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