New day, new school deals
Buy used
£3.42
FREE delivery 21 - 23 August. Order within 8 hrs 53 mins. Details
Used: Very Good | Details
Sold by ChironMediaLtd
Condition: Used: Very Good
Comment: Shipped promptly within 24hours. Book is in very good condition - 100% money back guarantee if customers are not satisfied.
Only 7 left in stock.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet or computer – no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

A. C. Burnell
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

The Concise Hobson-Jobson: An Anglo-Indian Dictionary (Wordsworth Reference) Paperback – 5 Jan. 1996

by Henry Yule (Author), A.C. Burnell (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars 72 ratings

Bungalow, pyjamas, tiffin, veranda, curry, cheroot, chintz, calico, gingham, mango, junk and catamaran are all words which have crept into the English language from the days of Britain's colonial rule of the Indian sub-continent and the Malaysian Peninsular.

 Hobson-Jobson (derived from the Islamic cry at the celebration of Muhurram 'Ya Hasan, ya Hosain' is shorthand for the assimilation of foreign words to the sound pattern of the adopting language. This dictionary, compiled in the late-19th century, is an invaluable source which has never been superseded. It is an essential book for all who are interested in English etymology and the development of the language.

Read more
Previous slide of product details
  1. ISBN-10
    9781853263637
  2. ISBN-13
    978-1853263637
  3. Edition
    New
  4. Publisher
    Wordsworth Editions
  5. Publication date
    5 Jan. 1996
  6. Part of series
    Wordsworth Reference
  7. Language
    English
  8. Dimensions
    12.7 x 5.08 x 19.05 cm
  9. Print length
    472 pages
Next slide of product details

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 185326363X
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Wordsworth Editions
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ 5 Jan. 1996
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ New
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 472 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781853263637
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1853263637
  • Item weight ‏ : ‎ 612 g
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 12.7 x 5.08 x 19.05 cm
  • Part of series ‏ : ‎ Wordsworth Reference
  • Best Sellers Rank: 296,500 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • Customer reviews:
    4.2 out of 5 stars 72 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
A. C. Burnell

A. C. Burnell

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read book recommendations and more.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
72 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review

Customers say

Customers find the book interesting and great fun to dip into. They appreciate its language content, with one customer describing it as a great treasure trove of Anglo-Indian terms.

Select to learn more

InterestLanguage content
9 customers mention ‘Interest’9 positive0 negative

Customers find the dictionary interesting and great fun to dip into, with one customer noting it tells many words and phrases.

"...were not born there, you will find this reprint of a very old book endlessly fascinating and useful to help you understand countless historical and..." Read more

"...Words like khaki. But this tells you so many words and phrases that you would never imagine originated on the sub continent. Excellent dictionary" Read more

"One of those books that's really interesting but you don't read it from cover to cover...." Read more

"This is great fun as a book to dip into...." Read more

6 customers mention ‘Language content’6 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the language content of the dictionary, finding it an informative read that serves as a great treasure trove of Anglo-Indian terms.

"...book that was recommended to me by an old Indophile, as a provider of insights into words and ideas whose meanings and origins are now lost to most..." Read more

"...Nevertheless,the book is a great treasure trove of the Anglo-Indian terms...." Read more

"A diverting dip into languages and how these cross borders with so much ease...." Read more

"This is a fascinating work of reference about the linguistic and cultural heritage we have from the time of the British in India." Read more

Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • Barry J. Tabor
    5.0 out of 5 stars Indispensable, and endlessly fascinating and instructive
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 August 2011
    Verified Purchase
    This is a book that was recommended to me by an old Indophile, as a provider of insights into words and ideas whose meanings and origins are now lost to most of us now. 'Anglo-Indian Dictionary' may be an accurate definition, but it only tells a bit of what this book is into. At this price, if you have any interest at all in India and her history, but were not born there, you will find this reprint of a very old book endlessly fascinating and useful to help you understand countless historical and other books and records about the place, and when you discuss anything Indian with a native Indian interested in his or her own birthright. Take 'pukkah' and 'kachcha' as an example...... or 'Hobson-Jobson' itself.
    9 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Stuart Lee
    4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 17 June 2021
    Verified Purchase
    There are some words that you know chime from Indian languages. Words like khaki. But this tells you so many words and phrases that you would never imagine originated on the sub continent. Excellent dictionary
    Helpful
     Report
  • Satish Nimkar
    5.0 out of 5 stars Linguistic Nostalgia for the Raj
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 March 2010
    Verified Purchase
    This is a concise version of the original which is a very sad thing. Nowhere in the ordering information the word "concise" was mentioned. In that sense it was a let down.

