Recently my sis in law mentioned about a couple of books she bought en route home from her brief holiday at Ooty. One of them was “Mrityunjaya, The Death Conqueror: The Story of Karna” by Sivaji Savanta. I promptly requested her for a loan of the book once she was done with reading it as it is one on my reading list. That’s when I came to know that it was a Malayalam and not English translation of the Marathi original.
“Oh no!” I said disappointed, “I will pass and wait till I find an English translation.”
On hearing me, mother joked,
“Don’t let the Malayalees hear you say that! They will have something uncomplimentary to say.”
I guess, she did say that in a lighter vein, but I am not sure she looked at what I said in an entirely kind spirit. After all we are true blood Malayalees ourselves and to top it, we are also descendants of one of the Mahakavis (Great Poets) of the language.
I am certainly proud of my great grandfather and his achievements and happy to belong to the beautiful coastal state of Kerala. But I fail to understand why this or anything at all should in any way influence my personal choice of language.
Before the language chauvinists jump to erroneous conclusions and at my throat too in the bargain, let me say that I do know to read and write Malayalam very well indeed. It had been my second language in school and also for my graduate course. I read Malayalam magazines and novels during my growing up years along with English ones. I conversed (and still do) in Malayalam to near and dear ones as also to others not so dear or near. I have even got a Malayalam poem, albeit a silly one, to my credit, written long back as a school going kid.
And yet, I am quite unapologetic in saying, I prefer to read and write in English.
Is that a crime?? Apparently one would think so, by the stunned reaction I get, to this admission.
Now the topic of ‘mother tongue’ is a touchy subject anywhere and everywhere. There are people out there who are ready to beat up and even go to the extreme of killing each other over it. They think their own mother tongue is the best and the rest are just dust. Excuse me, I beg to differ. In the event that I were to grow up without ever hearing a word of my mother tongue, I could still be expected to turn out into a pretty decent human being.
So, personally my opinion on mother tongues is on these lines: Everyone has a mother and mothers have tongues. So what is so special about any particular one?? This I know is blasphemy to the language chauvinists. But then, language chauvinism bores me to tears.
I was born in Kerala by some providence or let us say even by design of Fate. Does that mean I should at all costs like the language of the state above all else?? Why look askance at the preference for another language putting it at par with a committed person who has trespassed and is having an affair??
The way things are, it does not take much imagination to realize what the situation would be if I had been born in say for example, the neighboring state of Tamil Nadu. Much the same would be pounded into me, how Tamil is THE best. What if it were Karnataka?? Then I would be forced to sing paeans to Kannada, to Telugu in Andhra, Marathi in Maharashtra… you get the drift, don’t you?
I don’t know if you notice the pattern. It is very clear to me though. It is on the lines of the Malayalam saying, “Kaakkaykku than kunjum ponkunju.” which loosely translates to, “Even to the crow its child is the golden one.” Just a case of, ‘It is mine, hence it’s beautiful.’ Isn’t it?? Easy enough to understand why each and everyone thinks their language is sweet, sweeter than the sweetest of honey in fact. Hmm… makes me wonder what about those of us who prefer salty, sour, bitter or spicy?? Are we to be left out in the cold??
The preference to read, write and speak English is grudgingly accepted as inevitable by the mother tongue-lovers (make that the mother-tongue-obsessed), as long as the supremacy of said mother tongue is acknowledged. But, if you were frank (like me) and say that to you, languages are just that, languages, a means of communication evolved over time, and that out of the many (each one of which has its own beauty), you have the freedom to choose one you are comfortable with, you draw flak.
Why should a simple thing like my penchant for a language make fellow humans all hot and bothered?? Freedom I thought was my birthright and that the freedom entailed the right to declare freely, any language I favored. Or is freedom merely hogwash?? Does it come with strings attached?? You belong to this particular geographical location; so you are magnanimously bequeathed with the right to like, love and adore the language of the region and no other.
