In Scene - 1, I argued against the notion of "Bastard Tongue" with as rational an argument as I could think of and in Scene - 2, I am gonna use the other end of the spectrum i.e. the Emotional argument. So, let's start with that question again.
"But you agree that English is a Bastard-Tongue, right?" !!!
Nope, I think Hindi is!
Yup, you read it right. If the ability to adopt and assimilate words from different languages is how you define a "Bastard-Tongue" then by all means Hindi is a Bastard Tongue. The most elegant flavor of Hindi is spoken in Pakistan ( Urdu ) and in Eastern U.P. ( a neighbouring state of Delhi, with the Taj Mahal). The sheer politeness in any general discourse is quite otherworldly, but then again the same with English, New Yorkers speak fast whereas the people down South don't like to talk in a rushed manner.
But the reason that those flavours of Hindi are considered polite is that the language has been deeply influenced by the Mughal Empire legacy and if one has the wisdom to learn some History, one realizes that Mughal Empire wouldn't have been possible if not for the Mongols ( Above China, Mongolia) and the sheer influence of Islamic etiquettes through Arabic and the prestige of Persia ( modern day Iran). The "classic" songs are written in a mixture of Urdu and modern Hindi, if not some obscure dialect.
Hindi, as a language didn't exist a thousand years before, only dialects did. But don't believe me about the language being an "impure" one, "Name me one famous contemporary author in Hindi?"
.
.
.
.
.
.
Yeah, right. None!!
Nope, you can't count the authors who won the Booker 'cos they wrote in English, brilliant works by the way like all Booker's.
If you judge a language by it's literature, trust me, literature in Hindi is awfully weak, 'cos there is absolutely no reason why the entire movie industry would be working on non-Hindi literary works ( which in itself is a relief from the usual drudgery! ). Instead the movie industry and the theatre would always be trying to stand up to the legacy of Good ol' literature.
Now think comparative literature as in French, Russian and German et cetera. I still see documentaries being made about The French revolution, lives of it's famous authors and their works echoing through the works of other authors.Russian classics are being made again and again, with ever more beautiful direction and amazingly( read - thankfully) free from "communist" adaptations with it's "ideologically correct" interpretations.
Oh, and my favourite ones, The Germans - I still see the echoes of Faust and many other important works - Grimm Brothers in stories , sometimes a pun sometimes a reference to the myriads of greats who used German language as their medium of creativity.
Yes, I do realize that the reason Chinese language is not included is that it is nigh impenetrable for a person who has been raised with the belief that "alphabets" are the language. So, for the sake of brevity, let's commit the folly of overlooking that wonderful library of books that Chinese language is, and continue on with the "Bastard Tongues".
Well, the language you consider to be a Bastard Tongue, is the language of power in India*. Don't believe me? Try switching to English when you have an argument with someone next time, perhaps you disagree with your teacher or someone else, notice how the dynamics change when you switch. The language you seem to be so proud of, has idioms ascribing superiority to English ( both people and language). If not for English, India would not be able to talk to each other - 700 languages in the Sub-Continent and 22 in the constitution, which one would you like to use?
I, for one, consider myself extremely lucky to be able to communicate in English and that I assimilated it rather than learning it. It's one monster of a language for learners but an amazing one for it has the DNA of so many other languages, you learn them along simultaneously. But tell me, are you interested in Urdu or Haryanvi, Maithili or Bihari? I am not, until I need those languages for my bare survival in the community.
Urdu is my personal favourite in terms of dialects - though I find the script to be beautiful I would only like reading it for Farsi ( as of now!).
The history of languages and, particularly, the reason why English is so prevalent is a mixture of Admiration and Horror. Admiration for the simple reason that as prodigious activity and in terms of its' usability - it surpasses every language in the world. Horror, because it is not independent from Human foolishness - Slavery, Racism, Superstition et cetera**. Of course, I don't blame anyone - I am utterly convinced that had any other people had such an Empire all of the bad-effects would have been there too. It's not "them", it's "all of us" - we are such utter idiots. But, we are talking about Bastard-Tongues, right?
