Re: [Assam] From Tehelka
it is not the justice system - the law and order system which is responsible. *** Can you explain what you assert here and why you do so, Umesh? cm At 3:45 AM + 2/28/06, umesh sharma wrote: I have been following this story like many similar ones - it is not the justice system - the law and order system which is responsible. If all the witnesses refuse to testify - thanks to threats, bribes and trudgery of long visits to courts for years - then you cannot blame the judges as having biased judgement. It is similar to mafia rule where witnesses turn hostile. It happened famously in Parliamentarian DP Yadav's sons alleged killing of their sister's lover -after he danced opnely' with her on his birthday near Delhi. The deceased was son of a senior IAS official. Whats the cure. Those who have been in US for long can perhaps enlighten how the mafia bosses were rif off. Umesh ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] Fwd: Assam.org: Comment
-- Forwarded message --From: gautami keswani [EMAIL PROTECTED]Date: Feb 28, 2006 4:59 PM Subject: Assam.org: CommentTo: [EMAIL PROTECTED]asom is still not a correct namein liew of assam it is rather more foolish on the part of our govt if change it make it close to accuracy oxom or okhom start a public poll of people of assam ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Assam News: Kakopathar Report by a Human Rights Group.
This report is one sided and incorrect. It does not mentione dthe deaths by lynching and stoning of the police personnel at the hands of the protestors. No deaths of the police personnel are in this report showing the bias by MASS.Umesh[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Dear receiver of this mail, Assam Watch (UK) is providing a link below for you tovisit, if you wish, to read the details of recent army atrocitiesin Assam.http://www.antiimperialista.org/index.php?option=com_contenttask=viewid=4190Itemid=150Many thanks. Press Section Assam Watch(UK) A voluntary non-profit making human rights organisation Elton House Elton TS21 1AG England___assam mailing listassam@assamnet.orghttp://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.orgUmesh Sharma5121 Lackawanna STCollege Park, MD 20740 1-202-215-4328 [Cell Phone]Ed.M. - International Education PolicyHarvard Graduate School of Education,Harvard University,Class of 2005 How much mail storage do you get for free? Yahoo! Mail gives you 1GB! Get Yahoo! Mail___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] Oxom or Asom
Asom is ABSURD! Only spelling that makes sense is OXOM! cm ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Anathema
Title: Re: [Assam] Anathema I am glad to see that the article peppered with wisdoms such as Bush---idealistic world-changers that dont shirk from the use of arms. But right here and now it is about one man, a plan and a faith in two democracies. warmed some hearts, otherwise left cold by decades of being viewed as irrelevant. Is this supposed to be an 'analytical' piece? Reminds me of another, of a few years back, I don't remember who the writer was -- going ga-ga about how Indian cultural items ( or was it cuisine?) has become a house-hold word in America after the H1-B rush. But that was before the IT crash. What it points to is the eternal desi-angst of NOT being noticed by the USA, further exacerbated by its attraction to Pakistan, India's arch enemy,south-asian rival, competition, and role model all molded into one. So every-time some crumbs are thrown by DC , a segment of the desi-media goes ga-ga, as do the self-doubt plagued NRI crowd, as if the day of redemption has finally arrived. So, can it be an 'anathema'? Perhaps, to those who cannot see much better than those who are blinded by its brilliance. To this reader--it is a bunch of croc, nothing a thoughtful desi with with any self-respect would find any substance to gloat over--much less use it as a taunting tool. But then again, when one's sense of identity--however falsely associated--is assaulted daily by the relentless revelations about their icon possessed by a rotten system, what can one do but resort to taunting those who point them out :-)? At 2:48 PM -0800 2/27/06, Dilip/Dil Deka wrote: There are two anathemas (to some netters) in this article. Can you find them? === http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1635835,0035.htm HINDUSTAN TIMES.COM Dubyas laffaire India Pramit Pal Chaudhuri New Delhi, February 26, 2006 In early 1999, George W. Bush met with eight foreign policy advisors, collectively known as the Vulcans, in his ranch at Crawford, Texas. He was preparing for his White House bid. They were there to tell him about the world. Well into the briefing, Bush interrupted: Wait a minute. Why arent we talking a! bout India? The Vulcans who included Condoleezza Rice, Donald Rumsfeld and Paul Wolfowitz looked at each other. India didnt matter, they explained. Bushs response: Youre wrong. He gave three reasons. One, India was a democracy of one billion people and that was just incredible. It is a mantra he still chants with near reverence at the mention of India. Two, Indians were geniuses with software. No Vulcan knew what he was talking about. Three, You all are going on about the need to balance China. You cant do that without India. Bush later took aside two Vulcans, the present National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley and Bushs first ambassador to India, Robert Blackwill. If I am elected, I want a paper on how to transform the US-India relationship on my table before inauguration. In December 2000 Bush became US president-elect. He called in Hadley and Blackwill and demanded, Wheres my paper on India? They had forgotten. They spent ! Christmas in the White House reading up on this faraway country that the most powerful man in the world was so fixated on. Bushs first term was tumultuous for much of the world but advantageous to India. Funnily, these apposite experiences were for the same reason: Dubya was, as Rice once put it, convinced that he hadnt come here to leave the world the same way he found it. Echoing the Vulcans, Bush saw the world unprepared for new threats like rogue states and rogue nukes. So he worked to change the international order. Europe feared the loss of privilege. But an aspiring India saw an opportunity to move up the ladder. The sole superpower was rewriting the global rules; India worked hard to influence the writing in its favour. It helped that large chunks of Bushs worldview fitted neatly with Indian objectives: missile defence, use of force against terrorism and, finally, reworking the nuclear regime. In each case, India manoeuvred to be inside the tent r! ather than out. Nukes were the Big Shift . Ashley Tellis, an author of the US policy, explained that Bush chose to turn Washingtons long-standing approach to New Delhi on its head. His administration embarked on a course of action that would permit India more not less access to controlled technologies. Bill Clinton had offered the same but only if India gave up its nukes. The new approach was labelled Next Steps in Strategic Partnership. Hadley later admitted the state department couldnt have come up with a duller name. It was a symptom of what bedeviled the India policy of Bushs first term. NSSP was designed to liberate US technology policy in every sphere that did not require actual US legislation. But there was stiff resistance from mid-level bureaucrats in almost every US agency involved. As one US official said, Every
Re: [Assam] Loremo
Thanks for sending the link, M'da. This one looks really good in every way, more economical in gas, has a futuristic look, and even costs less. Our sonbought a (Honda) Civic Hybrid last year (yes, last yearFebruary, right after he got out of the SOI of USMC)for his dadas he used to drive long distance to go out of town almost every week (and exchangedhis dad's 4-door Honda for it :-), very good gas mileage, and you get a tax break also. BTW, you can call me by my name, not just 'lady'. :-) From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]To: assam@assamnet.orgSubject: [Assam] LoremoDate: Tue, 28 Feb 2006 10:56:54 -0500Most Fuel efficient-anybody?Visit this page at hybridcars.com:http://www.hybridcars.com/news/news.php?news_id=770___assam mailing listassam@assamnet.orghttp://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] Hush Bush