Is the connection to our mother tongue something similar to the caste system of yore?? If you were born into a particular caste, you had to stick to what that caste specialized in and had no option of doing anything else. Similarly, am I left with no choice but sing praise to the language of the region I belong to by reason of birth??
During the growing up years of my children I had relatives and friends sanctimoniously ask me if they knew their mother tongue. (Thankfully, now that the kids have grown up the nosy-parkers have stopped and moved on to more interesting topics and ask, ‘Will your son come home with an American bride??’). Though a little taken aback when the children replied to them in fluent Malayalam, they wouldn’t let well enough alone and insist on giving me unasked for advice to teach the kids to read and write their mother-tongue. Like I told someone a while back, honestly, I couldn’t care less if the kids spoke in Kiswahili (as of now they don’t) as long as they remained good human beings. We all have our priorities and that unquestionably is mine.
Once a boy told me contemptuously, of a couple he met while traveling, who were conversing in English throughout, though it was obvious that they were Malayalees.
Show offs, he muttered in disgust. They feel it is beneath them to speak their mother tongue. Pah!!”
“Or perhaps, they are just comfortable speaking in English…” I said to him. “Besides, isn’t it their choice??”
People talk, write blogs about how we should speak and encourage our indigenous languages. Of course that’s all fine, very good in fact. But, what I have never been able to understand is why they have to put down English or ridicule those speaking it to put across their point. Why do we have to criticize to popularize?? Does the language you want to make popular have so little intrinsic value that you have to make fun of those trying to speak (may be broken) in English?? Why seek to build something positive using negativity as steps to climb upon?? Why not be the change you want to see and set an example for others to follow, but of course without wearing the ‘look at me, I am such a saint for speaking my mother tongue’ halo which is such an irritating sight.
Why this hatred for English, a language that has helped us in many ways?? Is it because it is the legacy of the British, from whom we had to wrest our independence?? Grow up folks, they are long since gone. It is just us now. Besides, we are all happily using their legacies in so many other fields and ways. This attitude of nitpicking about English-speakers only sounds churlish and childish.
Opting for a language other than the mother tongue, does not make anyone a bad human being. And that’s saying a lot considering the intolerance and holier than thou attitude of the mother-tongue-obsessed. If you think this is a rant, yes indeed it is. Why can’t we live and let live?? Besides how can you forget, every language in this world is the mother tongue of someone or other. So how does it matter which language you speak??
Shail's Nest 
Very well said, I always say being neutral and staying non interfering is the best! I never really liked people pointing out when you emphasize more on English rather than your mother tongue. Its also about moving with the times right?
@Tbg,
Welcome to Shail’s Nest. I’d go with the being neutral. You not only move with the times but also accept what suits you best, isn’t it?? 🙂
Nice one Shail. Has any one asked you if you dream or think in a particular language? LOL It happened to me. I said “I was busy dreaming, didn’t notice”
@Phoenixritu,
OMG and why the curiosity to know the language of your dream??!! No one has asked e that as yet! 😛
I would say the hatred stems out of insecurity, and the special treatment that the English Language gets. Languages, are like flavours or colours, why restrict yourself to one, when you can enjoy so many ?
@Kislay Chandra,
I thought as much. In fact I even had written, ‘Why the insecurity??’ and then struck down the sentence. 🙂 Does the English language get special treatment?? I wish instead of screaming and scheming against the language more opportunities for learning it would be given to all.
I agree absolutely with ‘Languages are like flavors or colors’. But people do have preferences in colors and flavors too. Some love chocolate ice-cream cream and others vanilla, and yet others mix up the two, or add yet another, a third flavor to it. But no one can insist that we favorite one particular flavor above all else. Isn’t that so?? 🙂 It boils down to individual preferences.
