Visualizing Words: Exploring the Aesthetic Dynamics in Cinematic Adaptations of Literary Classics
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10795611
Author(s): Kumar Sudarshan. A & Dr. Khan Sartaj P.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10794786
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Volume 15 | Issue 1 | Feb 2024
Pages: 204-213
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The Criterion: An International Journal in English Vol. 15, Issue-I, February 2024 ISSN: 0976-8165
www.the-criterion.com
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10448030
Tracing the Usage of Code -Mixing in the Indu Sundaresan’s novel The
Twentieth Wife
Suman Kumari
Research Scholar,
Department of English & OELs,
Dr. Harisingh Gour Vishwavidyalaya, Sagar (M.P.)
Article History: Submitted-31/01/2024, Revised-22/02/2024, Accepted-23/02/2024, Published-29/02/2024.
Abstract:
History comes with many facts and figures that travel worldwide and adapt in
various ways. With such adaptations, one thing that becomes the tool for travel is language.
Generations after generations can revisit history through the language used at a certain
point in time. The present paper will explore and highlight the code-mixing of Mughalia
words used in Mughal Fiction and different diction brought by Mughals in India, which
became a part of Indian culture and Indian history. There needs to be more work done on
the fiction of Mughals going through some popular fiction on Mughal women; one can see
different ways of narration, intrigues, and plots, but the touch remains constant of different
words used as it is. Words such as /begəm/, /baːðəʃəhaː/, /maːdɜiː/, /howəðəhə/, /tʃoliː/,
/dɜʰərokʰaː/, etc., have been a part of the Mughal culture and are used without translation.
Therefore, the analysis would explore the levels of code mixing in representing the
Mughals in fiction. Further, we analyzed the data linguistically and developed an
understanding by looking at code-mixing in Mughal fiction. This research paper envisages
detecting and obtaining several instances of code mixing and different language contact
situation.
Keywords: Code-mixing, Mughal fiction, language, language contact.
Introduction
The present paper will explore and highlight the code-mixing of Mughalia words used in
Mughal Fiction and different diction brought by Mughals in India, which became a part of Indian
culture and Indian history. The three hundred years of Mughal rule in India brings lots of cultural
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Tracing the Usage of Code -Mixing in the Indu Sundaresan’s novel The Twentieth Wife
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and linguistical acculturation and adaptability. Regarding code-mixing, Hudson (1996, p.53)
proposes that code-mixing refers to the mixture between two different codes in a sentence that
symbolizes the uncertainty upon which code should be used at best. To attain the best
communication effect, the speaker thus will mix the codes. Furthermore, Kachru (in Soewito, 76)
defines code-mixing as using two or more languages by inserting one language’s elements into
another. In code-mixing, there is a primary code or the basic code in use, which has the function
of autonomy. However, the different codes that possibly have been involved in the conversation
will be fragments without any function of autonomy. Thelander in Chaer (51-152) states that code-
mixing will occur if phrases or clauses involved in a conversation consist of mixed phrases or
clauses and each phrase or clause does not support their function. Muysken, Díaz, & Muysken (3)
proposes three types of code-mixing. Different structural requirements define the three types of
code-mixing. In addition, the three types of code-mixing play their role at different levels and with
different manners on specific bilingual backgrounds. Then, the three types of code-mixing are
insertion, alternation, and congruent lexicalization. However, the present paper focuses only on
analyzing the insertion type of code-mixing in the Mughal fiction. Insertion refers to inserting the
materials in the form of lexical elements and constituents of a language into the structure of a
different language. Therefore, the analysis would explore the levels of code mixing in representing
the Mughals in fiction. Further, we analyzed the data linguistically and developed an understanding
by looking at code-mixing in Mughal fiction. This research paper envisages detecting and
obtaining several instances of code mixing and different language contact situation.
