Where do words
What's a catamaran? When I was in grade 12, my geography teacher, Mr. Ranganathan, (from Chennai) asked me if I knew the origin of the word “catamaran”.
I knew what it was but I had no idea about its origin.
He explained that it is like a bilibili. And it is derived from the Tamil word, kattumaram which means “logs bound together” and is a raft made of three to seven tree trunks latched together. Being a Tamilian, he was proud of the fact that the origin of the word was mentioned in the Oxford dictionary.
Hobson's choice
That started my lifelong fascination for words and their origins and I became somewhat of a logophile (lover of words) and an etymologist (student of the origin of words).
This love was further reinforced by my English teacher, Mrs. Doris C. Prasad, who taught us English - about Hobson's choice, among other interesting words and their origins, what malapropism was etc.
For words, origins or histories provide a context. For example, a hippopotamus is a “river horse,” from the Greek hippos, meaning “horse,” and potamos, meaning “river.”
If you were offered a Hobson's choice, would you know what was meant? Thomas Hobson owned a stable in England. He loved his horses, and to prevent any one horse from being overworked, he hired them out in turn. Customers had to take the horses they were given. Thus Hobson's choice means no choice at all.
We were given such a choice at home. I would ask my nom, “What's for dinner?” She would say, “Alu and roti”. I would say, “Not again. Is there anything else? She would say, “Yes, roti and alu!
People's Names
The English language is living and growing. Although many words have been part of it for many years, new words are added all the time
Sometimes when a person invents or introduces something, that thing becomes associated with the person's name. The person is forgotten while the name lives on. Examples include: mesmerize - F.A. Mesmer, an Austrian doctor and hypnotist, tantalize from the sad story of Tantalus, the mythical king. And pasteurized named after Dr. Louis Pasteur, the French chemist.
Malapropism
My major in college was zoology. The HOD, Dr. Sanjeev Raj, asked my classmate Suresh Prasad why he wanted to major in zoology. Suresh said he wanted to become an etymologist. Dr. Raj was amused, and said, “I think you want to be an entomologist”. Suresh had just uttered a malapropism which is the substitution of a word with a similar sound usually to achieve some sort of a comedic effect.
Mrs. Malaprops is a humorous aunt in Richard Sheridan's comedy-of-manners The Rivals. Here is an example of Mrs. Malaprop's verbal lgaffe “The pineapple of politeness” (Instead of “pinnacle of politeness.”).
Indian old-timers will remember the famous line Madhav ke ghar chori hoige. Or the immortal song by Mukesh - Saawan ka mahina, pawan kare shor
Historical context Some words also have interesting histories. The following examples will give you an idea of how history can affect language.
Footman - It was once thought to bring bad luck if a person stepped on the door threshold when entering a house. Rich people hired a servant to stand whose job was to guard against a guest's stepping on the threshold. The guard became known as a footman.
Groggy - We've all felt “groggy” at one time or another – lethargic, sluggish. It originated in the 18th century with a British Admiral whose sailors gave him the nickname “Old Grog” on account of his cloak, which was made from a material called “grogram”. He said that his sailors should be served their rum diluted with water, rather than meat. This was called “grog”, and the feeling experienced by sailors when they'd drank too much of it was thus called “groggy”. Maybe it really was kava.
Quarantine “Quarantine” has its origins in the devastating plague, the socalled Black Death, which swept across Europe in the 14th century, wiping out around 30 per cent of Europe's population. It comes from the Italian words “quaranta giorni”, or “forty days”. In an effort to halt the spread of the plague, ships were put into isolation on nearby islands for forty days before those on board were allowed ashore. Just like we did for COVID-19.
Tantalize – This is one of my favorite words. King Tantalus had displeased the gods in some way. As a punishment, he was condemned to stay forever in water up to his chin while overhead hung boughs laden with fruits. Whenever he stooped to drink, the water disappeared and when he tried to reach the fruit, the wind blew it away. I believe the girls do the same thing to their boyfriends these days. But what do I know? I am too old to know if I am being tantalized.
Constantly expanding English is still growing. About 800 neologisms (newly coined words or expressions) are added to the English language every year. The formation of blends such as motel from motor and hotel and acronyms (words made up from initial letters) like scuba (self-contained underwater breathing apparatus) is typical of late 20thy century English.
My Bad!!
Like Professor Henry Higgins, I have a great love for the English language and resent its contamination by social media and even in conversations. Recently I was talking to a neighbour who said, “My bad” after she said something rude. My bad?? What is that?
Who even comes up with an obnoxious expression like that? So I called my daughter in the US about it. Much to my dismay, she said it was a pretty common expression. But then she lives in the USA and Higgins has rightly said, England and America are two countries separated by the same language.
Just desserts
Anyone who has the gall to adulterate the beauty of the English language should be given the cold shoulder. It refers to an old custom of giving an unwelcome guest a cold piece of meat from the shoulder of mutton, pork, or beef chop, as opposed to a welcome guest receiving a warm serving.
