Synthesized answer
The Surat Factors' concern, as noted in the passage, was that the "growing use of 'Hobson-Jobsons'" (foreign words adapted into English) could lead to confusion, as "some English-men discoursing together, others being present of our own Nation ... are not able to understand what the others say, notwithstanding they call it English that they speak" [1]. This represents a "danger" or "corruption" of the language's clarity and national identity, where imported terms make English unintelligible to fellow English speakers.
Ovid's quote offers an alternative view by comparing language to wax that is "easily marked with new figures" and "does not remain as it was, nor keep the same forms, but yet is the same itself" [1]. This suggests that linguistic change is natural and does not corrupt the essence of a language; the "voice" (language) remains the same even as it "migrates into various forms" [1]. Thus, Ovid presents change as a normal, organic process rather than a dangerous corruption.
The passages do not explicitly state the Surat Factors' own perspective on specific "dangers" beyond the quoted complaint about unintelligibility, nor do they detail Ovid's view as an explicit…
Synthesized from the book passages below. Chat with the book on Feynman for follow-up.
From the book
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…
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.…
ts which have been imported, such as loquot , leechee , chow-chow , cumquat , ginseng , &c. and (recently) jinrickshaw . For it must be noted that a considerable proportion of words much used in Chinese ports, and often ascribed to a Chinese origin, such as mandarin , junk , chop , pagoda , and (as I believe) typhoon (though this is a word much debated) are not Chinese at all, but words of Indian languages, or of Malay, which have been precipitated in Chinese waters during the flux and reflux of foreign trade. Within my own earliest memory Spanish dollars were current in England at a…
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…
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.
- 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?
- If you were to explain the purpose and significance of "Hobson-Jobson" to a modern audience using a contemporary example of language evolution (e.g., internet slang or globalized business terms), what analogies would you draw from the provided quotes to make its complexities easily understandable?