LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 6 : 6 June 2006

Editor: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.
Associate Editors: B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. A. Sharada, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         Lakhan Gusain, Ph.D.

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  • E-mail your articles and book-length reports (preferably in Microsoft Word) to thirumalai@mn.rr.com.
  • Contributors from South Asia may send their articles to
    B. Mallikarjun,
    Central Institute of Indian Languages,
    Manasagangotri,
    Mysore 570006, India
    or e-mail to mallikarjun@ciil.stpmy.soft.net
  • Your articles and booklength reports should be written following the MLA, LSA, or IJDL Stylesheet.
  • The Editorial Board has the right to accept, reject, or suggest modifications to the articles submitted for publication, and to make suitable stylistic adjustments. High quality, academic integrity, ethics and morals are expected from the authors and discussants.

Copyright © 2004
M. S. Thirumalai


 
Web www.languageinindia.com

A Review of Sila Basak's Book
Bengali Culture and Society Through Riddles
Jennifer Marie Bayer, Ph.D.


RIDDLES IN SOCIO-CULTURAL SETTINGS

Riddles are specific to socio-cultural settings. It is shared and enjoyed amidst a social gathering. This volume has Bengali riddles collected over a period of two decades from Parts of West Bengal and Bangladesh.

Presented in English, a translation from dialects of Bengali, the riddles are so chosen for non-Bengali readers to relate to.

RIDDLE DEFINED

An emotive metaphor with a question is how a riddle is defined, most often used as a form of entertainment, to exercise and challenge the intellect, instructive in nature, at the same time, confuses and contradicts, at times absurd and is brief. Its form can be blank verse, rhymes or in prose. Its subject is from nature to daily chores. The Bengali riddle covers rites and rituals. Language used to express riddles is often redundant, ornamental, or in rhyme form. Its meaning is concealed, to be found through clues. The distinction between a rhyme and a riddle is that the aim of the former is to create music whereas the latter is to create meaning.

LITERARY RIDDLE

Just as language varies across geographic settings, so also riddles vary. Each culture defines the nature of riddles. "Bengali riddles are characterized by its people, nature, birds and animals, customs, articles of daily use, etc" (p.27). A literary riddle emerges from the popular riddle and is made elegant in terms of language, is longer and is obscure.

For example, the popular riddle is

Ek kole dui bhai Keur sathe keur dekha nai

Two brothers on the same lap One does not meet the other

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN A PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Jennifer Marie Bayer

Advertising Language: The Psychology Behind Advertising Languages | The Sacred Invented | Worship and Language Use in Tamil | Practicing Literary Translation: Symposium Round 8 | The Fall of the House of Usher | Socio-economic Background, etc. of the Students Who Prefer to Pursue Post-Graduate Studies in a Language in Punjab | A Peek into Some of the Linguistic Ideas of Early Gandhi | Diversities in the Speech and Language Skills Among Children With Developmental Gerstmann's Syndrome - a Subgroup of Learning Disability | A Review of Sila Basak's Book Bengali Culture and Society Through Riddles | HOME PAGE | CONTACT EDITOR


Jennifer M. Bayer, Ph.D.
Central Institute of Indian Languages
Mysore 570006, India
bayer@ciil.stpmy.soft.net
 
Web www.languageinindia.com
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