Punjab Post Daily Online Newspaper & Print Media
Amritsar, Mar. 28 (Punjab Post Bureau)- The two day National Seminar on Language Shift & Endangered Languages: Issues, Effects, and Responses was concluded at Baba Budha College Bhawan of Guru Nanak Dev University. This seminar was organized by Department of English of the University, Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysore and Indian National Trust for Art & Cultural Heritage, Punjab Chapter.
The seminar was ended with a note of consensus that the process of language extinction must be reversed so that we the human beings can maintain linguistic diversity along with cultural diversity with language as its main carrier. After four technical sessions of research papers dealing with different aspects of individual languages and theoretical issues related to the causes and effects of language endangerment, the concluding mainstream argument of the seminar was that languages are as necessary as food and shelter for human beings; just as we have a variety of foods for different societies in spite of globalization of some varieties of foods, languages must be retained as carriers of cultures and the knowledge resources available in a language and a world view of the speakers of a language which is best expressed through a language although some languages have become globalised for some reasons. Although some languages just as some foods have pushed the other languages and foods in the background, no food and no language is tastier and better than the other. It is only the use of a language which makes it more powerful or less powerful; once in use for a purpose every language has the potential to evolve itself for that role and use.
Speaking In the valedictory session, Dr. H.S. Bhatti, Professor of Sociology Punjabi University Patiala said that it is actually the intellect of the people which is endangered and hence the language. In his valedictory address, Professor O.N. Koul, Former Director of Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysore said learning a new language is an asset but losing one’s own language in the process is a greater loss. So we should encourage multilingualism as a practice rather than monolingualism.
Earlier in the technical sessions Rahmat Shaikh and Jenny of Central University of Hyderabad, G.S. Bajwa & Manbir Singh Bhullar from Guru Nanak Dev University, Charanjit Singh of Lyalpur Khalsa Cllege Jallandhar, Robonder Powar of Punjabi University Patiala presented their papers. The papers of Rahmat Shaikh, G.S. Bajwa & Jenny were related to the study of Toto Language of a tribe in West Bengal, Pashoria dialect of Punjabi spoken by Hindu Pashoria community living in Inidan Punajb, and Aiton language of Tai community living in Assam respectively. These three papers were presented in the first session of the day. The researchers argued that these languages are in the serious stage of decay. Commenting upon the papers H.S. Bhatti of Punjabi University Patiala and Panchanan Mohanti of Central University of Hyderabad pointed out that the scholars must explain the issue in view of a distinction between language decay and language change. In the second session of the day scholars tried to explain the issue of language endangerment with reference to literary texts, popular songs and question of standardization. Robinder Powar explored the poetic observations on the slow danger to Punjabi language and culture in the poetry of Surjit Patar. She quoted several stanzas expressing the poets’ pain on the loss of linguistic and cultural identity in the face of urbanization and globalization. Charanjit Singh explained how popular songs in Punjabi depict a negative image of Punjabi community and Punjabi language. “Thus some sections of Punjabi people feel shy of associating with Punjabi language in public Which is an indirect threat to Punjabi Language” he argued, though it drew strong reactions from some scholars. H.S. Bhatti said that this was not a significant factor contributing to the language loss. Sharminder Kaur said that these songs are popular not because of their wording but because of the tunes. Manbir Singh Bhullar argued that standardization of a language is the major cause of disappearance of the varieties of the language called dialects. But some scholars pointed out that standardization was necessary for a certain kind of language use and standard variety of a language is learnt and used as an additional resource by speakers of all other dialects. Sukhwinder Singh strongly objected to the study of a language with reference to a literary text.
In his vote of thanks to Central Institute of Indian Languages and Indian National Trust for Art & Cultural Heritage, Guru Nanak Dev University, the scholars who presented papers and all others who participated in the seminar, Dr. Sukhdev Singh Professor of Applied Linguistics and Director Seminar said that the success of a seminar is in bringing together people with divergent views on the issue so that some new insights can be drawn for future practice. He thanked the scholars for discussing their views freely, frankly and honestly. “ The objective of the seminar was not to homogenize the argument in the monistic discourse but to bring together the divergent views with the aim of building bridges and trying to understand each other so that some holistic picture can evolve in the future”, said Sukhdev Singh. Dr. Yubee Gill, seminar Convener conducted the overall proceedings of the seminar.
