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Books

Europe in 60 languages

A review of Lingo, by Gaston Dorren. A series of quirky linguistic stories full etymological pleasures

15 November 2014

9:00 AM

15 November 2014

9:00 AM

Lingo Gaston Dorren

Profile, pp.256, £12.99, ISBN: 9781781254165

So Basque is an ergative language! Well, I never. I couldn’t have told you that a week ago. I even know now what that means (more or less). And, well… so much for Basque. Moving along, then… In Lingo, Gaston Dorren speeds around Europe, giving each of his chosen 60-odd languages three or four pages’ attention before striding off again.

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Available from the Spectator Bookshop, £10.99 Tel: 08430 600033. Daniel Hahn has translated Philippe Claudel and José Saramago and is national programme director of the British Centre for Literary Translation.

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