reads them :laugh::laugh: .
I'd be truly interested in hearing other criticisms people might have. I entered this writing lark somewhat late in life with no training in this field whatsoever so the only way I'm going to improve is by being critiqued. I'm up for it to be posted on this thread but if anyone feels their criticisms could be viewed as an incitement to riot then a PM or email would also be fine.
For fun if you want to test out your understanding of 'Britspeak' there's a quiz here
Antiques Roadshow UK: BritSpeak
and some help here:
American Expats In The UK - bringing the American community together around the UK
and a dictionary of English slang and colloquialisms used in UK here:
Dictionary of English slang and colloquialisms of the UK
plus the wonderful effingpot website in Rocky's post above.
Thank you all once again. I'll probably start on another book after Xmas and each of your criticisms will be noted and learned from.
. However it would be rude not to respond to the many nice comments and I thank all of you particularly Sharlene for her very well constructed review. Yes johnsr of course I'll sign it & we do so look forward to seeing you both again as we do every year when you visit. I found another very well constructed review here:http://dominicantoday.com/app/article.aspx?id=25127
As you know I don't normally post links to DT but hats off to whoever wrote this because it is intelligent & articulate. It also helps me by pointing out the need for more historical info plus descriptions of the town in which the story took place.
I'm grateful to HB and others for the comments about idiom - Brit English & US English. Whilst writing I had a Canadian read the whole draft and an American read the first half in draft form (the American was atypical in that part of his education took place in UK & Australia so his exposure to a range of idioms is larger than most of us). Based on their suggestions I included explanatory footnotes, which became endnotes in the final version. The only trouble with endnotes is..........no one reads them :laugh::laugh: .
I'd be truly interested in hearing other criticisms people might have. I entered this writing lark somewhat late in life with no training in this field whatsoever so the only way I'm going to improve is by being critiqued. I'm up for it to be posted on this thread but if anyone feels their criticisms could be viewed as an incitement to riot
then a PM or email would also be fine.For fun if you want to test out your understanding of 'Britspeak' there's a quiz here
Antiques Roadshow UK: BritSpeak
and some help here:
American Expats In The UK - bringing the American community together around the UK
and a dictionary of English slang and colloquialisms used in UK here:
Dictionary of English slang and colloquialisms of the UK
plus the wonderful effingpot website in Rocky's post above.
Thank you all once again. I'll probably start on another book after Xmas and each of your criticisms will be noted and learned from.
Well, after just finishing reading the book, I almost feel like Patton, brandishing Rommel's book about tank fighting techniques, over a battle field where he had just experienced a fist success over the German army, hollering "I read your book you... "
It is full of little episodes, not written as to teach the reader, but in an entertaining way still serving as solid reminders about what kind of world we have come to live in, some deliberately and some not so much so.
Yes, while it may not be must read, I would highly recommend as very enlightening reading to all who came here recently or plan on coming here. Still, every ones experiences will vary and may even differ quite sharply.
Bottom line is, with all the up's and down's, the Boosh's and most of their dogs made it, not only by staying and having managed to survive and helping others to, but also economically, which is one aspect the book serves as a severe warning to the lazy and pink colored glasses waring ones who seem to think that living in a laid back country like this one must be sooo cool and easy and that their few so very special educational "advantages", like being somewhat able to speak their mother language, will be received here like broken pieces of mirrors 500 years ago.
... J-D.
It is full of little episodes, not written as to teach the reader, but in an entertaining way still serving as solid reminders about what kind of world we have come to live in, some deliberately and some not so much so.
Yes, while it may not be must read, I would highly recommend as very enlightening reading to all who came here recently or plan on coming here. Still, every ones experiences will vary and may even differ quite sharply.
Bottom line is, with all the up's and down's, the Boosh's and most of their dogs made it, not only by staying and having managed to survive and helping others to, but also economically, which is one aspect the book serves as a severe warning to the lazy and pink colored glasses waring ones who seem to think that living in a laid back country like this one must be sooo cool and easy and that their few so very special educational "advantages", like being somewhat able to speak their mother language, will be received here like broken pieces of mirrors 500 years ago.
