The lingua franca called Nagamese is nothing, but primarily broken Assamese, and a wild mix of languages, imported from here and there to Nagaland. It is a well known fact that language is one of the most important identities of a people, anywhere in the world. Therefore it is clear that Nagas shall in no case accept pidgin Nagamese, as their official language, as this will dilute their identity, culture and social fabric.According to MHA sources as published on 23/12/2015 in Nagaland Post, the Modi government is keen to promote and accord recognition to Nagamese, as a language. It must be understood that under no circumstance, language can be imposed upon a community, unless people willingly accept it. The central government trying to encourage and promote Nagamese by awarding recognition in the Schedule VIII of the constitution of India will amount to arrogant imposition on the Nagas, which will do much more harm than good at this juncture, when Nagas are anticipating an honourable political settlement in the ongoing talks.
Languages recognised under Schedule VIII of the constitution of India are all more academic in nature and cannot be likened to the preparation of a mere project report done by the central government, as mentioned in the above referred news item. I wonder how linguistic and constitutional experts ‘are on the job to prepare the required procedure’ at New Delhi, without the knowledge of the Naga people at home, as the article referred to above says. I am sure no linguistic expert will ever agree to this immature proposal of the central government, if one works with integrity, remaining true to one’s profession. Nagamese absolutely has neither grammar nor literature.
Nagamese does not fulfil any academic criteria except one, i.e. numbers of speakers using it as a crude market language.
To develop Nagamese as a language will have endless requirements. It will take at least a generation or two to lay just the foundation of the language like any other since it has no grammar, literature, vocabulary nor origin; it has to be introduced first in the schools, thousands of teachers have to be appointed to teach the subject. These teachers will require university qualifications. Then we have some serious questions such as, which university would qualify and recognise the teachers’ qualifications? Who could be the experts or qualified persons from university to work for its development? What factors would determine the authenticity of the language? Can there be a conclusion without a beginning?
From the linguistic point of view, it has no merit to be considered as a language. Though in the past, it was widely used in the rural areas of Nagaland, the situation has now drastically changed. I am proud to state that Nagamese is diminishing fast, as recognised official common languages of Nagaland, English and Hindi have found its place among the young educated Nagas, who form the majority of the population, owing to its global importance and market value. Attempt to promote Nagamese, a language without roots in Nagaland is an exercise in futility, totally unacceptable and should not be allowed at any cost.
Kuolachalie Seyie
Hidden Forests, IG Stadium, Kohima
email id: kuolachalie@yahoo.com
