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nurturing 21st Century Childrenurturing 21st Century Children
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fun with un with
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Full of beans with

COLLOQUIALISM

colloquialism is the use of informal words or phrases
in writing or speech

rooPa banerJee

A couldn’t stand it no longer” are used as in regional dialect.
mericans eat cookies, but people in India and
In formal English, double negatives would cancel each
the UK eat biscuits. Americans love French
other out, but in informal speech, they add emphasis. Use
fries while the British prefer chips. The use of
informal words or phrases in writing or speech
is known as colloquialism. of colloquialisms identifies Huck as a real person living
in Missouri in the pre-Civil War time period in which the
The word colloquialism is derived from the Latin col- entire tale is set.
loquium, translated as speaking together. As colloquialisms In William Shakespeare’s Othello, the villainous Lago
are informal words within specific dialects, we need to tells Brabantio, Desdemona’s father: “Zounds, sir, you are
understand dialects to fully comprehend colloquialisms. A one of those that will not serve God, if the devil bid you.”
dialect is a variant of a language spoken by a specific group Zounds was a common colloquialism in early modern
of people. Dialects are often regional — people in different English, the dialect spoken in England during Shake-
parts of the world might speak the same language differ- speare’s lifetime (1564-1616). It’s an informal contraction
ently. An individual raised in the US will speak a different of the phrase ‘Christ’s Wounds’, and was considered a
English dialect from a native of the UK or India. Different mild swear word in Elizabethan England.
dialects are spoken within a country as well. Colloquialisms usage is great for characterisation. A
Several slang words and regional colloquialisms are ac- person’s use of colloquialisms indicates his native region,
cepted as part of the English dictionary. For instance over socio-economic status or ethnic background, and is often
900 Indian words are included in the latest Oxford English reflective of the era in which he lives. Fans of George Ber-
Dictionary. Words such as jugaad,dadagiri, achcha, bapu and nard Shaw will remember the first scene of Pygmalion which
suryanamaskar are now accepted as Indian colloquialisms highlights Prof. Higgins’ unique capability to identify
in the English language. Oft-used terms such as timepass, people’s background from their speech.
natak and chup have also made it to the OED.
Submarine sandwiches, subs, Italian sandwiches, ExERCISE
heroes, and hoagies are diverse words used in different UK colloquialism quiz
parts of the US to refer to the same type of sandwich. What do these phrases mean?
Similarly pop, soda, and coke — are all soft drinks. 1. Have a butcher’s at this 2. It’s an absolute blinder!
Colloquialism abounds in literature. Writers often use 3. Fine words butter no parsnips. 4. Me in me glad rags.
colloquialism in dialogue or first-person narration because 5. Whit’s fur ye'll no go past ye.
it makes characters real and defines their speech. For
instance, in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain
uses colloquialism to give his protagonists a distinctive
regional flavour and identity. The title character, Huck 5. if it’s meant to be, it’ll be.
Finn narrates his story using colloquial language specific to 4. i’m in my finest clothes. 3. Fine words don’t get the job done.
a regional dialect. He uses “allowed” as a colloquialism for 2. it’s amazing.
said, and adjectives in a casual way — “it was rough living” 1. take a look at this.
and “dismal regular”. The double negatives used in “I Answers

parentsworld • june 2020 54