Oshikimthi, if you have not heard it before, means thank you in Sümi. It is a beautiful word. I would like to emphasise how gentle the sounds, ‘sh’ and ‘th’ are especially when used in this word. No one says Oshikimthi in a rough voice. It is spoken with sincerity and for the most, accompanied with a big smile, unless rendered grudgingly, as we sometimes do when we have been angry with someone, usually a member of the family.
But leaving all that aside, let’s talk about the magic that words can carry, embodying in themselves the power to ice-break a room and help the newcomer receive a spontaneous welcome. I recently heard it explained that the cause of the tragic end for those building the tower of Babel was that God threw a spanner in their communications system and disabled them from communicating with one another. He did this when he gave all of them different languages thus making them unable to comprehend what their neighbours were saying, as a result of which their great plan had to be abandoned. If language can divide, language can definitely unite as well. If you are travelling to a new place, try learning a nice word or phrase in their language and use it as your opening line. Your audience will either laugh or at leastbreak into broad smiles. Try getting the pronunciation as accurate as possible because tonal languages can be tricky. For instance, when the American missionary Dr Rivenburg was leaving the Kohima Mission, he reported in Tenyidie, ‘Arei krata, a kimia rei krata.’ He meant to say he wept and so did his wife, at the thought of leaving their Naga friends for the last time. However, he had stressed the vital word wrong and instead of the verb ‘kra’ conveying weep or cry, the wrongly emphasised tone could be interpreted as ‘white’ and the sentence was understood quite differently as, ‘I became white and my wife too became white.’ Not at all what the venerable doctor wanted to convey.
Many countries encourage new migrants to learn the language of their host country, because language carries culture. And learning a new language is one way of learning a new culture and adapting to it. After all, language is the key that unlocks doors to employment and higher education opportunities. Not to speak of the possibilities for a social life since English is not the lingua franca of many countries, and learning the language of the land gives access to new friendships. As an aside, it is interesting to remember that many languages have culturally untranslatable segments which are not a linguistic failing but rather, a lacunae caused by cultural differences.
Even if one cannot learn a new language in its entirety, it is a very positive thing to learn a few nice words in another language. An uncle of ours who could efficiently speak Nepali, Meitei and Assamese besides two tribal languages (he was born in Wokha but grew up in Kohima) led an active life as an interpreter and was warmly welcomed in all the communities that used these languages. Knowing another language is a door-opener. My mother spoke fluent Bangla, having studied in Shanti Niketan. Bengali watch makers would give her special service because she spoke to them in their mother tongue!
Learning the language of your neighbours can be an experiment in building social cohesion. It almost automatically happens that you let your guard down when the other person can speak your language. Trust is established in a natural way. I have no idea why it happens like this but it does. The other side of the coin is that not knowing the other person’s language can generate distrust and misunderstanding. Generally speaking, that is. Close the gaps. Make an effort to learn the basics of another language.
A funny thing happened this week. A visiting scholar from the US was emailing me on his journey to Nagaland via Assam. Moments after he arrived in Assam, he wrote me an email in Nagamese! And why not? I guess some people are more gifted than others at picking up new languages. Although if you ask me, the note seemed heavily dictated. Doesn’t really matter. The effort was genuine.
So there you go. Try and learn to say thank you in as many languages as you can. That is how it starts. Isn’t it beautiful that the first words in a new language that people want to learn are always the best of words? Thank you. Merci beaucoup. Danke. Shukriya. Asante. Kanga Pelar. Thagat Chari. Npezie. Gracias. Grazie. Arigato. Khublei. Gahmsahabnida. Oshikimthi, Oshikimthi.
