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Konkani language

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Not to be confused with Konkani (dialect of Marathi language).
Konkani
कोंकणी, Konknni, ಕೊಂಕಣಿ, കൊങ്കണി
Pronunciationkõkɵɳi (standard), kõkɳi (popular)
Native toIndia
RegionKonkan
Native speakers
3.6 million
Devanagari (official)[1], Roman[2], Kannada[3], Malayalamand Arabic
Official status
Official language in
India Goa, India
Regulated byVarious academies and the Government of Goa[4]
Language codes
ISO 639-1none
ISO 639-2kok
ISO 639-3gom
Distribution of native Konkani speakers in India

Konkani (Devanāgarī: कोंकणी, Kōṅkaṇī;Kannada: ಕೊಂಕಣಿ, Roman: Konknni;കൊങ്കണി) is an Indo-Aryan language belonging to the Indo-European family of languages spoken in the Konkan coast of India. It has approximately 3.6 million speakers of its two individual languages, Konkani and Goan Konkani.

Konkani is the official language in the Indian state of Goa and is also one of the official languages of India. Devanagari has been mandated as the official script. Though Konkani does not have a unique script, scripts of the other languages native to the regions its speakers inhabit are used.

Geographical distribution

Modern day Goan Konkani in Nāgarī script

The Konkani language is spoken widely in the Western Coastal region of India known as Konkan. This consists of the Konkan division of Maharashtra, Goa, North Canara. Each region has a different dialect, pronunciation style, vocabulary, tone and sometimes, significant differences in grammar.[5] The Census Department of India, 1991 figures put the number of Konkani speakers in India as 1,760,607 making up 0.21% of India's population. Out of these, 602,606 were in Goa, 706,397 in Karnataka, 312,618 in Maharashtra.[6] It ranks 15th in the list of Scheduled Languages by strength. According to the 2001 estimates of the The Census Department of India, there are 2,489,015 Konkani speakers in India.[7] A very large number of Konkanis live outside India, either as expatriates or citizens of other countries (NRIs). Determining their numbers is difficult.

Ethnologue puts the number of Konkani speakers at 3.6 million in 2000.[8]

History

Origins

The word Konkani is said to have originated from the word Kukkana (which gave birth to the modern word Konkan) is a narrow strip of land between the Sahyadri mountain range and the Arabian sea.[9] This word has been derived from the language that was spoken by groups of proto-Australoid people who inhabited the land before the advent of so called,the Indo-Aryans and the Indo-Scythian.[10] The language spoken by this tribe was akin to Mundari. Many words of proto-Australoid origin are still found in Konkani, e.g.: Goyy, Kudd, Kumeri, Tanti, Khop.[9]

The later migrants who settled Goa (then Konkan which never was part of Maharshtra or Karnataka) spoke other Indo-Aryan languages. Thus Konkani was born as a confluence of the Indo-Aryan languages while accepting many words from the proto-Australoid dialects. Proto-Konkani born out of Shauraseni prakrit at the earlier stage of the evolution and later Maharashtri prakrit at its later phase ultimately developed into Apabhramsha which could be called as predecessor old Konkani.[11]

Studying early Maharashtri compilations many linguists have called Konkani as the first-born daughter of Maharashtri.[12] This old language that was prevalent contemporary to old Marathi is found to be distinct from its counterpart.[12]

It was influenced later by Magadhi Prakrit[13] and the overtones of Pali[14] (the liturgical language of the Buddhists) that played a very important role in development of Konkani Apabhramsha grammar and vocabulary.[11]

The Sauraseni impact on Konkani is not so prominent than that of Maharashtri. Very few Konkani words are found to follow the Sauraseni pattern. Konkani forms are rather more akin to Pali than the corresponding Sauraseni forms.[15] The major Sauraseni influence on Konkani,is the ao sound found at the end of many nouns in Sauraseni,which becomes o in Konkani,[16] e.g.: dando, suno, raakhano.

This form of old Konkani is referred to as Paishachi apabhramsha by some linguists.[9] This progenitor of Konkani or Paishachi apabhramsha has preserved an older form of phonetic and grammatic development showing greater variety of verbal forms found in Sanskrit and larger number of grammatical forms that are not found in Marathi,examples of which are found in many works like Dnyaneshwari, and Leela Charitra.[14]

The language is endowed with overall Sanskrit complexity and grammatical structure, that developed a lexical fund of its own.[14]

The following table illustraes how modern Konkani words have been derived from Prakrit which in turn have Sanskrit roots[17]

Origin of few Konkani words:
Konkani Prakrit Sanskrit
बोकडो,Bokado(goat) बक्करो,Bakkaro बर्कर,Barkara
विंचु,Vicchu(scorpion) विच्छुओ,Vicchuo वृश्चिक,Vrischika
भाव,Bhav(brother) भाओ,Bhao भ्राता,Bhrata
शेत,Shet(field) छेत्त,Chett क्षेत्र,Kshetra
घावो,Ghavo घाओ,Ghao घात,Ghata
कांटो,Kanto(thorn) कंटओ,Kantao कंटक,Kantaka
माथें,Mathe मथ्थओ,Matthao मस्तक,Mastaka
न्हंय,Nhay(river) णई,Nayee नदी,Nadi
Source:The Koṅkaṇî language and literature by Joseph Gerson Cunha,pages:50[17]

