From: kQ@obJ4cI.com   
      
   PROUT Gems   
      
   The Language Issue   
   In New Europe - a Lingual Hodgepodge   
   The local language and local needs   
   Pseudoculture   
   Culture   
   Cultural Exploitation through Pseudo-Culture   
      
   ---   
      
   The Language Issue   
   By P.R. Sarkar   
      
   Every living being has its own inherent tendency to express and   
   symbolize. In the evolutionary process of creation, where higher species   
   have evolved, living beings try to express their feelings by gesture,   
   posture or by some sound. In a general sense, this acoustic expression   
   of ideas is called language. The chirping sound of a bird is its   
   language. Zoologists and ornithologists have established this fact. Even   
   monkeys have their own language, which consists of about 850 sounds. In   
   the case of human beings, who are the highest creations of this   
   cosmological order, acoustic expression has developed into a well-knit   
   and well-integrated linguistic system. Language is a powerful medium for   
   the expression of the inner thoughts of human beings - it is a vital   
   inner asset, which is inseparably linked with their fundamental   
   characteristics (pra'na'dharma).   
      
   Either from the psychophysical or theoretical viewpoint, all the people   
   of the world have the same language. This is because the essence of   
   language, that is idea, is one and the same for all languages. Phonetics   
   may differ amongst languages because of differences in geographical   
   environment, which causes differences in racial and ethnic factors and   
   results in variations in the biological structure of the vocal chord.   
   Thus when the idea to drink water appears in the mind, then human beings   
   may express this idea differently. Some say,"A'mi jal kha'ba" while   
   others say, "Mu jala pivu". Behind these different expressions is the   
   same idea.   
      
   About 300 languages have evolved in the world today through this   
   process. Culture is the same for all humanity though there are   
   differences in cultural expressions due to time, space and person. These   
   differences are not evidence of many different cultures as all languages   
   of the world are fundamentally one and the same.   That is human culture   
   consists of many expressions and human language is ideas expressed in   
   many forms  Consequently, all languages should carry equal importance   
   and equal respect. Keeping all these points in mind, we should look   
   deeply into the question of language problems.   
      
   According to Prout there are eight constituent factors of a full-fledged   
   language:   
   1. Case endings   
   2. Verb endings   
   3. Pronouns   
   4. Vocabulary   
   5. Pronunciation   
   6. Written or unwritten literature including folk literature   
   7. Psycho-acoustic notes and inferential acoustic notes   
   8. Syntax   
      
   If either pronunciation or literature or unwritten literature is   
   missing, then the language is called dialect or "part of a dialect". On   
   this earth there are many such dialects. For example, in Bhojpuri there   
   are three dialects, in Oriya there are two dialects and in Chatisgarhii   
   there are three dialects.   
      
   Now, let us observe if there is a close relationship between language   
   and progress and cultural development. I have already said that language   
   is the vehicle of inner thoughts and ideas. Naturally it is inseparably   
   linked with the fundamental characteristics (pra'na' dharma) of human   
   beings. The way people can express their thoughts and ideas in their own   
   mother tongue cannot be done in any other language. People feel uneasy   
   when they speak in a language other than their mother tongue. If they   
   constantly feel such uneasiness, their vital energy (pra'n'a shakta)   
   will be disturbed. Consequently their vital force will be weakened. In   
   such circumstance a sort of psychological crisis will occur in the   
   collective mental body as well as in the individual mind. This will   
   result in the emergence of inferiority complexes, which will cause   
   debility in the human mind. Those people whose language is suppressed   
   loose their moral courage, initiative and power to protest. Ultimately a   
   defeatist psychology develops in them, and as a group such people face   
   the prospect of total annihilation.   
      
   Thus, the suppression of language has a very dangerous effect on the   
   human mind. As a result of this unrelenting suppression, people will   
   never be able to raise their heads and they will die a premature and   
   unnatural death. The most important point in this regard is that such a   
   linguistically suppressed group of people will always remain   
   economically backward due to continuous psycho-economic exploitation. It   
   is a matter of great regret that this tragedy is going on all over the   
   world, including India.   
      
   The meaning of the word society is to move together. People should make   
   every effort to carry those who are lagging behind with them. This is   
   the spirit of society. Prout clearly advocates that in every progressive   
   and dynamic social system, all languages should enjoy equal rights,   
   equal opportunity and equal recognition. One should also remember that   
   this recognition should not remain confined to theory or to reading and   
   writing only. Languages should be utilized in day-to-day life and in all   
   related activities. In all spheres of life--offices, courts, railways,   
   airports, trade, commerce, and private concerns--the medium of   
   expression should be the mother tongue. However, in the educational   
   sphere there should be no bar in learning languages other than one's   
   mother tongue so as to expand the horizon and depth of one's knowledge.   
   It happens that in the practical field, where there is some special or   
   technical necessity, whether in public or private life, the compulsory   
   use of one's mother tongue may create confusion. In such circumstances   
   an appropriate common language may be used.   
      
   Concerning the spirit of society, it should be remembered that there is   
   no conflict in propagating and popularizing a particular language as a   
   national or international link language or lingua franca, providing all   
   other languages get equal scope for their development. Such an approach   
   depends upon the goodwill and benevolent attitudes of humanity. In   
   reality many countries of the world are multilingual, but they are   
   managing their affairs very smoothly, like Switzerland, for example. If   
   a man from Allahabad comes to Calcutta to live he may feel difficulty in   
   seeing or reading the signboards, name plates, advertisements, cash   
   memos, official papers, etc which are written in Bengali. He may think   
   that if he were in France for business purposes he would have   
   encountered the same sort of difficulties. Under such circumstances one   
   should develop an urge to learn the local language, as this is helpful   
   in developing love and respect for everything in that local area. If   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)