Words have traditionally been the backbone of intelligent communications. Some researchers suggest that humans began using spoken words, anywhere between 50000 and 70000 years ago. Words then were often just a collation of sounds, but they seemed to have served their purpose. How they managed their communications in their worlds so long ago can only be imagined!
Today, in the second millennium of the common era, as
per Ethnologue, which is a language catalogue and resource site, there are
around 7111 languages in the world (not including dialects, sign languages)
with an estimated 840 million words.
And with such a surfeit of languages and words, our
world should naturally (if not certainly!) be a very interesting one for those
of us who will only take some time from our busy routines, to peek into the
world of words.
The word that has
randomly popped up this time is TASTE.
‘Taste the thunder’- a TV commercial for an
Indian cola brand that resonated strongly with the masses, had some purists
wondering if there could be any better example of linguistic nonsense. The
popularity of the advertisement bore testimony otherwise - a feeling of
machoism, energy and adventurousness was cleverly evoked by blending it into an
invitation to experience the taste of a no-holds barred fizzy drink!
That the word ‘taste’ is so
intrinsically woven into the cultural fabric of most communities, is often take
for granted. Consequently, its power to alter the destinies of civilizations -
emperors and individuals alike – remains forgotten or at best
under-appreciated!
Be cautioned, this is not just about the sensory
glands on our tongues, soft palate, pharynx, and upper esophagus. There is more
to taste, than what these receptors do! Consider just a few contexts, to
get a taste of what is involved.
An early taste of success has always
been a powerful motivator for all – be they sportspersons, creative artists,
stock-market traders, pickpockets, startup entrepreneurs or infatuated
adolescents! Of course, there have been exceptions, such as the Scottish king
Bruce, who despite tasting many failures, learnt perseverance from a
spider for his eventual success.
Then there are the Hollywood stars, Bollywood divas and
women from royal families, who have been known for their fine sense of jewelry
and attire. These remarkable women – like Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor, Vidya
Balan, Gayathri Devi – with an exquisite taste for elegance - punctuated
their persona with finely-crafted gemstones, superbly woven sarees, stylish coiffure
and cemented their status as cultural influencers!
Quite often, though, the phrase “it’s an acquired
taste’ accompanies an encouragement to experiment and relish the wonders of
some epicurean delights. What is not so often mentioned in such a cautionary
phrase is the risk of getting habituated to such experiments! How else can we
explain the regrets that many alcoholics and chain-smokers have?
For most of us, though, tasting the bitter pill
or tasting the unknown brings a dread that is almost equated with the
end of the world!
Did you know that in Shakespearespeak (www.shakespearewords.com) there are more than a dozen words that are
identified as being associated with taste – wormwood (bitter), gust (seek),
relish, smack (savour), tooth (for pleasure), dainty (relish choice),
distaste(offensive), tasteless (absurd), gaudy (offensive) and more!
As normal as it may seem for many of us to comprehend and
appreciate the sense of taste, there are some who have a total inability to
taste anything, while others have a reduced ability for some flavors, and a few
more suffer from a distorted sense bordering on foul or metallic tastes. The
terms that describe these conditions are ageusia, hypogeusia and dysgeusia.
Tasting the thunder as the cola commercial exhorted, may not really have
excited these three categories of people, I guess! But then who knows?
