what should be india's national language?

[Poon]

Hey guys sorry I am replying posts at odd times. But that is due to the fact that I am not residing in India an in a different time zone. However I promise you I will be back. I am right now in Nz .
Mediator you take a stance that people are not trying to impose Hindi and that Southerners are equally ignorant as Northerners. I think Southerners ignorance is a reaction of Northerners trying to impose Hindi.
If that is case why is it that my passport and other official documents are written in Hindi and English, why can't it be Kannada and English for me and Tamil/ Gujarati etc. for other Indians with respect to the state they are from. Even if you sit in for the defence exam you have an option to write the paper either in Hindi or in English. What does this signify ,total domination It makes the Hindiwala think that Hindi is the language of India and English is not important.
It makes southerners think that they language is not adequate and that they are being dominated by the North. Even after INDEPENDENCE in their zeal to eradicate English money was pumped in to translate books into Hindi but no support was given to other languages. what does this signify? Do we want to portray to the world that ours is a monolingual country with English beside it, so as to communicate with the rest of the world.
Our pride is Unity in diversity if a Chinese/ German has a passport written in both Chinese and Engish so that outsiders can understand why can't we have it in our respective mother-tongues or state language?
I guess with regard to a national language Tamilians and all of us would be fools to suggest english for Hindi. It would be more appropriate to suggest Tamil after all it is the oldest language in the world with the longest literary tradition. Tamil is a pride of India and has the capacity for being the National language surely more so than English and in my opinion more so than Hindi, which is relatively new in comparison to Tamil and many other Indian Languages (just for argument sake).
Sanskrit I said earlier but then people associate it with religion.

All right I guess we are better off with out a National Language because no
single language can give us a national identity which is Unity in diversity.

But that does not mean we refrain from learning Hindi and it also does not mean the language will pertain to one specific region. Trade and commerce will take language beyond it's borders and we should learn it to communicate with the majority.
regards guys
__________
I agree with mediator on the difference between National and Official. Whoever supports English as National language ought to be shot or hung. It shows a lack of respect for your own mother-tongue and aping the west in everything and your ignorance for a country which has numerous languages far far richer than English in everyway. You know for a fact most of our leaders and politician whether they are corrupt or not corrupt they have risen to power not because of English but because of the knowledege of the local language and ability to communicate with the masses. Choosing English just shows your stupidity and ths fact that you look down upon the masses whom you think are unintelligible and dum because they don't know english.
Fifty years ago the quality of English was much better and higher than what is spoken today. This is because they took effort to learn it and were not influenced by the slangs and foul words. Now today there is more filth coming out of English than anything of quality. American English has becomed defined by the f**k and other abusive words etc.
"Why is it India which has the Best of everything opt. for the worst"
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When the Brown Sahibs of India the so- called affluent polished English class of India who are responsible for all the problems and measure people's intellectual ability and educational qualification based on the command of your English, we are reducing our own nation and own people to a level below its original stature of grandeur. English is just another language and today with the way our population is growing you will soon find Indians all over the world and perhaps in another 50 years the whole world will become brown and the white species will become endangered/extinct!!!
So I guess we will have the last laugh

 

[naveen_reloaded]

well i wont accept in language....
well most of us here dont know hindi...or some dont know tamil itself ..properly...then wht is the use of having a hindi as national language...

i think english should be the national language as it gives u a common most platform thru out the world...leave who created it....it is the most popular well spoke language thru out the world...

ENGLISH SHOULD BE ALL NATIONS NATIONAL LANGUAGE

 

[kl_ravi]

well i wont accept in language....
well most of us here dont know hindi...or some dont know tamil itself ..properly...then wht is the use of having a hindi as national language...

i think english should be the national language as it gives u a common most platform thru out the world...leave who created it....it is the most popular well spoke language thru out the world...

ENGLISH SHOULD BE ALL NATIONS NATIONAL LANGUAGE

A national language is a language (or language variant, i.e. dialect) which uniquely represents the national identity of a nation or country. A national language is used for political and legal discourse and so designated by a country's government. Some countries have more than one national language, such as Canada which uses both French and English. A national language is not to be confused with the predominant language, which is spoken by the majority of people from within a country's borders

Source:- *en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_language

In which way English uniquely represents the National Identity ?
As far as the National Language is concerned, the slot is closed... Where is it written that our national language needs to be changed from time to time based on the needs & sentiments of the people???