According to Holmes and Hymes Code-mixing has been an exciting area of research for
researchers in sociolinguistics. Sociolinguistics can be used in communication or interaction that
provides guidelines for communicating by showing what language, language variety, or language
style should be used when talking to certain people. As an object in sociolinguistics, language is
not seen or approached as a language but rather as a means of interaction or communication in
human society. Further we understand this in the words of Peter Stockwell in his book
Sociolingustics “The choice of code can be used to claim in-group identity with other
speakers”(11). Some researchers who have prominently researched the topic of code-mixing
include Barman, U. et al., Salsabila. et al. , Kim, E. Fanani, A. et al., Ariffin, K. et al. , Moore, D.,
Silaban, S. et al., Celik, M., Asrifn, A. et al. , Waris, A. , Ayeomoni, M.O. and Ahdal, A..
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Data and Methodology
The data available were transcribed and analyzed linguistically to identify code-mixing in
the novel The Twentieth Wife by Indu Sundaresan. The Novel beautifully narrates the lives of
Mughal women especially Mehrunnisa. The narrative engulfs its reader with beautiful images and
descriptions. The usage of words having historical and cultural references blends well with the
plot’s articulation. The transcribed words were distinguished under several sections and were
graphically depicted using a pie chart.
The novel has an ample number of words used to offer and accord to the story line. The
secondary data sources have been collected from a few Mughal fiction books which would survey
such sentences and words in the writing.
Data Analysis (Code-mixing)
Code-mixing is a phenomenon of bilingualism in the community, bilingual or multilingual.
This is because people who use two languages or more often insert words with no grammatical
elements. In other words, a clause or phrase in use is composed of clauses (hybrid clauses, hybrid
phrases) and if each clause or phrase no longer supports its functions, then the events that happen
is the code-mixing (Pitaloka, & Wray). The analysis of the code is required to understand the
cultural frame of the fiction. Novels bearing the setting, time, and theme from history are
categorized as historical novel. The concerned work of piece dodge the historical note and weaves
its storyline around the characters from Mughal era. The fascinating novel revolves around the
lady known by the name Mehrunissa, later to be bestowed by the title Noor-Jahan (light of the
world). The Twentieth Wife by Indu Sundaresan narrates the fictional world of Mehrunnisa who
“wanted to be the power behind the veil” (372). In twenty chapters the story unfolds the fate of a
newborn being abandoned by her parents due to poverty and to her destiny taking her to be the
most powerful empress of the Mughal dynasty and last beloved wife of Jahangir). The love story
in the fiction brews among the intrigues among the ladies of the harem where women organize
themselves according to the hierarchy and will of the king. The growth and heightening of emotion
between the two lovers are the crux of the storyline. Mehrunnisa rose against the odds, her failed
and broken first marriage, standing strong against the wives and powerful ladies in the life of
Jahangir and cultivating herself to face unseen challenges renders her heroic being. The novel is a
part of Taj trilogy where the historical setting has been adopted from the 17 th century Mughal
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India. The language used is lucid and comprehensive just like the sub plots which blends so well
with the main plot. The description of the walls, court proceedings, elucidation of Mehrunnisa’s
beauty and political involvement brings every piece of scene alive to its readers. In addition, we
can understand the significance the character as
It is scarcely necessary to recall the romantic story of Nur Mahal (better known by her later
title of Nur jahan)- her marriage to Shir Afghan, his assassination, and her subsequent
union with the emperor, who had already been attracted to her before her first marriage. At
this period her influence over her husband was so unbounded that she practically ruled the
empire… (Foster qtd. in Sundaresan 351)
Insertion
Insertion refers to inserting the materials in the form of lexical elements and constituents of a
language into the structure of a different language. In this section, we highlight how the lexical
items of other languages are used in historical mughal fiction. Let’s consider examples from the
mughal fiction The Twentieth Wife to see the code-mixing occurs at the level of sentences. Each
sentences below by Sundaresan speaks of the linguistical variations used in the beautiful narrative:
1. He reached inside his shawl and drew out the four precious gold mohurs /mohʊrs/ nestled
in his cummerbund /kəmʌrbənd/ (6).
2. The thieves had overlooked the mohurs that Asmat had hidden in her choli /tʃoliː/ and
Ghias /gʰiəs/ was determined to buy his passage to India with the money (6).
3. Then, seeing the surprise on the man’ s face, he gestured ruefully at his torn qaba /kəbaː/
and at the dirt- smudged pyjamas /pəjdɜəmaːs/ he wore (8).
