Languages are created, mature, evolve and die. Meaning of words and the way they are used in sentences keep changing.DisillusionedDB wrote:One can play around with all the meanings all day long but if something doesn't sound correct then I suppose it isn't. I do agree with the the meanings that you have given from the dictionary but that doesn't mean the word can used/abused to such an extent that it loses its value. If we were to say mubarak for something that is really good or pleasing for a person or for a happy event, then it is justified. Other than that we would have to huff and puff to explain the term.maethist wrote:Mubarak is a multipurpose word meaning blessed, fortunate or lucky (Hans Wehr dictionary).
It is like saying you are blessed for being alive for Eid, Ashura, or performing Hajj etc. It is not out of place for wishing tehniyat (congratulations) to a person. It is appropriate when addressing a person directly or when describing one person to a third party.
But, although it is going overboard when used as an adjective for hand, feet, places etc., it does not appear completely out of place.
When it comes to linguists and grammarians, there are basically two approaches.
Prescriptivists believe that words have static meaning and do their best to prescribe/teach the 'correct' usage of words with their 'proper' meanings. In non-Western cultures, that is still the approach of educators.
Unfortunately for Prescriptivists, words and their meanings have a habit of evolving continually. Descriptivists, since the middle of the 20th century, do not pronounce on 'correct' usage but simply describe how the meanings of words keep changing. They are comfortable with wide variety of dialects and slang. That is the approach of modern Western linguists and grammarians; and many non-Western educators, particularly the Arabs, are now taking advantage of this approach.
Prescriptivists have a role to play in teaching languages. But mature adults already familiar with their language would prefer to know the current usage of words.
Mubarak is one of those words which have altered meanings when imported from Arabic into Urdu and other languages. Same is the case with the majority of Arabic and Farsi words that make up the modern Urdu language. These words subtly evolve in their new environment. Mubarak, whether you like it or not, will achieve the meaning that people want it to mean. Its value is its usage as commonly understood.
After all, everything in God's universe is Mubarak. Some people even name their children Mubarak.
Etymology is a fascinating subject. Look it up along with Noam Chomsky, founder of Modern Linguistics.