RANKING, G. S. A.

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A Pocket-Book of Colloquial Urdu for Military Reconnaissance, A scarce edition, likely the second, of this pocket-size manual of colloquial Urdu for the use of the British military stationed in India. We have only traced one other institutional copy, of the first 1895 edition, at the BL.Lt.-Col. George Spiers Alexander Ranking (1852-1934) was a British surgeon and linguist, author of books for the learning of Urdu and Hindustani. The present manual was compiled "for the use of beginners in Urdu", and comprises "a sufficient vocabulary for the ordinary requirements of every-day life". The main target audience were officers preparing for the colloquial test of the Lower Standard Examination, which would soon include conversation on reconnaissance and other military duties. The first part lists several phrases in the fields of intelligence and supplies, with questions such as "did you see troops?" and "is the ground rough or smooth?", and statements such as "the water is brackish, not fit to drink" and "I will pay you tomorrow". The second section extrapolates the important vocabulary, with words like "ditch", "marshy", and the names of all kinds of food and essentials such as clothes. The final sections list useful verbs and numbers.

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