Every language has developed its own characteristic
ways of expressing. The other day, I was feeling drowsy, and was in a state of
reverie. Suddenly, a striking paradox flashed in my mind. Two OPPOSITE words
could be used to describe the same phenomenon! In Kannada, a regional language
of South India, we use the phrase, “nidde bardithay.” It means, “Sleep is COMING.” On the other
hand, the antonym of ‘come’, ‘go’ is also used when I want to sleep. I say, “nidde
hogthini” which means, “I am GOING to sleep”! Two opposite verbs are used to
convey the same meaning. Similar expressions can be found in most Indian
languages. I am curious to see if my Western readers can quote similar
expressions in their languages.
No comments:
Post a Comment