But if India has one competitive advantage over any other country ( excluding Philippines perhaps), which is not Natively Anglophone, it's precisely what you call a Bastard-Tongue. English accomplished a miracle of communication, it enabled people to, at least "try to understand" peoples and cultures, who are so different from their own. Perhaps, this is what it must have felt like in our Eden, when we would have all been able to talk to each other.
English - A Bastard Tongue? Grow Up!
######################
So Padawan, if you liked this argument better then perhaps you still have a long way to go. My argument still had accurate facts and common observations but the essential core of the argument is still the same as the more Rational one in Scene - 1. Emotions, are good when put to use in a constructive way but one must master them so that one doesn't become irrational and allow people to push one's buttons.
I think, like masons we can either choose to look at the mundane wall we are building right now and bicker all we want, or think about the beautiful central piece and how glorious it would be when it is completed and people come from far and wide to witness the glory of something that we worked so hard upon, and still work with all the more enthusiasm and dedication. Live in Future man, the present will set itself right.
My answer about that question of English language is - Nope it's a language of the Kings and Bards and people all over the world whom I would love to know.
I am definitely learning how to put up arguments and how to adapt the talk as per the audience. I hope you enjoyed reading the twin aspects of the arguments.
Regarding a neutral language for the world, I am all for Esperanto.
Yes, I know it's not perfect. But since when have We been perfect? It's Good Enough.
You know, as I really grow as an individual and hopefully have become more mature, I realize that Reason is not what governs our lives. Life is not Mathematical in nature - sciences are and they are beautiful that way. I Love Sciences.
But Life, it's chaotic even irrational, and of all the worlds Mother God could have made, this is the one I would like to born in, perhaps even, again and again - Ewige Wiederkehr;P
* And many parts of the world - a colonial legacy. But not only limited to English, for example - In Austro-Hungarian Empire, Hungarian bilingual adults would instinctively switch to German to inspire a sense of Superiority. A fascinating field of Socio-Linguistics and a natural consequence of Human Nature, man - plain and simple.
** I recommend that you read Niall Ferguson's books on the English Empire.
"But you agree that English is a Bastard-Tongue, right?" !!!
Nope, I think Hindi is!
Yup, you read it right. If the ability to adopt and assimilate words from different languages is how you define a "Bastard-Tongue" then by all means Hindi is a Bastard Tongue. The most elegant flavor of Hindi is spoken in Pakistan ( Urdu ) and in Eastern U.P. ( a neighbouring state of Delhi, with the Taj Mahal). The sheer politeness in any general discourse is quite otherworldly, but then again the same with English, New Yorkers speak fast whereas the people down South don't like to talk in a rushed manner.
But the reason that those flavours of Hindi are considered polite is that the language has been deeply influenced by the Mughal Empire legacy and if one has the wisdom to learn some History, one realizes that Mughal Empire wouldn't have been possible if not for the Mongols ( Above China, Mongolia) and the sheer influence of Islamic etiquettes through Arabic and the prestige of Persia ( modern day Iran). The "classic" songs are written in a mixture of Urdu and modern Hindi, if not some obscure dialect.
Hindi, as a language didn't exist a thousand years before, only dialects did. But don't believe me about the language being an "impure" one, "Name me one famous contemporary author in Hindi?"
.
.
.
.
.
.
Yeah, right. None!!
Nope, you can't count the authors who won the Booker 'cos they wrote in English, brilliant works by the way like all Booker's.
If you judge a language by it's literature, trust me, literature in Hindi is awfully weak, 'cos there is absolutely no reason why the entire movie industry would be working on non-Hindi literary works ( which in itself is a relief from the usual drudgery! ). Instead the movie industry and the theatre would always be trying to stand up to the legacy of Good ol' literature.
Now think comparative literature as in French, Russian and German et cetera. I still see documentaries being made about The French revolution, lives of it's famous authors and their works echoing through the works of other authors.Russian classics are being made again and again, with ever more beautiful direction and amazingly( read - thankfully) free from "communist" adaptations with it's "ideologically correct" interpretations.
