Is There a Cow in Moscow?: More Beastly Mispronunciations and Sound Advice: Another Opinionated Guide for the Well-Spoken

by Charles Harrington Elster

Elster has selected 475 commonly mispronounced words, arranged them alphabetically and written an essay on how each word is spoken - and mis-spoken - on the airwaves, in the office, and on the street.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0020283717
• ISBN13: 9780020283713
• Release Date: January 1990
• Publisher: Collier Books
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.6" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

From AB-do-men to ZY-duh-koh via LAR-ingks

However you feel about Mr. Elster's first word pronunciation guide, "There Is No Zoo in Zoology", you will fell about his addendum. Regardless of whether any dairy farmers remain in the Russian capitol, the author found many more words whose common mispronunciations are legion, including several proper nouns. It is a wonderful companion to his first book, and left me wondering if a third book might be possible, since we have no shortage of mangled words in need of his aid! After studying both books over a month-long period and overcoming the stage fright of worrying about saying some word incorrectly, I have emerged into a new world where I use and pronounce words more accurately. If you believe our language is worth preserving with a resemblance to its historical contours, some focus on "proper" pronunciation is essential. Mr. Elster has done a lot of research for you, and encourages you to consider his findings and suggestions as you set your personal course toward better speech. I have to add that because the book is divided into a series of entertaining alphabetical vignettes on word origin, evolution, and pronunciation, it lends itself well to the coffee table and other places where people sit to casually read. Don't underestimate the entertainment value of this topic - it is anything but dry and antiseptic. There is real drama in the battle for the English language, including the way we say our words. You will be amazed at how many words you learned and were taught to pronounce the wrong way. If you feel any responsibility at all for preserving the language, Elster will motivate you to clean up your act and improve your standing in the English-speaking world.

Fun for Wordlovers and Speakers

This dictionary style guide to good pronunciation is fun to flip through for those who love words--both spoken and written. And, if you're a speaker, you just might find that troublesome word your tongue gets tied around thoughtfully and carefully broken down so even you can pronounce it correctly.