Not all words found in Konkani are corrupted Sanskrit words,but many Sanskrit words or Tatsama ,are used as they were, eg:Vaat(road), Udaka(water), Marga(path), Nisani(ladder), Sarini (broom), Tandul(Rice) and many more.[17]

Substratum

File:Languagepanel.jpg
Language panel on an Indian banknote,depicting Konkani,sixth from top

The Proto-Australoids also known as Shabars[18] who are believed to have come from the west, once formed the aboriginal population of Goa and Konkan. Gaudes, Kunbis, Mahars of Konkan today are supposed to be the modern representatives of Proto-Australoids.[17] Many Konkani words related to agriculture find their roots in Proto-Australoid dialects, eg: kumeri, mer, zonn, khazzan.

The later settlers of Goa viz. the Sumerians,[citation needed] the Mediterraneans[citation needed] also exerted an impact on this language. These peoples[clarification needed] can be collectively called the Dravidians.[19] Words like tandul, narikel or naall, dholl, madval and others have Dravidian origin.

Development

Kannada Influence

Though it belongs to Indo-Aryan group, Konkani was influenced by Kannada,a member of Dravidian family.The Kadambas who ruled Goa for a long period had their roots in Karnataka thus Konkani was not used for official purposes generally and did not receive royal patronage for some time.[20] Another reason Kannada influence on Konkani is proximity of original Konkani speaking territory to Karnataka.[21]

Old Konkani documents show considerable Kannada influence on grammar as well as the vocabulary. Like southern dravidian languages Konkani has prothetic glides y- and w-.[22] Kannada influence is more evident in Konkani syntax.the question markers in yes/no questions and the negative marker are sentence final.[22] Copula deletion in Konkani is remarkably similar to Kannada.[22]

Other foreign languages

Goa being a major centre for trade was visited by Arabs,Turks,Summertime,Assyrians, since early times. Thus many Arabic and Persian words infiltrated into Konkani language.[21]

Portuguese era Konkani

Early in the era of Portuguese colonisation, Christian missionaries realised the importance of propagating in local tongues and translated Christian Literature into Konkani and sometimes Marathi, the most notable among them being Fr Thomas Stephens.

However, in 1684 A.D., the Portuguese administration banned the use of local languages in their Indian territories. They mandated the use of Portuguese not just for official purposes but everyday conversations including speaking at homes or bazaars. This was because local languages served as a medium for Hindu religious instruction. They also wanted to sever the links the new converts had with their old religion. [citation needed] Coupled with the imposition of Portuguese as an official language, it led to a steady decline of Konkani, which unlike most Indian languages had absolutely no state patronage.

The Hindus of Goa had been using Marathi as a language of religious ceremonies from a long time. Also the interaction between Marathis and Konkanis in the past, that had resulted in Konkanis being bilingual with Marathi, now cemented the status of Marathi as the liturgical and literary language of Hindus in Goa, including Konkanis. Similarly, upper class Christians used Konkani only to communicate with the lower classes and poor, using Portuguese in social gatherings. The use of Portuguese led to the influence of Portuguese in Konkani, especially in the dialects spoken by the Christians.[23] Meanwhile, the migrant communities outside Goa kept Konkani alive, and the language became more fragmented. The Devanagari script came into use in Maharashtra, while Kannada Script was used by migrants to Karnataka.

Migration and fragmentation

The arrival of the Portuguese led to major changes in Konkani. The conversion of Konkanis to Christianity and the religious policies of the Portuguese caused a large number of Konkanis to flee to neighbouring territories. The isolation of Hindu and Christian Konkanis added to the fragmentation of Konkani into multiple dialects.

The language spread to Canara (coastal Karnataka), Kokan-patta (coastal Konkan division of Maharashtra) and Kerala during the last 500 years due to migration of Konkanis. Although a few Konkanis may have been present in the neighbouring areas and there may have been migrations due to economic reasons in the past, the main cause of migration was the Portuguese control over Goa.

It was spread to these areas by Hindu Konkani and Christian Konkani speakers in three waves of migration. The first migration occurred during the early years of Portuguese rule and the Inquisition of 1560s. The second wave of migration was during the 1571 C.E. war with the Sultan of Bijapur. The third wave of migration happened during the wars of 1683-1740 A.D. with the Marathas. While the first wave was of Hindus, the second and third waves were mainly those of Christians.

These migrant communities grew in relative isolation and each developed its own dialect. Since these communities had to interact with others in local languages on a daily basis, Konkani dialects show strong local influences in terms of script, vocabulary and also style.

