EMN
Dimapur, January 27
Three apex organizations of Ao community have disapproved the Centre’s proposal to recognize Nagamese as official language of Nagaland, contending that such move will have adverse impact on the vernacular languages which are struggling to make a foothold in Naga society.
The organizations also maintained that so long as the school textbooks are written in English and Roman script used for writing different languages, English should be the official language of the state.
“Promoting another language, especially a pidgin language like Nagamese, would not only be against the intellectual interests of the Naga people, the intellectuals and the students; but also against the rich cultural heritage of the Naga people especially with regard to vernacular language.”
A statement issued by Ao Senden President Imolemba Jamir, Watsu Mungdang President Moachila and Ao Students’ Conference AKM President L Jemti Longchar said, “We have no problem about the use of Nagamese by the people in their everyday life. We also understand that Nagamese pidgin cannot be ignored in our society as an effective means of communication among the people from different communities. However, the Ao community asserts that promoting Nagamese as the official language would be the nemesis of the vernacular languages which are struggling to make a foothold in the Naga society with the relentless efforts of Naga writers and intellectuals.”
The organizations also noted the ongoing discussions and debates going on in the media over the Government of India’s plan to promote ‘Nagamese’ as the official language and welcomed the different opinions by different individuals and organization on the issue. “In this connection, the three apex Ao organizations strongly declare our support towards the stand of the Naga Students’ Federation (which appeared in the local dailies on January 20, 2016) and also the supporting views expressed by different intellectuals in the media.”
“Without dwelling much on the history of the evolution of Nagamese, the Ao community asserts that Nagamese is nothing but just a pidgin which has no proper grammar or vocabulary. It is nothing but just ‘a bazaar language’ and a ‘corrupt Lingua Franca’ which evolved out of necessity to facilitate trade and commerce between the plains people and the Nagas. Therefore, plans to promote the pidgin (Nagamese) which has no clear cut grammar or vocabulary as the official language of Nagaland is totally unbelievable, if not insulting to the Naga people as a whole.”
The statement said, “As for the Ao people, over the past decades, the Ao Senden Literature Board (ASLB), under the aegis of the Ao Senden and also the active support and cooperation of the Watsu Mungdang and the AKM, had been working tirelessly to promote the Ao language among the native Ao speakers. Towards this end, the Ao Senden has made notable achievement as regular Ao subject examination is being conducted every year, and a lot of Ao scholars have been awarded with different degrees. Besides, the apex Ao organizations is also aware that thousands of vernacular languages around the world are on the verge of extinction – among those languages, the vernacular Naga languages and dialects are also figures in the endangered lists. Therefore, the Ao Senden has directed all the schools under the Mokokchung district jurisdiction to incorporate Ao language as subject in the school academic curriculum. As such, the Government of India’s move to promote Nagamese is nothing short of curtailing the noble initiative of the Ao Senden in promoting the vernacular language.”
The organizations also appealed to all likeminded apex tribal organizations, intellectuals and government of Nagaland to strongly appeal to the government of India against the purported move to replace English as the official language. “It is our hope and aspiration that the government of India would respect the sentiments of the Naga people, and refrain from such a move, which would have adverse long-term effect on the intellectual, the Naga culture and tradition, and the development of vernacular languages in the society.”
