Goanet next meets in Goa: January 7, 4 pm (meeting point: Kala Academy canteen). Goanet founder Herman Carneiro will be there. See you there! ------------------------------
I am overwhelmed by the enthusiastic response (from GoaNetters and others) to my suggestion of the word 'disporia' to replace the word 'diaspora' when describing the phenomenon of Goans spread out all over the globe.
Original post at: http://www.goanet.org/pipermail/goanet/2004-January/008630.html
Immediately I dashed off a letter to Oxford University Press to include the word 'disporia' in the next edition of their dictionary and received a very rude response saying that the word has to be in 'common usage' by a 'significant number of people globally' before it can be included in their dictionary.
Significant indeed!
They don't consider the Goan disporia significant enough for a single entry in their dictionary? They don't know who they are dealing with. As Teotonio R. De Souza wrote (this is a) "land and sea-breaking contribution to Goan centrifugal society". Sounds quite deadly.
I suggest a Three Fold strategy to get even with Oxford University Press.
-------- Stage #1 Target date: January 3rd 2005
Getting 'disporia' in the dictionary through popular usage.
I have enlisted the support of the GoaNet Admin Team.
They can put up an automatic filter that replaces 'diaspora' with 'disporia' in ALL postings.
So there we have 5000+ people using the word.
Fred will surely give me his personal support and use his influence with Herald to get 'disporia' used in the newspaper as often as possible. Herald's readership is at least 1,40,000, if not more. Plus we have the online edition of Herald which reaches thousands over the globe. And of course Fred's own regular contributions to mailing lists. An additional 10,000 people easily.
Auspicio Rodrigues will use his MLM expertise to get his entire downline to use 'disporia' in their meetings. That's another 2,048 approximately.
Eddie Fernandes of "Goan Voice UK" could bring in the entire Goan disporia in the UK, and many others too, through his mailing list. 16,000 minimum.
Rene Baretto and his Goa Day network. A lot of duplication here but at least 2000 fresh people to use the word - in my estimation. We can do it Rene! Together we can make it happen! For Goa! Goans together! Now and forever! Whatever.
Roland Martins says GoaCan! I agree.
Lets show these Caucasians at Oxford University that Goans can use a word in 'significant' enough numbers for an entry in their Western centric Dictionary. Not a single word of Goan origin in 12,345,400 entries since 1926! This shows a bias against non-Europeans. Those last statements was just to enthuse Filomena Giese and George Pinto into fighting for our cause.
At the rate this movement for disporia is building up we should have it in the dictionary by 2005 for sure.
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Stage #2 Target date: 3rd January 2007
Getting Konkani words and Goan English usage into the dictionary and into common parlance.
Some Konkani words like 'bangoddi' , 'guspott' and 'zogzoggit' just beg for universal usage. They do not have an English equivalent. If Hindi words like 'guru', 'puja' and 'kismet' can find place in the Oxford Dictionary why should unique Konkani words also not find their rightful place? For too many years Konkani has been borrowing from other languages. It's time that we start lending too!
Also normal Konglish phrases such as "He bees there", "Become big or what?", "She onned the fan", "I made a pilot", "If you catch 20 rupees a kilo it becomes 300 rupees for the sack" etc. should be given legitimacy. We should use such literal translations more often. Nothing to be ashamed of. It comes with the disporia. It also "comes in the orchestra" (bhennant ailem).
"Sorry" sounds so much better when said as "Sorry anh". It is humble, has a hint of a question at the end, and makes the receiver of the apology feel good. Same for "Thank you anh" and "Please anh" as we say here in Goa.
I think with enough support from the Goan disporia worldwide we can soon have the whole globe speaking our unique brand of English.
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Stage #3 Target date: 3rd January 2010.
By this time we should have about 41,356 Konkani words in the Oxford Dictionary including 'mukhar', 'faffudlo' and 'solog'. The time will be right for the Goan disporia worldwide to now claim that English is actually a dialect of Konkani!!
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Side topics:
- My friend from Cansaulim (who said not to mention her name) is expecting her first child in March and has enthusiastically agreed to name the child Disporia - if it is a girl.
- A Technical Committee is being formed consisting of Teotonio De Souza, Jorge de Abreu Noronha, Agnelo Mascarenhas, Miguel Braganza, Jose Lourenco, Oliver (Bill) Seixas and Santosh Helekar to delve into the proper linguistic definitions of "dipsoria", "dispore", "disporial" and "disporically".
- A suggestion from R. Nair that 'disporic' was more correct than 'disporial' was thrown out as it was considered an Insult to Goans to be called 'disporic'.
- My client Shelton-goes-Solo (one man band) has composed a special jingle as an appeal to the Goan disporia:
"Disporia you're breaking my heart,
You're shaking my confidence daily..ya,
Disporia, I'm down on my knees,
I'm begging you please,
To come home.
Come on home!"
The tune sounds vaguely familiar but nevertheless I'm adopting it as the theme song for the Goan Worldwide Disporia. We're trying to contact Remo Fernandes and get him to sing it at Kala Academy on Monday evening at the conclusion of the Global Goans Conclave currently going on.
Volunteers and suggestions welcome!
Cecil
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