Other Konkani communities came into being with their own dialects of Konkani. The Konkani Muslim communities of Ratnagiri and Bhatkal came about due to a mixture of intermarriage of Arab seafarers and locals as well as conversions of Hindus to Islam.[24] Another migrant community that picked up Konkani was the Siddis who were sailor-warriors from Ethiopia.[25]

Early epigraphy

  • The earliest inscription in Konkani found in the village of Aravalem, in Goa dated back in the Gupta period in Brahmi script. It reads:

Shachipurachya Shiraari


on the top of Shacipura.[9]

  • Another inscription in Devanagari, of Shilahara King Aaparditya of the year 1166 AD says:[9]

Ata tu jo konuyyre shasnolpi techya vedyanth devachi bhal sakutmbi apadem,techi may gadhavem

  • The inscription found at Shravanabelagola mentions:

Chavundaraje karaviyale, gangaraje sutatale karaviyale


Chamundaraja got it done, Gangaraja got it done all around[9]
The above inscription has been quite controversial, and touted as being old-Marathi. But, distinctive instrumental viyalem ending of the verb is the hallmark of Konkani language, and the verb sutatale or sutatalap is not prevalent in Marathi. So the linguists and hisorians like S.B.Kulkarni of Nagpur University, Dr V.P Chavan (former vice-president of the Anthropological society of Mumbai), and others have thus concluded that its Konkani.[14]

Konkani Inscription with 'Maee Shenvi' of 1413AD, Nagueshi, Goa.
  • However,most of the other stone and copper-plate inscriptions found in Goa and Konkan are written in an amalgam of Konkani and old-Marathi, written in Nagari as well as Goy-kanadi script. The grammar and the base of such texts is in Konkani, whereas very few verbs are in Marathi.[26] One such stone inscription or shilalekh is found at the Nageshi temple in Goa (dating back to the year 1463 AD) mentions that the (then) ruler of Goa, Devaraja Gominam, had gifted land to the Nagueshi Maharudra temple when Nanjanna Gosavi was the religious head or the Pratihasta of the state. It mentions words like, kullgga, kulaagra, naralel, tambavem, tilel.[27]

Exonyms

  • Konkani was commonly referred to as lingua canarim by the Portuguese.[28]
  • It was also known as lingua brahmana by the Catholic missionaries.[28]
  • Portuguese later started referring Konkani as Lingua Concanim.[28]

Structure

Phonology

The Konkani language has 16 basic vowels (excluding equal number of long vowels), 36 consonants, 5 semi-vowels, 3 sibilants, 1 aspirate and many diphthongs. Like the other Indo-Aryan languages, it has both long and short vowels and syllables with long vowels may appear to be stressed.Different types of nasal vowels are a special feature of the Konkani language.[15]

Vowels

Vowels in Konkani language

One of the most distinguishing features of Konkani phonology is the use of ɵ, the Close-mid central vowel, instead of theschwa as used in Hindi and Marathi.

Whereas most Indian languages use only one of the three front vowels, represented by the Devanagari grapheme ए(IPA:e), Konkani uses three: e, ɛ and æ.

The Near-open front unrounded vowel (æ), as used in Konkani is different from its standard IPA definition. It is positioned between ɛ and æ and slightly longer than æ. The standard pronunciation of æ is only used for loan-words.

Nasalizations exist for all vowels except for ʌ.

Consonants

Consonants
  Labial Dental Alveolar Retroflex Alveopalatal Velar Glottal
Voiceless
stops 		p
pʰ		 t̪
t̪ʰ		   ʈ
ʈʰ		 cɕ
cɕʰ		 k
kʰ		  
Voiced
stops 		b
bʱ		 d̪
d̪ʱ		   ɖ
ɖʱ		 ɟʝ
ɟʝʱ		 ɡ
ɡʱ		  
Voiceless
fricatives 		    s   ɕ   h
Nasals m
mʱ		 n̪
n̪ʱ		   ɳ
ɳʱ		 ɲ ŋ  
Liquids ʋ
ʋʱ		   l ɾ
lʱ ɾʱ		 ɭ ɽ j    

The consonants in Konkani are similar to those in Marathi.

Grammar

Konkani grammar has a overall Sanskrit structure,and is similar to other Indo-Aryan languages.Notably Konkani grammar is also influenced by Dravidian languages too.Konkani is a language rich in morphology, syntax.It cannot be described as a stress language nor as a tone language.[6]

  • Konkani vocabulary is made of tatsama(Sanskrit words without change),tadhbhava(adapted Sanskrit words),deshya(indigenous words) and antardeshya or foreign words.
  • Speech can be classified in any of the following parts[29]:
  1. naam (noun)
  2. sarvanaam (pronoun)
  3. visheshan (adjective)
  4. kriyapad (verb)
  5. kriyavisheshana (adverb)
  6. ubhayanvayi avyaya
  7. shabdayogi avyaya
  8. kevalaprayogi avyaya

Almost all the verbs,adverbs,adjectives and the avyayas are either tatsama or tadbhava.[29]

  • Present indefinite of the auxiliary is fused with present participle of the primary verb,and the auxiliary is partially dropped.[29]The southern dialects when came in contact with Dravidian languages this difference became more prominent in dialects spoken in Karnataka whereas Goan Konkani still retains the original form.

eg: I eat and I am eating sound similar in Goan Konkani,due to loss of auxiliary in colloquial speech.hāv khātā correspondeds to I am eating.On the other hand in Karnataka Konkani;hāv khātā corresponds to I eat,and hāv khātoāsā or hāv khāter āsā means I am eating.

