I always spoke Konkani with my parents in Goa.When I was a child I went to Bombay to school at the age of 7 years I struggled with English and then polished it speaking with my father's friends in Bombay who were Englishmen and did not know anything of Konkani and made fun of me with Konkani words. Today I speak Konkani in Goa,only with the Brahmins I am at ease, the others make me feel unwanted. I speak English within the English speaking people of Goa and the question always is "Were you abroad "? And I have to request them for an explanation to understand what exactly they mean.
While in school at Bombay in the 1950s Hindi and Marathi were suddenly introduced and had to again struggle with languages unheard of and failed miserably because of these two different languages with ant/snake like scripts and some sounds. I used to get dreams in my boarding school at Matunga, Bombay, that tomorrow is my final examination and I have not yet brought my Hindi and Marathi Text Books. Only some years back these dreams ceased. I had to leave school in the X Standard at Bombay because of political reasons between then Portuguese Goa and India. That turned out to be a blessing in disguise as I finished the High School in English in Portuguese Goa without Hindi (we were given this exemption because we were from another state than Maharashtra). In Goa,Portuguese was compulsory for English students, but I managed to dodge Portuguese because the Portuguese teacher was very harsh with me. He is still alive in Panjim, I won't name him now. I had taken French as a second language in Bombay just to avoid studying Latin with another merciless teacher. He died recently. Good man. May God bless his soul. Just for reading and no intention to hurt anybody. Gregory Fernandes. ------ Original Message ------ Received: Tue, 12 Jun 2007 05:05:14 PM MDT From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: GOAN-NRI@yahoogroups.co.in Subject: Re: [GOAN-NRI] related to Leon Verdes from Chinchinim Dear Mr Raikar I totally agree with you on this matter. Although we have lived overseas for so many years and our children have grown upo there, we have always made a point to speak to our children in Konkani. They all speak fluent English and are good in Konkani although bit accented. It is the pride of the parents sometimes to tell their social circle that 'my children do not know to speak Konkani, they only understand English' and this is more prevalent among Catholics. In Goa back then, they would speak English only to their servants or maids and a result Konkani was known as 'Cuzinantoli language'. Here in Australia it is amazing that most of the nationalities are so proud of their language and send their children to special tutions or schools to keep them acquainted with their mother toungue. In those days we had no Konkani as the second language and therefore we do not know the spelling or correct way of writing Konkani. Children have the capacity to learn many languages. It was our old belief especially in Catholic schools that you had to speak in English otherwise, you were a failure. It was the Hindus who have always kept the Konkani language going all along. I had Hindu friends in college who would always speak in Konkani and they were such outstanding students. When i pen these lines, i am doing so out of experience and not hearsay and that is why i came forward to say what i strongly believe. I do not mean to hurt anyone's feelings but this what i believe. Kind regards maria-odette cotta _________________________________________________________________________________ This email contains confidential information intended only for the person named above and may be subject to legal privilege. If you are not the intended recipient, any disclosure, copying or use of this information is prohibited. The Department provides no guarantee that this communication is free of virus or that it has not been intercepted or interfered with. If you have received this email in error or have any other concerns regarding its transmission, please notify [EMAIL PROTECTED] _________________________________________________________________________________