4. Say yes, sahib /saːhiːb/ Perhaps if I fall to ill times in the future you can assist me (9).
6. The caravan, /kərəwʌ̃/ winding almost one kilometre from head to tail, started towards
Kabul (10).
7. But the woman in the next tent taught me this korma /kormaː/ (12).
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8. Asmat turned away from him, pulling out a copper vessel. She dipped her hand into
another sack, poured five handfuls of wheat flour into the vessel, and started to knead the flour
into dough for chapattis /kárəvan/with some water and oil (12).
9. He picked up the baby and an oil lantern. /læn.tən/ (13).
10. The next day Dai /daːiː/ Dilaram, who was travelling with the caravan /, agreed to nurse
the baby along with her own (16).
11. The mullah /muləhaː/ of the mosque, who was their teacher, closed his book, folded his
hands in his lap and sat there looking at the child (19).
12. What does the prince look like, Maji /maːdɜʰiː/ (19).
13. ‘Your Bapa /bəpaː/ and I must attend the wedding celebrations next week, I suppose….’
(19).
14. Everything distracted her-the birds in the trees, the squirrels scrambling for nuts, the sun
through the peepul /piipəl/ leaves (20).
15. Abul has promised to play gilli- danda /giliː-ɖəɳʌɖaː/ with her under the peepul tree later
that afternoon (21).
16. Now they filed in, carrying steaming dishes of saffron- tinted pulaos /pulaːoz/ cooked in
chicken broth, goat curry in a rich brown gravy… squeeze of lemon juice (22).
17. Ghias finally straightened from his taslim /təsliːm/ and took a few steps forward, raising
his eyes to the Emperor (24).
18. After a few days conversation, Akbar had graciously granted Ghias a mansab /mənsəb/ of
three hundred horses and appointed him courtier (24).
19. Ghias then saw the child seated next to the Emperor, a little boy perhaps eight or nine
years old, his hair slicked back, wearing a short peshwaz /peswaːdɜ/ coat and trousers of gold-
shot silk (24).
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20. Then he put down his cup and said, ‘His Majesty was in a good mood at the durbar
/dərbaːr/ this morning. He is very happy about Prince Salim’s forthcoming marriage (27).
21. She wiped clammy hands against her ghagara, /dɜʰaːdɜʰəraː/ wishing she were anywhere
but here (30).
22. The scent of ketaki /ketaːkiː/ flowers wafted to Mehrunnisa’s nostrils as the Empress put
a finger under her chin and tilted her face (30).
23. At home she wore thin muslin ghagaras /ɡæɡɹə/ /and salwars /səlwaːrs/ (33).
25. All those men getting drunk and lolling over the divans, /diːwaːnʌs/ the serving girls
wearing next to nothing sprawling all over them (40).
26. Even in this cold, he was clad in a chaste dhoti /ðʰotiː/ and not much else (45).
Discussion and Findings
The different codes being used above can be divided into various headings which amounts to show
the various ingredients of the culture. To peek sneak, one could see the usage of Mughalia words
in the domain of artifacts, dresses, foods, relations, titles, and flora/fauna.
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The sample words being listed consists mostly of items related to the dresses. The word
‘cummerband’ is a jewelry but has been added as a part of dressing and style being wore in and
around the hip area is an important part of heavy gaudy dressing among women during big
celebration day or festivals. Ghagra, choli, salwar is still worn as a daily wear by women in most
part of the Indian sub-continent. These dresses of women’s wearing is worn irrespective of any
religion. It is also worn in festivals with beautiful designs carved onto it. Dhoti, peshwaz and qaba
is a part of men’s wear. Dhoti is still quite a relevant attire till date. Qaba is more or like similar to
a kind of wadded coat. ‘Shawl’ is again an irreplaceable The least percentage has been listed by
the items of greetings i,e. taslim. The word taslim might not be a common term used in India
among the Hindus but has its connotation among the Islamic people. Even with relationships the
use of words ‘maji,’ ‘bapa,’ and ‘dai’ is still relevant even in 21st century where these terms denote
the kinship. ‘Dai’ might not suggest any flesh and blood relation but remains the primary health
care provider during pregnancy and childbirth in much of rural India. Ordinarily, an older or
widowed woman, has draws upon years of experience and generations of traditional knowledge
for child delivery practice. Moving to the terms related to flora and fauna one can see the usage of
‘peepul’ leaves and ‘ketaki’ flower which has its social, cultural and religious relevance among
the Hindus. These terms also suggest the dominant presence of Indian landscape in the mughal
13%
35%
13%
13%
13%
9% 4%
List of Cultural Items
artifacts
dresses
food
relations
titles
flora/fauna
greeting
Fig -1. The pie chart is showing
the percentage of cultural items.