  • Unlike Sanskrit anusvara has great importance in Konkani.A characteristic of Middle Indo-Aryan dialects,Konkani still retains the anusvara on the initial or the final syllable.[29]Similarly visarga,is totally lost and is assimilated with उ and/or ओ;eg Sanskrit दीपः becomes दिवो and दुःख becomes दुख .
  • Like other languages it has three genders,use of neuter gender is quite unique in Konkani.During the middle ages most of the Indo-Aryan languages lost their neuter gender, except Maharashtri,which is very much retained in Konkani than Marathi.[29]Gender in Konkani is purely grammatical and unconnected to sex.[29]
  • Out of eight Grammatical casess,Konkani has totally lost the dative, the locative,and the ablative.[29]It has partially lost the accusative and the instrumental cases too.[29]So the preserved cases are;the nominative,the genitive and the vocative case.[29]
  • Konkani retains the pitch accent which is a direct derivative of Vedic accent which probabaly would account for nasalism in Konkani. [29]Breathed accent is retained in most of the tatsamas than the tadbhavas. [29]Declension also affects the accent.[29]
  • Konkani has lost passive voice and now the transitive verbs in their perfect tenses are equivalent to passives.
  • Konkani has rejected ऋ,ॠ,ऌ ॡ,ष,क्ष and are assimilated with र,ख,ह,श and स.[29]
  • Sanskrit compound letters are avoided in Konkani;eg Sanskrit द्वे,प्राय,गृहस्थ,उद्योत become बे,पिराय,गिरेस्त,उज्जो respectively in Konkani.[29]

The first book called as Arte da lingoa Canarim,exclusively on Konkani Grammar was printed in 1640 by Father Stephen in Portuguese.[9] Similarly a book named A Konkani grammar was printed in the year 1882 in Mangalore by By Angelus Francis Xavier Maffei,describes Canara Konkani grammar.[30]

Scripts

Konkani is written in a number of scripts. Brahmi was originally used but fell into disuse.[15] A script called as Kandevi or Goykandi was used in Goa since the times of the Kadambas,which lost its popularity after 17th century.Kandevi script is very different from the Halekannada script,with strikingly similar features.[31]The earliest documents written in this script is found in a petition addressed by Ravala Śeṭī;most probably a Gaunkar of Caraim in the islands of Goa,to the king of Portugal.This 15th century document bears signature in Konkani which says:
Ravala Śeṭī baraha, which means writing of Ravala Śeṭī.[32] Unlike Halekannada,Goykanadi or Kandevi letters were usually written with a distinctive horizontal bar,like the Nagari scripts.

Today,Devanagari is the official script for Konkani in Goa. Roman script is also popular in Goa. The Kannada script is used amongst the Konkani population of Karnataka. Malayalam script is used by the Konkani community, centered around the cities of Cochin and Kozhikode in Kerala state. Konkani Muslims in coastal Maharashtra and Bhatkal taluka of Karnataka use Arabic script to write Konkani.[23]

Konkani Alphabets
IPA Symbol Modified Devanagari Alphabet Standard Devanagari Alphabet Roman Script Kannada Alphabet Malayalam Alphabet Arabic Alphabet
/ɵ/ अ अ o ಅ/ಒ അ ?
/aː/ आ आ a ಆ ആ ?
/i/ इ इ i ಇ ഇ ?
/iː/ ई ई i ಈ ഈ ?
/u/ उ उ u ಉ ഉ ?
/uː/ ऊ ऊ u ಊ ഊ ?
/e/ ए ए e ಎ എ ?
/ɛ/ ऍ ए e ಎ ഏ ?
/æ/ no symbol ए e ಎ or ಐ ഐ ?
/ɵi/ ऐ ऐ ai/oi ಐ ഐ ?
/o/ ओ ओ o ಒ ഒ ?
/ɔ/ ऑ ओ o ಒ ഓ ?
/ɵu/ औ au/ou ಔ ഔ ?
/ⁿ/ अं अं om/on ಅಂ അം ?
/k/ क क k ಕ್ ക് ک
/kʰ/ ख ख kh ಖ್ ഖ് که
/ɡ/ ग ग g ಗ್ ഗ് ک
/ɡʱ/ घ घ gh ಘ್ ഘ് گه
/ŋ/ ङ ंग ng ಙ ങ് ڭ
/ts/ च़ च़ ch ಚ್ ത്സ് څ
/c/ च च ch ಚ್ ച് چ
/cʰ/ छ छ chh ಛ್ ഛ് چه
/z/ ज़ ज़ z ಜ ജ ز
/ɟ/ ज ज j ಜ್ ജ് ج
/zʱ/ झ़ झ़ zh ಝ್ ഝ് زه
/ɟʱ/ झ झ jh ಝ್ ഝ് جه
/ɲ/ ञ ञ nh ಞ ഞ് ڃ
/ʈ/ ट ट tt ಟ್ ട് ټ
/ʈʰ/ ठ ठ tth ಠ್ ഠ് ټه
/ɖ/ ड ड dd ಡ್ ഡ് ډ
/ɖʱ/ ढ ढ ddh ಢ್ ഢ് ډه
/ɳ/ ण ण nn ಣ್ ണ് ڼ
/t̪/ त त t ತ್ ത് ت
/t̪ʰ/ थ थ th ಥ್ ഥ് ته
/d̪/ द द d ದ್ ദ് د
/d̪ʱ/ ध ध dh ಧ್ ധ് ده
/n/ न न n ನ್ ന് ن
/p/ प प p ಪ್ പ് پ
/f/ फ़ फ f ಫ್ ഫ് ف
/b/ ब ब b ಬ್ ബ് ب
/bʱ/ भ भ bh ಭ್ ഭ് به
/m/ म म m ಮ್ മ് م
/j/ य य i/e/ie ಯ್ യ് ې
/ɾ/ र र r ರ್ ര് ر
/l/ ल ल l ಲ್ ല് ل
/ʃ/ श श x ಶ್ ശ് ش
/ʂ/ ष ष x ಷ್ ഷ് ?
/s/ स स s ಸ್ സ് س
/ɦ/ ह ह h ಹ್ ഹ് ?
/ɭ/ ळ ळ ll ಳ್ ള് ?
/ʋ/ व व v ವ್ വ് ڤ