I noticedthe word "taunt" in my friend Chandan Mahanta's email and the usual acerbic comments. I know he means no harm. :-) No taunting isintended in posting the following article.Unlike my friend I like to give credit where it is due. I do not wear colored glasses. Thus it is easier for me to see natural light. Let's face it - despite tremendous internal problems, India is making steady progress in the international market and politics. India's position in the hierarchy is not as tenuous as some portray it to be. Though I left India many years ago, I am still interested in things Indian and thoughts Indian. I like some and I loathe some. The ones I like outnumber the ones I loathe. I am just as proud to be an American as a citizen, as I am to be an Indian and an Assamese ethnically. With that opener, I'll take you to an article from the NYT that also looks at Indo-US relations under natural light. Dilip DekaP.S. I liked the new slogan "Hush Bush". =An Assertive India Girds for Negotiations With Bush By SOMINI SENGUPTA Published: February 28, 2006NEW DELHI, Feb. 27 When President Bush lands in India early Wednesday, he will encounter an ever ambivalent American ally with one important difference from the past: this India has new power to assert its views, some of which align with Mr. Bush's agenda and some of which do not.Skip to next paragraph Scott Eells for The New York Times A performer removed his mask after an anti-Bush rally in New Delhi last week. Despite the protests, many Indians say they admire America. Enlarge This Image Scott Eells for The New York Times Demonstrators burned effigies of President Bush near a New Delhi mosque last week before his planned visit and waved "Hush Bush" signs. Much has changed, in fact, since the last visit here by an American president, in 2000, when President Clinton's address to the Indian Parliament was received so enthusiastically that lawmakers climbed over benches to shake his hand. Facing prospects of protests, President Bush is not expected to address Parliament at all. But that is not to say that India has morphed into an anti-American redoubt. There is still in most quarters enthusiasm for relations. But in the past six years, India has also become a more confident partner in trade and in America's campaigns against terrorism and nuclear proliferation which touch India both obliquely and directly as it looks abroad in pursuit of its own interests like never before. Meanwhile, India's endemic prickliness shows no signs of remission. Pratap Bhanu Mehta, president of the nonpartisan Center for Policy Research in New Delhi, sees in his country what he calls "a great admiration for U.S. power," a capacity that many Indians find worthy of emulation. "This is a power that acts independently, acts freely, is not constrained," he said. "It's not so much an anti-American view than wanting to replicate that." That fine balance is most visible in talks over whether to reward India with access to American nuclear technology, an issue about which both sides would like to announce a deal this week. They are not there yet, as the talks rub up against the one thing that many Indians, particularly in the political elite, hold dear: the idea of India's independence. Little else may actually unite opinion here. Indeed, the many shades of political opinion found in this feisty country of one billion defy any easy rendering of an India as either for or against the United States. India has fundamentalists of the Hindu and Muslim persuasion, Maoist guerrillas, free marketers, newly minted millionaires and Marxist lawmakers with posters of Che Guevara on their office walls. The Pew Global Attitudes Project found Indians last year to be among the most cheerful in their appraisal of both the United States and President Bush. In a survey published this week in the Indian newsweekly Outlook, two-thirds of Indians "strongly" or "somewhat" regarded Mr. Bush as "a friend of India," even as 72 percent called the United States "a bully." In the same survey, conducted by A. C. Nielsen, nearly two-thirds of respondents said India should go its own way and defy American objections on a natural gas pipeline to Iran. Perhaps most striking, fewer than half the Indians surveyed said they would want to "settle down in the U.S." The conflicting currents come as relations between the countries have undergone a revolution, and are more entwined than ever before, making commonplace today what would have been unthinkable even a few years ago. Indians are buying American arms. The two military powers are conducting joint counterinsurgency exercises. Indians are among the fastest growing immigrant groups in the United States, and charity money from America something that would be held in suspicion in the recent past is helping to train Indian nurses to care for
Re: [Assam] Fw: THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE X SOUND IN ASSAMESE
Good job, Barua. I'll also write to the Assam Tribune. Dilip DekaRajen Barua [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:A copy of an article being sent to Assam Tribune: GOA is trying to do the most foolish thing for the Assamese. The correct phonetic spelling of Assam in Assamese should be OXOM. Looks like Assam is controlled by ignorant Assamese scholars. This is the saddest day for Assam. I hope people will write protest letters to different newwspapers in Assam. Rajen Barua -- THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE X SOUND IN ASSAMESE LANGUAGE Rajen Barua, Houston, USAAssamese is the eastern-most member of New Indo Aryan (NIA) languages in India, and is spoken in the Brahmaputra valley in Assam. It is also the easternmost member of the Indo-European group of languages which is the largest language group in the world with a total number of speakers of more than half of the world population. All the modern European languages as well as those of Iran, India and Pakistan fall into this Indo-European group. Amongst the NIA languages, Assamese bears some unique characteristics which are not found in other Indian languages. Assamese is a very ancient language, a fact not very well recognized even by the Assamese. From that ancient past, the Assamese language evolved in partial isolation from mainland India, and developed some distinct characteristics. Being the farthest outpost of Aryan migration towards the east, Assamese falls in the outer belt or in the peripheral Indo-Aryan languages. As such Assamese has retained certain characteristics of the parent Indo-European (IE) languages which have been lost in other parts of India. Besides the absence of the cerebrals, Assamese has the unique /x/ sound which is absent in Sanskrit and other NIA languages. This was duly observed by the Baptist Missionaries in the early nineteenth century when they encountered the language and has opined correctly that Assamese has the unique /x/ sound which is similar to the Greeks. Phonetically, this /x/ sound is pronounced somewhat in between the sounds /s/, /kh/ and /h/ and is similar to the German sound /ch/ as pronounced in the word Bach or the Scottish sound as found in the word Loch. Thus in Assamese, all the three Indo-Aryan Sibilants: s, s and s are pronounced as /x/. This is a unique characteristic of the Assamese language. On this point, Dr. Suniti Kumar Chatterjee, the leading Indian philologist, remarked, The change of initial, intervocal and final (sibilants) to the gluteral spirant x in Assamese is something remarkable and is paralleled by what we see in Singhalese and Kashmiri. This is also noticeable in Iranian, Hellenic and Celtic In many languages this original Indo-European /x/ sound was lost which either evolved to s, kh or h. According to Kaliram Medhi, The Assamese pronunciation of the sibilants is peculiar in Assamese, and evidently a relic of pre Vedic Aryan pronunciation. Dimbeswar Neog also agrees, Next to the above peculiarities is the Asamiya X pronunciation of the sibilants which also must have been brought by the Early Aryans called the Mediterranean. Thus we see that this x sound in Assamese is not something which developed in Assam, nor it is a sound which was inherited from any of the non-Aryan languages in Assam, but it simply marks an earlier Indo-European pre Vedic heritage. The /x/ sound was there in the pre-Vedic Aryan language also before the evolution of the classical Sanskrit language. Dr Suniti Kumar Chatterjee, writes "It seems that in certain forms of OIA (Old Indo-Aryan languages the /x/ sound was the actually one employed for S as can be inferred from a medieval pronunciation of S as /kh/ being the nearest approximation to the traditional /x/". Dimbeswar Neog further writes, "When the Nordic of Vedic Aryan immigration into India took place in the second millennium B.C., the /x/ sound as in Asamiya was prominent. Chatterjee thinks that "tatax kim" was the actual pronunciation at the time of the Rig Veda. It came to be pronounced as "tatah kim" in later times owing to the loss of /x/ sound due to non-Aryan influence predominating over the Aryan. But it remained almost intact in the Dardic or Pisaci speech which like the Asamiya is a language of the outer band." Scholars have now correctly identified this unique Assamese sound to be a veller fricative sound. Dr. Banikanata Kakaoty, states that in Assamese it is an unvoiced velar fricative sound. Dr Golok Ch Goswami describes it as a velar voiceless aspirant. The International Phonetic Association (IPA), has identified all the sounds of all the languages in the world and have assigned some unique symbols. The IPA symbol of the velar fricative sound as found in Assamese and other languages is the Roman letter X. (See IPA Chart). Some of the Indo-European languages have retained this
Re: [Assam] Fw: THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE X SOUND IN ASSAMESE
