ViewpointChanges in
writing style
Alternate view from a fellow Lilliput:
Ravi Madanayaka
It is really not that I would not, or never agree with last week’s
Random Muse. It is the fact that in the current world context, (where
English centred globalisation is fast taking place) doing ad-hoc changes
to a language (any language other than the main ‘world language’) would
do more harm than good to that language, and would also Greatly reduce
(if not eliminate) that language from the world.
If that happens, the human race as a whole would be a loser (there
are issues regarding not only extinction of Animals and Plants, but
cultures, peoples and languages as well). I do not believe that we
should even try to compete with English as far as ‘Competitive’ pricing
is concerned.
The English Language has the (unfair) advantage of the fact that
powerful British Imperial Armed forces, and the so called (East India
and other) huge trading companies with their own private Armies which
helped spread the Empire as well as its dominant language.
The Americans also chose English as their main language because it
was their native tongue. The Anglo American powers who defeated Germany
and Japan in world wars, and Russia in the ‘cold war’ are now the most
powerful entity (Canada, Australia and New Zealand could also be
included in this category).
Technology also favoured English. The British still dominates us with
their ‘Commonwealth’, Aid, etc.
Since English is now recognized by Non-English speakers as a default
world language, it has become a giant, and our language as well as
thousands of other native languages have become ‘Lilliputs’.
It is our Moral duty to protect the Uniqueness of our language (even
though it may impede our own progress a little bit). ‘Random’ has
mentioned certain writers (I do not wish to re-remind their names as
this point).
These writers (experts) remind me of certain professionals who
achieved highest honours in certain fields, and (maybe due to their own
egos, or the urging of their families, or in a misguided ability that
they can ‘fix’ everything quickly) went into politics and thus messed up
not only their own honour, but tarnished the name of their profession or
country as well.
The writers, whom ‘Random’ quotes, play with the syntax and drop
Mahapranas and may really be good people who are unknowingly causing a
lot of harm.
They know very good Sinhala and English, but what I understand is
that they themselves do not know professional (or academic) ethics.
My suggestion of having a separate ‘classical’ and ‘pop’ language may
be a way out for us Lilliputians. I think we should definitely preserve
the uniqueness of the language while allowing flexibility for others.
This ‘Classical’ and ‘Pop’ duality is there in music, films and other
art forms - why not have it in language as well? |
