A Mangalorean's Blog

Konkani-English Dictionary

2005-07-08T12:42:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Mohan Prabhu and Ancy we now have a Konkani-English Dictionary - a pdf file available online!

Technorati Tags: Blog, Mangalorean, Mangalore, Konkani, Dictionary, Language.

Konkani Script: More details

2005-07-05T12:58:00.000-07:00

More details from Ancy -

Konkani sounds are not the same as the alphabets available in Kannada script or Devnagiri script. But because both these scripts are phonetic scripts most of the sounds can be easily represented.

Roman script is a linear script. There are both advantages and disadvantages in both phonetic and linear scripts.

Consider the basic alphabets in Konkani:

short ^ - ^rdo (ardo/ordo) --> half (sound a in ago)
long ^ - ^rth (arth/orth) --> meaning (sound ea in earth)
(Note that the letter ^ could be also printed as inverted V)

short a - azo --> grandfather (sound a in father)
long a - an --> father (sound a in harm)

short i - kiddi -->worms
long i - mitt --> salt

short u - uzo --> fire
long u - utt --> get up

short e - peto -- Dog
long e - mez --> count or pet --> trunk

rounded e - mez --> table

short o - gobor --> ash
long o - tor --> belfry or modd --> cloud

rounded o - tor --> row mango (ambyache~ tor)

Given above are the basic vowels.
There are equal number of nasal vowels.
According to the new method the nasel sound is represented with the letter ~
Thus placing ~ after above vowels these sounds can be represented.
Also note that these nasel vowels are the speicality of Konkani language and they are only available in Konkani.

Some examples of nasel vowels are:

^~dkar(darkness), a~dllo(blind), a~g (body), i~gllo (charcoal), u~dd (liver) etc

There are lots of diphthong in konkani:

^+i - p^yxe --> money (Note: here x is pronounced as sh in sheet)
short a+i - vaydo --> time limit
long a+i - vaytt --> bad
o+i - poylo --> first one
^+u - p^vli --> Arecnut leaf
a+u - savlli --> shadow

Diphthongs with nasel
^+~+u - s^~vsar --> world
o+~+u - bo~vddi --> roaming

There are lots of other diphthongs both with nasel and without nasel sound.

This is what Fr. Pratap Naik, Director of TSKK was saying in all "Teach Konkani" programmes in Mumbai:

Kannada script is fine for the people of Karntaka. But it can not be accpted as the script for the people residing outside Karnataka.

Thus the choice of script for Konkani are only two
1. Devnagiri script
2. Roman script

Devnagiri would have been the best option for our people to adopt. But some how our peope have not accepted it. Even after trying to impliment it for so many years nothing has changed. People in Mumbai continued in Kannada script and their children could not read Konkani at all.

Even Fr. Pratap had brought out number of Konkani learners to learn Devnagiri script. Thus he has now started to promote Roman script after eliminating errors in the current Roman script. Unless we do something constructively now the new generation will not have the habit of reading and writing in Konkani.

Technorati Tags: Blog, Mangalorean, Mangalore, Konkani, Language, Script.

KONKNNI ULËY KONKNNI XIKËY

2005-06-23T09:06:00.000-07:00

KONKNNI ULËY KONKNNI XIKËY - is the program currently being conducted by the Maharashtra Konkani Association. Translated it means "Speak Konkani, Teach Konkani".

Konkani people are dispersed throughout the world. In the past generations they have migrated and occupied most of the coastal belt of western India - from Ratnagiri to Kerala; some moved as far away as Kenya. In recent generations, they've moved even further - from Delhi to Dublin and from Australia to California.

Its very difficult for a scriptless language to survive. There has been a lot of discussion/controversy over the script used for Konkani. The reson for this is the use of various different scripts for the language - based on the regions where its spoken. Its written in Roman and Nagari scripts in Goa, Kannada script in Karnataka, Malayalam script in Kerala.

Most of the languages in India has about five to seven basic vowels excluding long vowels and diphthongs. But Konkani language has 16 basic vowels excluding equal number of long vowels and lots of diphthongs. Different types of nasal vowels are the speciality and greatness of Konkani language. Hence it is very diffecult to represent Konkani language as it is pronounced using any existing scripts in India.