As for me, if I think in terms of colors, I simply cannot point to one as my favorite. I love them all and that is the attitude I would like to take with languages too 🙂
@Shail
English does enjoy a lot of importance in our country. If you ask someone which language might improve their economic prospects, it is bound to be English . While I don’t find anything wrong with that , that is the root cause of the insecurity . The love of your own mother tongue gets lost for quite a few, and the older generation feel the pinch . But instead of screaming “Die English Die”, an effort should be made to soak our respective mother tongues. The bottom line being, strike a healthy balance . 🙂
Life would be very drab if everything were coloured in Green, or everything was chocolate flavoured 😀
@Kislay Chandra,
Right, instead or ‘Die English’ striking a balance should be the choice. Forcing anything will only defeat the very purpose.
Absolutely agree, life is all about variety. Who wants everything in the same shade or flavor??
I am a fellow travller on your boat, Shail 😀 . Even though I speak, read and write Malayalam I prefer to think and write in English. The animosity to English, especially in Kerala, I think is because it is viewed as the language of the bourgeois and therefore contemptible. My mother being educated outside the state was most comfortable in English. So if I take the term ‘mother tongue’ in it’s most literal sense to mean the ‘language of your mother’ I think I can safely say that English is my mother tongue too ;).
@Dreamer,
The question of what exactly is ‘mother tongue’ is worthy of another post. Lol, in your case, English seems to be the language. 🙂 But, what if people from two states get married?? Do the children have to talk in their mother’s tongue to qualify as mother-tongue speakers??!! 😉
Shailechi, i’m back commenting after a long time, though i read most of ur blogs..
this topic stuck me somewhere.. cos for me too, i prefer reading n writing in English than Malayalam.I feel i can express myself more n better in English than in Malayalam. and thats one of the reasons i have lots of Malayalam books that my husband bought, which i haven’t read yet! i usually look for their English translations online n read those..
Your blogs rock! keep going.. 🙂
@Vinita,
Nice to see you here after a long time 🙂 Thank you. So you look for English translations too. Same pinch 🙂
A very balanced view point. Not only is choosing a language one’s own personal choice, those who say that ‘their’ language is ‘the best’ and try to deride other languages are actually deriding their own language by doing so.
Just a caveat, the ‘personal choice’ has to be an informed one. Language is a medium which opens up access to an entire culture, personalities, ways of life, a different mode of thinking altogether. Severing ties with one’s mother tongue precludes one from being one with the parent culture. It also precludes one from a gaining a vast body of knowledge and experiencing a vast range of human emotions.
Of course there are pros and cons to this, too. All I’m saying is, these must be considered before making choices.
@Aniket,
Welcome to Shail’s Nest and thank you. I concur with your point about choices having to be informed ones. But, if by severing ties (hypothetical) you lose something, you are also gaining by learning whatever new language you have adopted. And what if you are not interested in being ‘one with the parent culture’?? Aren’t we assuming here about the interests of the person who is (hypothetically) severing ties?? People have uprooted themselves, gone and settled elsewhere, learned new ‘everything’ and never missed their homelands ever, while some have others pined away.
The possibility always exists that the choices we make may turn around and bite us in the leg one day. But then isn’t that what life is all about?? All I ask is for the choice to be thus bitten or not be left to me. 🙂
@Shail, the initial part of my comment just shows the other side. Ultimately, one has the right to decide on one’s own about where she belongs, the sole right to conclude what suits her best and that’s the end of the story. As my last line says in the context,
“Of course there are pros and cons to this, too. All I’m saying is, these must be considered before making choices.”
I guess we’re pretty much on the same page here.
And hey, amazing blog! You just got yourself a new regular reader 🙂
@Aniket,
I guessed as much, that we are on the same page here 🙂
Thank you! Most welcome 🙂
‘languages are just that, languages, a means of communication’ this is exactly my take Shail! Concur with all that you’ve written.
When me and my sisters would speak in English, we have heard others passing comments or giving scornful looks. But, for us, its just a way of life… have been speaking in English since school days! And never thought it to be a big deal…
We never thought that speaking in Kannada/Tamil or English made us any lesser or greater than others!
@Priya,
“When me and my sisters would speak in English, we have heard others passing comments or giving scornful looks.”
