Book review: “Dictionary of collocations” Zanichelli

     In time of crisis (economic, moral and social) we invest more and more in frivolous areas, related to the appearance. As for education, we acquire qualifications which can’t boast a serious study, steady and responsible. What we need more, the salvation element is in us and is just waiting to be fed over time. But once it’ll be solid, no one will steal it. I speak about small instruments of lawful power, I talk about what breaks that horrible spiral of uniformity that’s so fashionable today.

     We demonstrate great care in choosing garments that we wear for a business dinner, gala or to face a job interview. But we pay as much attention to the words which, well combined, make winning our speeches? The answer is no. We care the outward appearance, but not the lexicon which is inexorably impoverished. The turnaround, however, is possible but not without a strong will to implement it. If you’re looking for a motive, I double, I’m offering two: the power of the word isn’t an urban legend, the linguistic fluency is a beauty which differs from the aesthetics one and clothes one for eternity and economy.

     The Dictionary of collocations, complete with CD–Rom, is an indispensable guide to building an effective and always unique lexicon because words are like Lego, can be combined in many ways generating a variety of linguistic constructions.

     The collocations are those linguistic expressions composed by two or more words that give life to phrases that will allow you to convey effective messages to all your interlocutors. This book is a small universe of Italian identity because it contains the typical collocations. It’s valid for native language and even more useful for foreigners who want to learn Italian.

     With this adventure companion you won’t be simple speeches organizers… you’ll become the undisputed manager of them and the best compliment that you’ll receive won’t affect the hairstyle or what you wear, but will be closer to “speak as well!”, “which lexical mastery!” and maybe it will be followed by “could you start on Monday?” (the context is obvious).

     Author Paola Tiberii, Dictionary of collocations, Zanichelli, Bologna 2012, p. 640. 

     Source: “La Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno”, an italian newspaper, April 19, 2014, p. 24.