Mogal Paulo. I was itching to answer Botelho in the same vein when I saw you had covered it most adequately and hence, desisted. I endorse your view in toto. His contention is a most shameful falacy. It totaly denigrates our mother tongue. Alfred de Tavares Stocholm. > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [email protected]> Date: Sat, 20 Oct 2007 22:45:38 +0100> Subject: Re: [Goanet] Goan Origin> > Obviously, FN missed the point just like most people who did not understand> what Joao Botelho Gomes wrote in his email of 16 October 2007.> > I was surprised that nobody else except Bernado and me responded to Joao> Botelho Gomes. I put that down to people not understanding Portuguese.> > Joao Botelho Gomes' post in Portuguese was provocative and implied that the> Goan origin was very much linked to Portuguese language and that all Goans> should read and write (and express themselves) in Portuguese, the de facto> language of our ancestors (according to him). > > Whilst it is true that I am fluent in both colonial languages Portuguese and> English and not in our own Goan mother tongue Konkani (I very much regret> this) does not mean that I have to agree with Botelho Gomes.> > In my opinion Konkani is in the centre of our Goan identity. If we lose it,> we will lose our Goan identity forever.> > Yes, we may all still speak and write in English and/or Portuguese but we> should not lose our connection to Konkani and I still defend that Konkani> should be the only official language of Goa like it was a few years ago.> > Best regards> Paulo Colaco Dias.> > > -----Original Message-----> > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:goanet-> > [EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Frederick [FN] Noronha * ????????> > ???????> > Sent: 19 October 2007 20:01> > To: Goa's premiere mailing list, estb. 1994!> > Subject: Re: [Goanet] Goan Origin> > > > Strange that Paulo should choose two "colonial" languages in which to> > make his point!> > > > Let's be realistic and honest: English and Marathi (now) are the> > preferred written languages. Earlier, it was Portuguese primarily,> > specially for official and historical purposes. Konkani is undeniably> > the preferred spoken language. Hindi, Portuguese (a bit) and French> > get studied in schools too. Lot of migrant workers have languages like> > Kannada as their mother tongue; and Goa also had historic connection> > with this, being the language of its former rulers. On the coastal> > belt, one can see (a few) signboards in Russian and Hebrew, while> > earlier German and the Scandinavian languages would be visible too.> > And, not to forget, Konkani gets written in five scripts (including> > Malayalam and Perso-Arabic, though there are some who would like to> > forget that reality).> > > > Language is indeed a complex issue in Goa. FN> >> _________________________________________________________________ Invite your mail contacts to join your friends list with Windows Live Spaces. It's easy! http://spaces.live.com/spacesapi.aspx?wx_action=create&wx_url=/friends.aspx&mkt=en-us
