The RSM debate raises some doubts in my mind:
(1) Roman script is meant for oldies who cannot read devanagari? For Goans in diaspora? For foreign tourists? Every young Goan in Goa learns devanagari script in school nowadays. Others outside Goa can learn it with some effort. (2) I would agree and disagree with Vidyadhar Gadgil. Diacritical marks will not make any sense to common people. With or without such marks, Konkani in Roman script can be read correctly only by those who already know the Konkani sounds. English in roman script is read correctly only by those who have already learnt the language sufficiently well. (3) I have not seen any of the new diacritical marks appearing correctly in the plain-text required by the Goanet. It may have to change its rules to support the new way of writing Konkani in roman script. (4) For decades now the Portuguese and the Brazilians are struggling to come to an ortographic accord! The non-Portuguese lusophones feel that such an accord pressed by the Portuguese is a new form of cultural imperialism! The Brazilians also consider their language as much more alive and in constant change. For those who can read Portuguese the following link could help understanding this problem better. http://www.noticiaslusofonas.com/view php?load=arcview&article=11186&catogory=Manchete Teotonio R. de Souza --------------------- Date: Fri, 26 Aug 2005 20:39:44 +0530 From: Vidyadhar Gadgil <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Goanet] Re: Roman script Konkani... in new form To: Goanet mails <goanet@goanet.org> Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain This new Roman script Konkani is bizarre. It really appears like shooting oneself in the foot. Mere phonetics should not drive one to such absurdities; after all, we read and write English accurately enough in Roman script, even though it is far from phonetic. (George Bernard Shaw once suggested that 'fish' be spelt as 'ghoti', with the 'gh' pronounced as in 'rough', the 'o' pronounced as in 'women' and the 'ti' pronounced as in motion!) If one is serious about popularising Roman script Konkani, such stuff should be avoided. Experience with diacritics and unconventional marks is that these things only cause confusion in the minds of the average reader; as such, they are best reserved for academic journals, etc. Look at the way Hindi is written in Roman script (in newspapers, magazines, etc. there are always a few Hindi words nowadays). Nobody who knows Hindi (and can read Roman script) has the slightest difficulty in understanding them.