What is it about?
Yule and Burnell’s famous Anglo-Indian glossary "Hobson-Jobson" was first published in 1886 and thence updated by William Crooke in 1903. It is still widely available today, and despite the fact that its contents are over a century out of date, it is still used as a reference work for Indian English. Since its publication it has generally received positive reviews and very little in the way of critical comment or analysis of the text. Moreover, the literature on "Hobson-Jobson" is beset by inaccurate statements or is otherwise couched in hedges due to a lack of precise knowledge about the dictionary’s contents. This paper provides an overview of the critical attention "Hobson-Jobson" has received, summarises the editing and printing history, and then presents a wholly new analysis of the dictionary, bringing to light many previously unknown facts.
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Why is it important?
Much of the information currently available about this important dictionary is lacking in detail and accuracy. This article provides a comprehensive and accurate description of the contents of Hobson-Jobson that scholars may refer to when referring to it. It also details why and how this great dictionary must be used with caution.
Perspectives
I first got to know "Hobson-Jobson" in depth as I carried a copy of it in my backpack on a year-long shoestring-budget trip throughout the highways and byways India. At the time I could not know that this fabulous book would eventually became the cornerstone of my PhD research. It was a fascinating project to really dig deep into Hobson-Jobson and find out what it really had to say.
Dr James Lambert
National Institute of Education
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Setting the Record Straight: An In-depth Examination of Hobson-Jobson, International Journal of Lexicography, May 2018, Oxford University Press (OUP),
DOI: 10.1093/ijl/ecy010.
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