Achilla Imlong Erdican
In one-fourth of all nations, no single language is spoken by a majority of the inhabitants. It is estimated that over 10,000 languages are thought to have once existed. Unlike extinct animals, dead languages rarely left traces, as most lacked a written form. About 6,000 languages still exists; linguists fear that rate of loss is quickening.
Even though many languages disappeared, a few dominant linguistic groups have spawned numerous related tongues. For instance, a ‘Dialect’ is a variety of languages used by a specific group of persons, with its own rules of grammar or pronunciation. In Nagaland almost every village has its own dialect side by side with the officially accepted language of the tribe. Other linguistic systems that fail to attain the full status of languages are Pidgins (contact languages used by groups with different native languages to communicate) for example, Nagamese will be classified under this category. When Pidgins are adopted as native languages they are called Creoles. Languages can paint vivid historical pictures of migration and colonization. For instance, India, which has been part of several empires, currently has 14 official languages and a population of over 1.2 billion; only a fifth of its people speak Hindi.
Nagaland has 16 different tribes with several subtribes, speaking 16 distinct languages representing the 16 tribes. Each tribe has several villages with unique dialects of their own.
It would be very misleading to consider ‘14’ languages of Nagaland under the category of endangered languages as declared by UNESCO and acknowledged by the Central Institute of Indian languages (CIIL), Mysore (published in a local daily dated 17.01.2013). These languages are alive and active because of the following reasons:
1. All India Radio, Kohima, All India Radio, Mokokchung, etc. reach out daily to all the tribes in their own languages covering a variety of programmes.
2. Printed newspapers and newsletters:
Ao tribe has one of the oldest newspaper “Ao Milen“ (Ao torch), established 66 years ago. It is thrice–weekly newspaper in Ao language. Chang tribe has Phinjen, a monthly newspaper, Khongdenlecey, a quarterly newspaper, etc.; likewise, Angamis, Lothas, Sumis and the rest of the other Naga tribes of Nagaland have newspapers and newsletters in their own languages.
3. Books and Dictionaries:
Most, if not all tribes have books written in their officially recognized and accepted language. For example, Temeshi Lai (Holy Bible) is written in Jungli Ao. All the tribes have the Holy bible and hymn books written in their languages using the Roman script. Chang language Grammar of the Chang Naga tribe was written by J. H. Hutton, published in 1922; Changebu Lei: First Chang Naga Reader by Imlong Chang, OBE, was published in 1928, this was followed by eight more books on various subjects. Chang–English, English-Chang Dictionary, compiled and edited by Achilla Imlong Erdican, was published in 2003. It is now reprinted in 52 countries around the world. This dictionary is available in all the leading universities of the world, including Cambridge, Yale and Harvard Universities. Recently a research was done by Dr. Guillaume JACQUES of Universities Paris on a comparative study under the title “A shared suppletive pattern in the pronominal system of Chang Naga and Southern Qiang”.
Naga languages will exist as long as villages thrive. Villages are the backbone of the Naga culture and society. Villagers are the landowners in their own rights for many generations. Their offsprings will leave their villages in search of education and employment, but roots are deep enough not to forget their parental homes and languages. The Lingua Franca (a language that is adopted as a common language between speakers whose native languages are different) of the younger generation in Nagaland is English, Nagamese, and Hindi. However, when groups of youth of the same tribe get together, they automatically converse in their own tribal languages.
Hundreds of books are available in all the Naga languages which are written in Roman script. Nagas should be eternally grateful to the American Missionary, Rev. Dr. E. W. Clark and Mrs. Mary Clark for introducing the Roman script to the Nagas of Nagaland in 1890 by writing the first Ao Dictionary in Jungli Ao using the Roman script instead of the Assamese script. The complete dictionary was officially published in 1911. Recent publication includes A Grammar of Mongsen Ao by Alexander Robertson Coupe, published in 2007.
Naga Youth should take pride in our God given languages and dialects in order to preserve our unique culture for many generations to come. Loving one’s language means loving one’s own people.