... J-D.
And there's more... my Dad always used to say: "Bob's your under, Charlie's your aunt and "up we go" said the earwig". To this day I don't know what the later part means :bunny:
Bought the book via internet and found it at home yesterday evening at 10 pm and now i hate that book.
Start reading it in a hot bath. Didn't notice that the water went cold untill i started to shiver. Got out and continued in bed and continued and continued ...untill 3 o'clock. and now i'm preparing for a reunion and i want to sleep but i know that this bewitched book won't let me go to sleep untill i read every page at least once.
D$$$$$$ book why do you have to be so informative and pleasant to read. I NEED SOME SLEEP
PS i'm more into the story than in the last Harry Potter
Greetings
Johan
Start reading it in a hot bath. Didn't notice that the water went cold untill i started to shiver. Got out and continued in bed and continued and continued ...untill 3 o'clock. and now i'm preparing for a reunion and i want to sleep but i know that this bewitched book won't let me go to sleep untill i read every page at least once.
D$$$$$$ book why do you have to be so informative and pleasant to read. I NEED SOME SLEEP
PS i'm more into the story than in the last Harry Potter
Greetings
Johan
I would just like to add my recommendation to read this title. After it arrived from Amazon UK I thought I would just dip into the first few pages before retiring to bed at midnight. Next thing I knew I was on the last page and it was 4.00am. That's quite an endorsement from this old guy whose eyes normally give out after a couple of hours reading. All DR1 website visitors should find something to suit them.
Those like myself who make repeated but relatively short visits to the DR will find the social background filled in to give context to some of their quirky experiences, while I hope that the author's cheerful style and enthusiasm for the local life would tempt any all-inclusive tourist to make the effort to get off campus and sample the vibrant mayhem that is Dominican daily life. And although DR vets may not learn much new, they will derive an equal enjoyment from nodding their heads in amused and knowing recognition at the author's no-nonsense descriptions of what one of my ex-pat acquaintances calls "those Dominican moments".
I understand that this was the author's first crack at a full-length book, so I would like to compliment her on one aspect. She describes her and Graham's adventures chronologically from their arrival, then every now and again uses some incident or anecdote as a springboard for more generalised comments on the Dominican scene before returning once more to their personal triumphs and tribulations. This is quite hard to pull off successfully but Ginnie handles the "links" masterfully so that they never seem contrived.
Although the action takes place a decade ago, and not too much has changed since, I hope Ginnie is planning to one day bring the story right up to date, whether through an undated edition of this title or a new publication, as my only complaint is that I found myself on the last page all too quickly.
Those like myself who make repeated but relatively short visits to the DR will find the social background filled in to give context to some of their quirky experiences, while I hope that the author's cheerful style and enthusiasm for the local life would tempt any all-inclusive tourist to make the effort to get off campus and sample the vibrant mayhem that is Dominican daily life. And although DR vets may not learn much new, they will derive an equal enjoyment from nodding their heads in amused and knowing recognition at the author's no-nonsense descriptions of what one of my ex-pat acquaintances calls "those Dominican moments".
I understand that this was the author's first crack at a full-length book, so I would like to compliment her on one aspect. She describes her and Graham's adventures chronologically from their arrival, then every now and again uses some incident or anecdote as a springboard for more generalised comments on the Dominican scene before returning once more to their personal triumphs and tribulations. This is quite hard to pull off successfully but Ginnie handles the "links" masterfully so that they never seem contrived.
Although the action takes place a decade ago, and not too much has changed since, I hope Ginnie is planning to one day bring the story right up to date, whether through an undated edition of this title or a new publication, as my only complaint is that I found myself on the last page all too quickly.
N
naturelover
Guest
Which Amazon did you order from robbie? Amazon.UK might well surprise you, Amazon.ca could be a little quicker too. Amazon.COM are a law unto themselves but we will be delighted if they are now quoting dates for orders!! :cheeky: ~ Grahame.
The shipping estimate is Sept4 - 18, and thats from amazon.ca. Of course shipping doesn't mean delivery, :ermm: I placed the order August 5:ermm: