PEN

 PEN

I know quite a few eye brows would arch up in disbelief, as to what could be the justification for such a topic. Given my age-based experience, I have observed the progress in the evolution of the gadget called Pen. Way back in 1950, as a school boy, I still remember our senior boys used to carry a bottle of ink [in hand fearing the prospect of it spilling in the school bag, soiling all books and the lone notebook]. The then schools and teachers were far more purposeful than what we witness of the schools now. With infinite sympathy teachers would permit wards to use the same note book for different subjects up to V standard and were permissive of our using the slate for writing practice and even presenting of home-work. But, they were rigid by observance of all learning protocols, implicit obedience, writing practice and recitation of tables from fractions below 1 TO 16. Some teachers used to make it up to 20. Reciting of tables was a daily exercise of “chorus” as the day’s opening and closing of school schedule. Students in classes below 3^RD STANDARD would form a mini sand platform before each and using the finger, would scribe alphabets / numerals for practice. It was a frugal exercise of cutting cost and teachers were very accommodative to frugality. There were no artificial enforcement of ‘bound note books [a dozen +of which hardly 10-15 pages are used in each]. Now-a-days re-using of the old notebook is a crime though it is a criminal act to waste money on such extravaganza, and the 2 eras can never stand a comparison; yes, the old era was academically superior and the present day revels in  pomp and riches of attire and cart loads of books. In such a dispensation the then students were longing to use the Pen – a symbol of higher level learning. Only after standard VI, can any student use a Pen. Mind you, it had to be the ink pen gloriously named “Fountain pen”. Obviously, standard VI marked the entry of a student to High school. Before that stage,  pen was not permitted; after 3^rd standard , it was Pencil and 1 note book +Slate  for home work. The slate then was a piece of ‘planed stone’ mounted in a wooden frame. Many had only fractions of the stone, as the material was prone to breakage if dropped on floor. When black-painted metal sheets were marketed around 1955 or so, it was a revolution and parents heaved a sigh of relief,   as 1 slate would last for years. I remember an advertisement "நான் ;மனோகர் சிலேட், என்னை எளிதில்  உடைக்க முடியாது"  But the boys had the knack of ruining them by abuse/ misuse by rubbing the surface with gritty matter to damage the paint –irritating the teacher well before parents could detect the misdemeanor as an act of personal displeasure. If caught in that act, brutal punishment was inevitable.   

The [Hi]story of Pen

In good old days of our grandparents, bird quills served as Pens. The quill has a central tubular shaft from which bilateral emergences form the feather. The quill has a finer free tip –the writing end. The free end of quill, if dipped in ink and used , would deliver ink for a while to write. Every now and then the quill would be dipped in ink for writing. The quill must have been a proud possession, as all quills may not be elegant tools for writing.

The Stylus

These were standard gadgets of wooden handle with a ‘nib-holder’, were very popular as pens until fountain pens dominated. The nib was a curved piece of metal with a ‘writing’ tip. The nib was dipped in ink and used as a pen, holding the wooden handle. Undoubtedly, using such gadgets, people had developed a highly refined ‘cursive form of writing’. Recall the elegance of hand writing by our leaders- MK Gandhi, Nehru, Rajaji and others that stand apart by the artistic strokes in writing. Later gadgets have ‘spoiled’ the elegance of writing through the ease of writing. Gadgets which demanded careful orientation of the nib angle for uniform  ink flow, habituated those hands for appropriate orientation, pressure and right progression for steady writing.  In several schools of long standing, even now we can notice desks with shallow circular pocket-like cavity to keep ink bottle and a longer elliptic shallow groove for placing the Stylus.

Fountain Pen

Later, ‘ink-holding’ fountain pens were marketed. They were marketed by industries. The most popular brand of the 1960s was ‘WRITER’ pen priced at a modest Re 1/- and the product was extremely popular for its smooth flow and long-lasting performance. At around the same time Madurai had a product ‘NAVY’ Pen. Most of those pens had a barrel for holding ink and properly closed by the Nib-holding Neck. Inferior pens were notoriously leaky, soiling the fingers and shirt pockets of users.

India witnessed the imported pens like PILOT, SCHEEFERS and other names - high-priced beyond the buying power of those school boys then. Cashing in on the euphoria for ‘imported stuff’ Hero pens were marketed. They were self-filling [ by a suction arrangement] taking ink from container but did not meet the ink-holding capacity of our native fountain pens and the rubber tube for ink holding was prone to damage and had a natural death . By late 1970s and after , ball pens were marketed. But, the writing fluid in them was ‘oil-based’ and in due course, the oil used to spread through the paper making an unpleasant appearance. Ball pens of those times required application of pressure to make the writing tip permit the rolling of ball for ink delivery. The pressure used could cause physical impressions on backing PAPERS or cheque leaves of banks, making it easy for forgery.  So, Universities, Banks, Examination boards placed severe restrictions over the use of ball pen and rather discouraged the practice.      It was not until refined writing fluids were used, that relaxation on use of ball pens witnessed wider acceptance. Now, the ball-pen is the norm and refills are not in demand as complete pens can be had for as low as Rs 2/- and very good ones at around Rs. 5/- or so. All said and done hand writing of boys and girls show a downtrend as against those of the era of fountain pens. Free-flowing fluid gels were a craze in the early part of the millennium. However, the volume of used debris of ball pens is a menace of plastic pollution. Some boys forget to carry the pen and buy it almost daily. Frugality looks a cruelty now-a-days.

Prof. K.Raman 

 

 

Unintended fun

 Unintended fun

[Thoroughly imaginary with no malaise whatsoever]

The reader is invited to presume that the event goes on in a college hostel of a high profile institution functioning in an Indian METROPOLIS. The purpose of drawing a metropolis into the topic is to throw open the feasibility of imagination that revolves round a group of friends drawn from different lingual belts of our multilingual, multicultural Nation. Being from different language cultures, everyone prefers to stick to his mode of speech –especially the dialect, little recognizing ‘how funny it is’ for all others both by pronunciation and by the usage. Needless to say ‘it prevails in most such situations’ where a few of them manage to use Hindi, some have working knowledge of the language [all non –Tamils] while a few are oblivious of the on-goings ‘except’ that friends are conversing [Persons from Tamil Nadu]. Keeping in with the mood of the assembly these Hindi-illiterates too let off guffaw not knowing that they are themselves the  butts of the joke being shared among classmates in I year of  some High-tech programme. No offence meant to anyone, Is my reiteration just to keep the record straight. Now, on to the ‘actuals’ of conversations which appear comic. In order that the phonetic form is registered in the way uttered, it is obligatory to  employ wrong spelling to give the sound effect.

What is your plan after this course?  Some ‘X’ says I go ’phoren’ [ He intends going abroad as ‘phoren’ is forign’]. After 3 minutes of further conversation , our Thanjaavur boy laughs saying FAAR IN AAH? IMPLIED TO say is it foreign? The rest of the gang laughs at the wide-mouthed  FAAR IN AAH?. The irritated Thanjaavur man; Y  doo yooou aall laaauffU? MEANT TO ASK ‘Why do you all laugh?  Yuvar angrej  is phunni – a Hindi boy . The Nellai boy Angrej?  Wee or frends –no ANGER JI here. . It opens up greater fun as ANGREJ was misread as ‘Anger’ ji. Actually everyone in that group has a peculiar accent. Not knowing that every other fellow imagines self to be perfect, these boys keep nurturing cordiality –for, –every other group MAY readily target them for ‘RAGGING’. Better to BE ragged by classmates than by others. They KEEP walking into the town, each with a specific item of purchase for personal use. The Hindi boy ‘I NEED A SAABOON’. Nellai AND Thanjavoor stare at each other in fear as to how we can get on with these and with interrogative looks mutually worry the other for the meaning of ‘SABOON’. Nellai whispers to Thanjavvor –will know at the shop from his purchase as to what is ‘saboon’. Their wit failed because the ‘Hindi boy’ bought 7 or 8 items making it more complicated to pick out ‘saboon’ from that bunch.

At the shop Thanjavoor and Nellai kept off to have their own items which were just comb and coconut oil. Not knowing the preferred name in the area, the two struggled with ‘COCONUT OIL’, Later ‘THENGAA OIL’; The shop keeper ‘ Tonga oil nai’. Suddenly Nellai shouted PARA SOOT’ [instead of Parachute]The shop keeper ‘soot keliye Ready DHUKAAN me dekiye’. Yes Parasoot is ready made. –‘Nellai boy’. HAAN ji said the Shop man. Then like a stage actor, Thanjavoor boy made signs of pouring oil on left palm and vigorously rubbed on to scalp ; now the shop keeper ‘OYAL HAI NAA? Nellai was afraid that Hyena is an animal and how to use its oil. Meanwhile, the seller brings different brands of oil with the lucky item ‘Parachute’ as one. Then without much trouble they enacted for hair comb and got it too. Again the problem came when Shopkeeper said ‘pachaas’. Knowing their plight the shopkeeper took mercy [upon self] to collect the money and said phiphty [It was much like a BEEDI-SMOKER’S Gesture of saying through the lips “phiphty” instead of the Southerner’s way of saying Fifty between the upper lip and the lower teeth. For us, it is too complicated to call PHIPHTY in place of Fifty.  

Even as they got back to the hostels, more fun was on the cards. I want ‘CHAKLI’ Said the boy from Nanjangud [Karnataka]. The 2 [Nellai and Thanjavoor ] were confused as to how they would locate a cobbler at that late dusk. Normally cobblers wind up at the twilight, as they cannot afford to use expensive lights for work. One person said Chakli can be had at Gandhi sarkal [ sarkal = circle]   N and T were eager to know what was sarkal [ When they saw the huge Neon display they together exclaimed sarkLLL- a heavy pronunciation of K and  L      together,   WHILE OTHERS CHOSE TO space out saying sar kal.  Again debate over the phonetic treatment of the word began and Thanjavoor invited controversy saying you peepL make funny pronunciation. All others [except Nellai] joined in chorus to say you peeppal [ pronunciation of people] pronounce bad. When chakli was bought, N and T knew that it was ‘murukku’ the crunchy oil-fried eatable.  It took a couple of weeks before all of them settled to the idiosyncrasies of others in the group. It slowly got entrenched into deep friendship of mutual love and respect by developing  a sense of tolerance for other points of view.        Until words are understood, pronunciation recognized friendship takes time to emerge as friendship is a product of tolerance. Learning other languages is a natural advantage for survival in other geographic territories.  Too rigid postures about language is the route to undue suffering.    

Prof. K.Raman                                              

 

 

CARPENTER

 CARPENTER

It is fascinating, if one chooses to carefully follow how carpenters go about their assignments of  fabricating a variety of products like Doors, Door frames, Window frames, Windows , mounting grills into the wooden frame , louvres and every other item known or unknown to us. You may just wonder as to what is fascinating about the whole thing. Before coming to judgment, it is sensible to assess the requirement . Persons reading this blog post from outside Southern India may not concur with my observations, since what obtains in Northern states is far different from that it is done in South especially in Kerala. Those of us who have had the experience of building house , would have engaged a carpenter for wood work except if the whole project was assigned to a contractor. Often, people prefer to utilize the services of well-known carpenters  for the aesthetic presentation of wood components. Contractors have a tendency to exercise stringent cost reduction to stand higher profit for themselves. Cost reduction implies using low quality material and workmanship. If the wood work is segregated from structural works of masonry, contractors feel relieved that carpentry unless executed to perfection, would keep posing problems subsequently too. ,

Consider the totality of work in terms of carpentry.

Knowing the number of items to be made, the items of different dimensions are determined considering all aspects of budget , compromises in selecting wood , nature of iron grills and every other criterion likely to co-ordinate with wood work. The volume of  wood is calculated either in Cubic feet or in the form of  previously fabricated frames / planks of wood , working of some surface designs needed and the feasibility of wood for such  craftsmanship are evaluated. Mind you, the carpenter is not an engineering graduate; but he is adept in assessing the volume of material needed by merely measuring the vacant windows or doorways and fixes up the requirement. Good carpenters do not settle for ‘finished products’,  saying that the material provided is generally inferior though good –looking. After a few months or a year such products reveal blemishes like filled-up crevices/ cracks concealed by filler material etc. Most doors are machine finished by using wood pulp and not wood. The major attraction for such finished products is the instant availability for immediate use.

