Yes, I believe that Assamese written in Roman script will be used by people like you and me, in written communication. It won't be used by someone who doesn't know Assamese, or who doesn't know Assamese well. It will never be used by people who don't know Assamese. I am sure as the Internet becomes more and more prevalent in Assam, the need for typing in Romanized Assamese will increase. It may be that in the near future that is the only way 99% of people who know Assamese will type on the computer. Despite that fact that Assamese fonts like Rabin's are available, most people either won't know about them, or even if they do, they won't download and learn to use them. So, real Assamese will be typed by computer-owning people using Roman keyboards and not in Assamese fonts. That is a given.
Jugal Kalita > > >Being able to WRITE Assamese in Roman script will allow individuals > such as you and me >to communicate in real written Assamese Jugal: > It seems you are interested to evolve a system to communicate among us > those who know Assamese. But I really miss your purpose when you > write the above sentence. What do you mean by REAL WRITTEN ASSAMESE.? To > me REAL written Assamese will be to write in Assamese FONTS. Other than > that I, frankly speaking, do not see any purpose why we should write a > Assamese word [say ISOR = God) in a complex way say (IISHSOR=Dirgho E, > Talobyo Xo+So and Ro] just to satisfy the traditional Assamese > spelling. Frankly speaking, I donot see what purpose it will serve > specially when the word is actually pronounced as ISOR. On the > otherhand, it will be burden for someone who does not know the > traditional Assamese alphabet and the Assamese spelling of the word. > Because to him we will have to write IISWOR and then explein that > the word actually sound like ISOR. Why, as you are saying, "being true > to the real spelling, as far as possible, is important." I wuld rather > suggest that we should try to evolve a system in computer so that we can > communicate in Assamese FONTS like what Rabin Deka and others have > evolved. Among those who understand Assamese script we should have a > system so that we can communicate in Assamese FONTS. Then I > understand that we cannot write the ISOR as Horso E, Prothom So and Ro > but we will have to write in traditional Assamese spelling. Please help. > Rajen Barua > . > >From: J Kalita > >Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >To: > >Subject: Re: [Assam] Transliteration Of Assamese Sounds > >Date: Fri, 25 Jul 2003 09:14:47 -0600 (MDT) > > > >Rajen da: > > > >There are two general aspects to a language: > >1) How it sounds, and > >2) How it is written. > >When we are typing on the computer, we are WRITING it, not > >SOUNDING it. As soon as you WRITE, whether you like it or not, > >SPELLING becomes paramount. Hence, being true to the real > >spelling, as far as possible, > >is important. Our goal, I think, is NOT just to > >TRANSCRIBE the sounds of Assamese, but come up with a scheme to > >WRITE Assamese in Roman script. > > > >I am not confusing the issue. Being able to WRITE Assamese > >in Roman script will allow individuals such as you and me > >to communicate in real written Assamese. Internet communication, > >like you and I are doing here now, is WRITTEN communication, > >not spoken communication! > > > >If standard Assamese written in > >Assamese fonts wants to simplify spelling (like Nathan Brown > >and others tried in the early 1800s, but later disowned > >by the Assamese big-shots) , I have no problems in > >simplifying the way we write it in Roman script. However, > >without any simplification in Assam, if we simplify it only > >when we type in the computer, we will do a great disservice > >to the language. There will be two discordant versions of Assamese, > >one written in Assamese fonts, and the other written in Roman script > >(a growing segment with the increasing popularity of computers). > >The ones who write in Assamese fonts will laugh at us > >as being Westernized or bastardized Assamese without any real > >knowledge of Assamese, without any respect to the many hundreds of > >years of history of writing in the Assamese language. > > > >Jugal Kalita > > > > > > > > > > Jugal: > > > My question is, if we are simply writing Assamese in Roman > script, why > > we have to address the original Assamese > SPELLING? What purpose it will > > serve? I understand that if we > write Assamese FONTS, we need to write in > > traditional > Assamese spelling. If you will answer this, I will know what > > > is your point. Otherwise, I am really confused what you are trying to > > > achieve. Thanks > > > Rajen Barua > > > > > > > >_______________________________________________ > >Assam mailing list > >[EMAIL PROTECTED] > >http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/mailman/listinfo/assam > STOP MORE SPAM with the new MSN 8 and get 2 months FREE* > > _______________________________________________ > Assam mailing list > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/mailman/listinfo/assam _______________________________________________ Assam mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/mailman/listinfo/assam