That was a very good article. I hope they publish it. Barua, you seem to have put in a lot of effort and it has turned out very well. On 2/28/06, Rajen Barua [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: A copy of an article being sent to Assam Tribune: GOA is trying to do the most foolish thing for the Assamese. The correct phonetic spelling of Assam in Assamese should be OXOM. Looks like Assam is controlled by ignorant Assamese scholars. This is the saddest day for Assam. I hope people will write protest letters to different newwspapers in Assam. Rajen Barua -- THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE 'X' SOUND IN ASSAMESE LANGUAGE Rajen Barua, Houston, USA Assamese is the eastern-most member of New Indo Aryan (NIA) languages in India, and is spoken in the Brahmaputra valley in Assam. It is also the easternmost member of the Indo-European group of languages which is the largest language group in the world with a total number of speakers of more than half of the world population. All the modern European languages as well as those of Iran, India and Pakistan fall into this Indo-European group. Amongst the NIA languages, Assamese bears some unique characteristics which are not found in other Indian languages. Assamese is a very ancient language, a fact not very well recognized even by the Assamese. From that ancient past, the Assamese language evolved in partial isolation from mainland India, and developed some distinct characteristics. Being the farthest outpost of Aryan migration towards the east, Assamese falls in the outer belt or in the peripheral Indo-Aryan languages. As such Assamese has retained certain characteristics of the parent Indo-European (IE) languages which have been lost in other parts of India. Besides the absence of the cerebrals, Assamese has the unique /x/ sound which is absent in Sanskrit and other NIA languages. This was duly observed by the Baptist Missionaries in the early nineteenth century when they encountered the language and has opined correctly that Assamese has the unique /x/ sound which is similar to the Greeks. Phonetically, this /x/ sound is pronounced somewhat in between the sounds /s/, /kh/ and /h/ and is similar to the German sound /ch/ as pronounced in the word 'Bach' or the Scottish sound as found in the word 'Loch'. Thus in Assamese, all the three Indo-Aryan Sibilants: s, s' and s'' are pronounced as /x/. This is a unique characteristic of the Assamese language. On this point, Dr. Suniti Kumar Chatterjee, the leading Indian philologist, remarked, "The change of initial, intervocal and final (sibilants) to the gluteral spirant x in Assamese is something remarkable and is paralleled by what we see in Singhalese and Kashmiri. This is also noticeable in Iranian, Hellenic and Celtic" In many languages this original Indo-European /x/ sound was lost which either evolved to s, kh or h. According to Kaliram Medhi, "The Assamese pronunciation of the sibilants is peculiar in Assamese, and evidently a relic of pre Vedic Aryan pronunciation." Dimbeswar Neog also agrees, "Next to the above peculiarities is the Asamiya X pronunciation of the sibilants which also must have been brought by the Early Aryans called the Mediterranean." Thus we see that this x sound in Assamese is not something which developed in Assam, nor it is a sound which was inherited from any of the non-Aryan languages in Assam, but it simply marks an earlier Indo-European pre Vedic heritage. The /x/ sound was there in the pre-Vedic Aryan language also before the evolution of the classical Sanskrit language. Dr Suniti Kumar Chatterjee, writes It seems that in certain forms of OIA (Old Indo-Aryan languages the /x/ sound was the actually one employed for S as can be inferred from a medieval pronunciation of S as /kh/ being the nearest approximation to the traditional /x/. Dimbeswar Neog further writes, When the Nordic of Vedic Aryan immigration into India took place in the second millennium B.C., the /x/ sound as in Asamiya was prominent. Chatterjee thinks that tata x kim was the actual pronunciation at the time of the Rig Veda. It came to be pronounced as tatah kim in later times owing to the loss of /x/ sound due to non-Aryan influence predominating over the Aryan. But it remained almost intact in the Dardic or Pisaci speech which like the Asamiya is a language of the outer band. Scholars have now correctly identified this unique Assamese sound to be a 'veller fricative' sound. Dr. Banikanata Kakaoty, states that in Assamese it is an 'unvoiced velar fricative' sound. Dr Golok Ch Goswami describes it as a "velar voiceless aspirant'. The International Phonetic Association (IPA), has identified all the sounds of all the languages in the world and have assigned some unique symbols. The IPA symbol of the 'velar fricative' sound as found in Assamese and other languages is the Roman letter X. (See IPA Chart). Some of the
Re: [Assam] The battle of the X's still continues
Here are two more letters (Sentinel) on the subject. One wonders why the GOA was in such a haste to pass this all too important resolution. Changing the name itself is the easy part. The more difficult part is the acceptance and ease of use. Further, one has to also consider if changing the name to Asom will actually be realized in any real benefits (intrinsic or otherwise). _ Asom Now?So, our State has now become 'Asom' or 'Axom'! We have cast off a hated Raj legacy. The opinion of a well-known author has come at the most opportune time for our popular government to give another 'gift' to the people of the State by putting its seal on it through a Cabinet decision. But was any pubic opinion sought on the subject? Is public opinion being sought on the subject? Is public opinion totally inconsequential in a democracy? As on earlier occasions, our people from various strata of society seem to have lapped up this change without so much as an argument. Perhaps we want to be different from the rest of the 'Argumentative Indians'! That three of our metros have changed their names, is good enough argument to change the name of our State? Is it indeed our topmost priority? We have done precious little to pull our society out of the abysmal depth of corruption and have, in effect, given indirect approval to it by giving those corrupt people undue importance in the society. Corruption and inefficiency have irretrievably damaged the educational system which has ruined the future of countless young talents of the State, forcing the few who can afford to go outside the State to fly off. And yet we have not been able to reform anything, except some knee-jerk reaction as we witnessed during the recent HSLC episode. Ours is a State with composite culture and a variety of languages and ethnic overtones. Have we spared a thought as to how our various ethnic groups will react to this change? We have, in the past, witnessed the horrendous consequences of forcing things on others. History repeats itself because we do not learn the lessons of history. After so many years of the Official Language Act, we have not been able to implement it in the government offices and establishments. Let us ask ourselves: why? People find it difficult to tolerate any discordant note on a matter of public sentiment. And yet I cannot help asking myself as to what are the 'pluses' and 'minuses' of this decision. On the plus side, we shall have the satisfaction of feeling that the true ethnic meaning of the name will be expressed by 'Asom', although for all practical purposes we use the words "Asom" and "Asomiya", at times even in English. But nationally and internationally, our State is known as Assam with all its special virtues. After all, as Shakespeare said, what's in a name? On the minus side, a whole lot of controversies will arise over the spelling of 'Asom' (Axom) and 'Asomiya' (Axomiya). Besides, some non-Asomiya may pronounce these words in ridiculous ways and may make a caricature of it all. This will harm the well-established reputation of things like Assam silk or Assam tea both nationally and internationally. A phenomenal amount will have to be spent in changing various records, documents, bill boards etc in government, semi-government, private offices and institutions leading to loss of valuable time and precious government revenue and private resources. In fact, the reaction of the various ethnic groups will be for us to see. All this coming from an insignificant person like me, may not generate any public debate. For all I can think, this letter may not even be published! But this will certainly help me in letting at least a part of the great frustration out of my system. Robin Borthakur,Jalannagar, Dibrugarh-786005 From Assam to AsomI trust this letter would be an additional help in clarifying the issues that are involved in renaming Assam. The difficulty arises because we carried on with ''Assam'' as the British colonial power decided to write during their rule. It is well known that the British are apt in Anglicizing names. It is unfortunate that the word ''Assam'' has remain stuck for such a long time. But at the same time, now that we have an Assamese diaspora and better knowledge of English phonetics, it is perhaps easier now to put the long-awaited modification using linguistic logic wisely. Now the wind of change is blowing for something positive and we must be careful to avoid slip-ups and attempt our best to give consistency in reproducing our sounds using the Roman script. The vowel 'a' produces the 'aw' sound only in one cardinal IPA phonetic position. If one uses the IPA phonetic script, the Assamese first vowel can be consistently produced. It is not practical to use phonetic script in daily use, and at the same time, is it not more simple to use 'aw' or with a little compromise use the vowel 'o' to avoid foreigners taking their pick how to say the 'a' sound in our language? We must
