Sign Language
Your sampling of “Sign Language,” collected by world travelers and published in the Travelin’ Woman newsletter (“News, Tips & Bargains,” July 23) was most amusing. But let’s give credit where it is due. The original list of signs was collected and published by linguist Richard Lederer in his book, “Anguished English.” The compilation has been copied and reprinted--usually uncredited--ever since.
As editor of Crystal Harmony’s daily newsletter, I included portions of Lederer’s list almost daily, always to the delight of passengers. I took an on-board poll once to find the favorite among travelers; the overwhelming winner was a sign in a Norwegian cocktail lounge: “Ladies are requested not to have children in the bar.”
KIRK FREDERICK
Studio City
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Here is an addition to “Sign Language.” While hitchhiking from Paris to Vienna, I saw this sign outside a restaurant in Salzburg, Austria: “Menu Special: Chicken on Spit.”
NANCY PEARSON DREW
San Diego
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