Different Avtars of English.........

hi all,

Just as I strongly believe that the primary objective of any language is for communication, I also believe that the language should be given its legitimate due and mutilation in any form should be kept at minimum.

Before elaborating on the subject, I am reminded of the responses to my query during my training sessions to students, executives, teachers, and public...... 

When I ask the participants what are the various types of communications, they would come out with a long list - Spoken, Written, Instant Messaging, E-mail, Snail mail, SMS, Telegram, Telephone, Facsimile, etc., etc. However, according to me, there are ONLY two types of communication - 'VERBAL', AND 'NON - VERBAL'.

All the modes mentioned above fall under the former category, while the latter category, which is of paramount importance, constitutes just one vital format - BODY LANGUAGE. Probably, I will say more about that pet topic of mine through these columns at a later date.

Now, let us return to the subject without wasting much time.

English is spoken in different ways in various parts of India. Mallus, Tamilians, Telugu, Kannadigas, Gujjus, Punjabis, Bengalis and all others have their own typical formats, when it comes to speaking this videshi language. For example, 'Voice of America' becomes, "Vaays of Tamil', or 'Voooyees of Malls', or perhaps 'Bhoys of Bengal'. Listen to Kamalhassan in one of his avtars in Dashavtar to enjoy the way Telugu handle it, or some of our Ministers, to enjoy the way Mallus or Bengalis handle the poor language........ Unfortunately, unlike Chinese, Japanese or a host of other nations, we still entertain English as the link language. Having said that, let us try to do justice to the language. In fact, while preparing for exams for admission to Universities abroad, we were advised to listen to BBC, and refine our pronunciation. This applies equally to speaking their language when you are in a state other than your place of origin. Do not translate the sentences to your own mother tongue, and then talk. It would sound ridiculous. Each language like Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi, Punjabi, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam etc., have their own peculiarities when it comes to grammer, ways of expression, short forms, verbal ticks etc....

Interestingly, within a state itself different dialects are followed. The way someone from a particular district talks might sound Latin and Hebrew to others from another district of the same state, and vice verse!!!!

More later..........

Enjoy......................

 

 

a n a n d . . . . .
for ever..........

Atti-Dude

Atti-DUDE!

These days, all are talking about the future of our country lying with youngsters – be it Sports & Games or whatever. In cricket, they want only 2 senior players at a time. And, the days are not far off when companies will decide to fix ceilings on the number of their employees between age groups of 30 – 40, 40 – 50 etc! i.e. the number of employees in the age group of 30 – 40 should not exceed 10% of the total strength etc.

Another school of thought is that the youth of present day are spoilt, unfit, and irresponsible and they can not replace experience and age. My own personal feeling is that today's youngsters don't shirk from accepting challenges, when entrusted with responsibilities. In fact, they are only too keen to convert challenges in to opportunities. Teachers & parents always grumble that the age group 13to 17 is the most difficult to handle. I would firmly say NO to this. It only needs patience & understanding on the part of adults. You place your faith in them, shake hands with them, motivate them, and treat them as friends - they'll do anything for you.

I would like to share with you an interesting mail I got some time back about percentages. What percentage will satisfy the parents and students in the examinations?

The obvious answer is 100%.
I shall tell you a small truth to make our lives hundred percent successful! You allot numbers to the alphabets a,b,c,d………. z as 1,2,3,4………..… 26.

Now, "hard work" will make 8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%.

Working similarly, you will see that "knowledge", "luck", "money", and "leadership" will make 96%, 47%, 72%, and 89%, respectively.

Every problem has a solution. What is that we really need to do to go to the top – to that 100%?

What we need to do is to take that extra step. Change our ATTITUDE.
Allot the numbers (1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5) = 100%! Great, isn't it? It is our attitude towards life and work that makes our life 100%. Have a positive attitude, always. As for me, my blood group best describes my attitude to life - B +

HEY! That's amazing! Isn’t it?

More later……….

HAPPY READING....... 

A N A N D . . . . . . . . .

Karva...........

hiiiiiiiiiiiii,

Today is "Karva Chauth". I thought I would share this light material with you, my dear friends..........................

