The many dimensions of the OED Online
by
Howard Richler
(Part two of a three part series)
The
online edition of the Oxford
English Dictionary (OED) affords
word lovers a myriad of ways to explore the English language.The
largest area for searches occurs in the category section that is
sub-divided into four parts: Subject, Usage, Regions and Origin.
Under Subject, one can check words on a plethora of topics such as
Education, Military and Law.
In
the Law section, there are over 8,000 words, such as
recusal, abeyance,
and
codicil, many
of which will be known to those familiar with legal terms.
However, for readers who delight in arcane words,
you
will discover expessions such as bastardy
order
“an order made by a magistrate for the support of an illegitimate
child by a putative father” and alnage,
“the action of ... determining whether woolen cloth conforms to
particular standards of shape and quality as required... under
British law.” For
those mining obscure
legal words you'd likely find them in legal sub-categories such as
Medieval, Ecclesiastical and Roman law. For example in feudal times
bloodwite
referred to “ a fine payable for the shedding of blood,” whereas
lairwite,
was a “fine for fornication or adultery with a bondwoman.”
Corsned
in Old English law referred to a type of trial by ordeal in which an
accused person would eat a one-ounce piece of barley bread and cheese
which was consecrated by exorcism. Supposedly, if the accused was
guilty, his eating the holy bread would cause him to go into
convulsions and choke. In days of yore, reaggravation
was something best avoided as it referred to “the second warning
given to a person before final excommunication.” This, however,
was probably not as dangerous to your well-being as perduellion
which in Roman Law denoted high treason.” Also in Roman law, it
wasn't necessarily a good thing to be emancipated
as this could refer to being delivered into servitude or subjugation
because emancipation was often effected by fictitious sale.
The many flavours of English found in the OED
Online
The Regions category demonstrates the incredible variety
that marks 21st
century English. And even though English is spoken virtually
everywhere on this planet it may not seem like the same language to
all based on distinctive vocabulary one finds in different parts of
the English-speaking world.
Former British colonies often display flavourful
Englishes. In Jamaica, nyam means
to “eat voraciously” and Babylon
is a “dismissive term for something regarded as representing the
degenerative or oppressive nature of white culture.” In South
Africa, skindering is
a word for gossip and if you're babalaas,
you're suffering from a hangover, which is probably not kwaai,
a slang term for “cool.” It's also not
kwaai to be a
moegoe, a country bumpkin or gullible person.
In West Africa you don’t remove someone from authority, you
destool them which may
be a result of a palaver,
a “dispute.” Colloquially, palaver
can be used to mean “problem,” as in “That's your palaver.”
In
New Zealand, you don’t attend a funeral but a tangi
and if
a New Zealander tells you to hook your mutton,
you haven't received an invitation to dine on sheep, rather you've
been told to “clear out.”
In India, you'll find that familiar words might have
very different meanings. For example,
intermarriage refers not only to people of
different religions getting hitched but also to people from different
castes. Accomplish
often will have the distinct sense of “to make complete or perfect”
and cabin usually
refers to an office or office cubicle.If someone in India or other
South Asia locales says they’re going to send you their biodata,
understand the term to mean curricilum vitae, (CV). We
in Canada call where we put the luggage in our car the
trunk; the Brits call it the boot
but in India it is called the
dicky. Also certain terms that have been
obsolete for over a century in England live on in India, including
the verbs condole “to
offer condolences” and prepone
“to bring
forward to an earlier time or date.”
Unfortunately,
the euphemistic term eve-teasing is
heard all too often in India; it refers to the sexual harassment of a
woman by a man in a public
place.
One of the more amusing descriptions of a person in East Asia is
astronaut. This
designation describes a “high-flying” business person,
semi-permanently in transit between locales such as Hong Kong and
Vancouver because his/her family has emigrated.
And even when you happen upon a country where most
people speak English as a first language, don't assume you'll
understand the lingo. In Australia if someone asks you where the
dunny is, they’re
looking for the toilet. If you've been referred to as a wowser,
don't feel
complemented as it means “party-pooper”
as the term refers to a puritanical person who disapproves of dancing
and drinking. Alas, it is not only Down Under where you may feel at a
linguistic loss partying in an English-speaking area. In Scotland you
are not the life of the party if you are described as fire-raising.
You are accused of arson!
Nor should we Canucks regard ourselves as language
purists, as in next month's issue, I'll explore one of my favourite
mutations of our native tongue: Canadian English.
Richler's next book
Wordplay:
Arranged & Deranged Wit
will be published in 2016.
