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“Raise your words, not your voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder.” ~ Rumi
Illustration by The Geostrata
A prominent historian and author, Yuval Noah Harari, in his magnum opus “Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind,” highlights how the growth of human civilisation is closely linked with the development of languages for communication.
Language not only allows humans to communicate better but also gives them a medium to express their thoughts, augmenting various aspects of human creativity.
By contrast, the dismantling of words and language can also lead to negation not only in terms of human creativity but also in terms of liberty and freedom. George Orwell’s 1984 provides a good example of this phenomenon where the enhancement of human subjugation is supplemented by spoliation of words in the Newspeak (a fictional language in the novel that helped the party and Big Brother to sustain their power over the masses).
But apart from being a medium of creativity and subjugation, words can also be fun. And who can be more fun than Dr. Shashi Tharoor when it comes to words and language, especially in English?
The recent book authored by Dr. Tharoor and published by Aleph Book Company titled “A Wonderland of Words: Around the World in 101 Essays” provides delightful insights into the complexities and intricacies of the English language. Written in 101 essays, which are divided into thirteen sections, the book covers stories, histories, and acrobatics that one might encounter in understanding the depth of the English language. The book expands many nominal words and profoundly dissects them.
One example is the phrase, “shot’ of whiskey.”
While it is very common these days in parties and dinners to order shots of whiskey or liquor, it is originally linked with the American Wild West. In the old Wild West, a 0.45 cartridge for a revolver used to cost 12 cents, so that was the price of a ‘shot.’ Coincidentally, a glass of whiskey also used to cost 12 cents, so the two of them could easily commingle. If one was low on cash, he would offer the bartender a cartridge in exchange for a drink, and that eventually became a ‘shot’ of whiskey.
Dr. Tharoor further expands on variations and dialects of English. A good example is the difference between British and American English.
While both of them, for the majority part, are the same, there are some notable differences, especially in the words that look and sound similar. It can also be a reason for cardiac arrest for a British passenger when, during a flight, an American pilot announces, “The place would be airborne momentarily,” because in British English ‘momentarily’ means ‘for a moment,’ suggesting that the plane might crash imminently, while in American English ‘momentarily means ‘in a moment’ and the pilot was merely appeasing the impatient passengers.
For moments like this, the wise men have perhaps said, “Britain and the United States are two countries divided by a common language.”
As a fellow logophile—a person with deep affection for words—Dr. Tharoor further proscribes the predominant importance of punctuation. The comma, whether in life or in language, if put carelessly, can alter the meaning of it entirely. He gives an apt example: when a computer class teacher announces, “Let’s learn to cut and paste kids,” instead of “Let’s learn to cut and paste, kids,” it can create a huge panic among parents.
The title of the book cannot get any more perfect, as the book really takes you around the world, and the feeling of reading it is no less than that of exploring a wonderland.
Dr Tharoor’s literary brilliance is visible throughout the book. Highly recommended to the people interested in language, literature, and simply, words.
BY DARSHAN GAJJAR
TEAM GEOSTRATA
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