Dialects

Konkani, despite having a small population shows a very high number of dialects. The dialect tree structure of Konkani can easily be classified according to the region, religion, caste and local tongue influence.[23]

Other researchers have classified the dialects differently.

N. G. Kalelkar's classification

Based on the historical events and cultural ties of the speakers, N. G. Kalelkar has broadly classified the dialects into three main groups:[23]

  • Northern Konkani: Dialects spoken in the Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra with strong cultural ties to Marathi.
  • Central Konkani: Dialects in Goa, where Konkani came in close contact with Portuguese language and culture.
  • Southern Konkani: Dialects spoken in the Canara region of Karnataka which came in close contact with Tulu and Kannada.

Ethnologue (ISO) classification

ISO 639-3 classifies Konkani generic macrolanguage (ISO 639-3:kok) into[33]:

  • Goan Konkani (ISO 639-3: gom )
  • Konkani (individual language) (ISO 639-3: knn)

Of these, Konkani (individual language) is commonly identified as a dialect of Marathi (see Marathi language#Konkani).

The various dialects of Konkani macrolanguage as reported by Ethnologue are:

Main article: Karnataka Konkani

Other languages/dialects which are included by ISO 639-3 in the Konkani language family[34] but may be not be regarded as dialects of Konkani (they may be regarded as sister languages):

  • Katkari (kfu)
  • Kukna (kex)
  • Phudagi (phd)
  • Samvedi (smv)
  • Varli (vav)

Modern day Konkani

Konkani revival

File:Shenoy Goembab portrait.jpg
Shenoi Goembab, respected as a pioneer of modern Konkani literature and a figurehead for Konkani unity

Konkani was in a sorry state, due to the use of Portuguese as the official and social language among the Christians; the predominance of Marathi over Konkani among Hindus and the Konkani Christian-Hindu divide. Seeing this Vaman Raghunath Varde Valaulikar set about on a mission to unite all Konkanis, Hindus as well as Christians, regardless of caste or religion. He saw this movement not just as a nationalistic movement against Portuguese rule, but also against the pre-eminence of Marathi over Konkani. Almost single handedly he crusaded, writing a number of works in Konkani. He is regarded as the pioneer of modern Konkani literature and affectionately remembered as Shenoi Goembab.[35] His death anniversary, 9 April, is celebrated as World Konkani Day (Viswa Konknni Dis).[36]

Post-independence period

Following India's Independence and its subsequent reconquest of Goa in 1961, Goa was absorbed into the Indian Union as a Union Territory, directly under central administration.

However, with the reorganization of states along linguistic lines, and growing calls from Maharashtra, as well as Marathis in Goa for the merger of Goa into Maharashtra, an intense debate was started in Goa. The main issues discussed were the status of Konkani as an independent language and Goa's future as a part of Maharashtra or as an independent state. A plebiscite retained Goa as an independent state in 1967.[35] However, English, Hindi and Marathi continued to be the preferred languages for official communication, while Konkani was sidelined.[37]

Recognition as an independent language

With the continued insistence of some Marathis that Konkani was a dialect of Marathi and not an independent language, the matter was finally placed before the Sahitya Akademi. Suniti Kumar Chatterji, the president of the Akademi appointed a Committee of linguistic experts to settle the dispute. On February 26, 1975, the Committee after due deliberation, came to the conclusion that Konkani was indeed an independent and literary language with it being classified as an Indo-European language which in its present state is heavily influenced by the Portuguese language.

Official language status

All this did not change anything in Goa. Finally fed up with the delay, Konkani lovers launched an agitation demanding official status to Konkani in 1986. The agitation turned violent in various places, resulting in the death of six agitators. Finally, on 4 February 1987, the Goa Legislative Assembly passed the Official Language Bill making Konkani the Official Language of Goa.[37]

Konkani was included in the Eight Schedule of the Constitution of India, as per the Seventy-First Amendment on 31 August 1992, adding it to the list of National Languages.

