Name : Kubavat Kishan
Roll No : 11
Semester : 3
Paper no : 11
Paper name : The Postcolonial Literature
Year: 2015-16
PG Enrollment No:14101021
Submitted to: Department of English
M. K. Bhavnagar University
Topic: Brief Overview on HOBSON-JOBSON
Salman Rushdie
Born on 19th June, 1947 in
Bombay.
Diaspora- writer. Born in India
and Now living in England,
and he is writing from there.
Famous for his essay and
novels.
The Migrant A Muslim in India
An Indian in Pakistan
A Brown man in Britain
He has been in the unique position of
forever being
Rushdie’s problem
Essay Hobson - Jobson
Hobson Jobson is a
historical dictionary of
Anglo Indian words and
terms from Indian
languages which came into
use during the British rule
of India.
It was written by Henry
Yule and Arthur Coke
Burnell and first published
in 1886.
Meaning and origin
Hobson- Jobson is the short title of
Hobson- Jobson: A Glossary of
colloquial Anglo-Indian Words
&Phrases ,and of kindred terms
etymological ,historical, geographical
and discursive.
A historical dictionary of
Anglo-Indian words
Terms from Indian
Languages
Hobson Jobson
Title of the essay…
• In Anglo Indian English, the term
Hobson Jobson referred to any
festival or entertainment, but
especially ceremonies of the
Mourning of Muharram
• In origin- it’s corrupted by British of
“ Ya Hasan! Ya Hussain!” Cried by
Shia Muslims
• This was then converted to Hosseen
Gosseen this , Hossy Gossy, Hossein
Jossein and ultimately Hobson-
Jobson.
• The term “law of Hobson Jobson” is sometimes used in linguistics to refer to the process of phonological change by which loanwords are adapted to the phonology of the new language, as in the archetypal example of "Hobson Jobson“ itself.
• Webster's Third International Dictionary gives as examples of "Hobson Johnson":
• Spanish “cucaracha” becoming English "cockroach", and English "riding coat" becoming French “redingote”
Law of Hobson Jobson
Content in essay
This essay Rushdie tells us how a dictionary
with Indian words for colonizers use came into
existence.
Conversing face to face with us.
English and Indian languages words mingled
with each other.
“These
thousand- add
pages bear
eloquent
testimony to the
unparalled
intermingling…”
Rushdie
considers the
matter of
dictionary
like this
Testimony
Some examples Mixture of Indian and English
words- Hinglish are;
“While having tiffin at the veranda of my bungalow Ispilled kedgree on my daungarees and had to go togymkhana in my pyjamas looking like a Coolie.”
“I was buying Chutney in the bazaar when a thug who hadescaped from the Chokey ran amok and killed a box- wallahfor his loot, creating a hallabaloo and landing himself in themulligatawny.”
• Rushdie also talks about Marathi, Hindi,
Gujarati and Sanskrit based in English
words. E.g.
Shampoo Massage Champo Chapna
Mixed words
“The chief interest of Hobson-
Jobson… in the richness of
what one must call the Anglo-
Indian language… that
language which was in regular
use just forty years and which is
now dead.”
Chief interest in
Hobson- Jobson
Conclusion
• Hobson- Jobson is almost, to regret the passing of the
intimate connection that made this linguistic
kedgeree possible.
• But then one remembers what sort of connection it
was, and is moved to remark.
• Rushdie seems against the distortion of words. He
gave us some interesting notions behind the word
formation in English and Indian languages.
Thank You