The above program is trying to promote the use of Roman script - with a few modifications - for the Konkani language. Thomas Stephen Konkani Kendr, in Goa, has formulated a new Orthography for writing Konkani in Roman script by modifying the existing Roman script orthography used by Goan Catholics. This script is so simple that Konkani can be written by representing exact sounds using the normal computer keyboard keys. This script is the result of their research in of number of years.

"Kannada script can not be accepted as a universal script for Konkani as it is not popular outside Karnataka. Devnagiri script has the potential to unite all Konkani people at least at the national level. But it is sad that our people have not accepted it for Konkani even after trying for so many years. Now for the survival of Konkani the only option we have is Roman script that could be also used at the International level. People should come forward to make extensive use of this script for Konkani so that the language may be promoted to our next generation." said Rev. Dr. Pratap Naik S.J., director of Thomas Stephen Konkani Kendr Goa.

Technorati Tags: Blog, Mangalorean, Mangalore, Konkani, Language.

Common Locale Data Repository

2005-04-18T11:16:00.000-07:00

The Common Locale Data Repository project was createis to provide a general XML format for the exchange of locale information for use in application and system development, and to gather, store, and make available a common set of locale data generated in that format.

Its a project by the Unicode consortia.

I added a comment to a bug there regarding the Konkani language [see reply 7].

A few Additions regarding Konkani -

Currently Only India is listed as the region where Konkani
is spoken. Konkani is spoken in Kenya too.

Currently the script for Konkani is listed as Devanagari.
Its written in three different scripts (in India) - based
on the region - Devanagari, Kannada & Latin. Not sure of
the script used in Kenya.


<language type="kok" scripts="Deva Knda Latn" territories="IN KE">

Technorati Tags: Blog, Mangalorean, Mangalore, Konkani.

Mentioned in List

2005-04-03T07:21:00.000-07:00

Today I realized that this blog was mentioned in the Mangalorean Catholics group - it went in as a Special Notice from Salu Soz on Sep 9th, 2004.

Technorati Tags: Blog, Mangalorean, Mangalore.

Who is Salu Soz?

2004-10-20T09:26:00.000-07:00

Salu Soz, the moderator and founder of the MangaloreanCatholics group on yahoo groups, today revealed his full name. He is Ancy Salvadore D'Souza a Software Engineer and prolific Konkani writer from Mumbai.

The group is growing at an healthy rate, today it is 1125 strong!

Great work Salu Soz!

More Mangalorean Sites

2004-07-07T14:02:00.000-07:00

Here are some more Mangalorean sites -

1. Konkani Foundation based in Bombay.
2. Mangalorean Association of Canada (MAC).

Mangalore Links

2004-07-05T14:46:00.000-07:00

Another perspective on the group

2004-06-24T09:29:00.000-07:00

Norman R. Lobo brought up an interesting perspective on the group -

------------------------------->8-------------------------------
Salusoz started a yahoogroup "Manglorean-Catholics" and invited every one who considers himself to be a Mangloean-Catholic "in spirit" to join on his or her own free will.

Asking him to change the name of the group to include people who do not consider themselves Manglorean-Catholics "in spirit" is totally unaceptable. If you are invited to a party, you can either accept the invitation or polietly decline the invitation. You cannot tell your host who to invite or not invite to suit you. It is his yahoogroup and so it is up to him whom to include or exclude.
-------------------------------8<-------------------------------

This is different than the way other internet groups function - at least the technical ones. For instance, Len is the moderator for the XML-Dev group, but members of this group feel no pangs of guilt on telling what should be allowed in the group. Its seen more as a community property - not as an individual inviting people at his/her home, but as a club party.

Before you misinterpret me, I concur with what Norman has stated and feel full confidence in salusoz as the moderator of the group. Without a moderator, the group will not have a proper direction and may soon disintegrate.

Another example would be a more culture oriented group. I am a member of India-L and don't remember any instance in which people told the moderators - currently John and earlier Cathy/Ian - how to run the group.

