1. What is the difference between a ‘hotel’ and a ‘motel’?
(Anuj Saini, New Delhi)
The word ‘motel’ is a combination of two words: ‘motor’ and ‘hotel’. In the old days, motels were invariably located on highways; they were mostly used by people who were travelling by car. Unlike a hotel, the rooms of a motel are not located inside a building. In the past, a motel usually consisted of a single row of connected rooms built on a parking lot. Nowadays, we have motels in the heart of cities, and they sometimes contain more than one floor. A motel is usually much cheaper than a hotel; the services it offers are rather limited: it usually doesn’t have a restaurant, and as a result doesn’t provide room service. The word ‘motel’, like the word ‘hotel’ has the stress on the second syllable.
2. How is the word ‘shibboleth’ pronounced?
(S. R. Parthasarthy, Hyderabad)
The ‘sh’ is like the ‘sh’ in ‘sheep’, ‘ship’, and ‘sheet’. The first syllable ‘shibb’ rhymes with the words ‘nib’, ‘bib’, and ‘lib’; the following ‘o’ is like the ‘a’ in ‘china’. The final ‘e’ sounds like the ‘e’ in ‘set’ and ‘bet’. The word is pronounced ‘SHI-be-leth’. Some people drop the ‘o’ in the second syllable and pronounce the word ‘SHIB-leth’. ‘Shibboleth’ comes from the Hebrew ‘sibbolet’ meaning ‘water’ or ‘ear of corn’. The Gileadites and the Ephraimites were two tribes that were at war with each other. When the Ephraimites invaded their neighbour, they were soundly thrashed. To prevent the enemy from escaping, the Gileadites set up blockades at various points. Whenever a soldier was caught, the Gileadites made him say the word ‘shibboleth’. The Ephraimites had a problem pronouncing this word because the sound ‘sh’ did not exist in their language. They said ‘sibboleth’ instead of ‘shibboleth’. When a person pronounced the word ‘sibboleth’, the Gileadites knew that he wasn’t one of them. They quickly proceeded to kill him. A shibboleth is a word, phrase, or custom which one can use to prove that he/she is a true member of a group. The word has several other meanings as well.
3. Is it okay to begin a letter with ‘hi’ when you are writing to someone you don’t know?
(M. Gayathri, Nellore)
‘Hi’ is a greeting which is normally used in informal contexts with people you know. It is a greeting which indicates familiarity with the individual you are talking/writing to. If you are introduced to someone who looks about your age, you may be able to get away with a ‘hi’. If he is older than you, then a ‘hello’ or ‘how do you do?’ is preferable. If you are writing to someone you don’t know, it’s better to play safe. Have a formal beginning: ‘Dear Sir’.
4. Does the word ‘missent’ exist?
(V. Suresh, Kollam)
Yes, it does. Just ask the South African MP who wanted to send a message to his girlfriend. The poor man did something wrong, and he ended up sending the passionate message to his wife of 30 years! Result? The man became front page news: ‘Missent text ends MP’s marriage.’ When something is ‘missent’, it is usually sent to the wrong destination; it is sent to the wrong person/address. The word is normally used with mail (both email and snail) and text messages. It can be used with other things as well.
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— Henry Kissinger
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