Problems/issues

The Konkani language has been in danger of dying out primarily due to:

  1. The fragmentation of Konkani into various, sometimes mutually unintelligible dialects.
  2. The Portuguese influence in Goa, especially on Catholics.
  3. Strong degree of bilingualism of Konkani Hindus in Goa and coastal Maharashtra with Marathi
  4. Progressive inroads made by Urdu into the Muslim communities.
  5. Mutual animosity among various religious and caste groups; including a secondary status of Konkani culture to religion.
  6. Migration of Konkanis to various parts of India and around the world.
  7. Lack of opportunities to study Konkani in schools and colleges. Even till recently there were few Konkani schools in Goa. Populations outside the native Konkani areas have absolutely no access to Konkani education, even informally.
  8. Preference among Konkani parents to speak to their children in "Potaachi Bhas" (language of the stomach) over "Maaim Bhas"(mother tongue) Konkani; primarily in English to help their children gain a grip over English in schools.[23]

Efforts have been made to stop this downward trend of usage of Konkani,[citation needed] starting with Shenoi Goembab's efforts to revive Konkani. There has been a renewed interest in Konkani Literature. The recognition granted by Sahitya Akademi to Konkani and the institution of an annual award for Konkani literature has helped.

Some organisations such as the Konkan Daiz Yatra, organised by Konkani Bhasha Mandal, Mumbai since 1939 and the newer Vishwa Konkani Parishad have laid great stress on uniting all factions of Konkanis.

Multilingualism

According to the Census Department of India, Konkani speakers show a very high degree of multilingualism. In the 1991 census, as compared to the national average of 19.44% for bilingualism and 7.26% for trilingualism; Konkani speakers scored 74.20% and 44.68% respectively. This makes Konkanis the most multilingual community of India.

This has been due to the fact that in most areas where Konkanis have settled, they seldom form a majority of the population and have to interact with others in the local tongue. Another reason for bilingualism has been the lack of schools teaching Konkani as a primary or secondary language.

While bilingualism is not by itself a bad thing, it has been misinterpreted as a sign that Konkani is not a developed language. The bilingualism of Konkanis with Marathi in Goa and Maharashtra has been a source of great discontent because it has led to the belief that Konkani is a dialect of Marathi [23][38] and hence had a bearing on the future of Goa.

Konkani–Marathi dispute

It has been claimed by some quarters that Konkani is a dialect of Marathi and not an independent language. This has been attributed to several historical reasons (outlined in the History section), the close similarities between Marathi and Konkani, the geographical proximity between Goa and Maharashtra, the strong Marathi influence on Konkani dialects spoken in Maharashtra (such as Malwani), a supposed lack of literature in Konkani and a great degree of bilingualism of Konkani Hindus with respect to Marathi.

José Pereira, in his 1971 work "Konkani — A Language: A History of the Konkani Marathi Controversy", pointed to an essay on Indian languages written by John Leyden in 1807 wherein Konkani is called a "dialect of Maharashtra" as an origin of the language controversy.[23]

Another linguist to whom the error is attributed is Grierson. Grierson's work on the languages of India: The Linguistic Survey of India was regarded as an important reference by other linguists. In his book, Grierson had distinguished between the Konkani spoken in costal Maharashtra (then, part of Bombay Presidency) and the Konkani spoken in Goa as being two different languages. He regarded the Konkani spoken in costal Maharashtra as a dialect of Marathi and not as a dialect of Goan Konkani itself. But, in his opinion, Goan Konkani was also to be considered a dialect of Marathi because the religious literature used by the Hindus in Goa was not in Konkani itself, but in Marathi. Grierson's opinion about Goan Konkani was not based on its linguistics but on the diglossic situation in Goa.

S. M. Katre's 1966 work, The Formation of Konkani, which utilized the instruments of modern historical and comparative linguistics across six typical Konkani dialects, showed the formation of Konkani to be distinct from that of Marathi.[23][38] Shenoi Goembab, who played a pivotal role in the Konkani revival movement, rallied against the pre-eminence of Marathi over Konkani amongst Hindus and Portuguese amongst Christians.

Goa's accession to India in 1961 came at a time when Indian states were being reorganized along linguistic lines. There were demands to merge Goa with Maharashtra state. This was because Goa had a sizeable population of Marathi speakers and Konkani was also considered to be a dialect of Marathi by many. Konkani Goans were opposed to the move. The status of Konkani as an independent language or as a dialect of Marathi had a great political bearing on Goa's merger, which was settled by a plebiscite in 1967.[23]

The Sahitya Akademi (a prominent literary organization in India) recognized it as an independent language in 1975, and subsequently Konkani (in Devanagari script) was made the official language of Goa in 1987.

Script and dialect issues

The problems posed by multiple scripts and varying dialects have come as an impediment in the efforts to unite Konkanis. The decision to use Devanagari as official script and Antruz dialect has met with opposition both within Goa and outside it.[37] The critics contend that Antruz dialect is unintelligible to most Goans, let alone other Konkanis, and that Devanagari is used very little as compared to Roman script in Goa or Kannada script in coastal Karnataka[37] Prominent among the critics are Konkani Catholics in Goa, who have been at the forefront of the Konkani agitation in 1986-87 and have for long used the Roman script including producing literature in Roman script. They are demanding that Roman script be given equal status to Devanagari.[39]

In Karnataka, which has the largest number of Konkanis, leading organisations and activists have similarly demanded that Kannada script be made the medium of instruction for Konkani in local schools instead of Devanagari.[40]

At present, no single script or dialect can claim to be understandable or acceptable to all sections. No serious efforts have been made to achieve a consensus on this issue. The lack of a standard dialect which is acceptable to all means that at many times Konkanis interact with other Konkanis in other languages.