Lets leave the direction of the group to salusoz, since he's the one who had the idea of starting the group, he began the group and through networking grew it to its current proportion - in less than a month - as of today there are 424 members. This is phenomenal!!

Ethnologue

2004-06-23T19:11:00.000-07:00

Merwyn echoed my thoughts in his mail to the mangaloreancatholics group. He surely isn't enjoing any of those "interesting" mails. aecolaco chimed in and asked about the Konkani language.

I sent the Ethnologue link in response to his mail. I mistyped the code for Mangalorean Konkani - it should be GOM not KNK. Hopefully nobody will notice. :)

Junk Mail

2004-06-22T10:58:00.000-07:00

There seem to be a lot of junk mail on the mangaloreancatholics list lately. No, not spam. Ppl are sending jokes and mails of that kind. You know what I mean.

Its just a start, I believe.

If it continues, it doesn't bode too well for the group. The normal discussions will get bogged down by these junk mails and ppl will move away from the group. Not everyone has the bandwidth. Out here I just delete it and say forgetaboutit, not so for ppl on dial-up.

Konkani Convention - (26th to 29th December 2004)

2004-06-21T12:45:00.000-07:00

Salu Soz posted a message on the Konkani Convention in December 2004. I have posted the entire message here -

----------------------------------------->8-----------------------------------------

First International Catholic Konkani Convention - (26th to 29th December 2004)

Background of the Konkani Catholics

The Konkani Christians of Canara had grown into prosperous
communities under the patronage of the Bednore Kings and Hyder Ali.
Soon after the treaty of Mangalore in 1784 however, Tipu Sultan
issued orders to all stations in Kerala to seize the Christians,
confiscate their estates and deport them to Seringapatnam. Barely
15,000 of these survived their exile, which lasted for 15 years until
1799, when Seringapatnam fell. At the behest of General Wellesley,
about 1000 of them were sent to Malabar, a few hundreds settled in
Coorg, while over 10,000 returned to Canara. It is the descendents of
these survivors that constitute the present lot of Konkani Catholics
in Canara, Malabar and Coorg.

The Catholic Sabha intends to remember the difficulties undergone by
our ancestors, and honour the sacrifices they have made. The
convention is one of the ways through which we can get together in
their honor, and understand how important it is to keep our Konkani
language alive.

Following in the footsteps of their resilient ancestors, Canara
Catholics have made special contributions in all walks of life. They
have also contributed greatly towards education. Today, the Catholics
from Mangalore scattered all over the globe, continue to make
significant contributions. We as a community are proud of their
achievements.

The first International Convention of the Canara Konkani Catholic
Community will be held from the 26th of December 2004 to the 29th of
December 2004, in Mangalore.

The Catholic Sabha, Mangalore diocese will be organizing this
convention under the patronage of the Bishop of Mangalore, Rt. Rev
Aloysius Paul Dâsouza with Maritto Sequeira as Convener, and Eric
Ozario as Co-Convener.

The convention has the following objectives:
- to celebrate unity
- to celebrate identity
- and to work towards a secure future for Catholics

Recognition for the Konkani language has finally come , with the
Government having included Konkani in the 8th schedule of the
Constitution of India and having awarded it the status of a National
language. This recognition and the resurgence of ethnic pride among
the Konkani speaking people to popularize the Konkani language,
heritage, literature, culture, has today led to this first ever
international convention of the Canara Konkani Catholic Community.
While through the years, our tradition and culture have only orally
been handed down to our children; this convention will be another way
to pass it on to the future generations.

It is estimated that there are more than seven lakh Konkani speaking
Catholics in the country and abroad. This is an effort to bring them
together and make them know the importance of preserving the Konkani
language, heritage, culture, faith & liturgical formulas of our
ancestors.

During the convention, core issues related to the Konkani language
and to Catholic communities would be highlighted and discussed. There
is the looming threat of the Konkani language gradually diminishing
due to the preference for speaking English in our homes and families.
To highlight this factor, the convention will also include
discussions on how to stop the 'destruction of Konkani language
because of the love for English'.