Our present mission pertains to recognizing the merits of our established carpenters who are unlettered men; yet they execute wood work by and large to precision. We must realize that measurements cannot be violated as addition of pieces cannot happen in wood work unlike in masonry where secondary corrections may be done. All such omissions and commissions in structure can be conveniently hidden by plastering. So, carpenters are cautious enough to use slightly longer dimensions to permit slight trimming down but additions are just ruled out.

Carpenters have a fine approach to work. Once at work, they only converse with the assistant exchanging mono-syllables asking him to drill hole or wedge out step for which the chief marks the limits of the territory. As and when a component is basically carved out, the chief makes a pencil mark of serpentine lines or X marks which he alone can decipher anytime later. There are characteristic practices of ‘frame joints’. The most avid of carpenters choose to design Cross –joints [MORTISE –TENON Joint] as against straight joints [BUTT Joint] since the latter tends to turn loose later. Cross –joints work as mutual opponents preventing any displacement. But, making a cross joint in wood demands precise cutting of joints without any deviation in angles. Carpenters use the ‘set-square’ exactly and draw the precise line for cross, in   mirror-like image angles. The joints are of the ‘dove-tail’ type. One segment has a cavity and the other has an  exactly fitting projection  tucked into the cavity  with glue or synthetic adhesive for binding the two pieces.  Further, to make a lasting bondage between the two pieces, a hole is drilled from one surface to the other.  Classic carpenters do not use metal nails as binders. Instead, they use wooden nails chiseled out in bamboo segments. About 2- 2 1/2 inch long bamboo is trimmed to short cylinders . Such cylinders coated with adhesive are gently hammered into the holes for holding together the whole corner assembly. The wooden nail would finally be trimmed in plane with the surface. 

The nail trimming is another act of ”thus far and no farther”. Yes, placing the chisel at the bottom of the nail, the man just punches the chisel head with his right palm to damage only the nail and not the main wood. By a similar gentle angular slash any nail projections are leveled up with no trace of incongruity in the joint.   Such niceties of work demand right application of tool and least use of force to preclude chances of ‘disfiguring’ the wood. If anyone needs any endorsement  of my observations, I would recommend your visit to some old schools / Colleges where massive tables stand testimony to Indian history and politely keep reminding us  of our carpenters  who have made those ‘firm- standing’ tables  and benches  that have taken upon themselves ages of rubbing by  unending stream of visitors  from 19^th century onwards. All they reveal is the story of infallible joints and meticulous planing of wood by our craftsmen called carpenters.. Hats off to that “vanishing breed”of workers,  eliminated by aggressive industrialization of wood- product making.

Prof. K.Raman

MOSQUITO

 MOSQUITO

Next only to God, mosquitoes are ubiquitous and have slowly adapted to survive in hilly areas, getting associated with human inhabitations. Humans are all-out to destroy mosquitoes and have realized the impending health hazard from ‘helicopter-like’ creatures that need just enough ground to land on and draw blood –the most unobtrusive way by tucking her stylet into human flesh. My using the feminine gender  is justified ,since it is the female mosquito that thrives on human blood, while the males  use plant sap for feeding. Genders apart, mosquitoes are fast breeders and multiply the number in millions by utilizing stagnant water puddles and pools following rainfall.  I shudder to think of our fate if ever mosquitoes can avail of sea water for breeding. It is God’s infinite mercy that has kept a regulation over their potential to multiply in all water bodies.

Aedes, Anopheles and Culex are well known species among Indian mosquitoes. Each of them has typical appearance, common host targets and serve as ‘vectors’ [carrier] of disease-causing parasites.

Aedes serves to distribute CHIKUNGUNIA, DENGUE, YELLOW FEVER and LYMPHATIC FILARIASIS                                 [ Elephantiasis]

Anopheles serves to carry germs of Filariasis and Malaria Of them Filarial disease is caused by round worm [Wuchereria bancrofti] and Malalaria by one-celled Pasmodium. Plasmodium  enters the blood stream while the round worm affects the lymphatic system of the host.