Organisations

The campus of the Thomas Stephens Konknni Kendr (TSKK), a research institute working on issues related to the Konkani language, located at Panaji in Goa

There are various organisations working for Konkani but primarily, these were restricted to individual communities. The All India Konkani Parishad founded on 23 January 1978 served the purpose of providing a common ground for all groups. A new organisation known as Vishwa Konkani Parishad, which aims to be an all-inclusive and pluralistic umbrella organization for Konkanis around the world, was founded on 11 September 2005.

The Konkan Daiz Yatra, which was started in 1939 in Mumbai, is the oldest Konkani organisation. The Konkani Bhasha Mandal was born in Mumbai on April 5, 1942 during the Third All India Conference. On December 28, 1984, Goa Konkani Akademi (GKA) was founded by the Government of Goa to promote Konkani language, literature and culture.[41] The Thomas Stephens Konknni Kendr (TSKK) is a popular research institute based in the Goan capital Panaji, which works on issues related to the Konkani language, literature, culture and education.[42] The Dalgado Konkani Academy is a popular Konkani organisation based in Panaji.

The Konkani Triveni Kala Sangam is one more famed Konkani organisation in Mumbai, which is engaged in the vocation of patronizing Konkani language through theatre movement. The Government of Karnataka established the Karnataka Konkani Sahitya Akademy on 20 April 1994.[43] The Konkani Ekvott is an umbrella organisation of the various Konkani bodies in Goa.

The First World Konkani Convention was held in Mangalore in December 1995.

Konkani Language and Cultural Foundation
World Konkani Centre, Mangalore

The Konkani Language and Cultural Foundation came in to being immediately after the World Konkani Convention in 1995. [44].

The World Konkani Centre, built on a 3 Acre plot called Konkani Gaon (Konkani Village) at Shakti Nagar, Mangalore was inaugurated on 17 January 2009[45] "to serve as a nodal agency for the preservation and overall development of Konkani language, art and culture involving all the Konkani people the world over."

Literature

File:DoutrinaCristam book cover.jpg
Cover of Dovtrina Christam by Fr. Thomas Stephens, first published work in Konkani, and any Indian language
  • The first known printed book in Konkani was written by an English Jesuit priest, Fr. Thomas Stephens in 1622, and entitled Dovtrina Cristam Em Lingoa Brahmana Canarim (Old Portuguese for: Christian Doctrine in the Canarese Brahman Language).
  • Konkani Mansagangotri — Prof. Olivinho Gomes
  • Vajralikhani — Shenoi Goembab
  • Konkani Bhashecho Itihas — Shenoi Goembab
  • Sollavea Xekddeantlem Konknni Mhabharot: Adi Porv — collection of 18 stories from the Mahabharat epic. It was written down in the 16th century by a Jesuit in the Roman script using diacritics. It is probably the oldest form of Konkani available today.

Miscellaneous facts

  • There is some disagreement about whether the name "Konkani" was always the accepted name for the language. The earliest reference to the Konkani language comes in a devotional poem by Sant Namdev(c.1270-c.1350 CE) where he has written a stanza in Konkani.
  • An international ad campaign by Nike for the 2007 Cricket World Cup featured a Konkani song Rav Patrao Rav as the background theme. It was based on the tune of an older song Bebdo, composed by Chris Perry and sung by Lorna. The new lyrics written by Agnello Dias (who worked in the ad agency that made the ad), recomposed by Ram Sampat and sung by Ella Castellino.
  • A Konkani cultural event Konkani Nirantari held in Mangalore on 26 and 27 January 2008; has entered the Guinness Book of World Records for holding a 40-hour-long non-stop musical singing marathon by beating the Brazilian musical troupe who had previously held the record of singing non-stop for 36 hours.[46]
  • A Konkani film Paltadacho Munis, or The Man Beyond the Bridge was selected in the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) among 300 films being played there.