If you still want to argue your point you can go ahead & argue for Official Language of India or Official Language of your State. Here also, as far as official Language is concerned, I would like to furnish the Official Language Act & Official Language Rules,

Do you find any state or central dept/agency or a governing body flouting these rules ???

Pl Let me know...

 

[Poon]

It just shows that they are trying to impose Hindi and making some provisions to accomodate ENGLISH so as to appease the South. Why can't the same translations be done for the other Indian Languages? what is stopping that from happening? What is driving the North Indians so crazy to make hindi Official and impose it as national? What is this over-zealousness for?

My point is that India is equivalent to a continent like Europe. They have come together under the banner of Euro. We are already together but each state has to be recognised for its identity and some of our states bigger then many of the countries in the world.

You might argue that I am trying to divide the country by creating regional identity.

But the fact is that the threat to our regional identity and feeling of insecurity is what which is causing the problem. Once people are secure of their identity there should be no cause to fight.

I am not trying to romanticize the past by trying to revive local languages etc. We got to change with times but not by selling out to things which brings meaning and value to life. By making English you are selling out your identity. Well it matters to me if not to you

 

[mediator]

Tamil after all it is the oldest language in the world with the longest literary tradition.

I disagree! Who told u that? Tamil has the oldest literature amongst the Dravidian languages (Source : Wiki n other sites). U say Sanskrit is associated with Hinduism. So shud know how old Sanskirt is too then !! If ur a Hindu n can debte on languages and religion, then u shud also know the era of Ramayan, Mahabharata and Vedas were written earlier than them!! Science is yet not able to predict the exact dates. SOme say that earth rotation was faster at that time. So its possible that it may be even much older. So I can definitely say Tamil is not the oldest language but the oldest dravidian language.

@Poon : I understand how southerners feel, u don't have to say that again n again! And u dont have to make me repeat again n again. I told u if u want my clear view points then read the debate from the start. Everybody is now repeating n posting without caring to look what others have already said!

 

[Poon]

Mediator: I am not arguing with you about it. I know where you stand. I made it clear that I wrote Tamil just for argument sake to make the Tamlian see the light in not supporting English.

I never said Sanskrit is associated with Hinduism I was just responding to some earlier comments. I supported Sanskrit as National
__________
What I mean't is that it is the oldest living language. Any way check this out

THE WONDER THAT IS SANSKRIT: Sampad and Vijay; Published by Sri Aurobindo Society in association with Mapin Publishing, 31, Somnath Road, Usmanpura, Ahmedabad-380013. Price not specified.


SANSKRIT, THE oldest surviving member of the Indo-European family of language, has been, is, and will be a source of infinite wonder for scholars and laymen alike. Acknowledged by Sir William Jones as being "more perfect than Greek, more copious than Latin and more exquisitively refined than either", Sanskrit occupies the pride of place in our cultural life.

Its prestige, sway and authority among other languages of the world are quite unique and undeniable. It is the mother of almost all the North Indian languages.

Although the Dravidian family of languages, comprising Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam, is not a derivative of Sanskrit, still any impartial observer cannot deny the profound influence of Sanskrit on these languages. Even Tamil, which maintains a more independent stand than her sister languages, admits an inflow of Sanskrit words. Senavaraiyar, the Tamil grammarian, says that Sanskrit belongs to the entire country and not to any particular region.

Eminent scholars testifying to the glory of Sanskrit language and pointing out the way in which it has permeated our national life down the centuries have written several books, monographs and essays. The Vedas, Upanishads, epics, law texts, Puranas, literary works, works on medicine, astronomy, astrology, and mathematics are all written in Sanskrit.

While one is justified in glorifying one's mother tongue as the best medium for instruction at the initial level, none can deny the need to study Sanskrit for acquiring greater grounding in the mother tongue.

The authors have tried to identify the grounds on which Sanskrit language has become so great.

In 10 well-documented chapters, they have provided a panoramic view of the great language. They have examined Sanskrit language in terms of its purpose and content, the role of its grammar and phonetics, and the challenges it faces. They have also tried to answer the misplaced criticism of self-styled scholars that Sanskrit is a "dead" language.

