I heard that the word Assam was used by the people
who could not pronounce Asm. I too
like the word Assam - may be thats what I have been hearing when people talk
about 'Oxom' in English. But when writing Assamese in Roman letters, I would
prefer to write 'Oxom'.
If we think of 'A' ('O' as in Oxom or
Osom, even) being equivalent to the english letter 'A', because they
are the first letters in Assamese and English (and on the computer keyboard
starter line), then it becomes difficult to accept - why shouln't our
'Asm' be
written with the first English letter 'A'?
But that will not serve any
purpose in rightly pronouncing the word, but to make it "palatable" to the
English only speakers. Or may be thats what we need to do - make it easy
for the others..
..after all, a language is a means
of communication - is to make others understand what you are
saying.