As you know, married girls (particularly from UP, Maharashtra, Gujrat, Rajasthan, Punjab etc) fast on this day and pray for the eternal and unconditional (?) love from their husbands. Bas itna samcho kee, (kam se kam) aaj ke din ve pati kee yaad karthe hai, aur unkee puja karthe hai...............

For more info however, you may click the link below:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Karva_Chauth

and connected links.

All Hindu Gods have their 'vehicle' for travel / status symbol. (Remember the story of Lord Muruga taking off on his gaadi (Peacock) on an 'around the world in 80 seconds or so.....' trip, to have the proverbial mango fruit from his dad)

Of all the Gods, the mighty had the first option to choose their vehicle, e.g. Indra chose elephant Airavat, who had four tusks and seven trunks and is spotless white. (Don't know about his daddy, Mr. Muthu Pattar..) Shiva had Nandhi, Mahavishnu, Garuda, and the less fortunate had swan, crow, rat etc. 

Now, the 'vehicle' of Lakshmi is Owl, (white Ullu) was very upset one day.

Laksmiji asked him why he was so dejected.

He said, "Madam, sab log din bar din aapki puja karthe rehthe hai. Mei tho saare samay aap ke saath rehthaa hoom, fir bhee meri pujaa tho kabhi koi karthe nahee"

Lakshmi Mata thought for a while - he is right, after all....

She consoled him,

"Fikr math karnaa, Ullooo. Saal mein ek din, kareeb diwali ke das din pehle, (matlab, on the fourth day after the full moon in the month of Karthik), meree pyaree bakhth mahilaayen, is din ko Karva Chauth kehke manaayenge, aur din bhar upvas leke, theree puja karenge...."

Thab se lekar, aaj thak hamare uttar bharath walee mahilaayen, aaj ke din upvaas leke Ullooo kee puja karthe hai... (with utmost sincerity and dedication)

Only thing, they have replaced the symbolic Ulloo with the living (in) husbands.....

Enjoy......................

 a n a n d . . . . .

for ever..........

Myths & Facts about Women

A simple thought to stop and think about...

BELIEF - 1
SHE'LL NEVER BE SATISFIED

TRUTH
Women are always looking for ways to makes things better. Don't take her suggestions as complaints or criticisms, but as her desire to make the relationship or situation the best that it can be.

BELIEF - 2
A STRONG, CONFIDENT WOMAN DOESN'T NEED A MAN TO TAKE CARE OF HER

TRUTH
Everyone loves to be taken care of and to feel needed. even if a woman can fix things around the house or change the oil in her car, She will still ask for help so she can feel your strength, support and protection. Don't ever stop asking, “What can I do for you ? Because it shows her that you care :

BELIEF - 3
WOMAN ONLY WANT TO CONTROL MEN

TRUTH
It's not about control; it's about love. When woman sees a man hurting, struggling or overwhelmed, her goal is to help, not Control. Let her give you a helping hand.

BELIEF - 4
KEEPING A WOMAN REQUIRES A LOT OF HARD WORK, TIME & MONEY

TRUTH 

A serious relationship requires time and effort to cultivate It. You shouldn't look at it as a burden. Your wife or girlfriend will reciprocate the effort you put into it.

BELIEF - 5
YOU CAN'T LIE TO WOMAN

TRUTH
Women are extremely capable of picking up moods and attitudes and can easily read body language and facial expressions. Although you may think that you have gotten away with a great lie, she is either letting it slide because she wants to keep the peace, or she is lying to herself because she's afraid of the truth.

BELIEF - 6
JEALOUSY AND POSSESSIVENESS ARE A PART OF BEING A WOMAN

TRUTH

Women are protective of what belongs to them. They protect  things they value, especially when it comes to relationships. It's not that she don't trust you; she is guarding the relationship. You are too precious to her for her to allow anything bad to happen .

BELIEF - 7
WOMAN ARE EMOTIONAL

TRUTH

Women don't hide their feelings. They articulate what's going on in their minds. There's nothing wrong with emotions..we all have them. Being in touch with their emotions causes women to be sensitive and caring, and that's why men love them...  

 

a n a n d . . . . .
for ever..........

 

The three Filters.........

Last time, I was mentioning about gossips...
And I had promised to elaborate on that.

so, here we go.....................

Socrates (469 - 399 BC) was widely lauded for his wisdom.

