[Assam] House and Home

[Chan Mahanta]

Well, Alpana, I think you have mixed up two different issues: One of 
a social evolution with that of semantics.

Even if you had two distinctly different single words in Oxomiya 
bhaxa distinguishing a 'home' from a mere 'house', it still would not 
resolve your conflicts, would it?

The significance of a 'home' in one's psyche lies in what memories it 
holds for her. Those who grew up in many places, moving with their 
families' job transfers or what have you, would have very little 
attachments to a house as a 'home', even if the quality of the 
environment might have been just as memorable and dear. On the other 
hand someone who grew up in a shelter, however humble, in a loving 
and caring environment, will hold the memories of that house as a 
'home' quite dear. And no matter how clearly  words distinguish the 
meanings of the two in a language, it would not have any impact on 
one's perception of that shelter as a mere house or a dear home.

That is the difference.

So, why did I even chime in?

For the simple reason of detecting a sense of defensiveness in 
respondents scurrying to grab this Sanskrit word or that few Oxomiyas 
use in their communications; no doubt to prove that  their mother 
tongue is as nuanced  as the highly evolved Hindi  that you 
confronted them with examples :-).














At 12:23 PM -0600 1/27/08, Alpana B. Sarangapani wrote:
>Hi C'da:
>
>>  I think we are attempting to split hairs over nothing.
>
>:) Right, right, in general we should not, and never split hairs 
>over things. :)
>  > Just because another language differentiates between a house and 
>a > home, and Oxomiya does not, one does not need to go into a fit of
>Yes, the keyword is "need".
>
>If you have not noticed, the need to define a "house" and a "home" 
>have arisen in today's Assam. People are not that simple anymore. I 
>get "culture-shock" every time I go to India now-a-days, a place 
>that I was born and grew up in and had 'faith' in.
>
>Some do become interested after a HOUSE for which they were never 
>"interested" when it was a HOME - filled with people that welcomed 
>them with love and warmth.
>
>See the need now C'da? I definitely do.
>
>
>
>
>
>>  grabbing at Sanskrit words that few use. For us 'ghor' is a 
>>ghor--a > house and a home too. The difference lies in HOW it is 
>>used in a > sentence. There are many such nuances to all languages. 
>>The > differentiation lies in the usage.
>
>
>
>
>"In order to make spiritual progress you must be patient like a tree 
>and humble like a blade of grass"
>- Lakshmana
>
>
>  > Date: Sun, 27 Jan 2008 09:54:44 -0600> To: assam at assamnet.org> 
>From: cmahanta at charter.net> Subject: Re: [Assam] (no subject)> > > I 
>think we are attempting to split hairs over nothing.> > Just because 
>another language differentiates between a house and a > home, and 
>Oxomiya does not, one does not need to go into a fit of > grabbing 
>at Sanskrit words that few use. For us 'ghor' is a ghor--a > house 
>and a home too. The difference lies in HOW it is used in a > 
>sentence. There are many such nuances to all languages. The > 
>differentiation lies in the usage.> > > > > > > > > > > At 6:00 PM 
>-0600 1/26/08, kamal deka wrote:> >HOUSE = BHOBON / AWAKH 
>/GRIHO> >HOME = GRIHO BAKH /GHOR> >KJD> >> >> >On 1/26/08, Alpana B. 
>Sarangapani <absarangapani at hotmail.com> wrote:> >>> >>> >> Does 
>anybody know if there are separate words for "home" and "house" 
>in> >> Assamese? I know we use 'ghor' .> >>> >> But if you need to 
>assert the real meanings of a "real" home and just a> >> house with 
>4 walls, what are they?> >>> >> I believe it is 'ghar`' for home and 
>'makaan' for house in Hindi.> >>> >> Thanks for your 
>help.> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >> "In order to make spiritual 
>progress you must be patient like a tree and> >> humble like a blade 
>of grass"> >> - Lakshmana> >>> >>> >>> >> 
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