Chowkidar - Is it Misinterpreted?
There are many
theories on the meaning of Chowkidar in English. Many people think that it
means "a worthless thing". Well, that is also a very bad translation.
It does not mean that Chowkidar means "worthless thing" but more that
it means a long lost friend or relative.
In fact, the meaning
of Chowkidar
meaning in english has changed through the years. Many scholars and
writers who were not fluent in English thought that it was a Turkish word and
thought that it is a name of an area in Turkey.
Later on, many British
scholars took to the meaning of Chowkidar in English and made it their own.
Nowadays, it can mean something like "enlightened community". So if
you are lucky enough to come across some books or newspapers that use this
translation, you will most likely find that it refers to "a spiritualist
society".
Although this word
meaning in English may be a bit hard to understand for most people, it can
still be quite easy to pronounce if you have some knowledge of the language.
When you say the word Chowkidar, it sounds like "chow-KEY-kah-kar".
You may also hear it as "Chowkey Katchar" when it is used in the
South.
Actually, there are
many stories that go around the meaning of Chowkidar in English. Some people
claim that it is a name for a district in South Punjab, some claim that it is
an insult. In any case, the meaning of Chowkidar has been misused a lot over
the years. Many famous people have been quoted as saying that Chowkidar means
"a worthless thing".
But if we try to
verify these claims, we will be able to tell that these things are not the
truth at all and it is only a bad translation that has been given to this word.
The actual meaning of this word has been misused by many people over the years.
Many westerners have mispronounced this word as "CHowkidar". The actual
meaning of this word is "a long lost friend or relative" which is not
exactly the meaning of "a worthless thing".
The proper translation
for this word is "an acquaintance that is not easily accessible". A
friend is one whom you keep at a distance to avoid being intrusive and wanting
to contact you. So there is nothing wrong in using this word in your speech if
you want to talk about someone that you keep at a distance.
The meaning of
Chowkidar is not so important for many people as it is only a symbol of
friendship. They may think that it is very disrespectful to use this word
because it is actually a very common word in most languages. Other people may
even be insulted by it. So it is best to use the appropriate translation.
Comments
Post a Comment