It was our physiology lecture in the first 'prof' of MBBS. Our teacher was one of the most popular ones. It was evident from the fact that though he never took attendance yet the 'lecture theater' was always packed. He not only had a charming personality but his lectures were lucid, crisp with the wonderful notes and the subject was also the most sought after 'cardiovascular system'. We would pay our hundred percent attention to his delivery and never realized how the lecture hour passed.
That particular day he was talking about the function of 'Myocardium'. He started explaining how would a patient present if the function of his heart became sub-optimal. There he told us that a patient may develop 'digginess'. As always, everybody was attentive. Students started looking at each other with a question mark on their faces. We were used to coming across newer terms every day but this one was bit odd. It sounded familiar yet new. As a duty of a sincere student, somebody stood up and asked, "Sir, what does digginess mean?" He said, "Oh! You are not aware of the term. It is when somebody starts feeling that he is not in his full senses, as if he would loose balance if he continued to stand". Now there was a murmur in the class. Another student asked,"Sir, is it giddiness?". He said, "Yes, digginess is similar to giddiness!" and continued with his lecture before another question could be asked. We never came across that term again in English language or medical parlance.
Later I realized that probably he crossed two terms, giddiness and dizziness and uttered a new amalgamation that sent everybody into a tizzy. It can happen to anyone. Probably, it's because of the way in which our brain processes information when it is presenting it afresh. Teaching requires to process the acquired knowledge to present it in a fresh manner. While teaching, though one is conveying what is known to him, it is being dynamically processed and being presented like a new information. One may have taught a lesson many a times but a new lecture of the same subject is always different because of the dynamic interaction.
The cross-over or the hybridization may occur, either because the two terms are very similar in their sound and meaning or because what one wants to convey lies in the middle of two well etched words. When two words are similar in their meaning, one may not be aware of the subtle difference in their usage. If they sound similar, it is possible, especially when our brain is not fresh, that they are mixed and a new sound is churned up. Sometimes it happens because of poor vocabulary or a new feeling for which no word has hitherto been engraved in our brain. It may be a mix of two feelings that are well known and have well defined words for them but none for the new one. In fact, it contributes to the evolution of a language. If one looks at it, words like dizzy, giddy, woozy, hazy, dazed, dazzled, puzzled and muddled, all have similar meanings with subtle differences in their usage. If one is little 'tipsy' one may mix them up. As a case for second reason one can take example of the word 'chortle' that may be a remix of 'chuckle' and 'snort'. In fact, the vernacular also evolves like that with terms like faccha (fresher & baccha) that may have originated by mistake. A confident mistake may lead to birth of a new term. In fact an easy formula for inventing a new term is "Knead A and B together till you can pronounce it".
What happened in the lecture? The professor was mentally busy in thinking of his forthcoming words. He was questioned before he realized what had happened. He reiterated it, while still soaked in the subject rather than the word. By the time, he realized his mistake, he had taken a stand. Had he thought about it, he could have accepted that it was a slip of tongue, though it's never easy in the presence of audience that thinks that you are flawless. There probably occurred a short circuit in his brain.
It is also done by authors and people who have strong hold over the language. They may do it for the sake of novelty or because they feel that there is a need for a new word for that precise situation. The existing words do not justify or convey the sense they want to.
It may be done by people who have poor knowledge of the language. It has happened with me also. I love to coin new words. Only that nobody gives them recognition. I coined a word 'Vibgyored' to convey the sense of 'satrangi' (सतरंगी), that something had been colored in the rainbow colors. However, with social media, it has become very easy to coin new words for nobodies also. 'Selfie' was the new word of the year 2013. Though it is still an infant but has become grandfather of words.
Sometimes the words travel back and forth during their evolution. I once asked my extrovert cousin sister, who is fifteen years younger to me, that what does she do? "Merchandiser", she responded with verve. "And who is that?" I queried. "One who deals in Merchandise", she retorted. "How is that different from 'Merchant'", I exclaimed but was not steadfast and left it there. Thereafter I have heard this word many a times and it appears that it's a more specific usage, though essentially Merchandiser is same as Merchant.
I heard another word today that fascinates me! The orange fruit is called 'santra' (संतरा) in our part of the country and the color is called 'santri'. Sometimes we hear 'narangi' (नारंगी). Is it same color as 'santri' or is there a subtle difference?
It appears that one should keep on learning the language as it shall also keep pace and continue to evolve. The key lies in enjoying it, when it becomes a two-sided affair.
