Of Languages and Flames.

Provocation Abstract: 5 Years here, and can’t manage a fluent line in KannaDa yet.

Me: Basically, all that people require, more often than not is just a compulsion, Which is what the Tams create ever so well.

Her: I’m completely against compulsions. If you find something interesting enough you will pick it up.
And some people just don’t have the flair to pick languages up.

Me: Lest there be some compulsion compulsive enough, why will people even make an effort to blend with local cultures, languages et al? The default tendency for people is to continue to remain inert, lethargic and glued to their stable octet shells.
The Marwaris and the like wouldn’t be as linguistically dexterous if not for their compulsions.

And what is the ultimate benefit?

• If there can be less hatred and more seamless national integrity, why not?
• The world is going multilingual, for people have come to accept the shortcomings of the endevor to bring in a de-facto linguistic standard. English can do the job only to an extent; and even to actually take English to the world, it’s but inevitable that the medium to learn English should again be in a native language!
• How insanely hypocritical would it be in this age of multilinguality (The web for instance, where everybody’s opting for l10n, i18n and multilinguality) to have a mental block against local cultures and languages? especially in a place like India where there ‘re diversities galore. You’d almost be as much a unidimensional, totalitarian bigot as he who needs to pray to(ward) only one direction, one place, one book, one god and one …..
• Picking up a language hardly hurts. It can help, on the contrary. Why not? Isn’t it a moral responsibility towards the the people, culture that’s been receptive to you?
• This has by far been the only reason for the dominance of Dravidian Chauvinism and nationalism down here in the south. Hindi imposition, chauvinism does not work here.
• Typically, in the Indian context, you ‘ve two solutions out. Either that everybody learns all the languages of the state (atleast the 24(?)) or that migrants make it a point to blend with regional cultures, languages and the like.
• The result: I guess you’d have less racist hatred, less northie vs southie flames, lesser aryan vs dravidian flames and less mutual hatred in general. The more viable option out, ofcourse.
• The Tams have done this, but they ‘ve meted out plain old hostility to the immigrants. Not a very pleasant proposition
• The Kannadigas have miserably failed, as I guess have the Marathis. There’s only frustration brewing up under the covers though.
• Some people never freaking get the point.
• Languages are learnt. They needn’t be taught. Compulsions and Vested interests are normally requisites.
• If you ‘re going to make a life out here and if you ‘ve issues against respecting the language, you ‘re a plain bigot.
• One More Inference: It’s the speakers for the most part that actually sustain the language. The movies, The Literature certainly aid, help in the process…But really it’s a catch 22 here..and in an obscure kind of way, The movies, The literature and the like are primarily subsidiary inspirations rather than the perpetrators of mainstream linguistic  sustainance.

She: agrees but disagrees.