Synthesized answer
The core purpose of "Hobson-Jobson" was to compile a glossary of Anglo-Indian argot, which consisted of Oriental words that had become highly assimilated into the English vernacular, often due to frequent use in the daily interactions of the English in India [1, 2]. These words were used either because they expressed ideas not adequately covered by the English language or because speakers mistakenly believed they conveyed a precise meaning not found in English terms [2].
At the turn of the 20th century, such a glossary was essential because it served to facilitate the comprehension of everyday language and phrases used by the English in India [2]. While glossaries of Indian words had been printed before, often attached to travel narratives or published independently due to historical events, many modern glossaries focused purely on technical administrative or revenue terms [3]. "Hobson-Jobson" aimed to capture a broader spectrum of language encountered in daily intercourse, including terms that had been brought back to England by Anglo-Indians, thus influencing English circles [2].
Synthesized from the book passages below. Chat with the book on Feynman for follow-up.
From the book
which has been given to this book (not without the expressed assent of my collaborator), doubtless requires explanation. A valued friend of the present writer many years ago published a book, of great acumen and considerable originality, which he called Three Essays , with no Author's name; and the resulting amount of circulation was such as might have been expected. It was remarked at the time by another friend that if the volume had been entitled A Book, by a Chap , it would have found a much larger body of readers. It seemed to me that A Glossary or A Vocabulary would be equally…
e to affect its distinctive character, in which something has been aimed at differing in form from any work known to us. In its original conception it was intended to deal with all that class of words which, not in general pertaining to the technicalities of administration, recur constantly in the daily intercourse of the English in India, either as expressing ideas really not provided for by our mother-tongue, or supposed by the speakers (often quite erroneously) to express something not capable of just denotation by any English term. A certain percentage of such words have been carried to…
Vocabularies of Indian and other foreign words, in use among Europeans in the East, have not unfrequently been printed. Several of the old travellers have attached the like to their narratives; whilst the prolonged excitement created in England, a hundred years since, by the impeachment of Hastings and kindred matters, led to the publication of several glossaries as independent works; and a good many others have been published in later days. At the end of this Introduction will be found a list of those which have come under my notice, and this might no doubt be largely added to. Of modern…
dem est; VOCEM sic semper eandem Esse, sed in varias doceo migrare figuras." Ovid. Metamorph. xv. 169-172 (adapt.). "... Take this as a good fare-well draught of English-Indian liquor ."— Purchas , To the Reader ( before Terry's Relation of East India), ii. 1463 (misprinted 1464). "Nec dubitamus multa esse quae et nos praeterierint. Homines enim sumus, et occupati officiis; subsicivisque temporibus ista curamus."— C. Plinii Secundi , Hist. Nat. Praefatio, ad Vespasianum . "Haec, si displicui, fuerint solatia nobis: Haec fuerint nobis praemia, si placui." Martialis , Epigr. II. xci.…
the work up to the summer of his death; that the measure of bulk in contribution is no gauge of his share in the result. In the Life of Frank Buckland occur some words in relation to the church-bells of Ross, in Herefordshire, which may with some aptness illustrate our mutual relation to the book: "It is said that the Man of Ross" (John Kyrle) "was present at the casting of the tenor, or great bell, and that he took with him an old silver tankard, which, after drinking claret and sherry, he threw in, and had cast with the bell." John Kyrle's was the most precious part of the metal run into…
More questions about this book
- The opening quotes discuss challenges in translation, the acceptance of foreign words, and linguistic purity. What central dilemma or linguistic phenomenon do these diverse perspectives collectively highlight, and how does the existence of "Hobson-Jobson" itself offer a response to this?
- The 1617 quote from the Surat Factors expresses concern about the "growing use of 'Hobson-Jobsons'." How does this historical stance contrast with the later creation of a comprehensive glossary for these same terms, and what does this shift suggest about the evolving nature of language and cultural interaction?
- Iamblichus and Verstegan both touch upon the idea that perfect translation is impossible and that borrowing can lead to misunderstanding. How might the authors of "Hobson-Jobson" have used their glossary to mitigate these inherent linguistic challenges for their readers?
- Considering the "Etymological, Historical, Geographical and Discursive" scope of the glossary, what kind of understanding of language and culture do you think the authors were trying to foster, beyond merely defining words, and why is this deeper context crucial for Anglo-Indian colloquialisms?