That’s exactly one of the things I mean. You talk in English because you are comfortable with it. But the hearers assume your are a show off, think the local lingo too beneath you etc etc etc. You are somehow held responsible for their own sense of inadequacy. This happens not only with language.
And neither have I felt any lesser or greater than others for speaking in any language be they local or English.
I don’t understand what the fuss is about ! English is actually a language that binds us together !Just imagine if you wrote your blog in Malayalam and I wrote mine in Hindi or Punjabi we would have never met 🙂
@Ruchira,
Wonderful point! But it seems a bit hard and a struggle for many to accept English as the language that binds us, though that is an undeniable fact. OMG if we wrote in our mother tongues, we wouldn’t have met! :O
I better not start on this else a thesis will be written.. I agree with you 100%..
Oh i been there, been called a traitor , disloyal, blah blah and all sorts of things by the HYPOCRITE people all around ..
I have written quiet a few times … especailly when the Thackreys were going on about marathi etc etc So I better stop myself here before someone gets me going
I know and feel the senitments and i like what u wrote the words “Before the language chauvinists ” indeed thats what they are …
Bikram’s Question time
@bikram,
I hear you loud and clear 🙂
English is here to stay, whether we like it or not! I had done a post sometime back ‘what language do you use while praying’. People who still speak mostly in their mother tongue had written that they pray in their mother tongue, but others like my son, do everything in English, because they use English in school, college then workplace and now a lot of English is used at home. Because the parents are also comfortable speaking in English they reply in English, at least to the children.
I noticed one more thing, even my son talks mostly in Tamil to his cousin’s small baby who has not yet started understanding what he speaks! His Tamil is worsening now and we have to accept it, without grumbling! I and my husband speak in Tamil with the children too.
As everyone knows here, we write everything in English if we want to reach many people from Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra or the northern part of our country!
@Sandhya,
We still talk in Malayalam to our children. But amongst them, they talk mostly in Hindi and sometimes in English. So its a mixture of 3 languages for them. It is because of English that we are all communicating via blogs 🙂
Just thought of reminding you, i’m still your fan, Shail! 🙂
@Shaili,
Awww… how sweet! 😀 Thank you. Nice to see you after so long. I haven’t commented in your blogs in a long time, but I stop by now and then 🙂
Loved your Rant. I do think the aversion is because English is the Colonist’s Language. ‘languages are just that, languages, a means of communication’ – I agree with you. I cant understand the fuss if someone doesnt speak their mother tongue or opts to use English. I do wonder, would they feel the same way if someone brought up in say Germany/Spain would opt to speak German/Spanish more? Freedom is Free only in our Minds, outside of it, it comes with ropes(not strings) attached.*sarcasm intended in that last line*
I dont care much about the language spoken as long as the speaker is respectful as they speak and I understand what they say.
@Rashmi,
Yes, the fact that it is the Colonist’s language indeed rankles with many. But isn’t it time to get over such meaningless grudges, especially when we are happy accepting whatever else the same Colonists had/have to offer??
You asked, “…would they feel the same way if someone brought up in say Germany/Spain would opt to speak German/Spanish more?”
I will cite an example to illustrate the same point. My parents went to Dwaraka in Gujarat. On returning my mother was heard complaining that ALL the sign boards were in Gujarati. That made things difficult for them. She wanted to know how people from other states were supposed to get around. ‘Couldn’t they have put up boards in English??’ she asked.
I asked her (she is a champion for Malayalam), ‘How about starting with our own buses?? Change all the Malayalam boards to English so that the tourists and visitors have an easier time.” I saw realization dawn in her eyes. But no, don’t think it affected her ‘we must at all costs popularize Malayalam’ stand! 😆
I totally agree with your last sentence.
How does it matter what language I write or speak
as if they are capable of making me strong or weak
then why do some people about mother tongue squeak
probably its boredom or insecurity the reason for this violent streak.
G B Shaw said “Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all others because you were born in it”, I think it holds true for mother tongue as well.