Oh, and my favourite ones, The Germans - I still see the echoes of Faust and many other important works - Grimm Brothers in stories , sometimes a pun sometimes a reference to the myriads of greats who used German language as their medium of creativity.
Yes, I do realize that the reason Chinese language is not included is that it is nigh impenetrable for a person who has been raised with the belief that "alphabets" are the language. So, for the sake of brevity, let's commit the folly of overlooking that wonderful library of books that Chinese language is, and continue on with the "Bastard Tongues".
Well, the language you consider to be a Bastard Tongue, is the language of power in India*. Don't believe me? Try switching to English when you have an argument with someone next time, perhaps you disagree with your teacher or someone else, notice how the dynamics change when you switch. The language you seem to be so proud of, has idioms ascribing superiority to English ( both people and language). If not for English, India would not be able to talk to each other - 700 languages in the Sub-Continent and 22 in the constitution, which one would you like to use?
I, for one, consider myself extremely lucky to be able to communicate in English and that I assimilated it rather than learning it. It's one monster of a language for learners but an amazing one for it has the DNA of so many other languages, you learn them along simultaneously. But tell me, are you interested in Urdu or Haryanvi, Maithili or Bihari? I am not, until I need those languages for my bare survival in the community.
Urdu is my personal favourite in terms of dialects - though I find the script to be beautiful I would only like reading it for Farsi ( as of now!).
The history of languages and, particularly, the reason why English is so prevalent is a mixture of Admiration and Horror. Admiration for the simple reason that as prodigious activity and in terms of its' usability - it surpasses every language in the world. Horror, because it is not independent from Human foolishness - Slavery, Racism, Superstition et cetera**. Of course, I don't blame anyone - I am utterly convinced that had any other people had such an Empire all of the bad-effects would have been there too. It's not "them", it's "all of us" - we are such utter idiots. But, we are talking about Bastard-Tongues, right?
But if India has one competitive advantage over any other country ( excluding Philippines perhaps), which is not Natively Anglophone, it's precisely what you call a Bastard-Tongue. English accomplished a miracle of communication, it enabled people to, at least "try to understand" peoples and cultures, who are so different from their own. Perhaps, this is what it must have felt like in our Eden, when we would have all been able to talk to each other.
English - A Bastard Tongue? Grow Up!
######################
So Padawan, if you liked this argument better then perhaps you still have a long way to go. My argument still had accurate facts and common observations but the essential core of the argument is still the same as the more Rational one in Scene - 1. Emotions, are good when put to use in a constructive way but one must master them so that one doesn't become irrational and allow people to push one's buttons.
I think, like masons we can either choose to look at the mundane wall we are building right now and bicker all we want, or think about the beautiful central piece and how glorious it would be when it is completed and people come from far and wide to witness the glory of something that we worked so hard upon, and still work with all the more enthusiasm and dedication. Live in Future man, the present will set itself right.
My answer about that question of English language is - Nope it's a language of the Kings and Bards and people all over the world whom I would love to know.
I am definitely learning how to put up arguments and how to adapt the talk as per the audience. I hope you enjoyed reading the twin aspects of the arguments.
Regarding a neutral language for the world, I am all for Esperanto.
Yes, I know it's not perfect. But since when have We been perfect? It's Good Enough.
You know, as I really grow as an individual and hopefully have become more mature, I realize that Reason is not what governs our lives. Life is not Mathematical in nature - sciences are and they are beautiful that way. I Love Sciences.
But Life, it's chaotic even irrational, and of all the worlds Mother God could have made, this is the one I would like to born in, perhaps even, again and again - Ewige Wiederkehr;P
* And many parts of the world - a colonial legacy. But not only limited to English, for example - In Austro-Hungarian Empire, Hungarian bilingual adults would instinctively switch to German to inspire a sense of Superiority. A fascinating field of Socio-Linguistics and a natural consequence of Human Nature, man - plain and simple.
** I recommend that you read Niall Ferguson's books on the English Empire.
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