Synthesized answer
"Hobson-Jobson" is a glossary of colloquial Anglo-Indian words and phrases, and kindred terms [1]. Its purpose, as explained in the preface, was to have an alternative, characteristic title for a book that might otherwise be unattractive [2]. The phrase itself, though now rare and moribund, is a "typical and delightful example" of Anglo-Indian argot where Oriental words are highly assimilated to the English vernacular, sometimes through "vulgar lips" [2]. This assimilation can involve corruptions of Oriental words and phrases that "have put on an English mask" [3].
To explain "Hobson-Jobson" to a modern audience using a contemporary example, one could draw an analogy to how internet slang or globalized business terms evolve. For instance, the way certain English terms are adapted or corrupted by non-native speakers, or how loanwords are blended with existing language, mirrors the assimilation process described for "Hobson-Jobson." The phrase "Hobson-Jobson" is presented as a specific instance of this phenomenon, where Oriental words were modified to fit the English vernacular, often to express concepts that English speakers felt weren't adequately covered by their own language…
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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.…
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…
ng; whilst in other cases our language has formed in India new compounds applicable to new objects or shades of meaning. To one or other of these classes belong outcry , buggy , home , interloper , rogue (-elephant), tiffin , furlough , elk , roundel ('an umbrella,' obsolete), pish-pash , earth-oil , hog-deer , flying-fox , garden-house , musk-rat , nor-wester , iron-wood , long-drawers , barking-deer , custard-apple , grass-cutter , &c. Other terms again are corruptions, more or less violent, of Oriental words and phrases which have put on an English mask. Such are maund , fool's rack ,…
← 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…
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…
More questions about this book
- What core phenomenon about language does this compilation of quotes aim to illuminate, and how do the diverse perspectives (from trade records to ancient philosophy) collectively build a comprehensive understanding of it?
- The text describes "Anglo-Indian colloquial words." Explain, using the principles articulated by Iamblichus and Verstegan, why such terms are not merely translations but represent a unique linguistic and cultural phenomenon.
- The Surat Factors expressed concern about the "growing use of 'Hobson-Jobsons'" in 1617. From their perspective, what specific "dangers" or "corruptions" might these foreign words represent, and how does Ovid's quote offer an alternative, perhaps more natural, view of linguistic change?
- Consider the act of compiling a glossary like "Hobson-Jobson." Beyond just defining words, what deeper cultural, historical, or even political insights might such a collection inadvertently reveal about the power dynamics between the "Anglo" and "Indian" languages during their interaction?