With reference to the article, ‘Alsi’ to the rescue! (March 21), Alsi or linseed is cultivated for its oil and linen fibre. Its oil contains glycerides of oleic acid and other unsaturated fatty acids. As it is easily oxidised and polymerised it is widely used in paints and varnishes and for manufacturing lincleum. Alsi not only rescues in arthritis, piles, prostate and the angina, but it has hordes of other benefits.
M. SHAFIQUE AHMED
Karachi
Striking a balance
With reference to Dr Peerzada Qasim’s interview, Striking a balance (March 21), no doubt Urdu is our national identity. It is a binding force and a medium of instruction and communication.
A number of students of Urdu medium schools find it difficult to comprehend English textbooks at higher levels. Various scientific books at higher education level must be translated in Urdu so that our youth may understand it easily.
English can’t be neglected in any way. It is an international language and has its own status. But advocating English at the expense of Urdu is unfair and a threat to our national identity.
IFRAH KHALID GHAURI
Lahore
A fickle language
With reference to the article, A fickle language (March 14), my compliments to Dr S.M. Moin Qureshi for his interesting article.
Six years ago, I read a similar interesting piece in Harvard’s bulletin News & Views. The author was a Chinese, who wrote:
“Let’s face it — English is a crazy language. There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren’t invented in England nor French fries in France. Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren’t sweet, are meat.
We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.
And why is it that writers, write but fingers don’t fing, grocers don’t groce and hammers don’t ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn’t the plural of booth, beeth? One goose, two geese. So one moose, two meese? One index, two indices?
Doesn’t it seem crazy that you make amends but not one amend; that you comb through annals of history but not a single annal? If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?
If teachers taught, why didn’t preachers praugt? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat? If you wrote a letter, perhaps you bote your tongue?
Sometimes I think all English speakers should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane. In what language do people recite at a play, and play at a recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell? Park on driveways and drive on parkways?
How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and wise guy are opposites? How can overlook and oversee be opposites, while quite a lot and quite a few are alike? How can the weather be hot as hell one day and cold as hell another?
Have you noticed that we talk about certain things only when they are absent? Have you ever seen a houseful carriage or a strapful gown? Met a sung hero or experienced requited love? Have you ever run into someone who was combobulated, gruntled, ruly or peccable? And where are all those people who ARE spring chickens or who would ACTUALLY hurt a fly?
You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down; in which you fill a form by filling it out and in which an alarm clock goes off by going on.
English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race (which, of course, isn’t a race at all). That is why when the stars are out, they are visible but when the lights are out, they are invisible. And why, when I wind up my watch, I start it, but when I wind up this essay, I end it.”
