Treatment of Lingual Transposition in the Literary Work of Khushwant Singh
Abstract:
Khushwant Singh is the finest novelist, sociological writer historians, and realist. His evaluation and assessment of human behavior and social peculiarities of his character and people from India and the West are full of exceptional wit. He ranks among India's distinguish men of letters who have attained an international reputation. Even a brief account of his achievements as a novelist, short story writer, historian, journalist, and editor should be adequate to institute his position in Indo-Anglian marks and bring out his unique identity. He is the solitary Indian author who has been writing in English with a versatile style. He uses the English language with Indian touch and texture, which creates an indelible impression in the minds of the reader. He knows how to mix and develop mutations in English and Indian language. This particular variety of living English, sometimes called 'Indian English'. He has equal command over Transliteration, Transcription and Transposition which makes his work phenomenal and connected to the Indian characters. We find the flavors of rustic and rural life in his work. Khushwant Singh's use of alliteration, onomatopoeia, and rhyme words is other significant features of his prose. He employs artistic lingual techniques which transposed from English to Punjabi to Urdu to Hindi. Such kind of diffusion, hybridization of language makes the protagonist more authentic and reliable in their depiction. His innovative creation of the English language with Indian linguistic styles makes him unparalleled in the literary world.
Keywords: Linguistic Transposition, Indianism, Transliteration, Hybridization
Introduction
An extremely interesting aspect of Khushwant Singh achievement as an author, of fictional and non-fictional prose is his use of the English language the usage of Indian creative writing in English could become a major problem of critical and linguistic inquiry. On the one hand the writer who is using an alien language has to find language that is able to convey the flavors of rustic and rural life. This can be achieved only if the writer is able to derive the diction of common life. Content between Indian language and English has made this possible and resulted in the transfer of elements from one system to another by a process that has been leveled variously as borrowing or diffusion. Instances of such hybridization are to be found in abundance in the writing of various Indo-Anglian writers.
The language and style of Singh, who hails from the Punjabi Urdu – Hindi region, for instance, is decidedly different, in tone and structure, from that of Raja Rao, who belongs to the South more specifically to the Kannada speaking region. Although both Khushwant Singh and Raja Rao use English for their creative expression almost a complete gulf divides them of course, this gulf is not a matter of mere linguistic diversity. It surely springs from widely divergent attitudes. Thus even the “‘Indianness’ of Indian English is marked with great variety”.
Khushwant Singh does not believe in showing off his learning through his language. He has, however, revolted against the deceptively soft and sweet style like that of romantic and what he believes to be its fake exterior. As Vasant A. Shahane writes, “Another significant aspect of Khushwant Singh’s use of language and style is his realistic, down-to-earth idiom, transposed from Punjabi to English, which is a pronounced expression of the quality of his mind and his view of life. He unconsciously, almost inevitably, revolts against the deceptively soft and sweet style of the Romantic and what he believes is to be its fake exterior”
Lingual Transposition
Khushwant Singh’s use of transliteration and transcription of Hindi and Punjabi expression is a salient characteristic of his style. This aspect of his style may be called ‘Punjabism’. His characters exclaim ‘Hai’, ‘Oye’, ‘Oi’, ‘Hai-Hai’ which also recreates Punjabi atmosphere. Swear words, abuses modes of greeting, words of protests and exclamation are also scattered all over his work. Some of these expressions are amusing; e.g. ‘Todi-Baccha’ (son of today), ‘jholi chook’ (one who stretched his apron far alms), ‘that incestuous lover of his sister!’, ‘They shut their eyes piously and stand on one leg like a yogi doing penance; as soon as a fish comes near hurr-up ‘whatever you say is right to the sixteenth anna of the rupee’. ‘They are a race of four twenties’. ‘We keep saying ‘Ji’ ‘Ji’ to you all the time, but you want to sit on our head. ‘They did a lot of Zulum.
Furthermore, we find literal translation of Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi expression, which appears rather unobtrusively. e.g. “If you want to jump in well, jump if you want to hang like your father goes and hang – it is my lot to weep, My Kismet”.
“What honourable noun does your honour bear?”
“Where does your wealth reside Babu Sahib”?
“You have been eating my ears, with your “Sentry Sahib”.
“That’s in the past tense – three years ago”.
Many ‘indianism’ and literal translations of Indian expression and idioms into English are used. Some of them are based on popular expressions, e.g. ‘My Kismet has waked up at last’. ‘I am going to be the servant of your feet’ ‘who eats whose salt’, ‘keep your tongue in check’ to quote only a few.
Swear words come in handy, for a speaker to express his anger; ‘sala’, ‘sasura’, ‘bewakoof’ and others serve this purpose. Singh’s literal translation from Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu also contain curses and swear words, Through the use of these words, singh attempts to render the exact nature of relation people and classes. Regarding literal translation of Indian expression into English into English by Khushwant Singh, Iyengar says that “These are peculiarities of Indian life and experience and speech that don’t easily admit of translation into English term. It translation is not attempted one fails in one’s duty as an Indian, it attempt does not succeed, if the result is an exotic, an oddity, an excrescence or an absurdity, one fails as a writer in English what is written has to be recognizably Indian to the Indian reader and recognizably English to the English readers”.
