According to a recent report as many as 240 words of Indian origin have been incorporated into the Oxford dictionary this year. Over the years English has assimilated into itself numerous words from different cultures. “English is a mongrel language, and always has been,” says Jeremy Butterfield, editor-in-chief, Collins Dictionary. I have always been fascinated by the fact that though English is the most inclusive international language, it’s perhaps the most mutilated in terms of pronunciation, usage and phrasing. From the “gerlz” of the south to the “iskools” of the north, India along with every region in the world has contributed to the gleeful mutilation of English. Even in the UK, every region has contributed to this venture.
In the mid-19th century, Pedro Carolino wrote a book titled English As She is Spoke meant to be a conversational guide for Portuguese-speaking people. However, it caught the attention of the world for its unintentional humour as the translations were hilarious. A few examples:
The Portuguese phrase “As paredes tem ouvidos” meaning “walls have years” has been translated to “the walls have hearsay”. Again, “Anda de gatinhas” (meaning he’s crawling) is “He go to four feet”.
Our media, both print and electronic, often use the world “lynch” for a group attacking an individual. The word is coined after Charles Lynch (1736-1796) a Virginia peace officer who presided over extra-legal trials where punishment of a person accused of crime was mostly by hanging.
I have also wondered at the usage “pure vegetarian restaurant”. Are there impure vegetarian restaurants? I’ve heard of and come across unhygienic ones. Most non-veg restaurants carry varied meat chops on their menu. Actually, chops is that portion of an animal’s face that covers the jaw—as in licking his chops. So what exactly is “mutton chops”? There are many such adaptations and texting abbreviations that have become part of the language.
Our regional pronunciation of many English words is forgivable, as this is a foreign tongue. Moreover, if the Americans and the Australians, for whom English is lingua franca can have their pronunciation versions, why not us? But our use, or is it misuse, of words and phrases is in a class by itself. Some of the favourites of our English news channels are “at this point in time” and this after a theatrical banner announcing “breaking news”. And, then, what is the point? “So there you have it, so and so is evading our tough questions”. The fact would be that the person in question refused to answer. Refusal is a direct response while evasion adds a colour of guilt.
Many years ago, I remember news coming into our office about the demise of a client of ours. Sometime in the afternoon, my boss came up to me and said, “Take care of the office. I have to attend this fumigation.” I was stumped. I did not know that fumigations were events one attended. And then it struck me. He meant funeral.
Why bother about proper usage of language ? We are like that only.