Eastern Mirror Desk
Dimapur, Oct. 19: The Dimapur Ao Lanur Telongjem (DALT) released a textbook ‘Ao kaket Reju’ or ‘Ao dialect text book’ to be used in the Ao academy, at the DABA church on October 19 in Dimapur.
Speaking during the occasion, administrative officer, Justice and Law, A Chuba Ozukum, said that the DALT had shown a vision and it will be considered a historic day for the Ao community.
Ozukum lamented that ‘today’s generations shy away from having conversations in their dialect. Children living in the urban areas have conversations in “Nagamese”—a coarse local Creole—even if they are from the same village.
“Nagamese” is not an official language, Ozukum said. It is not taught in schools. One may speak Nagamese, he said, but should not forget their mother tongue.
The effect of Nagamese can be seen even in the villages, as people living in the urban areas converse in Nagamese. Ozukum urged the gathering that the parents must take the responsibility of teaching the Ao dialect to children. In the early days, he explained, speaking in the Ao dialect was a thing of honor and pride for the community. Now their mother tongue is under great threat because the community’s generation is not giving importance to the Ao dialect.
Ozukum took the example of South American countries, which were once colonised by the Spanish. They were taught the Spanish language which resulted in the extinction of the region’s original mother tongues. In this regard, he advised the gathering to be cautious. ‘Our own mother tongue will also fall to the same scenario if we do not act upon it now and preserve it,’ he said.
Releasing the ‘Ao kaket Reju’ book, the chairman of the Ao Senden’s literature board, Dr. L Temjen Jamir said, ‘we are here today so that our Ao language does not go to extinction.’ He acknowledged the DALT for their work.
Jamir explained to the gathering that researchers have said that a number of languages in the world have been lost and more languages are going to be lost. Even the Ao dialect is one of them, he asserted and explained to the gathering that there are books that have been written in Ao but ‘we prefer English language, especially people living in town areas.’
Jamir advised Sunday school teachers to refrain from teaching in other languages apart from the Ao. He urged them to motivate and encourage students to sing or perform dramas by using their native dialect.