Indianism
Singh’s Indianism, curses, abuses and swear words catch the precise nuances of Indian speech. Singh’s style as M.K. Naik Point out is “Hard and vigorous, employs colorful punjabi expletive and terms of abuse while his irony is horned like a sikh-sword.” 32 In spite of what Naik and Iyengar say about the aptness of singh’s use of the literal translation of Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu words, phrases idioms, proverbs sometimes this kind of use appears to be deliberate. His Indian characters use the translation of Indian proverb and Idioms:
‘Money is dirt on back of hand’ (Paisa to hath ka mail hai)
‘A country cannot have two kings any more than a scabbard hold two swords’ (Ek Myan mein do talwar nahi rah sakti).
‘Home bread chicken, taste no better than tentil’ (Ghar ki Murgi dal barabar)
‘….. a snake can cast, its slough but not its poison’ (Sap apna kenchuli chor sakta hai par jahar nahi)
‘A wise man swims with current and still get across’ (Budhiman admi wakt ke anusar chalta hai)
Another type of Indianism found in Khushwant Singh’s writing is his use of rhyming words which Indian in general are in the habit of using even with English words; e.g.Whiskey-Shiskey, transistor-shranzistor, camera-shamera, watch-shatch, accident-sheshident, biscuit-shiscuit etc. Moreover, in order to give a local and realistic touch, Khushwant Singh has translated and transliterated some well-known film song of that period from the vernacular and used them in the novel. In ‘Delhi’ we find some very fine translation of well-known couplets from the famous Urdu poet like ‘Shaikh Saadi’ and ‘Mirza Ghalib’. In doing so Khushwant Singh’s aim is to reproduce the local Punjabi atmosphere.
Alliteration, Onomatopoeic and Rhyme Words
Khushwant Singh’s use of alliteration, onomatopoeia and rhyme words is other significant features of his prose. He has an almost unique gift of making the sound of his words fit in the sense. Some alliterative expressions are given below. A set of words like ‘swing’ ‘swish’ ‘swash’ ‘swirl’ conveys a quick movement.
Yet another characteristic of Kushwant Singh’s style is his use of uncommon words. Often it place of familiar he selects one less known but equally effectively expressive. Thus he has verbs such as ‘yanks’ ‘squacks’ ‘winces’ ‘chortles’ ‘wheezes waft’ ‘yus mun’ ‘no mun’ or ‘say mun’, ‘chips’ for rupees, ‘flicks’ for cinema and the college principal was ‘old prinny’. Occasionally he prefers a word of his own coinage, such as ‘darlinged honeyed’, ‘cough-taugh’, ‘clip-clops’, ‘judas-hole’. He also uses uncommon words e.g. ‘cool bosky shade’ ‘pied crested cuckoos’, ‘musty’, ‘earthly smell’, ‘large oazelle eyes, ‘falsetto voice’, ‘slimly-clammy bellies’., ‘shimmering haze’, ‘spinteris sip’.
Diversification of Language
Kushwant Singh’s language is sufficiently diversified. In the short story of ‘A Bride for the Sahib’ for example, the hero is a pucca Anglo-Indian Englishman, who gets involved with a desi type of a girl. The difference in their background and social status is enormous and the difference in their speech symbolizes this essential incompatibility. The language comes in particularly handy in distinguishing characters in respect of their social status, and singh has done it effectively. According to V.A. Shahane’s observation, “A very interesting aspect of Khushwant Singh’s achievement as a writer of stories is his use of English Language is correct” Another beautiful aspect of Khushwant Singh’s technique of writing in his use of similes in his writings.
‘They are as good saints as the crane’
‘He is the tallest man in this area……..
‘He is like a stud bull’
‘See how he sleeps like a pig’.
‘Otherwise, I will beat you behind till it looks like the behind of ram’.
‘He shook, mali as a terrier shakes a piece of rag from side to side’
‘They have behind like snakes’
‘He looks like a gorilla’
In all the examples quoted above the similes have been taken from the animal and plant kingdom. These deviations from the norms of native speakers of English or alternatively, the literal translation of typical Indian modes of expression or usage, characterize not merely Khushwant Singh’s special mode but also his attitudes and value patterns.
Conclusion
In the lucidity of his prose, in conceiving immaculate plots throbbing with flesh and blood characters, in probing the innermost recesses of the human Psyche both lofty and ignoble, while deburnking prudery and hypocrisy. Khushwant Singh can be compared with literary greats like D.H. Lawrence, Anton Chekhov, and Gustave Flaubert, though wide apart in time and space. They have one thing in common: they defied popular superstitions and practices, false morals and values while blending naturalism with symbolism in order to reveal a higher truth and beauty of life. Khushwant Singh has traveled a great distance from a Punjabi rustic to an educated Westernized and cosmopolitan person. In this synthesis lies the extraordinary vigor and urbanity of his style. The down to earth worldliness and the visionary glean of his art as a creative writer of great passion and art.
References