The words that make a language not only have meaning, but also cultural context. A web search will lead you down digital lanes where you’ll meet words from other languages with no English equivalents. Wouldn’t it be easy to have one word to describe the act of gazing vacantly into the distance without thinking? The Japanese call this boketto. Or, one word to describe the urge to pinch or squeeze something that is irresistibly cute? The Filipinos call this urge gigil.
Indian languages too have a gift of expression. We have a treasure trove of words to describe specific moments, objects and emotions. The English language has been inspired and borrowed from this treasure. In this blog, we highlight 7 English words from Tamil, a Dravidian language spoken in southern India, Sri Lanka and Singapore by about 67.5 million people.
William Dampier, a 17th century English adventurer, who visited South-eastern India, mentioned the primitive watercraft used by the village in his book, ‘A New Voyage Round the World’. The Tamilians referred to this cool ride as kattumaram, literally, meaning logs tied together. That’s how the word catamaran, a yacht or other boat with twin hulls in parallel, came into being. What was a way of life then, is now an activity for adventurists who take ‘catamaran’ rides in surfing towns.
Milagu thanni in Tamil means pepper water and a reference to the peppery dish, rasam. As it travelled to the West, its name and flavours got anglicised to suit the Western palette. The name though, retained the original formulation. What was milagu thanni travelled to the West and got re-christened mulligatawny. Having this soup while suffering from a cold can provide you great relief.
The Tamilians smoked churuttu, a roll of tobacco. Thus, was born its English counterpart the cheroot, a cigar with both ends open. Cheroot is pronounced as shuroot, sounding a lot like where the word came from!
In ancient South India, vetiver was added to water in earthen pots to cleanse and cool the water. This fragrant Indian grass, vetiver, goes by the same name in English too, and is a popular ingredient in the natural cosmetics industry. From soaps to lotions, shampoos to lip balms, the humble vetiver is a crowd favourite for its many healing properties.
Tamilians used the kayiru, rope, to drag, lift, and bind things. The English language turned kayiru into coir, that meant fibre from the outer husk of the coconut, used in potting compost and for making ropes and matting. To this day, if you pay close attention at airports, you’ll find a few packages bound sturdy with coir ropes.
A main part of the after-meal ritual in South India, vettrilai was known to promote digestion along with a host of other benefits. Vettrilai, a plant leaf, has since become popular in the English language as betel leaf. Please note, that though the betel leaf is harmless, chewing on them can leave red stains on teeth and tongue.
In the days of yore, pagavadi in Tamil referred to a house belonging to a deity. Today, pagavadi’s English cousin, pagoda, is a tiered tower with multiple roof spaces. The pagodas in Vietnam, China, Japan, Philippines, UK, and Taiwan now feature on the bucket list of many global travellers.
Enjoyed reading? Watch this space. We will continue to write about the influence of Indian languages on the English language.
Is there a word you know that English has borrowed from your language?
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][vc_separator][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_cta h2=”” add_button=”right” btn_title=”Take a free test” btn_color=”warning” btn_link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fsteptest.in%2F%3Futm_source%3Dblog%26utm_medium%3Dblog_article|||”]This article is for STEP levels 8 to 10. Click on the button now to check your STEP level for FREE.[/vc_cta][/vc_column][/vc_row]