This is in response to "Endangered Languages" by Tomazinho Cardozo. (Mess #5,
GD #293, Mar. 22)
At the outset I must thank Tomazinho for having posted this article on the
internet thus providing an opportunity for refutation which the newspapers
where his prevaricating columns (including the present article) appear do not
generally afford. I also request him to continue posting in this manner.
As has been proved time and again, Tomazinho has few peers in the art of
twisting facts and drawing illogical inferences therefrom. The present article
also exemplifies this.
For Tomazinho the Devanagari script has become a bugbear; think of any ill
(real or imaginary) that besets this State or country, he immediately jumps to
the conclusion that this demon is the culprit! It does not matter to him that
although the OLA confers the official status on Devanagari script for the
Konkani language, the Act itself has not at all been implemented to date, for
over 20 years; and he himself is no less responsible for this. What does
matter to him is that it pays, and has paid him handsomely, to flog that
script.
The article is about Endangered Languages, and about the dreaded prospect of
Konkani entering that list. Any sane person knows, and can judge from the
statements in the article itself, that an endangered language is a language
which is at risk of falling out of use owing to few surviving SPEAKERS, and
becomes extinct when it loses its last speaker. Most endangered languages are
only spoken; many have rich oral cultures with stories, songs etc. passed on to
younger generations, but they have no written forms. How many of the languages
he has mentioned (192 in highly literate USA alone!) have a single word written
in them? Yet they survived for thousands of years.
Thousands of languages in the world have become extinct in history; but not a
single one of them suffered this calamity because it was written in a
particular script. In fact, at least some languages could be rescued from the
brink of extinction only because they also happened to be written, and at least
one of them has been restored to become a vibrant modern language. Yet,
Tomazinho illogically infers that Devanagari script shall be responsible for
the demise of Konkani language, which he anticipates. But he is not a duffer.
He is only preparing a ready ground to bury his own sins.
If it is the number of SPEAKERS that decides whether a language survives or
dies, how does a script come into the picture at all? DOES ONE SPEAK A
SCRIPT? But then, no stupidity is beyond those who claim to SPEAK "Romi
Konknni" whilst their enemies speak "Devnagri Konknni." Imagine someone who
translates "Sant Juanv Bautist ani Dexi riti-rivaz" as "St. John the Baptist
level mannered ritual" being ASKED TO REVIEW not one but two books written in
"priestly Konkani." (Cf. Herald Mirror, 22/03, pg 12). Could someone cite
anything as pathetic with regard to any other language?
Once a language is no longer the language of the home – literally, the mother's
tongue – then the language is pretty well doomed to become extinct, unless
extraordinary things happen to save it. And it is a fact that a section of
Goans, whom Tomazinho claims to represent, desist from speaking in Konkani,
even at home. But their opposition to Devanagari script is certainly not the
reason for this. Take tiatrists for instance. Konkani is not only the
language of expression of their art but also a means of livelihood. Yet, they
resort to English the moment they step out of the spotlight. I have observed
that two tiatrist couples (Cardozo and Mazarello – prominent leaders of the
anti-Devanagari lobby) invariably intercommunicate in English whether on the
road, in a hall or in the church. One need not guess their language at home.
Is Devanagari responsible for this too? And they are exhorting others to
speak in Konkani! One is reminded of
an adage in Konkani which says, "the priest’s sermon is not for his
sister-in-law!"
Tomazinho's grouse is against the particular script used in school books. Does
one need a script in order to continue SPEAKING in a language. Therefore,
school books cannot be the reason why a particular section of people do not
speak a language. Obviously the real reasons are elsewhere and Cardozo, being
one of those, is certainly aware of them. One may remember that, among the
Speakers of our Legislative Assembly, Tomazinho is perhaps the only one who
used English exclusively in the House; even his predecessors on that Chair,
owing allegiance to the M. G. Party, used Konkani in addition to Marathi and
English even though they believed that Konkani is a dialect of Marathi. Did he
desist from using Konkani because of the script? Or was it because he, a
tiatrist, considered it OK for the tiatr but infra dig for the Chair he
occupied?
He also makes a preposterous claim that "the use of a particular dialect while
imparting education in Konkani has compelled many people to desert Konkani and
to move towards English." Can he tell us where in the entire world children
are taught a language in their respective dialects? He tries to obfuscate the
fact that Konkani has been taught in Catholic schools since the liberation of
Goa, in Devanagari script. The first batch of SSC students with Konkani as the
third language passed out ten years before the OLA was passed. Tomazinho, who
has been a school teacher (and Headmaster) during those years could not have
forgotten this fact. And is it not a fact that in the year when the OLA was
passed, the first batch of M.A.'s in Konkani (Devanagari script) passed out of
Goa University? It is an undeniable fact that Konkani has always been taught
in Devanagari script.
