Dictionary of Fine Distinctions - Eli Burnstein - ★★★

AUTHOR: Eli Burnstein

ILLUSTRATOR: Liana Finck

GENRE: Language Nonfiction

PUBLICATION DATE: April 9, 2024

RATING: 3 stars.

In a Nutshell: The term ‘dictionary’ led my expectations askew. The book contains distinctions, but not just limited to common words. It covers too many topic areas and hence feels needlessly complicated. I did have fun with it and learnt much, but I wish it had stuck to more practical distinctions.

Confusables (words/phrases that are easily confused with another in meaning or usage) are common in every language, but English is possibly the champion when it comes to having the maximum number of confusables, courtesy its eclectic composition. Whether homonyms or homophones or homographs, English does its best to muddle up not just newbies but also native speakers. As such, a book that clarifies confusables is always welcome to teachers as well as students.

Except that this one does not exactly fit the above requirement.

I must begin by appreciating the efforts behind the book. The amazing array of distinctions clearly indicates the hard work put into compiling these terms and their differences. Over 200+ pages, the book covers many pairs, triads and quartets of confusables across a medley of subjects.

There are many word sets where I was already aware of the exact distinction (Goblin vs. Ogre vs. Troll), some that I didn’t know precisely (Pidgin vs. Creole), some that I never consciously thought about until I encountered them herein (Convince vs. Persuade), and some that I have read before but still get confused about as understanding them is beyond my mental processing power. (Latte vs. Flat White vs. Cappuccino vs. Cortado.) Some were very common terms (Electric vs. Electronic) while some were more obscure comparisons (Hermit vs Anchorite.) A few were words I have never heard of in my life! (Schlemiel vs. Schlimazel!?)

Many words and examples are specific to the USA, which is fine as the book is meant for American audiences but this restricts its appeal outside of the country. Not docking off points for this.

There are extensive notes at the end for further elaborations on some of the words. There are also B&W illustrations for every distinction.

A special note of appreciation for the comparative pairs that begin and end the book. They were brilliant, and an apt way to set the ball rolling and bring it to a stop respectively.

Where I feel the book could have done better is in restricting itself to more practical and common distinctions instead of focussing on a wide range of topics. The ‘dictionary’ covers not just confusables in ordinary English vocabulary but also muddling terms from other subject areas such as geography (Great Britain vs United Kingdom), mathematics (Natural Numbers vs. Integers vs. Rational Numbers vs. Real Numbers), history (Flail vs. Mace vs. Morning Star), architecture (Porch vs. Veranda vs. Deck vs. Patio), and so on. There is even some jargon from topics that only professionals/enthusiasts would need to know, such as music (4/4 Time vs. 2/2 Time), computers (UI vs. UX), and sports (Deadlift vs. Romanian Deadlift.) Why would most people need to know these technical terms? By broadening the scope of topics too much, it ends up being a ‘jack of all trades, master of none.’

A few of the comparisons are unnecessarily convoluted. For instance, there’s one entry for 'Irony vs Sarcasm', which contrasts the two words taking into account just one meaning of ‘irony’, ignoring its alternative synonym of paradoxical contrast. And there’s a separate entry many pages later that explores 'Verbal Irony vs. Dramatic Irony'. Such pairs of words could have been easily combined.

Moreover, with such eclectic topics, I would have preferred the book to have some kind of an organisational method, maybe by grouping the distinctions as per topic/subject or listing out the distinctions alphabetically. At present, the entries are too random and hence feel very jumpy when almost every turn of the page brings a word set from a new subject.

Honestly, I might have enjoyed this more had the content stuck to the fundamental differences between general language-related confusables. By delving into esoteric pairs, the book restricts its target audience. I might have said that this would be a great option for school libraries, except that a few entries are suitable only for adults (Kink vs. Fetish.)

All in all, this would still be a good gifting option for adult word nerds. But it is too abstruse to be recommended to a general reader and not child-friendly enough to be recommended to schools.

 

Just to clarify: My dissatisfaction has nothing to do with the topic or a lack of interest in it. I'm a language enthusiast and a huge grammar nerd. This was totally my kind of book had it lived up to the title.

My thanks to Union Square & Co. and Edelweiss+ for the DRC of “Dictionary of Fine Distinctions: Nuances, Niceties, and Subtle Shades of Meaning”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.