Year: Early 1990's
Place: Our home in Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai
A smartphone has a personal dictionary. One can add certain words with their unique spelling to the personal dictionary. Well, what is a personal dictionary? It is a word that has no listing in any dictionary anywhere and hence does not pop out to help us with its spelling, if at all we were confused.
Many apps may have one now; my knowledge of apps and other new technology is limited as my sons would attest now.
I have some personal anecdotes here to relate - the personal dictionary that comes about in any family whenever there are little kids around. These kids, in their childish prattle, invent words that don't exist anywhere and before long these words enter into the family vocabulary.
Whenever there was power cut, my elder son, then about 2 years old, would jump and run about in the house and move towards the main fuse box and on seeing a lamp not glowing (indicating that there was a power outage), he would jump up and down and with wide eyes exclaim, "Tiltan, tiltan". Probably his tiny brain joined the two words that we used to utter "current cut" and made it into one word. We don't know; and the beauty is neither does he remember how that word came to be used! Now of course, whenever there is a power outage, we just say "Tiltan". A word had been added to our household dictionary. Similarly, there are many words which have been added to our personal household dictionary which you won't find anywhere else!
Sample these:-
Baapu = milk
Babbai = bread
Bikki = biscuit
Aggam = water (how did this come about?)
Aggi-baggi = bathing (now this is another mystery)
Mammum = food (again a mystery as to its source)
These are the ones that I can recall immediately and that has entered our family vocabulary since. I suspect though that my wife may be responsible for adding a few! Of course, nowadays the use of these words is only when we have to play-act or tease someone.
I am sure, though, that my children would introduce it into their family when they have one of their own. Maybe some new ones will spring up that their kids introduce! Who knows....I am waiting to hear the childish prattle though.
Kids, are you listening??
Place: Our home in Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai
A smartphone has a personal dictionary. One can add certain words with their unique spelling to the personal dictionary. Well, what is a personal dictionary? It is a word that has no listing in any dictionary anywhere and hence does not pop out to help us with its spelling, if at all we were confused.
Many apps may have one now; my knowledge of apps and other new technology is limited as my sons would attest now.
I have some personal anecdotes here to relate - the personal dictionary that comes about in any family whenever there are little kids around. These kids, in their childish prattle, invent words that don't exist anywhere and before long these words enter into the family vocabulary.
Whenever there was power cut, my elder son, then about 2 years old, would jump and run about in the house and move towards the main fuse box and on seeing a lamp not glowing (indicating that there was a power outage), he would jump up and down and with wide eyes exclaim, "Tiltan, tiltan". Probably his tiny brain joined the two words that we used to utter "current cut" and made it into one word. We don't know; and the beauty is neither does he remember how that word came to be used! Now of course, whenever there is a power outage, we just say "Tiltan". A word had been added to our household dictionary. Similarly, there are many words which have been added to our personal household dictionary which you won't find anywhere else!
Sample these:-
Baapu = milk
Babbai = bread
Bikki = biscuit
Aggam = water (how did this come about?)
Aggi-baggi = bathing (now this is another mystery)
Mammum = food (again a mystery as to its source)
These are the ones that I can recall immediately and that has entered our family vocabulary since. I suspect though that my wife may be responsible for adding a few! Of course, nowadays the use of these words is only when we have to play-act or tease someone.
I am sure, though, that my children would introduce it into their family when they have one of their own. Maybe some new ones will spring up that their kids introduce! Who knows....I am waiting to hear the childish prattle though.
Kids, are you listening??
Tres true. Language is dynamic. It is for communication n if one is able to communicate , the purpose is served. Your write up has stirred a sea of memory of my kids growing up. My elder one would call egg , ‘eggo’. And when he wanted us to take him out , he would say , humko ghumane jana hai. ‘ This was still understandable. My younger one had his own vocabulary which he only enjoyed and it remained an integral part of his growing up. The most distinguished one that comes to my mind is....putta putta... pulla pullla. Which till date we have not been able to figure out. But some how the screaming of it brought beaming smile on his face. Thanks for taking me on a memory trip and happy nostalgia.
ReplyDeleteAvani had baatu=want, baata=don't want, kaate=water, nanna=milk
ReplyDeleteAditi has kuiyua=mischief, pappu=scold, Iggya=mother