Words, their meaning and shape..

Arts & Culture Culture, Arts, Literature & Linguistics
1

I remember telling someone one time how I thought most of the urdu words looked like their meaning. I remember getting a "hmmmm-yes-i-wonder-who-let-u-out-of-the-nut-house* look back in return.

But it was a pleasant surprise to see that I am not the only one who feels that way. Our resident pir-o-fakeer, the counterclock wise twirling dervaish fraud unkil agreed by declaring that the word khabees looks just as khabees as well.

What do you folks think?

the word ghussa - look ghusseela to anyone else?
zaalim
manhoos
khush - reminds u of a joly little fellow happy on its own

waghaira waghaira.. <—

http://www3.pak.org/gupshup/smilies/eek.gif

even this..

In me, more than me.

2

Maybe because we associate negativity with certain words, they look negative, and the words we associate with positivity look positive.

http://www3.pak.org/gupshup/smilies/smile.gif

We always have an image in our mind when we read a certain word.

Me thinks its all psychological.
Its like if your hungry, then pictures of food will look alot brighter than they actually are.

3

No Mariah, you’ve got it all wrong. This is the type of loopy reasoning that makes Hayaa one of the stars of Gupshup. It’s a condition which is known as 4-dimensional Thought Process and is often mistaken for insanity,.hence the weird looks she keeps getting. In fact only the truly gifted are capable of seeing things from this angle – and probably lots of other angles as well.

Waisay hayaa dear, we do appreciate your efforts in the Culture Forum. It sure puts the gloomy (but worthy) efforts of Saadat Hasan Manto into perspective.

4

Perhaps Hayaa if we could see them written in Urdu script it would help to visualise them ??

http://www3.pak.org/gupshup/smilies/smile.gif

Certainly the blessed name Muhammad (alayhi salato salaam) when written in Arabic script looks like a man in prostration [sajdah]. But then that is perhaps a quality of the uniqueness of this name. Subhan Allah

http://www3.pak.org/gupshup/smilies/smile.gif

5

pasting here from a duplicate thread started in error.

Fraudz

Pir Sahib
Posts: 5159
posted April 13, 2001 12:59 PM

I was talking to hayaa on chat and we agreed that some urdu words actually begin to have an aura of the trait that they are meant describe.
e.g. the word mazloom looks so scared, oppressed, sad and kinda bunched up. whereas zalim just looks like a dictator..

the word "khabees" just has this look to it that u wanna slap it.

we were surprised to find out that there were others that thought the same.

what do u say..does the word "mashkook" just looks a bit shady and dodgy?

Akif

Moderator
Posts: 1406
posted April 13, 2001 04:18 PM

Yes Fraudi..
Actually, the words are designed this way, they dont just 'seem' this way.

The grammar in urdu has been shaped as such that a "Faail" (the actor) always comes across as one incharge. 'Maf'ool' (one acted upon) always comes across as the understudy:). You can shift it to any urdu word, and even if u go to something like "aashiq" and "maashooq", "aashiq" seems like one who takes the lead, one who initiates the love process, and "mashooq" comes across as one who just sits there being loved;-). Oh well.

hayaa

Shehzadi Sahiba
Posts: 2417
posted April 13, 2001 04:29 PM

ok. so for fraud unkil.. it's words like zaalim, khabees, mashkook
and akif...faail, aashiq.

mai poochti hoon.. am I the only one who sees a connection here?

p.s. fraudster.. if u posted this thread doubling up on mine in hopes of bailing out from the book u promised me.. well.. u can think again! i posted this question first.. and now you owe me a book.

ahmadjee

Larkay ko batain
bohat atee hain
Posts: 1568
posted April 13, 2001 09:26 PM

No, they look just like any other word to me.
They do sound a little 'meanful' but aren't words suppose to be???

6

u ppl are "nikamay".. that word looks like a lazy paf in itself too