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royal setting juxtaposing the Hindu cultural symbols against the Islamic cultural setting. The
Indian platter cannot go without ‘chapattis’ and on occasion its ‘pulao’ and ‘korma’ preferred by
the non- vegetarians. Chapattis are the most common and everyone’s food. It is a type of flat round
Indian bread and pulao is rice dish involving lots of veggies, spices and at times meat. Just like
food, artifacts too bear the identity of different culture. ‘Mohurs’ were the gold coins used in 16th
century by the Mughals. ‘Lantern’ is a portable lamp and is lighted with the help of oil and wick.
‘Gilli-danda’ is a kind of game to be played among two players with small stick to be hit by the
long stick.
The code used in its original form depicts the social condition of India under the Mughal
rule. For instance, P. N Ojha in his book Glimpses of Social Life in Mughal India says “Another
variety of popular dress consisted of a ‘lehanga’ or ‘ghanghra’ (i.e. a long and loose skirt), …was
popular, more especially among the Muslim women” (14). The usage of ‘cummerband/kamarband
(waistband)’ was also popular fashion among the well to do classes of Hindus. (11) Likewise, Ojha
also mentions that:
A ‘dhoti’ (or a single sheet of long cloth below the waist) and another small piece of cloth
on the shoulders (i.e. chaddar), serving in the daytime as a garment and at night as a bed,
were considered to constitute a sufficient and respectable dress for an average Hindu. The
rural dress of an average Muslim appears to have been a payjamah (Ijar), an ordinary shirt,
and a cap on his shaven head. (13)
Wollen ‘shawls’ (shals) of different and eye-catching colours were also popular among the
aristocratic section of Hindus. (11) Like their Muslim counterparts, the aristocratic Hindus wore
‘qaba,’ though there were obviously very minor variations. According to the above evidences, it
can be sum up that clothing was one of the widely used cultural component which was popular
between the Hindu and Muslim sections of the society.
Conclusions
The paper tries to present the different kinds of word used from different etymology to
represent the cultural negotiation during the mughal period. The usage of such words in the Mughal
Fiction adds more to the lives of the Mughals and their stories. These words/codes are non-
negotiable because of its cultural references and cultural importance. Language leads to or gives
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clue to understand the ethnicity of the speech community. For example, the food ‘Korma’ cannot
go unappreciated by any generations of mankind and is savoured as one of the most delicious
cuisines from Mughal palate has its origin from different parts of the world. One of the blogs on
food traces down the history of the food korma which says “The first mention of korma is found
in the scrolls of Dastarkhwan- the royal table of the Mughal emperor of Bahadur Shah Zafar. It is
safe to say that by then the Mughlai fusion between the Persian Khormeh, Azebaijani Quovurma &
Turkish Qovurma had been born. While there were other versions that were formed such as
Awadhi Korma or the variants formed solely on the basis of availability of ingredients. Mughlai
korma has dominated Indian curries by large & far”. The reference of such terms used in the
English novel shows the sacrosanct attribute of such words and their usage irrespective of the
language of novel or the writer. Through these subtle references of cultural artifacts indicate
towards the merging point of various religious sects in the Indian sub-continent. These codes also
decode various cultural aspects and helps to approach different interactionist and variationist
aspects of the sociolinguistic problems.
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Codeswitching Worldwide edited by Rodolfo Jacobson, Mouton de Gruyter.,1998, pp.15-24.
Chaer, Abdul, and Leonie Agustina. Sosiolinguistik. 2004.
“Foodism Networking.” Foodism.xyz, foodism.xyz/food-stories/The-History-of-Korma. Accessed
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Ludi, Georges. “Code-switching and unbalanced bilingualism.” Bilingualism: Beyond basic
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