One day, the great philosopher came upon an acquaintance who ran up to him excitedly, “Socrates, do you know what I just heard about one of your students?"

Wait a moment," Socrates replied. "Before you tell me, I'd like you to pass a little test. It’s called the Triple Filter Test."

"Triple filter?"

"That's right," Socrates continued. "Before you talk to me about my student, let's take a moment to filter what you're going to say.

The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?"

"No," the man said, "actually I just heard about it and..."

"All right," said Socrates. "So, you don't really know if it's true or not. Now, let's try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my student something good?"

"No, on the contrary..."

"So," Socrates continued, "you want to tell me something bad about him, even though you're not certain it's true?"

The man shrugged, a little embarrassed.

Socrates continued. "You may still pass the test though, because there is a third filter – the filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my student going to be useful to me?"

"No, not really..."

"Well," concluded Socrates, "if what you want to tell me is neither True nor Good nor even Useful! Why tell it to me at all?"

The man was defeated and ashamed.

This is the reason Socrates was a great philosopher and held in such high esteem.

However,  it also explains why he never found out that his student, Pluto was having an affair with his wife....

 

That’s another story any way!

HAVE A GREAT DAY!!!!!!!! 

Satyam Bhrooyaad ...........

hi,

In one of my earlier Blogs, I had discussed about the worthiness of using ‘practical’ English words vis-à-vis ‘puritan’ vocabulary. That was actually exchange of mails in our group, as you would perhaps have noticed. I had deliberately removed some of the unpleasant arguments in that chain of correspondence. There was so much of mud-slinging, actually.

The reason is very simple. One should highlight the pleasant situations. We might have heard our elders narrating about the ‘nasty’ treatments they had received in the past, or the horrendous experience of having got stuck up during one of their train journeys due to some derailments / strikes etc., and how they suffered without food and water for several hours!.... Many a times, we forget about the hundreds and thousands of occasions when we had pleasant surprises, enjoyed excellent dinners, spent joyous times with friends and relatives, train journeys when the service was very good, the schedule was just splendid etc., etc. But we conveniently forget them all, and 'save' the sour memories with the instruction 'do not delete...'

Also, when you comment on some one or some of their actions, remember what our wise elders have said....

सत्यम भ्रूयाद, प्रियं भ्रूयाद
न भ्रूयाद सत्यम अप्रियम....

- they say.

i.e.

“Satyam bhrooyaad, priyam bhrooyaaad,

Na bhrooyaad sayam apriyam……..

Means, if you want to make some factual (satyam) remarks please ensure that it is pleasing (priyam) to the ears of the receiver.

And, refrain from remarking even the facts, if they are not going to pleasant to whom it is intended. (apariyam)

As for gossips, 

Next time, someone starts to spread gossip, think of this story about the greatest philosopher of all times - Socrates 

(to continue in my next blog...........)

 

a n a n d . . . . .
for ever..........

 

Corollaries to Murphy's Law

Whenever I find the key to success, someone changes the lock.

To err is human; to forgive is not a COMPANY policy.

The road to success??.. Is always under construction.

Alcohol doesn't solve any problems, but if you think again, neither does Milk.

In order to get a Loan, you first need to prove that you don't need it.

     All the desirable things in life are either illegal, expensive or fattening or married to someone else..

Since Light travels faster than Sound, people appear brighter before you hear them speak.

Everyone has a scheme of getting rich... which never works.

If at first you don't succeed?. Destroy all evidence that you ever tried.

If you come early, the bus is late. If you come late?? - the bus is still late.

     After a long wait for Bus No.20, two buses will always pull in together & the bus  which you get in will be more crowded than the other.

Once you have bought something, you will find the same item being sold somewhere else at a cheaper rate.

When in a queue, the other line always moves faster, and the person in front of you will always have the most complex of transactions..

WITH LUV

A N A N D . . . . . . . . . 

Murphy's Law

hi,

Ever heard of Adsel Murphy, and his famous "Murphy's Law"?

Well, this law is engraved in golden letters in the hall of fame, and 100% true for all ages and for all seasons...........

It goes like this:

"IF ANYTHING CAN   GO WRONG,  IT  WILL..........."

It all happened like this.

Our friend Murphy was very fussy about the girl he would marry.

So he made elaborate ground work, made in-depth enquiries about the prospects, and finally zeroed in on his dream girl, Mary....