■ ARVIND MANI is a former teacher who is passionate about quality education. He lived in the US for 35 years and was actively involved in training youths to improve their speaking skills. The views expressed are the author's and do not necessarily reflect the views of this newspaper. He can be reached at theinspiredteacher9@gmail.com
IN late November 2015, I caught a train with my family from the New Delhi railway station to the city of Jammu. The Jammu Rajdhani Express took around 10 hours to get there and since we left in the evening, we slept through the ride and arrived in the morning.
I was cold and felt sick; this was my first winter experience and I was suffering already.
We had booked for a third-class AC tier, which made the ride comfortable however my runny nose, headache, fever and fatigue were horrid.
As a young teenager, I was annoyed, mostly at myself and sought comfort in the tropics of home.
You see because I was sick, my parents had to arrange for a packaged tour because I refused to take a bus.
So we were provided with a vehicle with a driver named Bilal, a Kashmiri man, with blue eyes and blonde hair.
He was a chatty one, and to this day we keep in touch with him.
Bilal took us on a roller coaster ride from Jammu to Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent.
The road to Kashmir is scenic but quite narrow with so many blind curves.
We were at the edge of the mountains most of the time, and if one looked down, you'd see a raging river.
The ride took more than seven hours and we all held our seats tightly as our driver zigzagged, overtaking at curves with oncoming trucks.
He would do this all while talking on his phone which rang constantly, and chatting with us.
While we feared this ride, he was full of joy and would constantly laugh while making jokes.
Kashmir was the first state we visited and one that will forever hold my heart.
While we drove, we passed several Kashmiri shepherds walking along with their flocks of sheep moving from the heavy winter that would follow.
Winter in Kashmir had just begun, and it was freezing cold. If we had gone in December, snow would have been everywhere.
But at this time, snow could only be seen on mountaintops and the hillsides.
We arrived in Srinagar, the largest city and capital of Jammu and Kashmir in the late evening and ordered an Indian thali at our hotel before we dozed off.
Our stay in Kashmir lasted for one week and during this time, we travelled to different towns, protected in our boots, gloves and endless coats.
We visited forts, the Dal Lake, which looked dark and dreary and traversed through hilltops that led to valleys, some covered in snow while some were not.
Each of us had hired a horse/pony of our own to go through these mountains and we were led by our guide.
We passed streams and went up and down the hill till we reached an area filled with snow, it was so white, and bright, that it hurt my eyes for a while.
Here, there was a group of men, making packets of Maggi noodles by the fire for those travellers who were hungry.
My memory of Kashmir will always be one filled with the calmness of nature, of young children with their blonde, fair skin and coloured eyes who would stare quietly, smile and hide when you peek at them.
Before arriving in India, I was unaware of this beautiful state and hardly paid any attention to political matters of this place, after all my focus was on fun.
I think of Kashmir quite often, especially of the roadside goat curry spiced with their special chilli powder cooked in open fire, served with fragrant white rice and pickled purple onion; I have not tasted curry made as such here in Fiji so far.
While we were there, I was unaware that tensions were slowly rising in the state between India and Pakistan and this was made clear when we arrived back home in 2016 and saw reports of it on the news.
But I didn't think much of it until I watched the free screening of the movie 'Article 370' last week Friday which was hosted by the High Commission of India at the Damodar cinemas.
The movie, released this year (2024) is based on true events executed in two hours and 30 minutes that evoke strong emotions for those who view it.
According to Aljazeera News, the article, which came into effect in 1949, exempted Jammu and Kashmir from the Indian constitution and allowed the region jurisdiction to make its laws in all matters except finance, defence, foreign affairs and communications.
It stated that the region established a separate constitution and a separate flag and denied property rights in the region to outsiders.
Residents of the state lived under different laws from the rest of India in matters such as property ownership and citizenship.
The scenes of the movie were nostalgic, and a compelling narrative was set against the backdrop of Kashmir's unrest in 2016, portraying both espionage and political intrigue, quite similar to the coups in Fiji and how they caused unrest between the people and its leaders.
Directed by Aditya Jambhale, the film is based on the removal of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and the autonomy granted under Article 370 of the Indian constitution.
It starred two women, Yami Gautam and Priyamani as the driving forces behind this intense narrative that educates and keeps you invested for the most part.
Yami plays the role of Zooni Haksar, an intelligence field operative, recruited by the Prime Minister's Office Secretary for a secret mission aimed at dismantling the conflict economy and combating terrorism obstacles posed by corrupt local leaders and militants in the Kashmir valley.
The film highlighted that the suffering of ordinary Kashmiri residents stemmed from this corruption and the abolishment of the special status to the region would help decrease their problems and to help unify India.
As the movie ended, a round of applause was heard from the Indian diaspora and friends of India and deep thoughts lingered on the complex issue of the film.
Although the division of societies exists worldwide based on varying factors, Fiji is fortunate in many ways to be free of certain violence and to have people of different ethnicities come together as one, embracing religion and culture in schools and other institutions.
And while I may traverse the world's great frontiers and admire new places and things, I remain a passionate lover of my Pacific island paradise in the sun.