Culex serves to  spread Japanese Encephalitis [ Brain fever] and Lymphatic Filariasis

Culex has a sitting posture of keeping its body parallel to the surface The body is yellowish and hairy

Aedes  keeps an angular body  posture with reference to the surface .The body is black with white patches

Anopheles sits with a  45^o angle with reference to the surface. The body is yellowish

In a broad sense, these mosquitoes resemble different brands of Air craft parked on Tarmac

Generally male mosquitoes are known to live for a week while the females can last from 5 weeks to 4 or 5 months .

Since mosquitoes leave their eggs in water, their larvae survive in water until development before emergence. They normally emerge in dim light of dusk..

The most logical method to control mosquito propagation should discourage small water collection in open vessels , left over shallow containers like coconut shells, unused vehicle Tyres  with shallow pockets holding rain water etc. Any open vessel left inverted is better for avoiding breeding spots of mosquitoes. Tyres are better left flat on the floor instead of leaning them on walls. Fine meshes mounted on to windows and door ways can minimize mosquito entry.  Use of mosquito repellent creams is better than smoky coils or chemical coated repellents.

Neem leaves/ neem oil can give off odour offensive to mosquitoes and are better than organic repellents.  Dark corners , folds of cloth are places where adult mosquitoes hide by day and later have a field-day at night. They are the unknown Shylocks who insist on drawing blood , though not flesh. Incidentally, we do not hear much about bed bugs these days.

Prof. K.Raman

 

THE POLITICIAN

 THE POLITICIAN

What is great about a politician? Nothing--literally nothing. But [s]he is everything. In our country nothing happens without the ubiquitous politician. Is it possible to define the person called politician? The person appears in human form. Beyond that there is nothing human about the ‘politician’. A politician is the most adept ‘chameleon’ swiftly changing colours / code of conduct, inclined to misconduct  and portraying  an artificial smile shielding the draconian desire or design within. The ubiquity of a politician is a major hindrance to prospects of progress in development / infrastructure.

[S]he, seldom  misses an occasion for public appearance, especially at events of media galore. Any civilian with sensibility / sensitivity cannot hope to survive in politics. The foremost requirement for a political career is to disband looks of ‘high profile’ personality and to liberally mingle with the masses, readiness to shed crocodile tears is an instant advantage in projecting an image of ‘concern for common man’. Despite the ‘down to earth‘ projections of self, politician chooses to portray an image to be ‘taken note of’ by the ‘organizers of any event , so that [s]he is the central figure in all key events of the occasion.  Another facet of politician in building the personal ‘image’ of self is to wear ‘spotlessly clean attire’ in pure white [males] or rich fabric [females] so that even in strange locales ,the politician gains recognition. Within about 50 days of getting ‘elected’, the politician reveals resourcefulness by visits in the newly acquired vehicle, with his/her henchmen perching on the lateral surface of the vehicle – as if the person inside is a high profile target for terrorists. It is a kind of signal for rivals and the general public that ‘I am no small person’. Leaving aside such paraphernalia of the politician, if we watch his /her social conduct in all functions in the town or temple, [s]he would field self in prominent locales with folded hands, as if the person abides by decent disposition during celebrations. The folded hands signify the fast-approaching general elections to the local body/ state / National level.  A little after the elections [s]he is a rare person shielding self from public view.

Does it mean that the politician is a despicable entity? We may not be justified in such summary categorization of the political clan outright. There are sporadic good ones across the spectrum of politicians of differing political ideologies. Like the common man filling varied slots of good, bad, desirable and the undesirable, the political personalities too represent every segment. But, the general aversion to the clan of politicians stems from the unscrupulous trends among the majority of them. They reflect feudal tendencies which they stoutly oppose on political platforms. For them observance and advocacy are two different mutually exclusive principles; they advocate liberal outlook but stick to archaic practices of ‘ruler’ and the ‘ruled’.

A feeling that ‘all is not good with the Indian politician’ looks rather unfounded; the political clan across continents seems to suffer from similar syndromes if not from identical ones.

MEDIA and RHETORIC

All politicians share the same mania for popularity. So, they tend to stay in prominence through media. They tell lies for winning elections and revel in rhetoric of a high order.  While addressing the poverty-stricken local masses, they do not hesitate to call the American President for a debate on unemployment in US, as if the same is no longer an issue in a hamlet near Kanyakumari. That, it is all rhetoric can be readily recognized from the high decibel utterance as if from his/ her death bed.