See also

References

  1. ^ Devanagari has been promulgated as the official script.
  2. ^ Roman script is not mandated as official script by law. However an ordinance passed by the Government of Goa allows the use of Roman script for official communication.
  3. ^ The use of Kannada script is not mandated by any law or ordinance. However , in the state of Karnataka, Konkani can be taught using the Kannada script instead of the Devanagari scirpt.
  4. ^ "The Goa Daman and Diu Official Language Act" (PDF). Government of India. Retrieved 2010-03-05.
  5. ^ Kurzon, Dennis. Where East looks West: success in English in Goa and on the Konkan Coast. pp. 25–30.
  6. ^ a b Caroline Menezes (The National Institute for Japanese language, Tokyo, Japan). "The question of Konkani?" (PDF). Project D2, Typology of Information Structure". Retrieved 2008-02-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ "Abstract of Speakers' strengths of languages and mother tongues - 2001". Census of India. Retrieved 2008-02-10.
  8. ^ a b Ethnologue report for language code:gom
  9. ^ a b c d e f g Sardessai, Manoharray (2000). "The land ,the people and the language". A history of Konkani literature: from 1500 to 1992 (1st ed.). Sahitya Akademi. p. 317. ISBN 9788172016647.
  10. ^ Gomes, Olivinho (1999). Old Konkani language and literature: the Portuguese role. Konkani Sorospot Prakashan, 1999. p. 30.
  11. ^ a b Gomes, Olivinho (1999). Old Konkani language and literature: the Portuguese role. Konkani Sorospot Prakashan, 1999. pp. 28, 29.
  12. ^ a b Ayyappapanicker, K. Medieval Indian literature: an anthology, By . ,. Vol. Volume 3. Sahitya Akademi. p. 246. {{cite book}}: |volume= has extra text (help)
  13. ^ Wilford, Major F. (1812). "II". Asiatic researches or transactions of the society instituted in Bengal. Vol. Eleventh, . p. 93.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  14. ^ a b c d Ayyappapanicker, K. Medieval Indian literature: an anthology. Vol. Volume 3. Sahitya Akademi. p. 256. {{cite book}}: |volume= has extra text (help)
  15. ^ a b c Bhat, V. Nithyanantha. The Konkani language: historical and linguistic perspectives. Sukṛtīndra Oriental Research Institute. p. 5. Cite error: The named reference "bhat" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  16. ^ Bhat, V. Nithyanantha. The Konkani language: historical and linguistic perspectives. Sukṛtīndra Oriental Research Institute. p. 12.
  17. ^ a b c d Gerson Cunha, Joseph (1991). The Koṅkaṇî language and literature. Asian Educational Services,. pp. 17–20. ISBN 9788120605695.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  18. ^ Gomes, Olivinho (1987). Village Goa: a study of Goan social structure and change. S. Chand,. p. 49.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  19. ^ Gomes, Olivinho (1987). Village Goa: a study of Goan social structure and change. S. Chand,. p. 50.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  20. ^ Mitragotri, Vithal Raghavendra (1999). A socio-cultural history of Goa from the Bhojas to the Vijayanagara. Institute Menezes Braganza, 1999. p. 268.
  21. ^ a b Sardessai, Manoharray (2000). "The foreign influence". A history of Konkani literature: from 1500 to 1992 (1st ed.). Sahitya Akademi. pp. 21–30. ISBN 9788172016647.
  22. ^ a b c George, Cardona. The Indo-Aryan Languages. p. 840. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  23. ^ a b c d e f g h i Mother Tongue blues - Madhavi Sardesai
  24. ^ Konkani History
  25. ^ People of India - Siddis
  26. ^ D'Souza, Edwin. V.J.P. Saldanha. pp. 3–5.
  27. ^ Da Cruz, Antonio (1974). Goa: men and matters. s.n., 1974. p. 321.
  28. ^ a b c Sardessai, Manohar Rai (2000). "Missionary period". A history of Konkani literature: from 1500 to 1992. Sahitya Akademi. pp. 30–70.
  29. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Janardhan, Pandarinath Bhuvanendra (1991). A Higher Konkani grammar. Foreign Language Study / Indic Languages Konkani language About (in English and Konkani). P.B. Janardhan. pp. 540 pages.
  30. ^ Maffei, Angelus Francis Xavier. "A Konkani grammar" (in English and Konkani). Retrieved 22 April 2010.
  31. ^ Indian archives. Vol. Volume 34. National Archives of India. National Archives of India. p. 1985. {{cite book}}: |volume= has extra text (help)CS1 maint: others (link)
  32. ^ Ghantkar, Gajanana (1993). History of Goa through Gõykanadi script (in English, Konkani, Marathi, and Kannada). pp. Page x.
  33. ^ ISO 639 code sets
  34. ^ Ethnologue report for Konkani
  35. ^ a b Goanews - By Sandesh Prabhudesai
  36. ^ Goanews - By Sandesh Prabhudesai
  37. ^ a b c d Goanet Reader: Puzzle wrapped in an enigma, understanding Konkani in Goa
  38. ^ a b Language in India
  39. ^ Goa group wants Konkani in Roman script
  40. ^ The Hindu : Karnataka / Mangalore News : `Kannada script must be used to teach Konkani'
  41. ^ "Goa Konkani Akademi — promoting the development of Konkani language, literature and culture". Goa Konkani Akademi. Retrieved 2008-06-16.
  42. ^ "Thomas Stephens Konknni Kendr". Retrieved 2008-06-16.
  43. ^ "Konkani". Kalaangann,Mandd Sobhann (The Konkani Heritage Centre). Retrieved 2008-06-16.
  44. ^ http://www.hindu.com/2005/09/06/stories/2005090615340300.htm
  45. ^ http://www.daijiworld.com/news/news_disp.asp?n_id=55810
  46. ^ "Mangalore: Guinness Adjudicator Hopeful of Certifying Konkani Nirantari". Daijiworld Media Pvt Ltd Mangalore. Retrieved 2008-02-01.
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