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Save Konkani from Konkaniwadis... a plea against puritanism Joseph Zuzarte [EMAIL PROTECTED] The proponents of the different types of Konkani should take a look at the English language. Every year the language keeps growing by the simple process of adding new words from other languages, including regular incorporations from Hindi and other Indian languages. So words like bazaar, tamasha etc have been added to the English lexicon, besides words from other languages which are spoken by a large number of people in between their English. Soon a Konkani word might even become officially English. Which will that Konkani word be? And will it then be outlawed from Konkani proper? Some of our swear words are already popular with the regular foreign visitors. Consider this list of English words "borrowed" from Hindi: Cummerbund (Hindustani kamarband) meaning waist-belt; chintz (Hindi chint) meaning spotted cotton cloth; dacoit (Hindi dakait) meaning robber; sorbet (Hindustani sherbet) meaning a refreshing drink; jungle (Jangal) meaning forest; loot meaning plunder; khaki meaning dust-cloured cloth; lakh and crore; sepoy (sipahi); durbar (darbar) and countless other words like chutney, durrie. Besides, there are also words from other Indian langauges. Mongoose, the killer of snakes and rats, got its English name from the Marathi word mangus. The English words " coir" and "betel" have come up from the Malayalam words kayer and vettila, while curry and cheroot have their origins in Tamil words kari and shuruttu. Like with other languages, Konkani, too has a chequered history. As the proponents of the various types of Konkani prove so easily, there are a number of "different" types of Konkani all along the west coast of India, right from the Gujarat coast, down through Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Kerala. It is the language of the Konkan people, the west coast of India being known as the Konkan coast. However, this long Konkan coast has been part of different kingdoms at different times because of geographical and historical factors. So the language of the Konkan people has evolved differently at different places over the centuries. Even the scripts used are considerably different. What cannot be denied is that all the different types of Konkani are recognisably Konkani. What also cannot be denied is that Konkani -- like English -- has also absorbed a number of words from other languages. So today you have some recognisably broad types of Konkani which have been separately influenced by Portuguese, Marathi and Kannada. English words like "solid", "fast", etc., are also loosely used in Konkani of late (sample: "kiden fast cholta"; samko solid aha"). There are also the various types of Kokani spoken by the tribals like gawdas, kunbis and other communities, all of them with a very distinct identity. With English it is the people behind the Oxford English Dictionary -- the Bible of the English language -- who scrutinise language usage in newspapers, books, and other popular media, to sift through new words and to determine which new words are to be added to English. They also decide on which old words are no longer in usage and should therefore be dropped from the Oxford Dictionary. This endeavour ahs been going on for around 600 years, initially funded by the British royalty. A similar thing happens in the U.S., which has its American-English (now bundled in Windows), the Wenster Dictionary being the bench-mark. Who decides which is a Konkani word and which is not? At the moment there is no clear authority which is accepted across all sections of the Konkani-speaking diaspora. The Konkani taught in schools and colleges is largely irrelevant. Therefore, each "type" of Konkani has its own adherents, advocates and authorities, who not only swear by their brand of Konkani but also by the script which is most convenient to them (and which may be most inconvenient to the others). There are a number of factors which have bound themselves with what is essentially a means of communication. Thus, each types of Konkani has come to represent a certain cultural ethos, regional identity and even political aspirations. Throw is some politicians to stir up the cauldron, and you have a very potent, emotive issue. There has always been a clear divide within Goa between the types of Konkani spoken by the Hindus and the Catholics, though there are also, obviously, a lot of similarities. But the language issue has always been politicised. In the early years after Liberation there were strong moves by interested parties to declare Konkani as a dialect of Marathi and to merge Goa with Maharashtra. But a historic opinion poll in the 1960's put paid to that move, and Goa retained its separate identity. Then the Konkani agitation in the 1980's helped make Konkani the "official" language of Goa, probably rightly so. So there is now the movement for official recognition of the Konkani written in the Roman script. That should help rectify the present anomaly where the language spoken band written by the large section of Goan Catholics has not yet been given its due and taught in school text-books. That apart, it would also be in the interest of all the Konkani-speaking people if there is an omnibus project to catalogue and list all the Konkani words (old and new) across all the different "types" of Konkani in all the scripts, spoken and written all across the Konkan. Such a project can be undertaken by the Goa University under the Goa Government, Kala Academy or it can even be privately funded. And the resulting compilation (which automatically becomes a dictionary) can be published in all the three major scripts currently in usage: Roman, DEvnagri and Kannada. This will also enable all Konkani speaking people to broaden their vocabulary and access words from other Konkanis. Languages have to evolve to keep up with th changing times. For example, a lot of new products, goods and services do not have Konkani words -- or do they? Is there a word for "tourist"? And should "tourist" now be regarded a bonafide Konkani word? The trick is to balance tradition and modernity, as the editors, compilers, researchers, etc, of the Oxford Dictionary do so admirably, cutting across all political, chauvinistic and regional distinctions. A language evolves irrespective of the views of the so-called purists and authorities. If a language seeks to remain "pure", like Sanskrit, then it becomes more or less a "dead" language, largely irrelevant and spoken only by a handful of people in the most academic or ritualistic of situations. Everyday spoken Konkani has its own dynamic dictated by the needs of the people to express themselves and communicate with others and be fully understood. Which may mean interspersing their Konkani with Hindi, English or whatever else catches their fancy and is necessary. ### Joseph Zuzart is a journalist who has worked much of his career in Mumbai, and is now back in Goa. GOANET READER welcomes contributions from its readers, by way of essays, reviews, features and think-pieces. Story-ideas, articles and links to interesting writers on Goa are welcome. We share quality Goa-related writing among the Goanet family of mailing lists. Please do send in your feedback to the writer. Our writers share their writing pro bono. 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