Re: [Assam] From Tehelka
I meant that the judge will decide a case based on the evidence presented. If no witnesses come forth - or later "trun hostile" under pressure from the other party -- it is the police which is to be blames which cannot protect citizens from thugs. Courts come in the picture later. Thats what I thought.UmeshChan Mahanta [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: it is not the justice system - the law and order system which is responsible.*** Can you explain what you assert here and why you do so, Umesh?cmAt 3:45 AM + 2/28/06, umesh sharma wrote:I have been following this story like many similar ones - it is not the justice system - the law and order system which is responsible. If all the witnesses refuse to testify - thanks to threats, bribes and trudgery of long visits to courts for years - then you cannot blame the judges as having biased judgement.It is similar to mafia rule where witnesses "turn hostile." It happened famously in Parliamentarian DP Yadav's sons alleged killing of their sister's lover -after he danced "opnely' with her on his birthday near Delhi. The deceased was son of a senior IAS official.Whats the cure. Those who have been in US for long can perhaps enlighten how the mafia bosses were rif off.UmeshUmesh Sharma5121 Lackawanna STCollege Park, MD 20740 1-202-215-4328 [Cell Phone]Ed.M. - International Education PolicyHarvard Graduate School of Education,Harvard University,Class of 2005 To help you stay safe and secure online, we've developed the all new Yahoo! Security Centre.___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Hush Bush - Nuclear frenzy? How about nuclear families--
It is strange that Indians are stuck upon Nuclear bonding - whereas there are so many social and business areas which should take precedence. perhaps manMohan has forgotten that he opposed India's becomning nuclear - when he sat in opposition (albeit in Rajya Sabha - not the elcted house of Lok Sabha).UmeshDilip/Dil Deka [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:I noticedthe word "taunt" in my friend Chandan Mahanta's email and the usual acerbic comments. I know he means no harm. :-) No taunting isintended in posting the following article.Unlike my friend I like to give credit where it is due. I do not wear colored glasses. Thus it is easier for me to see natural light. Let's face it - despite tremendous internal problems, India is making steady progress in the international market and politics. India's position in the hierarchy is not as tenuous as some portray it to be. Though I left India many years ago, I am still interested in things Indian and thoughts Indian. I like some and I loathe some. The ones I like outnumber the ones I loathe. I am just as proud to be an American as a citizen, as I am to be an Indian and an Assamese ethnically. With that opener, I'll take you to an article from the NYT that also looks at Indo-US relations under natural light. Dilip DekaP.S. I liked the new slogan "Hush Bush". =An Assertive India Girds for Negotiations With Bush By SOMINI SENGUPTA Published: February 28, 2006NEW DELHI, Feb. 27 When President Bush lands in India early Wednesday, he will encounter an ever ambivalent American ally with one important difference from the past: this India has new power to assert its views, some of which align with Mr. Bush's agenda and some of which do not.Skip to next paragraph Scott Eells for The New York Times A performer removed his mask after an anti-Bush rally in New Delhi last week. Despite the protests, many Indians say they admire America. Enlarge This Image Scott Eells for The New York Times Demonstrators burned effigies of President Bush near a New Delhi mosque last week before his planned visit and waved "Hush Bush" signs. Much has changed, in fact, since the last visit here by an American president, in 2000, when President Clinton's address to the Indian Parliament was received so enthusiastically that lawmakers climbed over benches to shake his hand. Facing prospects of protests, President Bush is not expected to address Parliament at all. But that is not to say that India has morphed into an anti-American redoubt. There is still in most quarters enthusiasm for relations. But in the past six years, India has also become a more confident partner in trade and in America's campaigns against terrorism and nuclear proliferation which touch India both obliquely and directly as it looks abroad in pursuit of its own interests like never before. Meanwhile, India's endemic prickliness shows no signs of remission. Pratap Bhanu Mehta, president of the nonpartisan Center for Policy Research in New Delhi, sees in his country what he calls "a great admiration for U.S. power," a capacity that many Indians find worthy of emulation. "This is a power that acts independently, acts freely, is not constrained," he said. "It's not so much an anti-American view than wanting to replicate that." That fine balance is most visible in talks over whether to reward India with access to American nuclear technology, an issue about which both sides would like to announce a deal this week. They are not there yet, as the talks rub up against the one thing that many Indians, particularly in the political elite, hold dear: the idea of India's independence. Little else may actually unite opinion here. Indeed, the many shades of political opinion found in this feisty country of one billion defy any easy rendering of an India as either for or against the United States. India has fundamentalists of the Hindu and Muslim persuasion, Maoist guerrillas, free marketers, newly minted millionaires and Marxist lawmakers with posters of Che Guevara on their office walls. The Pew Global Attitudes Project found Indians last year to be among the most cheerful in their appraisal of both the United States and President Bush. In a survey published this week in the Indian newsweekly Outlook, two-thirds of Indians "strongly" or "somewhat" regarded Mr. Bush as "a friend of India," even as 72 percent called the United States "a bully." In the same survey, conducted by A. C. Nielsen, nearly two-thirds of respondents said India should go its own way and defy American objections on a natural gas pipeline to Iran. Perhaps most striking, fewer than half the Indians surveyed said they would want to "settle down in the U.S." The conflicting currents come as relations between the countries have undergone a revolution, and are more entwined than ever before, making commonplace today what would have been
[Assam] [Frgraduates-list] Talks on Global Education - Teacher Training
Those in the area might like to learn from an expert on Teacher Training -for developing countries. Dr/Prof. Elanora Velagas-Reimers is the Director of Teacher Training program at Wheelock College, nr Boston, Massachusetts-and a Harvard Alum with Ed. M. '84 and Ed. D. '88 . I attended her talk on teacher training as recently is last summer at Harvard's Summer Program for International Educators -who were from edu. ministries of 20 countries. And as part of my course materials read her penetratingly clear articles like "Where are the 60 million teachers?" (in the world there are about 60 million school teachers - she lists out their life and SWOT analysis - for both rich andd poor countries. She came to study at Harvard from Venezuela.UmeshPS: Now first hand I am learning in what circumstances a person opts for school teaching - and how rewarding it can be. Today I attended my first day at work as a subistitute teacher for 3-4 year olds at a day care center. Got a call in the morning at 8 ot go there. I was ficguring last night after going thru the profile of Harvard Ed. School dean - that she is an expert in edu of 0-5 year olds (Early Childhood ) and the Dean!! There must be a lot to learn.I indeed met another graduate at the daycare center -from my batch at Harvard -from Human Dev. and Psycho. program . She recognized me last time when I had come here for the interview -which included spending one hour with the kids. Maybe she is trying to figure out the Human dev and Psycho aspect of small kids.[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Dear Colleagues,The Wheelock College Center for International Education, Leadership, and Innovation is pleased to announce information about the upcoming series of forums entitled "Fostering Global Citizenship in Pre-Service Teacher Education." This forum series is supported by a grant from The Longview Foundation, whose mission is to help elementary and secondary students, teachers, and teacher educators in the United States develop the knowledge, attitudes, values, and skills for responsible citizenship in a complex, interdependent world.The Longview Foundation Presents Dr. Peggy McIntosh, Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond, and Dr. Fernando Reimers*Dr. Peggy McIntosh, Founder and Co-Director of the National SEED Curriculum on Inclusive Education and the Associate Director of Wellesley College Center for Women, will serve as the inaugural keynote speaker for the Longview Foundation Forum Series on Tuesday, April 4th, 2006. The event will be held in the Ladd Room from 4:00 PM-6:00 PM. Dr. McIntosh will present "Internationalizing Teacher Education: Current Issues in Policy." *Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond, The Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Education at Stanford University and Executive Director of the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future, will join us on Wednesday, April 26, 2006 . She will discuss her research and her upcoming book, Powerful Teacher Education, to be released in April, which features a case study of the Wheelock College Teacher Education Programs. Dr. Darling-Hammond will hold a book signing from 4:30 PM-6:00 PM and will then present from 7:00 PM-9:00 PM in the Ladd Room.