Further, a series of conferences will be held to discuss and analyze
the strengths and weaknesses of the community and to test its
adaptability to the changing global scenario. Feedback, which is
received from such discussions and conferences, will be used to frame
solutions and plans for improvement.

The event will also focus on awareness of the hardships experienced
by our Konkani ancestors and on the need to keep alive our traditions
of resilience by exploring diverse career options.

People of Konkani origin from across the Globe, especially from all
over Karnataka, are expected to actively involve themselves in this
first ever CKCS MANAGLORE Konkani Convention

Prominent personalities, as well as delegates and representatives
from around the Globe are expected to participate in this event. The
Convention will also serve as an opportunity to meet prominent
Catholics who we have this far, only heard about, and not been
fortunate enough to meet.

At the Convention, several well-known Mangalorean Catholic
personalities who live in various parts of the world will be honoured
for their achievements. They will be instrumental in leading other
Catholics in their regions, and will be responsible for forming
regional committees and increasing awareness about this convention.

This is a call to all Konkani Catholics to participate actively in
this great event. Come, let us show our unity, and celebrate our
unique identity. Let us use this convention as a platform to look
objectively at our community, and improve it so that we can be poised
for a secure future.

The Catholic Sabha, Mangalore, is a service organization of the
Catholic community of Mangalore Diocese, set up on April 29, 1979 and
inspired by Jesus Christ as the associationâs role model. The
organization, which started with 80 churches and 120 representatives
from all over diocese, has steadily grown over the years, as is
apparent from the need to hold an event of such a large scale, as
this Catholic Convention. The main aim of the Catholic Sabha is to
inculcate the ideals of service, love, sacrifice and forgiveness. It
was also aimed at developing leadership qualities among the people,
besides inspiring people to take up service in the cause of the
nation by bringing political awareness among people to obtain all our
rights and not to have any discrimination.

The Catholic Sabha has helped set up more than 100 self-help groups
in the diocese. It has set up the Manasa Rehabilitation and Training
Centre for the welfare of the handicapped and mentally challenged
children. It has also set up co-operative societies at Kundapur,
Udupi, Belthangady and Bantwal. The Self-Help Society, Rachana
organization, Navachethana, Dante Memorial Trust and âAmcho Sandeshâ
Konkani monthly, are all being run by the Catholic Sabha.

It is apparent that the Catholic Sabha is marching towards success.
Its members have initiated several programs to keep the Konkani
language, tradition, heritage, literature and culture alive. This
would have been impossible without the dedication and commitment of
its members.

Convention Organisers:

Chief Patron: The Most Rev Aloysius Paul D'Souza
Chief Convener: Maritto Sequeira
Co-Convener: Eric Ozario
General Secretary: Godwin Pinto
Spiritual Director: Rev Fr Walter D'Mello

Reception Committee: President : Blesius D'Souza
Finance Committee: President : Rev Fr Prashanth Madtha
Publicity Committee: President : L. J. Fernandes
Cultural Committee: President : Rev Fr Dennis D'sa
Conference Committee: President : Rev Fr John Fernandes
Exhibition Committee: President : Roy Fernandes
Souvenir Committee: President : Titus Noronha
Hospitality Committee: President : J.R Lobo
Procession & Volunteers Committee: President : Santhosh D'Costa
Accommodation Committee: President : Richard Monthero
Travel Committee: President : Marcel Monthero
Food Committee: President : Ivan Sequeira
Arrangements Committee: President : Luvi Pinto
Documentation Committee: President : Irene D'Mello
Liturgical Committee: President : Sister Gres D'sa
Public relations & Security Committee: President : Ivan D'Souza

Courtesy: DaijiWorld.com

Dev Borem Korum

Mangalorean Catholics

2004-06-21T12:40:00.000-07:00

I recently joined the Mangalorean Catholics group on yahoo groups. Will post any interesting tidbits from there.

Preamble

2004-06-21T12:27:00.000-07:00

Well, as the name of the blog suggests - I am a Mangalorean. So the rablings on this blog will be on that aspect of me.