@Govind,
You hit the nail on the head with your four lines Govind (as usual) 🙂
As for the GB Shaw quote, how very true that it holds for mother tongue as well!!
oh well though I totally agree with u in whatever u have written I also feel that we have some responsibilty to not let the regional languages die
@Monika,
Well, I don’t think we can ‘not let anything die’; eventually everything will change and even die whether we like it or not.
“…..we have some responsibilty to not let the regional languages die.”
May I ask, responsibility to whom or what and why??
We all eat, but we don’t all grow food ourselves or work in farms. We have our individual fields of interest and concentrate on that. This ‘not letting regional languages die’ is certainly not mine. If anyone feels they have the responsibility to keep any language alive, they are always free to make themselves the example that others can emulate and work (peacefully, without trespassing) towards the goal. Just as people like me who don’t care either way, have the right to be left alone. 🙂 Don’t you think that’s fair?? 🙂
whats in a language
nothing
its tool
like your description and flow
@sm,
Welcome to Shail’s Nest sm and thank you for the comment. Language is just a tool of communication and expression, that is always changing and evolving to suit the needs of the present. 🙂
Oh I am soooooooooooooo relieved and happy to read this post, Shail. I am just so comfortable conversing in English, while my entire extended family and friends think this of it as being ridiculous or snobbish. Thanks for this post. Really!!
@Writerzblock,
You know something?? This being snobbish works both ways. Those who insist that their language is the best and that we speak only in the mother tongue or think you are a snob for speaking in English, are BIGGER snobs than you. Next time you tell them that while you might be an English Snob, they are Mother-tongue Snobs, but snobs nevertheless. 😛
Read. Shall come back with my comment later!!!
@Maddy,
Hmm… *collecting red bricks, just in case* 😛
I re-read the blog’s opening lines to see if ur mum said anything disparaging of the english language. NO she didn’t. So why a whole blog written abt a wrong interpretations of wat ur mum said ??? 😉
All d same I do agree with u chechi, on ur contention that a language is solely a medium of communication and i strongly feel it shd not be used for anything else. But alas that is just idealistic thinking, in today’s world – esp our motherland.
In one of the comments (Dreamer) i read that English is seen as the language of the bourgeois. Well it is also the seen as the language of the “educated”. So obviously ur command on that is viewed with jealousy. Also I presume during their colonial heydays the englishmen also drilled it in that knowing their language equated with u (or us) being considered “civilised” or not.
Today, having seen Japs spking with the Spaniards and the French spking to the Arabs in english – I have to admit (albeit a wee bit grudgingly, tho i am writing this in the same langauge ! ! 😉 ) that if u hv to communicate with ppl of another nation today, u jst hv to know ENGLISH. “Educated” or not.
PS: I hv purposely put some words within quotes….. coz these are all debatable topics !
Rgds
@Aroop,
“Assumptions” that people make is another topic that I am going to blog about 😉 🙂 You have assumed that this blog is about what my mother said when the conversation is only a starting point that set me thinking/remembering the many (too many to list here) times I found myself in situations of the sort outlined here. Besides which you also assumed that my mother has never made disparaging remarks about English. So that makes two wrong assumptions. 😀
I have already mentioned my view regarding the Englishmen. (They are long since gone. It is just us now).
This blog is more about the freedom to speak the language you are comfortable in, not the merits of English/mother tongue. 🙂 My grouse is against the mind set of our people, their pretentiousness (even those who speak English well) when it comes to mother tongue, their self-appointed guardianship of the respective mother tongue and their derision for someone they feel does not fall in line.
You find this same attitude in practically everything, not just language. For example, for the Mallu, mundu set is the most supreme (no issues on that, but why must I toe the line and say hear! hear!), next comes the sari. In the present, the salwar-kameez is accepted albeit grudgingly. Woe betide if you are in anything else. Sanctimonious sermons and pointed remarks ensue. Live and let live is not an option at all. All that works is a ‘see if I care‘ attitude, which skill fortunately I have honed over time 🙂
A long reply. But you see my point. Its just live and let live.
