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The Language IssueBy P.R. Sarkar Every living being has its own inherent tendency to express andsymbolize. In the evolutionary process of creation, where higher species have evolved, living beings try to express their feelings bygesture, posture or by some sound. In a general sense, this acousticexpression of ideas is called language. The chirping sound of a bird isits language. Zoologists and ornithologists have established this fact.Even monkeys have their own language, which consists of about 850sounds. In the case of human beings, who are the highest creations of this cosmological order, acoustic expression has developed into awell-knit and well-integrated linguistic system. Language is a powerfulmedium for the expression of the inner thoughts of human beings - it isa vital inner asset, which is inseparably linked with their fundamentalcharacteristics (pra'na'dharma).Either from the psychophysical or theoretical viewpoint, all the peopleof the world have the same language. This is because the essence of language, that is idea, is one and the same for all languages.Phonetics may differ amongst languages because of differences ingeographical environment, which causes differences in racial and ethnicfactors and results in variations in the biological structure of thevocal chord. Thus when the idea to drink water appears in the mind,then human beings may express this idea differently. Some say,"A'mi jalkha'ba" while others say, "Mu jala pivu". Behind these differentexpressions is the same idea.About 300 languages have evolved in the world today through thisprocess. Culture is the same for all humanity though there aredifferences in cultural expressions due to time, space and person.These differences are not evidence of many different cultures as alllanguagesof the world are fundamentally one and the same. That is humancultureconsists of many expressions and human language is ideas expressed inmany forms Consequently, all languages should carry equal importanceand equal respect. Keeping all these points in mind, we should lookdeeply into the question of language problems.According to Prout there are eight constituent factors of afull-fledgedlanguage:1. Case endings2. Verb endings3. Pronouns4. Vocabulary5. Pronunciation6. Written or unwritten literature including folk literature7. Psycho-acoustic notes and inferential acoustic notes8. SyntaxIf either pronunciation or literature or unwritten literature ismissing, then the language is called dialect or "part of a dialect". Onthis earth there are many such dialects. For example, in Bhojpuri thereare three dialects, in Oriya there are two dialects and in Chatisgarhii
there are three dialects.Now, let us observe if there is a close relationship between languageand progress and cultural development. I have already said thatlanguage is the vehicle of inner thoughts and ideas. Naturally it isinseparably linked with the fundamental characteristics (pra'na'dharma) of human beings. The way people can express their thoughts andideas in their own mother tongue cannot be done in any other language.People feel uneasy when they speak in a language other than their mother tongue. If they constantly feel such uneasiness, their vitalenergy (pra'n'a shakta) will be disturbed. Consequently their vitalforce will be weakened. In such circumstance a sort of psychologicalcrisis will occur in the collective mental body as well as in theindividual mind. This will result in the emergence of inferioritycomplexes, which will cause debility in the human mind. Those peoplewhose language is suppressed loose their moral courage, initiative andpower to protest. Ultimately a defeatist psychology develops in them,and as a group such people face the prospect of total annihilation.Thus, the suppression of language has a very dangerous effect on thehuman mind. As a result of this unrelenting suppression, people willnever be able to raise their heads and they will die a premature andunnatural death. The most important point in this regard is that such alinguistically suppressed group of people will always remaineconomically backward due to continuous psycho-economic exploitation.It is a matter of great regret that this tragedy is going on all over the world, including India.The meaning of the word society is to move together. People should makeevery effort to carry those who are lagging behind with them. This isthe spirit of society. Prout clearly advocates that in everyprogressive and dynamic social system, all languages should enjoy equalrights, equal opportunity and equal recognition. One should alsoremember that this recognition should not remain confined to theory or to reading and writing only. Languages should be utilized in day-to-daylife and in all related activities. In all spheres of life--offices,courts, railways, airports, trade, commerce, and private concerns--themedium of expression should be the mother tongue. However, in theeducational sphere there should be no bar in learning languages other than one's mother tongue so as to expand the horizon and depth of one'sknowledge. It happens that in the practical field, where there is somespecial or technical necessity, whether in public or private life, thecompulsory use of one's mother tongue may create confusion. In suchcircumstances an appropriate common language may be used.Concerning the spirit of society, it should be remembered that there isno conflict in propagating and popularizing a particular language as anational or international link language or lingua franca, providing allother languages get equal scope for their development. Such an approachdepends upon the goodwill and benevolent attitudes of humanity. Inreality many countries of the world are multilingual, but they aremanaging their affairs very smoothly, like Switzerland, for example. If a man from Allahabad comes to Calcutta to live he may feel difficultyin seeing or reading the signboards, name plates, advertisements, cashmemos, official papers, etc which are written in Bengali. He may thinkthat if he were in France for business purposes he would have
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The Language Issue
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| Upload Date: | 04/05/2009 |
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