*Dr. Fernando Reimers, Ford Foundation Professor of International Education and Director of Global Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, will discuss research as it relates to Globalizing Pre-Service Teaching on Wednesday, September 20, 2006 . His presentation will take place from 4:00 PM-6:00 PM in the Ladd Room.*We are working to secure the fourth speaker. This final event is expected to take place during the week of November 13, 2006.We would like to encourage everyone to attend. In addition, please feel free to announce this to your students. These forums will be enriching and exciting events for the entire community. Electronic Registration for these events will be available through the Wheelock College website very shortly. We look forward to seeing many of you there.Best regards, Joan BergstromJoan M. Bergstrom, Ed.D.Professor and DirectorCenter for International Education, Leadership, and InnovationWheelock College200 RiverwayBoston, MA 02215Phone: (617) 879-2227Fax: (617) 879-2156 ___Frgraduates-list mailing list[EMAIL PROTECTED]http://gse.harvard.edu/mailman/listinfo/frgraduates-listUmesh Sharma5121 Lackawanna STCollege Park, MD 20740 1-202-215-4328 [Cell Phone]Ed.M. - International Education PolicyHarvard Graduate School of Education,Harvard University,Class of 2005 To help you stay safe and secure online, we've developed the all new Yahoo! Security Centre.___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Fw: THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE X SOUND IN ASSAMESE
That's Erudite! For generations to come- they will be grateful Bravo mm From: "Rajen Barua" [EMAIL PROTECTED]To: assam@assamnet.orgCC: [EMAIL PROTECTED]Subject: [Assam] Fw: THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE X SOUND IN ASSAMESEDate: Tue, 28 Feb 2006 10:33:37 -0600 A copy of an article being sent to Assam Tribune: GOA is trying to do the most foolish thing for the Assamese. The correct phonetic spelling of Assam in Assamese should be OXOM. Looks like Assam is controlled by ignorant Assamese scholars. This is the saddest day for Assam. I hope people will write protest letters to different newwspapers in Assam. Rajen Barua -- THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE X SOUND IN ASSAMESE LANGUAGE Rajen Barua, Houston, USA Assamese is the eastern-most member of New Indo Aryan (NIA) languages in India, and is spoken in the Brahmaputra valley in Assam. It is also the easternmost member of the Indo-European group of languages which is the largest language group in the world with a total number of speakers of more than half of the world population. All the modern European languages as well as those of Iran, India and Pakistan fall into this Indo-European group. Amongst the NIA languages, Assamese bears some unique characteristics which are not found in other Indian languages. Assamese is a very ancient language, a fact not very well recognized even by the Assamese. From that ancient past, the Assamese language evolved in partial isolation from mainland India, and developed some distinct characteristics. Being the farthest outpost of Aryan migration towards the east, Assamese falls in the outer belt or in the peripheral Indo-Aryan languages. As such Assamese has retained certain characteristics of the parent Indo-European (IE) languages which have been lost in other parts of India. Besides the absence of the cerebrals, Assamese has the unique /x/ sound which is absent in Sanskrit and other NIA languages. This was duly observed by the Baptist Missionaries in the early nineteenth century when they encountered the language and has opined correctly that Assamese has the unique /x/ sound which is similar to the Greeks. Phonetically, this /x/ sound is pronounced somewhat in between the sounds /s/, /kh/ and /h/ and is similar to the German sound /ch/ as pronounced in the word Bach or the Scottish sound as found in the word Loch. Thus in Assamese, all the three Indo-Aryan Sibilants: s, s and s are pronounced as /x/. This is a unique characteristic of the Assamese language. On this point, Dr. Suniti Kumar Chatterjee, the leading Indian philologist, remarked, The change of initial, intervocal and final (sibilants) to the gluteral spirant x in Assamese is something remarkable and is paralleled by what we see in Singhalese and Kashmiri. This is also noticeable in Iranian, Hellenic and Celtic In many languages this original Indo-European /x/ sound was lost which either evolved to s, kh or h. According to Kaliram Medhi, The Assamese pronunciation of the sibilants is peculiar in Assamese, and evidently a relic of pre Vedic Aryan pronunciation. Dimbeswar Neog also agrees, Next to the above peculiarities is the Asamiya X pronunciation of the sibilants which also must have been brought by the Early Aryans called the Mediterranean. Thus we see that this x sound in Assamese is not something which developed in Assam, nor it is a sound which was inherited from any of the non-Aryan languages in Assam, but it simply marks an earlier Indo-European pre Vedic heritage. The /x/ sound was there in the pre-Vedic Aryan language also before the evolution of the classical Sanskrit language. Dr Suniti Kumar Chatterjee, writes "It seems that in certain forms of OIA (Old Indo-Aryan languages the /x/ sound was the actually one employed for S as can be inferred from a medieval pronunciation of S as /kh/ being the nearest approximation to the traditional /x/". Dimbeswar Neog further writes, "When the Nordic of Vedic Aryan immigration into India took place in the second millennium B.C., the /x/ sound as in Asamiya was prominent. Chatterjee thinks that "tatax kim" was the actual pronunciation at the time of the Rig Veda. It came to be pronounced as "tatah kim" in later times owing to the loss of /x/ sound due to non-Aryan influence predominating over the Aryan. But it remained almost intact in the Dardic or Pisaci speech which like the Asamiya is a language of the outer band." Scholars have now correctly identified this unique Assamese sound to be a veller fricative sound. Dr. Banikanata Kakaoty, states that in Assamese it is an unvoiced velar fricative sound. Dr Golok Ch Goswami describes it as a velar voiceless aspirant. The International Phonetic Association (IPA), has identified all the sounds of all the languages in the world and have assigned some unique symbols. The IPA symbol of the velar fricative sound as found in Assamese
Re: [Assam] Fw: THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE X SOUND IN ASSAMESE
Very fine article Rajen. Proud of you. c Rajen Barua [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: A copy of an article being sent to Assam Tribune: GOA is trying to do the most foolish thing for the Assamese. The correct phonetic spelling of Assam in Assamese should be OXOM. Looks like Assam is controlled by ignorant Assamese scholars. This is the saddest day for Assam. I hope people will write protest letters to different newwspapers in Assam. Rajen Barua -- THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE 'X' SOUND IN ASSAMESE LANGUAGE Rajen Barua, Houston, USA Assamese is the eastern-most member of New Indo Aryan (NIA) languages in India, and is spoken in the Brahmaputra valley in Assam. It is also the easternmost member of the Indo-European group of languages which is the largest language group in the world with a total number of speakers of more than half of the world population. All the modern European languages as well as those of Iran, India and Pakistan fall into this Indo-European group. Amongst the NIA languages, Assamese bears some unique characteristics which are not found in other Indian languages. Assamese is a very ancient language, a fact not very well recognized even by the Assamese. From that ancient past, the Assamese language evolved in partial isolation from mainland India, and developed some distinct characteristics. Being the farthest outpost of Aryan migration towards the east, Assamese falls in the outer belt or in the peripheral Indo-Aryan languages. As such Assamese has retained certain characteristics of the parent Indo-European (IE) languages which have been lost in other parts of India. Besides the absence of the cerebrals, Assamese has the unique /x/ sound which is absent in Sanskrit and other NIA languages. This was duly observed by the Baptist Missionaries in the early nineteenth century when they encountered the language and has opined correctly that Assamese has the unique /x/ sound which is similar to the Greeks. Phonetically, this /x/ sound is pronounced somewhat in between the sounds /s/, /kh/ and /h/ and is similar to the German sound /ch/ as pronounced in the word 'Bach' or the Scottish sound as found in the word 'Loch'. Thus in Assamese, all the three Indo-Aryan Sibilants: s, s' and s'' are pronounced as /x/. This is a unique characteristic of the Assamese language. On this point, Dr. Suniti Kumar Chatterjee, the leading Indian philologist, remarked, The change of initial, intervocal and final (sibilants) to the gluteral spirant x in Assamese is something remarkable and is paralleled by what we see in Singhalese and Kashmiri. This is also noticeable in Iranian, Hellenic and Celtic In many languages this original Indo-European /x/ sound was lost which either evolved to s, kh or h. According to Kaliram Medhi, The Assamese pronunciation of the sibilants is peculiar in Assamese, and evidently a relic of pre Vedic Aryan pronunciation. Dimbeswar Neog also agrees, Next to the above peculiarities is the Asamiya X pronunciation of the sibilants which also must have been brought by the Early Aryans called the Mediterranean. Thus we see that this x sound in Assamese is not something which developed in Assam, nor it is a sound which was inherited from any of the non-Aryan languages in Assam, but it simply marks an earlier Indo-European pre Vedic heritage. The /x/ sound was there in the pre-Vedic Aryan language also before the evolution of the classical Sanskrit language. Dr Suniti Kumar Chatterjee, writes It seems that in certain forms of OIA (Old Indo-Aryan languages the /x/ sound was the actually one employed for S as can be inferred from a medieval pronunciation of S as /kh/ being the nearest approximation to the traditional /x/. Dimbeswar Neog further writes, When the Nordic of Vedic Aryan immigration into India took place in the second millennium B.C., the /x/ sound as in Asamiya was prominent. Chatterjee thinks that tatax kim was the actual pronunciation at the time of the Rig Veda. It came to be pronounced as tatah kim in later times owing to the loss of /x/ sound due to non-Aryan influence predominating over the Aryan. But it remained almost intact in the Dardic or Pisaci speech which like the Asamiya is a language of the outer band. Scholars have now correctly identified this unique Assamese sound to be a 'veller fricative' sound. Dr. Banikanata Kakaoty, states that in Assamese it is an 'unvoiced velar fricative' sound. Dr Golok Ch Goswami describes it as a velar voiceless aspirant'. The International Phonetic Association (IPA), has identified all the sounds of all the languages in the world and have assigned some unique symbols. The IPA symbol of the 'velar fricative' sound as found in Assamese and other languages is
Re: [Assam] From Tehelka
Title: Re: [Assam] From Tehelka U, I was afraid your concept of a 'justice system' was seriously faulty. That is why I asked for an explanation of your assertion that the 'system' is not faulty. And you validated my fear. It IS very faulty! If you look up Webster's English Dictionary, it will tell you that a 'system' is 'an orderly, interconnected, complex arrangement of parts'. Typically a justice system would be much more than a judge as you perceived it to be. It would include the laws, investigative apparatus ( the police, CBI etc.). a prosecuting apparatus ( in the US it is the District Attorney's or the US Attorney's office), the court system ( lawyers, clerks, sherriff's office, magistrate etc.) , the judge and a jury system ( in the USA that is --I am not sure India has a jury system) and the penal ,system ( jails, prisons, halfway-houses, work-release programs, parole system, etc.) I will tell you a bit more about it later. At the moment I am falling asleep on the key-board. Good night all. cm At 12:40 AM + 3/1/06, umesh sharma wrote: I meant that the judge will decide a case based on the evidence presented. If no witnesses come forth - or later trun hostile under pressure from the other party -- it is the police which is to be blames which cannot protect citizens from thugs. Courts come in the picture later. Thats what I thought. Umesh Chan Mahanta [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: it is not the justice system - the law and order system which is responsible. *** Can you explain what you assert here and why you do so, Umesh? cm At 3:45 AM + 2/28/06, umesh sharma wrote: I have been following this story like many similar ones - it is not the justice system - the law and order system which is responsible. If all the witnesses refuse to testify - thanks to threats, bribes and trudgery of long visits to courts for years - then you cannot blame the judges as having biased judgement. It is similar to mafia rule where witnesses turn hostile. It happened famously in Parliamentarian DP Yadav's sons alleged killing of their sister's lover -after he danced opnely' with her on his birthday near Delhi. The deceased was son of a senior IAS official. Whats the cure. Those who have been in US for long can perhaps enlighten how the mafia bosses were rif off. Umesh Umesh Sharma 5121 Lackawanna ST College Park, MD 20740 1-202-215-4328 [Cell Phone] Ed.M. - International Education Policy Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard University, Class of 2005 To help you stay safe and secure online, we've developed the all new Yahoo! Security Centre. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] NYTimes.com: President Bush Goes to India
Title: E-Mail This This page was sent to you by: [EMAIL PROTECTED] OPINION | February 28, 2006 Editorial: President Bush Goes to India Its a pity President Bushs trip to India revolves largely around whether India and America will manage to conclude a nuclear deal that shouldnt have been initiated to begin with. 1. Beyond Rivalry, a Hidden World of Sibling Violence 2. Growing Old Together, in New Kind of Commune 3. Short on Drivers, Truckers Offer Perks 4. Cyberthieves Silently Copy Your Passwords as You Type 5. A Year Abroad (or 3) as a Career Move Go to Complete List Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company | Privacy Policy ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] NYTimes.com: President Bush Goes to India
Title: E-Mail This This page was sent to you by: [EMAIL PROTECTED] OPINION | February 28, 2006 Editorial: President Bush Goes to India Its a pity President Bushs trip to India revolves largely around whether India and America will manage to conclude a nuclear deal that shouldnt have been initiated to begin with. 1. Beyond Rivalry, a Hidden World of Sibling Violence 2. Growing Old Together, in New Kind of Commune 3. Short on Drivers, Truckers Offer Perks 4. Cyberthieves Silently Copy Your Passwords as You Type 5. A Year Abroad (or 3) as a Career Move Go to Complete List Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company | Privacy Policy ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] From Tehelka
I think I meant the judiciary -as the justice system. My fault.UmeshChan Mahanta [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:U, I was afraid your concept of a 'justice system' was seriously faulty. That is why I asked for an explanation of your assertion that the 'system' is not faulty. And you validated my fear. It IS very faulty!If you look up Webster's English Dictionary, it will tell you that a 'system' is 'an orderly, interconnected, complex arrangement of parts'.Typically a justice system would be much more than a judge as you perceived it to be. It would include the laws, investigative apparatus ( the police, CBI etc.). a prosecuting apparatus ( in the US it is the District Attorney's or the US Attorney's office), the court system ( lawyers, clerks, sherriff's office, magistrate etc.) , the judge and a jury system ( in the USA that is --I am not sure India has a jury system) and the penal ,system ( jails, prisons, halfway-houses, work-release programs, parole system, etc.) I will tell you a bit more about it later. At the moment I am falling asleep on the key-board. Good night all.cmAt 12:40 AM + 3/1/06, umesh sharma wrote: I meant that the judge will decide a case based on the evidence presented. If no witnesses come forth - or later "trun hostile" under pressure from the other party -- it is the police which is to be blames which cannot protect citizens from thugs. Courts come in the picture later. Thats what I thought.UmeshChan Mahanta [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: it is not the justice system - the law and order system which is responsible.*** Can you explain what you assert here and why you do so, Umesh?cmAt 3:45 AM + 2/28/06, umesh sharma wrote:I have been following this story like many similar ones - it is notthe justice system - the law and order system which is responsible.If all the witnesses refuse to testify - thanks to threats, bribes and trudgery of long visits to courts for years - then you cannotblame the judges as having biased judgement.It is similar to mafia rule where witnesses "turn hostile." Ithappened famously in Parliamentarian DP Yadav's sons alleged killingof their sister's lover -after he danced "opnely' with her on hisbirthday near Delhi. The deceased was son of a senior IAS official.Whats the cure. Those who have been in US for long can perhapsenlighten how the mafia bosses were rif off.Umesh Umesh Sharma5121 Lackawanna STCollege Park, MD 207401-202-215-4328 [Cell Phone]Ed.M. - International Education PolicyHarvard Graduate School of Education,Harvard University,Class of 2005To help you stay safe and secure online, we've developed the all new Yahoo! Security Centre. Umesh Sharma5121 Lackawanna STCollege Park, MD 20740 1-202-215-4328 [Cell Phone]Ed.M. - International Education PolicyHarvard Graduate School of Education,Harvard University,Class of 2005 Yahoo! Photos NEW, now offering a quality print service from just 8p a photo.___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE X SOUND IN ASSAMESE
