The Mad World of Sign Language: Adventures in Unfortunate English from the Readers of The Telegraph

2014 | Humor & Comedy

If you have ever been asked to 'not keep your legs', offered a 'villain roast bighead' for lunch, or even thought of visiting Buckshutem Wildlife Reserve, you will know that the English language is truly in a parlous condition. The Mad World of Sign Language is a compendium of the most inappropriate, confusing, poorly translated and downright bizarre signs from every corner of the globe, as spotted by the readers of the Telegraph whilst on their travels. It seems that few things amuse and appal this eagle-eyed tribe as much as the abuse, misuse, mistranslation and utter mangling of the English language. Here we present an entertaining round-the-world tour of their most egregious and amusing sightings, as collected by the weekly feature Sign Language. The ailing art of signwriting offers a timely warning about the imperilled state of modern English, both here and abroad. What more efficient and hilarious way to make the point?

The Telegraph (Author)