A Personal Kiwi-Yankee Dictionary - by Louis Leland (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

How would you respond if a New Zealander invited you to a leg-in? Would you know what to do if someone told you to pull up a browser? Without some assistance, most foreigners would indeed be baffled by the intricacies of the Kiwi tongue. Now, however, help is available as Louis S. Leland Jr., a professor of psychology at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand, unravels the mysteries of this colorful language. Composed in equal parts of fact and hilarity, this specialized dictionary will aid the traveler, amuse the linguist, and delight even the casual observer. This book is a perfect companion volume to Pelican's comprehensive Maverick Guide to New Zealand, widely acclaimed as the best guidebook on the subject.

About the Author

Louis S. Leland Jr. has been a professor of psychology at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand, for more than twenty years. He regularly contributes to psychology journals and heads the departmentís Community Behavioral Change Program. The program allows students to study and improve community awareness of and contribution to areas such as recycling, refugee aide, and donor volunteering. Mr. Leland has also written the perfect translation from American English, chiefly Texan and Ohioan, to New Zealand English. He was inspired by the experience of his wife, a native New Zealander, or Kiwi, who moved to the United States for a year during high school. Needing an eraser in class one day, she leaned over to her classmate and asked if he had a rubber. She was baffled by his response and slightly uncomfortable thereafter; a guide such as this would have helped. Composed in equal parts of fact and hilarity, this specialized dictionary will aid the traveler, amuse the linguist, and delight even the casual observer.