Synthesized answer
The passages do not explicitly discuss how Iamblichus, R. Verstegan, and Ovid collectively lay the theoretical groundwork for understanding the necessity and complexity of compiling a dictionary like *Hobson-Jobson*. However, they provide relevant fragments. Iamblichus states that "every nation has some idiomatic expressions which it is impossible to render perfectly in the language of another" [1][3], highlighting the inherent difficulty of translation. R. Verstegan argues that borrowing foreign words into English can make the language unintelligible even to native speakers [1], underscoring the need for careful lexical documentation. Ovid’s adapted lines compare language to wax that changes shape while remaining the same substance [1][2], suggesting that words evolve in form while retaining a core identity.
These perspectives collectively imply that a glossary like *Hobson-Jobson* is necessary to capture the complex, hybrid Anglo-Indian vocabulary that arises from cultural contact and linguistic borrowing. The book’s title itself exemplifies this process, being "a typical and delightful example of that class of Anglo-Indian argot which consists of Oriental words highly…
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.…
← 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…
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 ,…
More questions about this book
- Explain how the concept of 'Hobson-Jobson' words, as described by the 17th-century Surat Factors and R. Verstegan, highlights a fundamental tension between linguistic purity and the natural evolution of language through cultural contact.
- Imagine you are teaching a friend about the impact of cultural exchange on language. Using specific examples from the text, explain why a glossary of "Anglo-Indian colloquial words" would be crucial for understanding both colonial history and the English language's development.
- Considering the challenges of translating idiomatic expressions (Iamblichus) and the potential for incomprehension (Verstegan), how does the 'Hobson-Jobson' glossary serve as both a record of cultural fusion and a tool for navigating linguistic divides?
- The excerpt includes a quote from Pliny about human limitations in scholarly work. How might these inherent challenges specifically manifest for Yule and Burnell in compiling a glossary of 'colloquial' and 'kindred' Anglo-Indian terms, and what does this imply about the ongoing nature of linguistic study?