A Woman’s Place in the Dictionary
In the Oxford English dictionary, the word “woman” is defined as an adult human female. The word immediately before it is “woma” meaning a brownish-grey Australian python found in sandy desert areas. The entry after “woman” is “womb.”
And so in an English dictionary a woman finds herself / between a snake and a part of her own body.
In other languages the word for “woman”, “frau” (German), “wahine” (Hawaiian), or “biscuit” (a particularly attractive woman in Rasta or Caribbean Patois) is unique to that language. The words that come before and after “woman” vary from one bilingual dictionary to another. Here are five dictionary poems exploring the word and the context of “woman” in five languages of the world.
A Difficult and Stunning Woman’s Place
In Scots spoken in Glasgow, Scotland / a land where “besom” means a broom / and figuratively a difficult woman / a stunning woman is “stoater” / but to get from “besom” to “stoater” in the dictionary / you must pass through the entry / “steamie” a communal wash-house / and endure “stoat” to bounce / said of heavy rain “stoat” off the ground / after you have seen a stunning woman / comes “stoshious” or very drunk / “stook” a bundle of hay or straw / and finally “wifie” an old woman
A Woman’s Place Amongst the Trees
“Wanchu” describes both / a woman and a wife / in Pakanh a nearly extinct indigenous language / of Cape York Peninsula / Queensland Australia / “wanchu mentho” is a young woman / “wanthi ‘intha” is an old woman / all of whom find themselves / squished between a pair of trees / “wanthurrcha” sits in the entry ahead of the women / a forest cotton tree / and “wati” follows the women / a kind of paperbark tree / completely surrounding us in forest green / and the sounds of nature
The Place of Courageous Cows and Women
In Hindi or Hindustani spoken throughout India / a land where cows are sacred / “aurat” means woman and wife / as well as cow, hen, lady and change / and these animals and women find themselves between / “aurang” a throne or places where goods are manufactured for sale / followed by “ausáf” meaning praises and endowments / then farther along the page is “ausán” courage and presence of mind / as if women are praised / for endowments, courage and presence of mind / all the while adding value with what we create
Women in Mango Groves on the Island Shore
In Uruava an indigenous language of the Northwest Solomon Islands / “maróru” is mango both trees and fruit / “máru” is woman or female / followed by types of women / old “maru daako” / pregnant “marueta siana” / young or small “marumudeka” / married or a wife “egumaru” / and after all these types of women / is “masi” a reef /a ways off the shore / where mango groves grow / and all kinds of women thrive
Scholarly Women
In Igbo a language of Nigeria / the letters “n” and “w” start the word for woman / “nwanta kïrï” is a child / “nwanyï” is a woman / followed closely by the scholar / “nwata akwükwö” is student or pupil / “nwata kïrï nwanyi” is little girl and perhaps also a scholar in the making / next comes “nwoke” man and his wife “nwuye” / as if the opportunity to grow and study /should envelop women
In each country’s traditions the context in which women grow up and learn is unique and in the world of dictionaries, between the words, can be found poetry, culture and so much more.
