GOAN HISTORY and CULTURE: In response to several requests to transmit this message to other Goan websites, or other Goans please feel free to do so! Those who suggest transmitting this in the native language are welcome to translate this into Konkani. Please use our name and e-mail address so that we can receive direct feedback from the readers; which is welcome!
Those NOT interested in Goan History or Culture: And Those who know it all! Please feel free to hit the DEL button NOW. I invite Goans to review what they read, add their own views and use the information to start a dialogue with their family as a Sunday talk or a mid-week dinner-conversation. Or it could be a topic for conversation of a Goan club meeting. Hopefully this will stimulate among all of us, including our families, a discussion on the language of Goan culture. History of Konkani: Abstracted from the Book Amchi Khobor - Our News - Inside Goa By Philomena and Gilbert Lawrence. This is a good weekend to write about Konkani. Ten years ago this week (August 20, 1992) Konkani was designated by the two houses of India's parliament as a separate and independent language. I was added to the eight schedule identifying Konkani and the Goan people as a culturally distinct group. Konkani may have been written first in the Brahmi script by the GSB. In later years, the local Nagari or Devanagari and Kanada scripts were adopted. There is controversy about Konkani language, its origin and association with other languages. Some believe it was brought to the Konkan by the GSB who cradled, nurtured, and developed the language. Konkani may have taken shape as a language from a mixture of Maithili, Magadhi, ArdhMagadhi and Paisachi Prakrits. Thus the GSB used Sanskrit for their faith services and Konkani for their daily speech. Their Konkani did not have a script. When GSBs migrated out of Goa (prior to 1000 CE), the same Konkani was then written in diverse scripts - Nagari in Goa, Bhatkal in Kannada and Mangalore, and Malayalam in Kerala. The earliest writings of Konkani have been traced to 1187 CE. Goa was between the Aryan north and the Dravidian south, and was exposed to a mixture of cultural traits, temple deities and art, and language scripts. During this period, the land was also visited by traders and settlers from the Middle East who brought with them their religions, cultures and languages. After 451 years of Portuguese rule, Konkani is also written in the Latin script. Konkani is spoken by 5 million people scattered over India and the world. After the Sahitya Academy accepted Konkani, the official recognition came on August 20, 1992, when the Indian government included Konkani in the 8th schedule of the constitution awarding it the status of a national language. Marathi, also from a Prakrit, was first spoken by people in the Godavari Valley and later by people in the Krishna river basin. Unlike the GSB brahmins, Marathas are Kshatriyas from four ancient royal vanshas (houses) and they continue to observe certain Kshatriya social practices. They worship Vishnu, God Shiva, and his wife Parvati in her many forms as Devi or mother goddess. The main deity for the GSB is Saraswati. The earliest Marathi scripts date back to 1600 CE. Hindi and Urdu are major languages of the Asian subcontinent. They have similar grammar and substantial common core vocabulary often called Hindustani. These languages are spoken by half a billion people except in deep, southern parts of India. Major components of the Hindi dialect have Sanskrit origins, and a major section of Urdu has Persian origins. Urdu is written in a modified Persian-Arabic script called nastaliq or nashkh from right to left, and has 35 letters. Hindi is written in Devanagri script, left to right, with 44 characters (33 consonants and 11 short and long vowels) and no capital letters. English has 26 letters (21 consonants and 5 vowels). In Hindi and Konkani grammar the structure of a sentence is: subject followed by object followed by verb. In English, it is: sentence of subject followed by verb followed by object. The educational system comprised village schools called pathasallas, and resident educational ashrams or gurukulas where learned gurus (teachers) taught enthusiastic sishyas (students). Hindi and Urdu have loan-words from English and vice-versa. The presence of loan-words reflects the ability of a language to absorb words from other sources. It is not a sign of contamination but a mark of an alive, vibrant, energetic and progressive language. About 10% of Konkani are believed to comprise loan words from English, Portuguese, Latin, and many Indian languages as reflected in dialogue, songs, literature and drama. Recent history of the Konkani language: The Portuguese brought the first printing press to India in 1556. The first Marathi-Konkani book was a catechism (cartilha) printed at the College of St. Paul in 1556. Tradition has it that this book was developed by Fr. (Saint) Francis Xavier himself. There is mention of catechism books but no copy exists. In 1580, Konkani grammar was written down by Fr. Thomas Stephens, a British Jesuit who came to Goa in 1579. It was the first time the grammar of an Indian language other than Sanskrit was described in writing. Fr. Stephens wrote Doutrina Christam em Lingoa Bramana Canarim which was printed at Rachol in 1622. The book, "Doctrine of Christ in the language of the Canara (Goan) Brahmin," is titled in Latin but written in Konkani (Latin script). It is the first printed book published in an Asian language. Its copies are in the National Library of Lisbon and the Vatican Library. In 1640, Fr. Stephens wrote Arte da Lingoa Canarim "The Art of the Language of Canara," which exists at the National Library of Lisbon and at SOAS, London. The prolific author also wrote the first novel in Konkani in 1651. Stephens, a pioneer, renowned linguist and poet did much to know, expand and preserve the vernacular during trying times such as the Portuguese Inquisition when Konkani was discouraged. He died in Goa working tirelessly for the people and their language. An affidavit claiming authorship of an Ayurvedic treatise signed by Appu Bhat and Vinayak Pandit of Cochin was written in Konkani in 1675 and the first in Devanagari print. The introduction to Hortus Indicus Malabaricus by Van Rheedes was printed in Amsterdam in 1678 in Konkani using the Devnagari script. The Bible was translated into Konkani (Devnagari script) by William Carey in 1808. Many of the earliest known block printing Konkani texts are in the Devnagari script. The first native newspaper was published in 1886. The first weekly Udentichem Sallok was published in 1893 in Pune. India's Sahitya Academy followed by the two houses of India's parliament recognized Konkani as an official and distinct Indian language in 1992. The Thomas Stephens Konkani Kendr (TSKK), a great language and cultural centre was built to honor the memory of Fr. Stephens. Researching and teaching Konkani has come a long way since it was taught in the pathashalas under the banyan tree. Those seeking to do in-depth research in the history of the language should contact the department of history at Goa University, or correspond with the TSKK, a Jesuit-run institution which is recognized by Goa University as a Konkani research institute. Regards, Philomena and Gilbert Lawrence PS: Have you looked at the World Goa Day WGD webpage? It is very stimulating and their theme song is very thrilling. ########################################################################## # Send submissions for Goanet to [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # PLEASE remember to stay on-topic (related to Goa), and avoid top-posts # # More details on Goanet at http://joingoanet.shorturl.com/ # # Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others # ##########################################################################
