Dear Bab Jerry, Thanks for your message.
If you think of Roman Konkani only for current Goan elders who use it then whatever writing method followed is fine and very good. Also it is not at all problem for me as I have mastered reading and writing in current Roman script. The current Roman script has lots of influence of writing Portuguese. In olden days the Portuguese influence was more in Goan and thus the current Roman script went fine with every Goan with the right pronunciation. But the situation is changed now. The Portuguese influence is replaced by English language influence. Also the English influence is universal in all the regions of Konkani. If you want to keep Roman script Konkani exclusively for Goan Catholics you could go with the current writing method itself without agreeing for any other changes. But if you want to give it an universal acceptance then may be it would be better if you keep yourself open for a very little changes. I know that any change in human life is very difficult to accept at the beginning. You said you are writing Gai and not Gay. I am aware of that. There is no change in pronunciation in both the words. But if you dictate the word Gai to a group of people who do not know to write Konkani in current Roman script and see the result then you will find that all of them will write it as Gay. This is because of the influence of English. Similarly consider the words "Dor Mhoineachi Rotti" You are used to read and write in Roman script. Hence you will not have any problem in pronouncing both these words. But consider the people who do not have the practice of reading or writing of current Roman script. They will find it difficult to do the exact pronunciation. They will pronounce it as Dor Mhoyneyachi Rotti. Here Dor becomes the rope of the banana tree. Also the first three letters Moy they pronounce as the word Moy (i.e. the Cashew Nut) Consider if you write these words as D^r Mh^ynyachi Rotti then they can make exact pronunciation without any difficulties. (Note that here the letter ^ may look bit odd over here in emails but while printing or while writing it is printed or written as inverted V thus it makes the pronunciation very simple and easy. Please check out http://www.konkanifoundation.com/konknni.gif) Similarly if we write SAM ZUZE the people who are not aware of Roman script will pronounce SAM as they pronounce as KAM (work). Instead if we use the nasal vowelas suggested by TSKK and write it as Sa~ Zuze then the pronunciation is made much easier (I am considering the people who are not used to current Roman script reading). In December 2004 there was a World Canara Catholic Konkani Convention was held at Mangalore for all the Catholic Konkani speakers of the origin of Karnataka and Kerala. About 20,000 Catholic Konkani people gathered for this convention. During this time a resolution was passed to learn Roman script for Konkani along with the Kannada script that they use for writing Konkani. In support of this the Karntaka Konkani Writers Forum had organised training programme in writing Konkani in association of TSKK. Mangalorean found it very easy and simple the new Roman script taught by TSKK. In the similar lines recently we had organised training seminars in writing Konkani in Roman script specially for the Mangaloreans of Mumbai with the collaboration of TSKK. We had these sessions at 10 places namely 1.Vasai 2.Malvani 3.Andheri 4.Jerimari 5.Malad 6.Vidyavihar 7.Ghatkoper 8.Mira Road 9.Vakola 10.Dombivili. All the photographs of these training seminars at 10 locations are available at http://ancy.fotopic.net/list_collections.php During these training seminars we found that the people who never read any text of Roman script Konkani could read any text given to them very fluently with the exact pronunciation. But when we gave them the current Roman script text they had to struggle to read them. In fact TSKK has retained all the good things in the current Roman script. But suggested only three changes. 1. Introduction of Inverted V for the Short 'A' sound. (this could be also used as ^ during emails and sms) 2. Introduction of the letter y 3. Introduction of letter ~ for the nasal sound. Just with these only three changes the result is really amazing. Also it keeps the mouth shut of the people who criticise that Konkani can not be written as it is pronounced in Roman script. Dev Borem Korum, Ancy D'Souza Paladka, Mumbai http://www.konkanifoundation.com/ancy/