Its indeed a great article and eye opener for many. Can somebody in Assam get a print out and give to all twh MLAs at Dispur? Regards Manoj On 3/1/06, [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Very fine article Rajen. Proud of you. c Rajen Barua wrote: A copy of an article being sent to Assam Tribune: GOA is trying to do the most foolish thing for the Assamese. The correct phonetic spelling of Assam in Assamese should be OXOM. Looks like Assam is controlled by ignorant Assamese scholars. This is the saddest day for Assam. I hope people will write protest letters to different newwspapers in Assam. Rajen Barua -- THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE 'X' SOUND IN ASSAMESE LANGUAGE Rajen Barua, Houston, USA Assamese is the eastern-most member of New Indo Aryan (NIA) languages in India, and is spoken in the Brahmaputra valley in Assam. It is also the easternmost member of the Indo-European group of languages which is the largest language group in the world with a total number of speakers of more than half of the world population. All the modern European languages as well as those of Iran, India and Pakistan fall into this Indo-European group. Amongst the NIA languages, Assamese bears some unique characteristics which are not found in other Indian languages. Assamese is a very ancient language, a fact not very well recognized even by the Assamese. From that ancient past, the Assamese language evolved in partial isolation from mainland India, and developed some distinct characteristics. Being the farthest outpost of Aryan migration towards the east, Assamese falls in the outer belt or in the peripheral Indo-Aryan languages. As such Assamese has retained certain characteristics of the parent Indo-European (IE) languages which have been lost in other parts of India. Besides the absence of the cerebrals, Assamese has the unique /x/ sound which is absent in Sanskrit and other NIA languages. This was duly observed by the Baptist Missionaries in the early nineteenth century when they encountered the language and has opined correctly that Assamese has the unique /x/ sound which is similar to the Greeks. Phonetically, this /x/ sound is pronounced somewhat in between the sounds /s/, /kh/ and /h/ and is similar to the German sound /ch/ as pronounced in the word 'Bach' or the Scottish sound as found in the word 'Loch'. Thus in Assamese, all the three Indo-Aryan Sibilants: s, s' and s'' are pronounced as /x/. This is a unique characteristic of the Assamese language. On this point, Dr. Suniti Kumar Chatterjee, the leading Indian philologist, remarked, The change of initial, intervocal and final (sibilants) to the gluteral spirant x in Assamese is something remarkable and is paralleled by what we see in Singhalese and Kashmiri. This is also noticeable in Iranian, Hellenic and Celtic In many languages this original Indo-European /x/ sound was lost which either evolved to s, kh or h. According to Kaliram Medhi, The Assamese pronunciation of the sibilants is peculiar in Assamese, and evidently a relic of pre Vedic Aryan pronunciation. Dimbeswar Neog also agrees, Next to the above peculiarities is the Asamiya X pronunciation of the sibilants which also must have been brought by the Early Aryans called the Mediterranean. Thus we see that this x sound in Assamese is not something which developed in Assam, nor it is a sound which was inherited from any of the non-Aryan languages in Assam, but it simply marks an earlier Indo-European pre Vedic heritage. The /x/ sound was there in the pre-Vedic Aryan language also before the evolution of the classical Sanskrit language. Dr Suniti Kumar Chatterjee, writes It seems that in certain forms of OIA (Old Indo-Aryan languages the /x/ sound was the actually one employed for S as can be inferred from a medieval pronunciation of S as /kh/ being the nearest approximation to the traditional /x/. Dimbeswar Neog further writes, When the Nordic of Vedic Aryan immigration into India took place in the second millennium B.C., the /x/ sound as in Asamiya was prominent. Chatterjee thinks that tatax kim was the actual pronunciation at the time of the Rig Veda. It came to be pronounced as tatah kim in later times owing to the loss of /x/ sound due to non-Aryan influence predominating over the Aryan. But it remained almost intact in the Dardic or Pisaci speech which like the Asamiya is a language of the outer band. Scholars have now correctly identified this unique Assamese sound to be a 'veller fricative' sound. Dr. Banikanata Kakaoty, states that in Assamese it is an 'unvoiced velar fricative' sound. Dr Golok Ch Goswami describes it as a velar voiceless aspirant'. The International Phonetic Association (IPA), has identified all the sounds of all the languages in the
Re: [Assam] Black History Month - Jim crows' untouchability, KKK???
Today at the presentation by the students followed by sumptious snacks for all incl parents it was a wonderful experience. For one, the three girls were vying with each other for the best dress and looks. One came dressed in a skirt (for the first time) and stockings. The second (usually shy) did not come at all untill with her parents all decked up with a flowing Spanish dress and hair all done up ( i do not even know the style) -alongwith her sisters and presntes carrying viedocameras. And upon seeing them both the third (usually the most style conscious) called her mother twice - and a thrid time - and came dressed up in an evening gown (like the one won by actresses at Oscars) - although they are all just eight year olds. Among the boys the best speaker (to read about Barak ) went home minutes before the program - I had to read out his part . The one who read about Condo Rice had been sick for the past 10 days - in hospital for heart problem - but spoke well -with 3-4 times practice in our windowless 15by 10 feet classroom. Later he mentioned that his legs were shaking. One scholar from the higher grade spoke about Jim Crow's Laws - which forbade blacks from drinking water from the same fountain from where whites drank. It reminded me of Dr Ambedkar's brave gesture of trying to drink water from the common village well.I had saved this info about the oldapplication in pink paper for joining Ku Klux Klan - which I saw at the Smithsonian Museum of American History:Knights of the Ku Klux KlanTo His Majesty the Imperial Wizard, Emperor of the Invisible Empire, Knights of the Ku Klux Klan I, the undersigned , a native born, true and loyal citizen of the United States of America, being a white male Gentile person of temperate habits , sound in mind and a believer in the tenets of the Christian religion, the maintenance of White Supremacy and the principles of a "pure Americanism" do most respectfully apply for membership in the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan No__ , Realm of _ Umeshumesh sharma [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: ALso correction - the civil war started in 1861 and not 1860 as I mentioned earlier. I had written about Lincoln from my memory. Barak's was a typo.UmeshPS: the one below seems to be final now.-- It is good I posted it - since I recall now that Barak Obama was born on 1961 and not 1971. He graduated in 1983 - so math does not addd up anyway.The presentation by the scholars is coming Tuesday.Umeshumesh sharma [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:This is what my students will be speaking (pasted on a cardboard with the large photos of the leaders on the other side - facing the audience - parents, other students, school authorities). The kids are of grade/class 3 - about eight years old Black and Latino students and rapidly improving their reading skills. Some who are better at reading have been given more to read. The font size 16 is for them to be able to read well.UmeshPS: It was good that I learnt about history of US from museums etc - coming useful now. http://www.voanews.com/english/2006-02-23-voa36.cfmHello everyone! My name is Kiara Sosa and today I will speak about Abraham Lincoln who was the 16th president of United States . He was born in a log cabin to a poor family. He saved the union in the civil war from 1861 to 1865 and removed slavery of African Americans. He was shot dead by his enemies. My name is Samaria Granados. I will speak about Martin Luther King Jr. He fought for the rights of African American people. In Alabama black people needed to sit at the end of the bus and white people in the front. He and others stopped such things in United States. He was shot dead by his enemies. I am Bryan Canales and I will speak about Thurgood Marshall the first African American to become U.S. Supreme Court Judge.He was born in Baltimore and was the great-grandson of a slave. He studied at Howard Law School in Washington D.C. I am Alex Chavez and I will speak about Barak Obama. He is a United States Senator. He was born on August 4, 1961 in Hawaii and attended the famous Punahou Academy. He graduated from Columbia University in 1983 and then worked as a social worker. Then he graduated with top marks from Harvard Law School in Boston. He then taught at Chicago Law school. In 2004 he became a U.S. Senator. Hello everyone!! My name is Kenisha Nicely and I will speak about Rosa Parks. She was born in Tuskegee, Alabama. She got married and worked at a store in Montgomery , Alabama. One day she did not give up her seat in a bus to a white person. She was put in the jail for this brave act. This led to Montgomery Bus Boycott . She died on October
