The Dictionary of the Asian Language

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By Todd Crowell

with cartoons by Ming

Of course there is no single Asian language. But plenty of vogue words from this booming continent are entering English.

Did you know there is a flower named after former North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il? The Chinese have a word – shengnu, literally leftover – for the new phenomenon of unmarried women over thirty. Can you tell your jeepney from your jilbab, or yakuza from the yellowshirts?

These are just some of the hundreds of words that illuminate little corners of life and culture in a pan-Asian selection of keywords from the zeitgeist.

Look inside this book
Click on the following link to read pages from The Dictionary of the Asian Language. You will need a pdf reader to view this excerpt.

aaiiiyah! to Ayutthaya

OR

Description

Of course there is no single Asian language. But plenty of vogue words from this booming continent are entering English. Did you know there is a flower named after former North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il? The Chinese have a word – shengnu, literally leftover – for the new phenomenon of unmarried women over thirty. Can you tell your jeepney from your jilbab, or yakuza from the yellowshirts? These are just some of the hundreds of words that illuminate little corners of life and culture in a pan-Asian selection of keywords from the zeitgeist.

Additional information

Dimensions 140 × 216 mm
Pages

296

Binding

Paperback

Illustrations

30 cartoons by Ming

About the author

Todd Crowell is an American journalist who has worked in Hong Kong, Thailand and now Japan, where he serves as country correspondent for Asia Sentinel. He has written three other books: Explore Macau; Farewell, My Colony: Last Years in the Life of British Hong Kong; and Tokyo: City on the Edge.