I made no such assumptions. So ur assumptions abt my assumptions are misplaced.
Ur blog, it is obvious was an outcome of that remark frm ur mum….that is not an assumption – it is stated so, in ur words, in ur blog. The “second” assumption u say I made – was not even implied in my comment so then how come u assumed such an assumption was made….. well i am getting all tongue tied here. So i will let it rest. No more assumptions or presumptions. LET IT PASS.
Yes i agree 200% with ur contentions of Live and Let Live……..I (or anyone for that matter) should be as free as I want to be and can be, knowing that my freedom ends whr the other persons’ nose begins. But this world is unfortunately not so very idealistic ! Kya karen ???
@Aroop,
Well, I will let your comment above speak for itself 🙂
Freedom indeed ends with the other person’s nose. Sadly the not-so-idealistic world does not recognize the sanctity of the statement and instead of stopping short of your nose, meddles even in its contents! 😀 😛
So very well said Shail. In your case, at least you have the backing of your knowledge of Malayalam.
I have no knowledge of any other language other than English and Hindi and to put it mildly, I’m at the receiving end of a LOT of flak (specially since I stay in Pune, a marathi stronghold!!). Here, even the bus conductor will demean you if he finds out you don’t speak the language.
Oh well….i’ve spent 13 years here and still don’t speak marathi. I guess it may be because a part of me abhors the thought of being coerced into learning it. It is not my will. And hence, I don’t learn.
I could relate to each word you said here ……will most probably link to it 🙂
Thanks for a lovely write-up.
Love,
N.
@momofrs,
It’s bad the way people put you down for not knowing their language! I hate being coerced into doing ANYTHING. I have a flair and love for languages and if you put me in a place long enough I pick up things, at least enough to understand the language of the place. But I am damned if anyone thinks they can force me to learn any language.
You are going to link here means you have something to write about it. So. I am waiting to read 🙂
Language/Religion…the story never ends. I thank God every day for my mixed parentage that has given me a much healthier take on matters such as these….not belonging to one thing, sometimes, gives you the freedom to make everything yours!! 🙂
@arch,
Exactly, the story never ends 😦 As for mixed parentage, even in those, the people concerned have to be mature enough. Or else we have a miniature version of this on our hands!
Ideally, everything should be ‘ours’!
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Such a long post after a long time… seems like you got pissed off by some one.
I do speak a lot in my mother tongue even now.But English is a language which is understood by a large population in this world and it is not a crime to speak in any language as long as we are able to communicate with others.I do agree with you on that.
@sindhu,
Well, I have already said its a rant 🙂 I have been meaning to write this since a long time. As you know I had once written about the language issue back at Yahoo 360 too 🙂
Yes, its a matter of personal choice which language we speak. 🙂
It totally agree with you Shail. The language one prefers to speak in is entirely their own choice, and not something they should be judged about. I’m absolutely sick of the so called mother-tongue lovers who will go to any lengths to “preserve” their languages. People don’t even have the manners to speak in a “neutral” language understood by all, when in company of those who don’t understand their mother tongues. This blinded are they by their “love” for their mother tongues.
@Manasi D Kudtarkar,
Sorry I failed to respond to the comment earlier. I have come across people who don’t have the good manners to talk in a ‘neutral’ language in a diverse group.
Like I say, short of “pickling” it, you cannot preserve any language! 😉 They did not happen with the Big Bang, but evolved over time. What we speak today will also evolve into something else years from now. But short-sighted people can never grasp that.
Welcome to Shail’s Nest.
Glad to see this post, even if it is a year after you posted. Loved reading it. I fully empathise with you and feel a strong urge to share my thoughts and experiences, even if it is quite late.
My predicament is worse. You have just Malayalam and English as the choices.
What about me? A Paalakkaad Pattar, hanging between two stools, Tamil and Malayalam. My parents conversed in heavily accented Tamil, with plenty of Malayalam words thrown in. They could never tell me what I was born as, a Tamilian or a Malayalee. They would write to each other in Tamil, using the Malayalam script.
