Lingo: Around Europe in Sixty Languages
I am currently listening to this book through Audible and it is a really interesting book. The chapters are short and pithy, but there is quite a plethora of interesting tidbits. Ever heard of the Jewish language of Karaim? How about the secret language of gays in the UK, Polari? There are also remarks at the end of the chapter telling the listener what words from that language were adopted (or not) into English. There is also the "lightbulb" which indicates words that exist in the topic language but not in English. There is a word in one language (I can't remember which one right now) for the constant opening and closing of a door and a Portuguese word for someone who crashes funerals for the sole purpose of food and booze.
I posted threads in the Jewish Group about Karaim, and the LGBT Group about Polari, if you are interested to explore a bit further. Do keep in mind both those groups are "groups" and not "forums" so check out the mission statement if you haven't before.
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