It is worthwhile to quote in this context the great savant, Dr. V. Raghavan, who refers to this dead language slogan as a "cheap howl" and says: "It is unreasonable to call Sanskrit a dead language. It is so, only as much as archaic Hindi is, or Sangam Tamil is. Sanskrit is all pervasive in the whole literature and thought of the country, and forms their very basis and core. In Sanskrit lies the key to the culture of the entire East and Far East, and in its intense cultivation lies the means to the recovery of the old cultural hegemony of India." With its unbroken literary history for 4000 years, Sanskrit is still spoken fluently and understood widely by a large section of people in India and abroad.

Swami Vivekananda said that instead of blaming the so-called "high" in society for the condition of the "low", our educators would do well in raising the "low" by making them learn Sanskrit.

He observed: "Even the great Buddha made one false step when he stopped Sanskrit language from being studied by the masses. He wanted rapid and immediate results and translated and preached in the language of the day, Pali. That was great; it spread the ideas quickly and made them reach far and wide. But along with that Sanskrit ought to have spread. Knowledge came, but the prestige was not there; culture was not there. It is culture that withstands shocks, not a simple mass of knowledge." It is thus imperative that Sanskrit is the most effective means of preserving, consolidating and strengthening our cultural values.

The present book will go a long way in creating a sense of awareness in some, appreciation in others and a deep sense of wonder in many others about the great treasure we in India have inherited from our sages, viz., Sanskrit.

 

[mediator]

@Poon : Thats more like it! Neways for

I never said Sanskrit is associated with Hinduism

Then u shud say Sanskrit is associated with Hinduism! The whole base of Hinduism is residing on the top of Sanskrit! But association and affiliation are different terms!

So Sanskrit is not affiliated to Hinduism! It is not controlled by Hinduism, it is free for all! Nebody can use it and communicate using it!

 

[Tech.Masti]

Munnabhai's language
Hindi is our national language, and whats the problem that??

 

[gaurav_indian]

Every language such as Tamil,Telagu,Bengali,Hindi,Punjabi etc is our national language except English.

 

[outlaw]

guys

contrary to wide belief

HINDI IS NOT OUR NATIONAL LANGUAGE

its just the official language of india [ english as well ]


i read this in "THE HINDU" some months back
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more details

*www.ling.upenn.edu/~jason2/papers/natlang.htm


*www.thehindu.com/thehindu/mag/2005/01/16/stories/2005011600260300.htm

 

[Poon]

guys

contrary to wide belief

HINDI IS NOT OUR NATIONAL LANGUAGE

its just the official language of india [ english as well ]


i read this in "THE HINDU" some months back
__________
more details

*www.ling.upenn.edu/~jason2/papers/natlang.htm


*www.thehindu.com/thehindu/mag/2005/01/16/stories/2005011600260300.htm

Thats good to hear from your side. So convince all the North Indian's that it is not national and/ We got to remove it from official status. It can remain the official language of states where people speak Hndi.
We are not Hindians ....... we are Indians

 

[sabret00the]

Guess English shud be the official language

 

[outlaw]

only 60 % people speak hindi so its outrageous to make it our national language

i read in "the hindu" that cbse has been teaching students thats HINDI is our NATIONAL language for all these years but the constitution clearly states that "HINDI IS NOT THE NATIONAL LANGUAGE AND ITS JUST THE STATUS OF OFFICIAL LANGUAGE ALONG WITH ENGLISH"

so why did NCERT/CBSE teach us that hindi was our national language all these years

they were only ready to rectify the mistake when some south indian professor threatend to sue them if they dint

" I STRONGLY SUPPORT ENGLISH AS OUR NATIONAL LANGUAGE"

or if you dont agree lets have national languageS instead of a single national language

 

[Poon]

" I STRONGLY SUPPORT ENGLISH AS OUR NATIONAL LANGUAGE"

Who ever supports this ought to be shot. English is our adopted mother-tongue and should remain as the official language. It should be part of our edu and not a means to our edu. Less tha 5% of our pop. speak English (50 million people!). However it should not be a measure of our intellectual ability or edu. qualification.
National is something which symbolise our country and that cannot be English but neither Hindi

or if you dont agree lets have national languageS instead of a single national language[/quote]

That's more like it after all our symbol is "Unity in Diversity" and not "Hindi" We are multi-lingual and not mono-lingual

These stupid fools think that making a common language will unite the country. When the bloody processes of doing this actually creating more problems.
Uniformity does not cause unity. In a democracy can you pass laws in favour of a majority at the expense of minorities.
The message I want to make clear is that we are Proud to be Indians and we don't have to know it to be Indians.

