Skip to content
Description
By: Elizabeth Little
When Chinese shopkeepers tried to find a written equivalent of Coca-Cola, one set of characters they chose was pronounced “ke-kou ke-la.” It sounded right, but it literally translated as “bite the wax tadpole.”
Language, like travel, is always stranger than we expect and often more beautiful than we imagine. In Biting the Wax Tadpole Elizabeth Little takes a decidedly unstuffy and accessible tour of grammar via the languages of the world—from Lithuanian noun declensions and imperfective Russian verbs to Ancient Greek and Navajo. And in one of the most courageous acts in the history of popular grammar books, she attempts to provide an explanation of verbal aspect that people might actually understand. Other difficult and pressing questions addressed in Biting the Wax Tadpole include:
*Just what, exactly, the Swedish names of IKEA products mean
*Why Icelandic speakers must decide if the numbers 1-4 are plural
*How Theodor Geisel (aka Dr. Seuss) was able to take an otherwise unexceptional pair of breakfast foods and turn them into literary fodder for generations
*Why Joanie Loves Chachi was Korea’s highest rated television show ever
*Why Basque grammar seems downright kooky to just about anyone who isn’t a native speaker
When Chinese shopkeepers tried to find a written equivalent of Coca-Cola, one set of characters they chose was pronounced “ke-kou ke-la.” It sounded right, but it literally translated as “bite the wax tadpole.”
Language, like travel, is always stranger than we expect and often more beautiful than we imagine. In Biting the Wax Tadpole Elizabeth Little takes a decidedly unstuffy and accessible tour of grammar via the languages of the world—from Lithuanian noun declensions and imperfective Russian verbs to Ancient Greek and Navajo. And in one of the most courageous acts in the history of popular grammar books, she attempts to provide an explanation of verbal aspect that people might actually understand. Other difficult and pressing questions addressed in Biting the Wax Tadpole include:
*Just what, exactly, the Swedish names of IKEA products mean
*Why Icelandic speakers must decide if the numbers 1-4 are plural
*How Theodor Geisel (aka Dr. Seuss) was able to take an otherwise unexceptional pair of breakfast foods and turn them into literary fodder for generations
*Why Joanie Loves Chachi was Korea’s highest rated television show ever
*Why Basque grammar seems downright kooky to just about anyone who isn’t a native speaker
You may also like
Top Trending
Dog Man 14: Dog Man: Big Jim Believes: A Graphic Novel (Dog Man #14)
Sale priceHK$85.00
Regular priceHK$150.00
In stock
Billy and the Mini Monsters: Monsters Play Football
Sale priceHK$59.00
Regular priceHK$98.00
In stock
Press Start! #17 The Super Jump Between Worlds! (Branches)
Sale priceHK$55.00
Regular priceHK$98.00
In stock
Anzu and the Realm of Darkness: A Graphic Novel
Sale priceFrom HK$85.00
Regular priceHK$140.00
In stock
The Curious Cases of Hopps & Wilde # 1: The Bling Sting (Disney Zootopia)
Sale priceHK$39.95
Regular priceHK$70.00
In stock
Pocket Potters Bundle with Limited free Tote Bag
Sale priceHK$239.00
Regular priceHK$520.00
In stock
Darkstalker: A Graphic Novel (Wings of Fire: Legends Graphic Novel)
Sale priceHK$99.00
Regular priceHK$154.00
In stock
All New Official Minecraft Handbook Bundle (Mojang AB)
Sale priceHK$299.00
Regular priceHK$640.00
In stock
