Synthesized answer
The passages do not explicitly quote 17th-century merchants or ancient philosophers lamenting the unintelligibility or mixed nature of language in a way that directly justifies the "laboris opus" of Yule and Burnell. However, they do include relevant perspectives. A 1617 letter from Surat Factors complains of "words in this languadge" that the Court had forbidden, indicating a concern about mixed language [2]. Iamblichus (an ancient philosopher) states that "every nation has some idiomatic expressions which it is impossible to render perfectly in the language of another" [2][3], and R. Verstegan notes that Englishmen using borrowed words can become unintelligible to other Englishmen [3].
These diverse perspectives collectively underscore the confusion and opacity that arise from linguistic borrowing and mixing. This confusion, in turn, justifies the "laboris opus" (work of no small labor) that Yule and Burnell undertook in compiling "Hobson-Jobson" [1][5]. The glossary aims to trace Anglo-Indian words to their true origins and clarify their meanings [4], directly addressing the unintelligibility lamented by merchants and philosophers. The passages thus imply that the glossary was…
Synthesized from the book passages below. Chat with the book on Feynman for follow-up.
From the book
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.…
← Hobson-Jobson ( 1903 ) by Henry Yule and Arthur Burnell A → 2629965 Hobson-Jobson 1903 Henry Yule and Arthur Burnell [ A ] - [ B ] - [ C ] - [ D ] - [ E ] - [ F ] - [ G ] - [ H ] - [ I ] - [ J ] - [ K ] - [ L ] - [ M ] - [ N ] - [ O ] - [ P ] - [ Q ] - [ R ] - [ S ] - [ T ] - [ U ] - [ V ] - [ W ] - [ X ] - [ Y ] - [ Z ] A GLOSSARY OF ANGLO-INDIAN COLLOQUIAL WORDS AND PHRASES AND OF KINDRED TERMS ["Wee have forbidden the severall Factoryes from wrighting words in this languadge and refrayned itt our selves, though in bookes of coppies we feare there are many which by wante of tyme for…
αθ' ἕκαστον ἔθνος ἰδιώματα ἀδύνατα εἰς ἄλλο ἔθνος διὰ φωνῆς σημαίνεσθαι "— Iamblichus , De Mysteriis , vii. cap. v. i.e. "For it is by no means always the case that translated terms preserve the original conception; indeed every nation has some idiomatic expressions which it is impossible to render perfectly in the language of another." "As well may we fetch words from the Ethiopians , or East or West Indians , and thrust them into our Language, and baptize all by the name of English , as those which we daily take from the Latine or Languages thereon depending; and hence it cometh, (as by…
lity, however vulgar they may be, neither vernacular nor profane, but phrases turning upon innocent Hindustani vocables. We proposed also, in our Glossary, to deal with a selection of those administrative terms, which are in such familiar and quotidian use as to form part of the common Anglo-Indian stock, and to trace all (so far as possible) to their true origin—a matter on which, in regard to many of the words, those who hourly use them are profoundly ignorant—and to follow them down by quotation from their earliest occurrence in literature. A particular class of words are those indigenous…
UM FERME LUSTRORUM OBLECTAMENTUM ET SOLATIUM NEC PARVI LABORIS OPUS ABSOLUTUM TANDEM SENEX SENI DEDICAT H. Y. PREFACE. The objects and scope of this work are explained in the Introductory Remarks which follow the Preface. Here it is desired to say a few words as to its history. The book originated in a correspondence between the present writer, who was living at Palermo, and the late lamented Arthur Burnell , of the Madras Civil Service, one of the most eminent of modern Indian scholars, who during the course of our communications was filling judicial offices in Southern and Western India,…
More questions about this book
- 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?
- 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"?