However, on the day of marriage, just as the priest was about to declare them as man and wife, the girl fainted in the hall. One of the doctors who checked her, shook the hands of our friend Murphy, and said, "Congratulations.... Mary is 3 months in to pregnancy............."

That day, Murphy invented the now famous "Murphy's Law" - an amazing piece of observation by the genius...............

There has been numerous corollaries to the original Murphy's Law, which I shall publish later....

Enjoy......................

 

a n a n d . . . . .
for ever..........

Using 'exact' english words - why be puritans?

Given below is a clarification sought by a member of our group on the usage of 'exact' one words (e.g. " changing the journey date from a particular date to some date prior to that...)

Hai
 

How will you say when you want something to be done earlier than the date you have already decided

For example if you have booked a ticket for 10th of november and you want to change it for 1st of November

( .....There is no word called prepone in English Dictionary)
 

best regards

vals

My suggestion: 

hi,
 
YOU CAN SAY "I WANT TO ADVANCE MY JOURNEY DATE FROM 10TH OF NOVEMBER TO 1ST NOVEMBER.
HOPE I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR...

REGDS

ANAND

Comment on my suggestion

On 25 November 2010 13:46, Mathews43 <wpmathews43@yahoo.com> wrote:

Meaning of advance

1. Cause to move forward as in "We are advancing technology every day"

2. Move forward, also in the metaphorical sense as in "Time advances"

3. Bring forward for consideration or acceptance as in "advance an argument"

4. Increase or raise as in "advance the voltage in an electrical circuit"

5. Move forward as in "we have to advance clocks and watches when we travel eastward"

it is very clear that none of the sentences have the meaning "to bring back dated" or bring to a previous date or time..right?

Sent: Thu, November 25, 2010 1:13:26 AM

Subject: Re: [www.keralites.net] a word in english

 

My reply

Dear Mr. Mathews,

I am afraid we are deviating from the main topic.

Personally, I feel language is just a tool to interact / communicate between individuals. The simpler you make it, the better. As long as the meaning is conveyed and understood, it should be OK.

Like the word "advance", there are any number of words in English which convey totally different meanings, depending on the context in which it is used. In fact, even "pre-pone" can be used to convey the meaning which the initiator of this discussion wanted to convey.

Of late, several words like "avtar" have come up; e.g: "create your own Avtar" etc. I don't think you will find the word in any dictionary. Another example would be the word 'Molycotling' to mean "pacifying". This was perhaps derived from the name of the paste "Molycot" which is used to free the threads in bolts etc., of large size, in particular. So, I feel we should not be puritans when we can convey in simple and oft-used words.

I hope Mr. Mathew will agree with me.

Warm regards.

Anand

On 27 November 2010 19:18, kazy girl <kazy_grl@yahoo.com> wrote:

Hello,

Yeah right ananth. as long as ur english is understandable. why not try to look for synonyms or simplier vocabularies or try simply rephrasing ur sentence. u can use "reschedule" or "rebook" to change ur schedule instead of prepone, postpone,wahtever! because u are talking obviously on booking a travel schedule. Precisely, we can't translate literally foreign languages into english and vice versa.


thanks,
kazy

---

My mail with remarks on the above mail:

 Re: [www.keralites.net] a word in english

Absolutely right, kazy. Though I am not very appreciative of the "Net" language, I do appreciate the usefulness of such expressions. Particularly in the present fast phase of our day to day life, where is the time to grope for the exact word?


Again, each language has its own style of expressions. That's probably why the Hindi / northern belt population can't appreciate "our" way of conveying. Could be because, we first "think" in Malayalam, and then, literally translate the sentence to Hindi, or Marathi, or Bengali or whatever.

Best way perhaps, as I realised during my sojourn in Calcutta (what is now Kolkotha) is to mingle with the people there and observe how they pronounce, and structure the sentences. What is "Lakshmi" for us "Lokhee" for them.....

അതുപോലെ "അ" അവരെ സംബന്ധിച്ചോളം "ഓ " ആണ് .

As you had rightly observed, one should be more concerned about the utility value of any word. And as long as it is easily understood, and gives the closest meaning, it should be OK.

Thank you for your observations. Do keep in touch, and take care.

Anand........