To add to my linguistic identity problems, my Father migrated to Mumbai and I was born there in a Gujarati neighbourhood. I was admitted to an English medium school and learnt English, Hindi, Guajarati as compulsory subjects in school while I was exposed to colloquial, accented Tamil at home and to Malayalam during annual visits to my Gandfather’s ancestral home in Chittur Village in Paalakkaad District of Kerala. I renewed my association with Malayalam during a one year posting at Kollam in 1982-83.
The result of all this confusion was that I took refuge in English and Hindi. I exerted myself, read voraciously in English and also in Hindi (though not as much). Bollywood and Hindi film music had appealed to me and created a love for the Hindi language inside me. My calculations were simple. English opened up the whole world to me, while Hindi exposed me to 60 percent of the population of India (for 30 percent, it was their native language, and for another 30 percent it was an acceptable language they could relate to and understand). It made sense to choose these two languages as languages of choice for communicating. I never regretted it.
Yes, at times, I have been made to feel guilty about neglecting my mother tongue but I promised I would rectify that if someone told me what language is my mother tongue. Till today no one has convinced me that it is Tamil or Malayalam. My Tamil speaking friends dismiss me as a Malayalee pretending to be a Tamilian, while the Malayalees do the reverse. I can today read these languages only in bold print, and slowly like a primary school going kid.
I finally found peace, by not worrying or thinking about this language problem. For me English is my “first” language, the language I can communicate best in. Hindi is a close second. I got exposed to it in Mumbai and polished it during my long stay in North India during my student days. I can speak Hindi like a native speaker and write passably well but when I need to communicate effectively, English is my preferred language.
Today, I manage to get by in Kannada too. I learned to write and read the posters and signboards. I know enough to ask my way around, give instructions to the maidservant and haggle with the vegetable seller on the street. I can understand movies in Kannada, Malayalam and Tamil besides English and Hindi.
But finally, the true test for identifying the mother tongue is the language you say “ouch” in.
Prick me with a needle without any warning, and what comes out involuntarily is “Ayyo!”.
Is that a Tamil word? or a Malayalam word? or a Kannada word? I will be grateful for an answer.
Regards
GV
Just English and Malayalam? I started in a Malayalam medium school went to Andhra and had to study Telugu as my second language; came back to Kerala when 11 years old with no schooling in Malayalam, but still took it up as second language in school. In PUC, it was Hindi. At the time I was at Mangalore, so picked up bits of Kannada (i can still follow the language, though not well enough). For my degree again I switched to Malayalam as second language. I can follow Tamil very well. Having married an officer from the Sikh Regiment, I heard lots of Punjabi all around me and can follow it fairly well.
But I do know about the Palakkad Pattar’s Tamil you have mentioned. My mother speaks excellent Tamil having been schooled in Madurai and actually looks down on the Tamil you all speak. I was reminded of that reading your comment 🙂
Lol. I think ‘Ayyo’ is both Malayalam and Tamil. Am not sure about the Kannadigas. Do they say ‘Ayyo’ too?
I grew up in Mumbai and still stay here. For 6 years I was in Pune. Marathi is spoken at home and I am Maharashtrian (though I prefer saying I am Marathi). Always been told I should be proud of the Marathi language and also been told I would become more intelligent and my brain would develop special powers if I learned the ancient language of Sanskrit.
Most people do not even know how much their beloved mother-tongue languages change, evolve and completely transform over the ages.
Interesting,
I completely see the point and agree. I do admit it’s good to learn the language of your origin, or at least understand it, but yes I feel people should speak in a language they are comfortable in. English I would consider is my first language since I live in the states, but I understand Malayalam very well and can hold a descent conversation (though not fluent). Also I can speak Spanish very well, though I have struggle with understanding it and know a tad of Hindi (not much). However I’m comfortable in English and will use the alternative if the other party don’t know English at all. But yea language chauvinism is not good. Love and respect each other regardless what language they speak.