Photo Image by https://www.flickr.com/people/33147718@N05 via Wikimedia Commons.
How much do we farmgirls love the name Jane, after all? We couldn’t resist this sweet word, which comes from a Persian term of endearment.
jaaneman
(jen-a-man) (think gentleman, then drop a few consonants)
(noun) (phr.) lit. “soul of me;” gender neutral word for “my sweetheart, my soul, my heart, my life.” جان jaan = life, soul, essence, spirit, heart (metaphorically!), beloved, sweetheart etc. من man = my (in Persian)
Can’t you just imagine Juliet adding this in during the balcony scene? Hmm, would things have turned out any better? Perhaps not. But let’s move on to more happy love affairs: I can imagine Gilbert Blythe whispering across the schoolroom to Ann-with-an-E this word. Of course, he might get hit over the head with a slate. Kermit the Frog to Miss Piggy? How about Mr. Darcy—once his proud heart is melted—calling Lizzie his jaaneman?
… Or better yet, Mr. Bingley to his one and only Jane? That fits even better.
And to get into the Hindi influence behind the word while we’re imagining such a word, you could watch Bride and Prejudice, the Bollywood version of the famous romance. See if you hear our new favorite word sprinkled in the sparkling dialogue.
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