[Assam] NYTimes.com: A Year Abroad (or 3) as a Career Move
Title: E-Mail This This page was sent to you by: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message from sender: illegal (temp)immigrants from USA :) Forone my experience of working - even on subbing or temp jobs - certainly add to my confidence and experience -whichi hope will improve my chances of landing a more secure job. Also, many companies do not give full time jobs initially - so to get a wide variety of exp. also one needs to do lots of subbing/temping --even Economic Times reported this trend even in India. Umesh Umesh BUSINESS / WORLD BUSINESS | February 25, 2006 A Year Abroad (or 3) as a Career Move By HILLARY CHURA Thousands of young Americans are realizing that working abroad has moved beyond trust-fund children. 1. Beyond Rivalry, a Hidden World of Sibling Violence 2. Growing Old Together, in New Kind of Commune 3. Short on Drivers, Truckers Offer Perks 4. Cyberthieves Silently Copy Your Passwords as You Type 5. A Year Abroad (or 3) as a Career Move Go to Complete List Advertisement Thank You For Smoking opens March 17thNick Naylor, chief spokesman for Big Tobacco, makes his living defending the rights of smokers and cigarette makers in today's neo-puritanical culture. Confronted by health zealots and an opportunistic senator, Nick goes on a PR offensive, spinning away the dangers of cigarettes.http://www2.foxsearchlight.com/thankyouforsmoking/teaser/ Do you love NY? Get the insiders guide to where to stay, what to do and where to eat. Go to www.nytimes.com/travel for your NYC Guide now. Click here. Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company | Privacy Policy ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Harvard forum - Islamic cartoons -Europe's Islamophobia vs Radical
http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2006/02.23/11-hdscartoon.html - Harvard Divinity Schoolhttp://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2006/02.23/11-ksgcartoon.htmlHarvard School of Govt - frustrationumesh sharma [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=88158The Minister for Minority Welfare and Haj in the Mulayam Singh Yadav government, Haji Yaqoob Qureishi, has announced a cash reward of Rs 51 crore (US $12 million) for anyone who beheads the Danish cartoonist who caricatured Prophet Mohammad. State govt's reaction : When contacted, UP Principal Secretary, Home, Alok Sinha told The Indian Express: The ministers reaction was the voice of someone whose religious sentiments have been hurt. Moreover, since the reference was to a person who is far off, there is no question of an FIR being lodged against the minister. However, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board member and Naib Imam of Aishbagh Idgah, Maulana Khalid Rasheed Firangi Mahali, criticised the Ministers call for the killing of the cartoonist. - UmeshUmesh Sharma5121 Lackawanna STCollege Park, MD 207401-202-215-4328 [Cell Phone]Ed.M. - International Education PolicyHarvard Graduate School of Education,Harvard University,Class of 2005 To help you stay safe and secure online, we've developed the all new Yahoo! Security Centre.Umesh Sharma5121 Lackawanna STCollege Park, MD 20740 1-202-215-4328 [Cell Phone]Ed.M. - International Education PolicyHarvard Graduate School of Education,Harvard University,Class of 2005 To help you stay safe and secure online, we've developed the all new Yahoo! Security Centre.___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] Enjoy Indian Chaat for FREE - at UMD-CP -Mar 3 Fri
for those on the area. I might be going. friday is an off-day for me. http://www.studentorg.umd.edu/desi/panipuri/Umesh Sharma5121 Lackawanna STCollege Park, MD 20740 1-202-215-4328 [Cell Phone]Ed.M. - International Education PolicyHarvard Graduate School of Education,Harvard University,Class of 2005 To help you stay safe and secure online, we've developed the all new Yahoo! Security Centre.___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Fw: THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE X SOUND IN ASSAMESE
Rajen Da,one of the most well researched article ever read on the significance of 'x'. Well done. keep it up.RegardsMridulRajen Barua [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:This is a copy of an article sent to Assam Tribune for yours and your family's education. GOA is trying to do the most foolish thing for the Assamese changing the name to ASOM. The correct phonetic spelling of Assam in Assamese should be OXOM. Looks like dumb Assam politicians arecontrolled by ignorant Assamese scholars. This is the saddest day for Assam. I hope people will write in pprotest of this. Rajen Barua USA -- THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE X SOUND IN ASSAMESE LANGUAGE Rajen Barua, Houston, USAAssamese is the eastern-most member of New Indo Aryan (NIA) languages in India, and is spoken in the Brahmaputra valley in Assam. It is also the easternmost member of the Indo-European group of languages which is the largest language group in the world with a total number of speakers of more than half of the world population. All the modern European languages as well as those of Iran, India and Pakistan fall into this Indo-European group. Amongst the NIA languages, Assamese bears some unique characteristics which are not found in other Indian languages. Assamese is a very ancient language, a fact not very well recognized even by the Assamese. From that ancient past, the Assamese language evolved in partial isolation from mainland India, and developed some distinct characteristics. Being the farthest outpost of Aryan migration towards the east, Assamese falls in the outer belt or in the peripheral Indo-Aryan languages. As such Assamese has retained certain characteristics of the parent Indo-European (IE) languages which have been lost in other parts of India. Besides the absence of the cerebrals, Assamese has the unique /x/ sound which is absent in Sanskrit and other NIA languages. This was duly observed by the Baptist Missionaries in the early nineteenth century when they encountered the language and has opined correctly that Assamese has the unique /x/ sound which is similar to the Greeks. Phonetically, this /x/ sound is pronounced somewhat in between the sounds /s/, /kh/ and /h/ and is similar to the German sound /ch/ as pronounced in the word Bach or the Scottish sound as found in the word Loch. Thus in Assamese, all the three Indo-Aryan Sibilants: s, s and s are pronounced as /x/. This is a unique characteristic of the Assamese language. On this point, Dr. Suniti Kumar Chatterjee, the leading Indian philologist, remarked, The change of initial, intervocal and final (sibilants) to the gluteral spirant x in Assamese is something remarkable and is paralleled by what we see in Singhalese and Kashmiri. This is also noticeable in Iranian, Hellenic and Celtic In many languages this original Indo-European /x/ sound was lost which either evolved to s, kh or h. According to Kaliram Medhi, The Assamese pronunciation of the sibilants is peculiar in Assamese, and evidently a relic of pre Vedic Aryan pronunciation. Dimbeswar Neog also agrees, Next to the above peculiarities is the Asamiya X pronunciation of the sibilants which also must have been brought by the Early Aryans called the Mediterranean. Thus we see that this x sound in Assamese is not something which developed in Assam, nor it is a sound which was inherited from any of the non-Aryan languages in Assam, but it simply marks an earlier Indo-European pre Vedic heritage. The /x/ sound was there in the pre-Vedic Aryan language also before the evolution of the classical Sanskrit language. Dr Suniti Kumar Chatterjee, writes "It seems that in certain forms of OIA (Old Indo-Aryan languages the /x/ sound was the actually one employed for S as can be inferred from a medieval pronunciation of S as /kh/ being the nearest approximation to the traditional /x/". Dimbeswar Neog further writes, "When the Nordic of Vedic Aryan immigration into India took place in the second millennium B.C., the /x/ sound as in Asamiya was prominent. Chatterjee thinks that "tatax kim" was the actual pronunciation at the time of the Rig Veda. It came to be pronounced as "tatah kim" in later times owing to the loss of /x/ sound due to non-Aryan influence predominating over the Aryan. But it remained almost intact in the Dardic or Pisaci speech which like the Asamiya is a language of the outer band." Scholars have now correctly identified this unique Assamese sound to be a veller fricative sound. Dr. Banikanata Kakaoty, states that in Assamese it is an unvoiced velar fricative sound. Dr Golok Ch Goswami describes it as a velar voiceless aspirant. The International Phonetic Association (IPA), has identified all the sounds of all the languages in the world and have assigned some unique symbols. The IPA symbol of the velar fricative sound as found in Assamese