    Nevertheless,the book is a great treasure trove of the Anglo-Indian terms. A must for any student of modern Indian philology or to anyone interested in the Raj lore. The book was first published in 1886,meant as a help to any Englishman going to India to serve the Queen and the Empire: for the civil servants,soldiers,memsahibs,missionaries, fortune hunters etc. Apart from being a concise version,it has another drawback. There is no information whatsoever about the compilers of this wonderful miscellany.

    Sir Henry Yule (1820-1889) was a Scottish Orientalist. A member of the Bengal Engineers, having served in both the Sikh Wars, he was a member of the Council of India, and advisor to the Oxford English Dictionary in Oriental matters.

    A.C.Burnell(1840-1882)a English scholar in Sanskrit. He was a member of the Indian Civil Service in South India,having also the excellent knowledge of South Indian and other exotic languages
    33 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • theroyale
    3.0 out of 5 stars Has not been updated for current Anglo-Indian speech
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 23 October 2012
    Verified Purchase
    I am Indian and although not Anglo-Indian grew up around the large Anglo-Indian community in my hometown, and all my life have enjoyed their colourful, distinctive ways of speaking English. So when I bought this dictionary I expected to find some of that in here. But have to say this is more a 'historical' guide, in the sense that you have a much better chance of finding obscure terms in use during various times of the Raj rather than terms of general/spoken use that have persisted in the various Anglo-Indian communities around India and the world.

    To that end I am disappointed with this book (although if it is historically accurate and exhaustive I don't have a right to complain I suppose..)
    2 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • mark1000
    5.0 out of 5 stars great read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 September 2011
    Verified Purchase
    I have looked for this book for years having decided to buy it from a little corner bookshop about 20 years ago then returned the next week to find the old bookshop had gone bankrupt and was empty of stock !!!
    it is times like this you can depend on amazon
    extensive researched text if now slightly dated in content
    an historical document of a bygone age and really enjoyable
    6 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Miss Sara E Lambert
    5.0 out of 5 stars Shelf book
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 17 August 2013
    Verified Purchase
    One of those books that's really interesting but you don't read it from cover to cover. You find it every so often and lean something new by flipping threw it.
    Helpful
     Report
  • Mr Moo
    4.0 out of 5 stars The Concise Hobson Jobson
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 November 2012
    Verified Purchase
    A diverting dip into languages and how these cross borders with so much ease. Not a book to read from cover to cover - more something to dip into from time to time. It makes for a perfect book for the bathroom :o)
    Helpful
     Report
  • Rhiannon Owen
    5.0 out of 5 stars hobson-jobson dectionary
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 September 2012
    Verified Purchase
    This is great fun as a book to dip into. Within a couple of days of receiving it, I answered 2 questions on TV quizzes that I couldn't have answered before. Great!!!
    Helpful
     Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
  • Scipio58
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in Canada on 30 December 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Very interesting book. Highly-recommended seller.
    Report
  • Elizabeth David
    5.0 out of 5 stars etymologies étonnantes
    Reviewed in France on 29 March 2013
    Verified Purchase
    je trouve très interessant de constater le nombre de mots de la langue hindi qui sont passés dans le vocabulaire indien et parfois français ; je conseille ce livre au moins à tous les touristes qui se rendent en Inde
    Report
  • Online Sou
    5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific. Must have for all those interested in British ...
    Reviewed in India on 10 March 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Terrific. Must have for all those interested in British India, and the richness of the Anglo-Indian tongue. A book to treasure.
    Report
  • gita brenner
    5.0 out of 5 stars HOBSON JOBSON
    Reviewed in the United States on 13 May 2013
    Verified Purchase
    TERRIFIC BOOK FOR ANYONE INTERESTED IN WORDS FROM INDIAN LANGUAGES HAVE CREPT INTO THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE.

    IT OFFERS OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST ABOUT INDIA AND THE BRITISH COLONIALS TOO
    Report
  • Tetsu
    4.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating look at Angle-Indian English
    Reviewed in the United States on 3 November 2015
    Verified Purchase
    This fascinating book deals with English as spoken in the old India of the British Raj. Its review of words is interesting and informative. One can only imagine how much time and energy it took to compile this listing of words. I highly recommend it to those with an interest in languages and their roots.
    Report