Summary
This book is a specialized glossary and bibliography of words and terms used by English speakers in India, aiming to document those expressions that "recur constantly in the daily intercourse of the English in India" but are not part of standard English vocabulary. The author explains that these words either convey ideas "not provided for by our mother-tongue" or are mistakenly believed by speakers to lack an English equivalent. The work draws on extensive scholarly sources, with contributions from experts like Sir Joseph Hooker for botanical terms and Professor Robertson Smith for Semitic words.
The book's content consists largely of bibliographic entries, listing works on Asian history, languages, and travel from the 16th to 19th centuries, including titles by Garcia de Orta, Francis Garnier, and others. A reader takes away a comprehensive reference tool for understanding Anglo-Indian vocabulary and the historical sources that inform it, with the author noting the work's "distinctive character" as differing from any known predecessor.
Key concepts
- Anglo-Indian vocabulary — Words used in daily English-Indian intercourse that express ideas not provided for by standard English or are erroneously thought to lack English equivalents.
- Dual authorship — A veiled intimation conveyed by the book's title, suggesting collaborative work between two authors.
- Semitic origin words — Terms of Semitic linguistic heritage, for which Professor Robertson Smith provided corrections and enriched notes.
- Botanical articles — Entries dealing with plants, examined and corrected by Sir Joseph Hooker with his own notes added.
- Technicalities of administration — Specialized administrative terms that the book deliberately excludes, focusing instead on words from daily intercourse.
- Reflux of Anglo-Indians — The constant return of English people from India to England, who imbue their home circles with Indian notions and phraseology.
Popular questions readers ask
- How would you explain the core linguistic problem that the "Hobson-Jobson" glossary aims to address, as if you were teaching someone unfamiliar with the concept of language borrowing and transformation?
- The various historical quotes lament the unintelligibility or mixed nature of language. How do these diverse perspectives, from 17th-century merchants to ancient philosophers, collectively justify the significant "laboris opus" undertaken by Yule and Burnell in compiling a glossary like "Hobson-Jobson"?
- Ovid's adapted quote suggests language is fluid but retains its essence, like wax taking new forms. How does this view reconcile with or challenge the concerns expressed by the Surat Factors and R. Verstegan regarding the perceived degradation or confusion caused by the influx of "foreign" words?
- If the principles behind "Hobson-Jobson" were applied to contemporary English, what kind of modern "colloquialisms and kindred terms" stemming from global interactions or specific subcultures might warrant a similar glossary, and what unique challenges would arise in compiling it today?
- Beyond simply defining words, what deeper insights into cultural exchange, historical power dynamics, or the very nature of language itself can be gleaned from the specific examples and overall purpose of a glossary like "Hobson-Jobson"?