 Somehow, the gullible idiots among the voters fall a quick prey to rhetoric for the sheer articulation thereof than for the truth of the matter.  The politicians of all hues have the knack of wooing the voter through tall promises of accomplishing the impossible and emotionally offering self to get thrashed if the promise is not fulfilled. Subsequently the person would extricate self from the prospect of getting thrashed by politely reminding the voter that the dead line is not over yet. For the next term too , the same person would come out with taller promises like allocation of housing plots of 1000 sq. ft each on Mars or Moon if ‘elected’ from this constituency. For each election ‘neo-idiots’ emerge as voters by virtue of calendar age to repeat the folly of the elder generation.

Very few realize that rhetoric is an intoxicating dose bound to fade off with time. The power of rhetoric empowers the power monger to achieve his/her ambition of boundless wealth across border-less territories.          God is Great.  But the politician looks greater!

Prof. K. Raman

SESQUIPEDALIA

 SESQUIPEDALIA

Sesquipedalian is a reference to the long words. Some persons in the habit of using very long words are also named ‘sesquipedalian’. The term is an adjective and it refers to the routine practice among teachers trying to impart abstract ideas by throwing up long-winding words to draw attention. If the Professor makes it customary for his way of ‘teaching’, he is bound to earn the wrath of his students as more of a nuisance value than of any nuance value. However, an occasional use of sesquipedalian can transform the mood of listeners from a drab impact to one demanding attention. Sesquipedalia are terms studded with letters and may initially de-motivate learners,  as those terms look both bizarre and baffling by the innate difficulty to spell them comfortably. There is a saying in English which suggests “Sesquipedalian is itself a sesquipedalian”. In my personal opinion these are terms laboriously coined by assembling different terms which when viewed [as in that assembly] can present an intended idea.

HIPPOPOTOMONSTROSEQUIPEDALIPHOBIA [36 LETTERS] It relates to ‘phobia’ or fear [for social reasons] while undertaking long treatment. To make it more frightening, terms –Hippopotamus/ monsters have been added making it even more sesquipedalian.

PSEUDOPSEUDOHYPOPARATHYRODISM [30 LETTERS]

It is the name of an inherited disorder causing short growth, rounded face, short limb bones and hardened joints. As suggested earlier, different words are assembled to make it a name for the disorder.

SUPERCALIFRAGILISTCEXPIALIDOCIOUS [34 LETTERS]

After traversing so long, all that it means is ‘Extremely good”/ Great/ Glorious/ Splendid / Superb/ Wonderful, though implies just one meaning at a time.  Honestly it irritates though none of us is obliged to remember or reproduce this without the prospect of inserting an error or two in this 34 letter series.

HONORIFICABILITUDINITATIBUS [27 LETTERS]

It simply means ‘the state of being able to achieve honours / honourable/ Invincible glorious. This term is hailed, as the earliest sesquipedalian handed down by Shakespeare. What is more appealing is -the word is coined with vowels and consonants alternating.

FLOCCINAUCINIHILPILIFIICATION [29 LETTERS]

Though longer than the alphabet series, it pertains to the cramped attitude of ESTIMATING ANYTHING AS WORTHLESS. I have heard of such trends in some industrial establishments.

ANTIDISESTABLISHMENTARIANISM [28 LETTERS]

It is a reference to ‘opposition to the withdrawal of state support or recognition from an established church of England’.

 

Having had a heavy meal of ‘SESQUIPEDALIA’, any further may mean indigestion/ nausea. So, let us move off a bit into the domain of Pleonasm.

PLEONASM

Pleonasm refers to the habit of using more words than necessary to express an idea. It is easier for us to grasp the idea of ‘Pleonasm’, as we frequently come across people who dwell on redundant repeats. They feel happy to have conveyed the idea, though they do not readily convince the listener. Some typical expressions we notice are:

‘I saw it with my own eyes’ [none can see through another’s eye nor are there any borrowed eyes]

All are well and good is another expression; since ‘well’ and ‘good’ mean the same

At times pleonasm may be effective in conferring emphasis on to the statement. As for example

‘The most unkindest cut of all’ –Shakespeare [Julius Caesar] more superlatives are employed to add emphasis.

