lexicon
Concerns major and minor
Deepti

Play a while

The words that a nation creates in the field of advertising convey its current concerns clearly. Many advertisements today express a concern for the environment as, for instance, the following words from advertisements: greenputer (green + computer), ecomagination (ecology + imagination), econavi (ecology+ navigation) and intellisense (intelligence + sensing). These portmanteau words are mostly self-explanatory, as, for example, intellisense refers to the intelligence of an air-conditioner in sensing presence in a room and self-regulating its performance accordingly.

With examination looming large on the horizon, the temptation to give advice (however unsolicited) also looms large. So, here it is: examinees, please write to express and not to impress and you MUST read each question carefully before dashing off the answer. Mostly examiners complain that examinees don’t answer what is asked but write what they have memorised. Please ensure that you don’t write language like this little extract: ‘The participants are increasingly identifying the need for radical change which weaves together renewed attention to a vision of citizenship for all, direct engagement with people using support and the major shift in culture required to ensure delivery prioritises person-centered support and connections to the wider community’.

Asians live in Asia and Canadians live in Canada. Sounds very nice and clear but the name of your country can give you an intriguing name sometimes, just read on for some such names. The person from Barbados is a Barbadian, Latvia calls its people Letts and the chap from St Kitts is a Kittitian. Those living in the UAE are called Emirians.

A typical Indian English style of introduction is ‘Myself, Mr. XYZ’. It may sound very crisp but it tells the listener that the speaker cannot use reflexive pronouns well. Either one should say ‘My name is Mr XYZ’ or say ‘I am Mr XYZ’. Here are some instances of accurate usage: ‘I got myself a drink and sat down on the sofa’, ‘What can I tell you about myself?’, ‘I still remember the day my sister and I went to Delhi by bus’ and ‘I looked at myself in the mirror’.