We are not (H)indians but Indians. Pls. don't force it down our throats because we want accept it and will resist it even more.
__________
[
" I STRONGLY SUPPORT ENGLISH AS OUR NATIONAL LANGUAGE"

Don't Outlaw yourself from your own country. Any other language is more worthy than English in becoming our national language

 

[planetcall]

Lol i tried to post a long message with nice references. Lol some server error and it is lost
BullShit!
*imagehost.biz/ims/pictes/209034.gif

 

[outlaw]

@ poon


so u are saying national language is the identity of the country eh! so be it , english being a foreign language can never be our national language then
let it remain the official language,[u've got no problem with that i suppose]
and let all other indian languages be the national languages rather than hindi

lets face it : india is a multi lingual country so we never will have a true national language !!

but the problem is everybody thinks hindi is the national language and when i tell them it's NOT according to the constitution no one believes me
maybe we should start campaigning or something to make people aware of this fact
__________
BTW off topic why is your post count 0

 

[Poon]

@ poon


so u are saying national language is the identity of the country eh! so be it , english being a foreign language can never be our national language then
let it remain the official language,[u've got no problem with that i suppose]
and let all other indian languages be the national languages rather than hindi

lets face it : india is a multi lingual country so we never will have a true national language !!

but the problem is everybody thinks hindi is the national language and when i tell them it's NOT according to the constitution no one believes me
maybe we should start campaigning or something to make people aware of this fact
__________
BTW off topic why is your post count 0

Yeah I guess we got to do that and convince the Hindians about this. I have nothing against Hindi and I do understand it is important for us to know. I admit I am guilty of ignorance of not knowing but it is crazy to push it down our throats. Any Hindian denies that it is not being imposed ask him why is it that all our passports are written in English and Hindi why not our regional language and English? That is imposition..

Also if the whole of Europe can come together under the Banner of Euro without a common language why can't people understand that we are already together. Northerners (forgive me for stereo- typing) suffer from ignorance of not respecting other languages of India which are greater in antiquity and beauty than Hindi
English should be official as it's importance is world wide.
regards
Poon
P.s read some of my earlier post u will get an idea what I have tried to mean

 

[mediator]

If we add one popular language of east, one of west n one of south too in the passports etc along with English n Hindi, then I guess the complaints of southerners will be solved. What say??

 

[planetcall]

I believe all indians can associate themselves much closely with sanskrit than with hindi, So IMO Sanskrit should be chosen as the language of our nation. I know many would disagree as the revival of Hebrew (recommended: *en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebrew_language) cant be repeated the same way with sanskrit or many dont want to take part in it. Now, what could be the alternative then ? Well, in a democratic country of ours we have to choose the language which is most widely spoken in India. Yes, its none but Hindi. I am in bangalore and I see that hindi is widely spoken here and at many other places in South people speak hindi atleast in the communicable way atleast. I am fond of languages and am learning kannada very fast. It is always good to know/learn new languages. Whatever be the national language, people would continue to use their regional tongue but to connect the nation and weave into a common thread of unity in diversity we need to have a common dialect and that has to be one of the pool of languages we have. So lets accept unanimously our very own Hindi. Let it not be the battle of north vs south. Regional language should be and is being promoted at regional level in schools and through media.
Peace !
*www.clanforen.de/clanforen/images/smilies/smilies031205/bpeace.gif

 

[mediator]

^^I completely agree about Sanskrit. Not only will it lead to revival of purity, but also many people will be able to read the ancient texts in their raw and original form and many people will get enlightened about how rich India was.

Now many people may ask How Sanskrit will lead to purity n what it means by reading the ancient texts in original form. So I appeal to those people to google and get enlightened about Sanskrit and know how Sanskrit words lose their meaning when converted to English!! A simple e.g we denote our elders as "aap" n equals as "tum". But in English it has only one meaning i.e "you". So in English if u say "you", then a blind man may not be able to find out if the conversation involves people of different age or same age!! And Sanskrit has more than "aap" and "tum".