Pleonasm is not a healthy way of handling the language; more words of the same meaning suggest the speaker’s poverty in clarity and statements are ‘RHETORIC’ in effect.

Prof. K. Raman 

DICTIONARY

 DICTIONARY

A too-well known term is ‘Dictionary’, though many tend to ignore the etymology of the term. The term seems to have had its origin during early 16^th century from the Latin ‘ Dictionarium’ which means ‘manual’ or ‘book of words’. Incidentally, ‘dictionary’ relates to ‘DICTION’- the manner of use of words that emphasize the sense of a statement and make it eminently effective for the occasion. As students, we used to look with awe some of our Professors and exclaim ‘Look at ‘his diction’. ‘Diction’ is a noun and it also relates to the ‘pronunciation’ of words, besides the cohesive assembly thereof. Generally it is suggested that ‘it is useful for a language teacher to have a good diction’. Personally, I am of the firm conviction that a ‘good diction’ is an asset for anyone who wishes to be an impressive teacher. Any good dictionary is an asset in that it presents the right meaning, the different usage forms like verbs, adverbs, adjectives and the appropriate [recognized] styles of usage of terms as practiced by monolingual natives of that language.

A dictionary is authentic as a source of reference for spelling, meaning and grammar of words in that language. It helps to appropriately use a term for a specific context. Several meanings of significance can be gathered from an authentic dictionary. Some elaboration may help us to recognize the utility of such  dictionaries.

Syllable

Unlike in Indian languages, English language has the custom of emphatic pronunciation of words. Pronunciation of many English words requires that the word be clearly spoken by spacing the different  segments of the word. These ‘segments’ are [syllables] slightly separated from one another by a fraction of time, besides heavy emphasis on different segments of the word. For instance ‘magnificent’ has 4 syllables and is expressed as mag’-nif –i- cent [adjective] and mag - nif-i-cence [noun]; immaculate  as im’-mac-u-late [4 syllables]. When used as per the directives prescribed for pronunciation, words appear grand and ‘Diction’ receives attention of listeners. Those desirous of achieving cognizance among listeners must acquire the skill of using prescribed syllables. Needless to say “Dictionaries are the best educators” –especially of the nuances typical for that language.

Pronunciation

Dictionaries provide information on how to pronounce each word based on the parameters- syllable and stress. Stress of a spot in a word is marked by ‘ and space to signify the separation and emphasis. Certain words are presented for pronunciation by use of spellings which simulate the sound in native utterance. Further the ‘grammar’ of the word for its status-- noun or verb or any other are also specified. By sticking to those norms it is easy for speech or writing, as dictionaries specify typical pronouns, conjunctions, their usage, rules and the due changes needed for apt indication of tenses. Most inconveniences in handling English-the authentic way can be addressed and rectified by a systematic adherence to abiding by the dictionary. Persons who experience problems of usage invariably present ideas in a somewhat clumsy usage, complicated by grammar errors and need to repeat statements , as they themselves feel “my statement is not convincing nor convenient“;  so, they are through discomfort zone whenever they have to deliver speeches through formal presentations.

Despite being aware of the advantages of using a dictionary, many stay contended with what they presume to be correct. When they face ticklish situations of addressing high profile audience, they find the going rather tough and ‘avoid’ undertaking the very assignment. Sheer negligence of healthy approaches of availing of the most elegant words, renders a very perfunctory image for such persons. Once we cultivate the right strategies of acquisition, adoption and application of vocabulary, speech / writing turns a rewarding exercise by the sheer authenticity.

Thesaurus

Thesaurus is a kind of dictionary in which several words with similar meaning are provided in a cluster and helps our effort in looking for words of like meanings[Synonym].  It boils down to the idea that several synonyms can be had from thesaurus.

Technical dictionaries

Practically every field of knowledge has its own Dictionaries and they are Technical dictionaries addressing a variety of requirements for VARIED SUBJECTS and fields like engineering, Medicine, Biology, Chemistry and an array of other subjects. It is more dignified to use all Dictionaries than seek opinion from others and receive un-authentic [in authentic] suggestions.

Prof. K. Raman