As early as in 1889, the very first attempt to introduce Konkani in education
was through the 'Primer' in Devanagari by Barao de Cumbarjua. Subsequently,
thanks to the intervention of Msgr. Dalgado, Konkani in Devanagari was taught
in the Lyceum, in Panjim, one of its teachers being Professor Martinho Faleiro,
father of NRI Commissioner, Eduardo Faleiro. Therefore, the exodus from
Konkani need not have waited for the passage of the OLA.
Speaking about dialects, another fact should not be lost sight of. The Church
employs a particular Bardez dialect for its liturgy, in spite of the fact that
the Catholic population of Salcete Taluka exceeds that of all other talukas.
Would it, therefore, be correct to say that this is the reason for the
Saxtikars to move away from Konkani in the Church? And this is not empty
rhetoric. Recently I attended a funeral, in Cuncolim, of a child studying in
the 8th standard, a grandson of my neighbour. The entire Mass was in English
save for the sermon which was in Konkani. The dialect in the school books
could not have been the reason for this, because the people of Cuncolim are
familiar with it since ninety percent of the shopkeepers, traders and artisans
in Salcete (especially Cuncolim), being Hindu, speak in that dialect which Fr.
Pratap Naik refers to as "xixi." Hence one is left with the inescapable
conclusion: they find it difficult to comprehend
the "priestly Konkani" read in the church, which is different from the one
they speak at home. Perhaps the Church authorities could begin printing
religious books in Salcete Konkani. The Diocesan schools also aid this exodus
by teaching English Hymns and liturgy during the Religion period. Wonder
whether this practice is followed in any other state.
Now let us suppose that Konkani eventually does become extinct and, at a later
date, attempts are made to revive it, a la Hebrew. In that event, would it be
possible to do so using the "Povitr Pustok"? It is in Roman script. But which
pronunciation standard should the reader use to decipher the sounds, since many
surviving languages will be using this script, like English, French etc.? The
sounds are vastly different in these languages. Try asking an Englishman and a
Frenchman to read the Povitr Pustok aloud, and you will know what I mean. How
would the Devanagari version of "Novo Korar" fare in this respect? Marathi and
Hindi will have certainly survived. Ask a Hindi person and a Marathi person to
read this Novo Korar. What will be result? Therefore, the earlier Tomazinho
stops cursing the Devanagari script the better it will be.
But while presenting an "analysis" he says "THERE ARE GOOD REASONS" for the
state of affairs in Goa, whereby English (or Konklish) is becoming the mother
tongue in many families. And what are these GOOD REASONS? Semiliterate
parents of tiny tots are already worried about their children facing interviews
for landing plum jobs and, therefore, start to converse in 'broken' English
with their children. Will this 'broken' English get them through the
interview, when the time for it comes? Or will the child have to first forget
this 'Konklish' before learning correct English. Therefore, will this be an
advantage or a drawback? And this has the approval of a Headmaster!!! It is
not just the children of semiliterate parents that speak ‘broken’ English.
Through interaction, other children too catch the contagion. My niece's
daughter attends a convent school in Margao. She did her KG in Konkani medium
and First standard in one of the Hifi English
medium schools that have mushroomed in that town. While she was there, her
spoken English was really good; the school had good trained teachers who
insisted on correct pronunciation and syntax. But, because of a steep fee
hike, she was shifted to her present school; and now her spoken English is
atrocious. It is not the English that is taught in the school, but what some
other children bring from their home. Here is a sample of sentences spoken by
my grandniece: "What go. We'll go by bus go? That time my mother told mugo!"
And when her mother corrects her, she says, "Mama what go. Simply you don’t
say aam. All girls in school talk like that only go!" Is this type of speech
going to make the children fluent English speakers when they grow up? Is it
helping their scholastic grades?
In fact, it is headmasters like Tomazinho who are largely responsible for this
state of affairs. The semiliterate parents may not realise the pitfalls of
their actions; their intentions, at least, are clean. But could the
headmasters, through the PTAs, not drill some sense into the parents? Make
them see the harm that they are causing to their own children's career? The
school is the only place where this state of affairs could be set right. The
educated parent is at her wits' end; if she makes such a suggestion to the
headmaster, in nine cases out of ten, her child will be marked for "special
treatment"!
Sotachench zoit zatolem!
Mog asum.
Sebastian Borges
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