Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Thoughts on the Foreign Language Dictionary

Even after I lug through language credit hours touch typing word after word, I still have nostalgia for the a dictionary. Once I decide on a language, I'll heave the heavy tome from my shelf and flitter through the pages.

It's never a direct route.

On the way  to find the English translation of пенсия (pension) you may find scaremonger (паникёр), tall fur hat (папаха), and if you've accidentally missed it: to call the roll (переклевать).

The pads of your fingers run along at random as if pointing to spells or choosing a cluster of terms for your next great novel. In Russian, maybe?

It's not a question of better or worse. Only sometimes, the sanctity of a book may call you back, even if it is a simple, small dictionary.

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