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Subject: [NIFL-ESL:9159] Re: hello
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Thank you, Ujwala, for explaining the different languages (or
dialects) spoken in India. I hve such a mixed reaction: part
of me is REALLY glad I grew up in the US where I only had to
learn one language ('til I got to high school) and part of me
is jealous that you are fluent in so many and I'm not.
I've enjoyed this little exchange. It has been fun getting to
know a bit more about the people who are just names on an
email, and at the same time learning about different
cultures.
Pamela
---- Original message ----
>Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2003 18:23:29 -0400 (EDT)
>From: "Ujwala Samant" <usamant@comcast.net>
>Subject: [NIFL-ESL:9142] Re: hello
>To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov>
>
>>>Hmmm....all this talk about French being such a wonderful
language...
>But I haven't heard any comments about Hindi or Marathi,
which were
>other languages mentioned in this conversation. I'd be
interested
>to know ways to help those language be maintained in the
home.
>I'd like to know more about those languages in cultures
since I am
>less familiar with them.<<
>
>In India, we begin with the assumption that the medium of
instruction in
>school is generally not our mother tongue, especially so in
the urban areas.
>This means, like it or not, we grow up knowing that our
friends and
>neighbours in urban and suburban and given the migration
patterns of people
>in history, having access to more than one language is a
given. In my case,
>my parents speak different dialects, Malvani and Konkani
(but my mum does
>not speak Konkani any more), both of which spring from the
same mother
>language: Marathi. Hindi is the national language, adapted
because 3-4 of
>the most populous states in India form the Hindi belt. Tamil
Nadu used to be
>the only state which rebelled and refused to teach Hindi as
a second
>language. So, at home I grew up listening to Malvani, very
little Konkani,
>lots of Marathi, Gujarati/Kutchi with neighbours and
friends, Hindi or
>Marathi with the hired help, and so on. Whenever my father
was transferred,
>I would end up learning the local language and I have no
recollection of how
>I did that. My son is exposed to Hindi and Marathi because I
speak it to
>him, along with French and English. Our sentences are often
a melange of all
>these languages. My husband, who is Breton, learned his
mother tongue in
>school, because the French wanted to destroy all traces of
regionalism a few
>decades ago. He speaks some Marathi and Hindi, and we watch
films, read
>about India, Indian languages, play Indian games like
carrom, knows all the
>names for Indian food (and junk food!!!) and listen to
Indian music as well
>as attend concerts. So we keep the languages alive. However,
his fluency
>improves rapidly when he spends time with his grandparents
and his Indian
>family. It was the same for me. Since I don't use them much
any more, I have
>forgotten Tamil, a lot of the Bengali I knew, and struggle
to speak
>Gujarati, Kutchi and Telugu, which I was fluent in.
Practice, Practice,
>Practice! However, I am literate only in Hindi and Marathi,
because they
>share a common script. So, to sum up, my sisters and I were
never brought up
>to believe in one language over others, and we spoke (as do
my cousins) at
>least three, as a matter of fact. We pick them up on the
streets, by
>watching local language TV, being forced to learn it in
school, and speaking
>them at home.
>
>>>It is interesting how some languages are valued over
others - I think
>we need to stay mindful of that and the messages we convey
through
>this sort of discussion. By mentioning that French is
wonderful, and
>"should always be promoted" are we implicitly saying that
other
>languages and cultures are not worthy of attention?<<
>
>I learned French not because it was beautiful but because I
needed to. I
>married a Frenchman and voila! I was in
Bordeaux/Paris/Brittany and needed
>to be able to communicate with my in laws (who made my
French experiences
>memorably wonderful, despite not speaking much English),
make friends, and
>tell the gynecologist that I was experiencing labour pain! I
think French
>has been romanticised through out Europe, it was after all a
court language,
>spoken by royalty, rather like Persian was in our courts. I
didn't see it as
>a promotion for French and demeaning of other languages.
Every culture, in
>my experience, values some language over another. Between
politics, trade
>and religion, language also was the lingua franca, so the
way I see it,
>French held sway for a long time as the language of culture,
of couture, or
>cuisine (and Pepe le Pew). In France the sweeping advent of
English
>replacing French as lingua franca has stuck like a fishbone
in one's throat.
>And yet, young people think it's "tres cool" to learn and
speak English. So,
>I guess depending on the context, I've found that different
languages are
>valued differently. Few people study Arabic, even though it
is a language
>spoken by multitudes. I've often wondered about that. In
America, European
>roots are more dominant, hence the fascination for Europe
prevails. Do you
>think this is why French is seen as a romantic/sweet
language?
>
>>>I don't intend to take away from the pleasant banter, but
I do feel we
>need to be careful of the value judgments we implicitly or
explicitly
>place on languages, people, places and cultures. Members
>of "the other cultures" really pick this up and oftentimes
internalize it
>or live with a feeling of shame.<<
>
>I've heard stories from a number of immigrants how their
parents asked them
>to not speak Polish/Chinese/German/Swedish etc. at home.
I've also heard
>from second generation 'immigrants' that they are learning
their "native"
>languages to understand their roots. I think the desire to
be "like my
>friends" is not unusual. My son when he slid into English
only mode, would
>reply to us in English, regardless of what language he was
addressed in. A
>few months later, some sort of confidence shift happened and
he went right
>back to switching languages.
>regards
>Ujwala Samant
>
>
Pamela Greenhalgh Brown
EL/Civics Project Coordinator
WIN News Editor
Workforce Improvement Network
James Madison University
MSC 9003/Blue Ridge Hall
Harrisonburg, VA 22840
540-568-8797
1-888-637-8494
540-568-2933 (fax)
http://www.jmu.edu/esol
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