Read the given scenario very carefully and try and attempt to answer the questions genuinely.
-Establish a link between the scenario shared above about language situation in Mumbai and issues of empowerment, or social status related to speaking in English?
-What do others say about the way you speak?
-Who has influenced the way you speak?
-What were the motives behind this influence, wanting to speak in a particular way?
-Have you ever felt out of place in your own country, speaking? where and when?
-Is the way you speak commented on? where? school? work? social setting?
-What is your opinion about Language and self identity?
- In Mumbai it's just not 4 or 5 languages are in run but many more which may not even counted by anyone I believe and even if they did I dont know how accurate that can be.
ReplyDeleteIn Marathi only there are more than 5 types of dialects.
Even though Mumbai is capital of Maharashtra and financial capital of India speaking in Marathi or Hindi is counted as vernacular or low status.
People around here are obsessed with English, If you speak English you ah e standard you are empowered if not they give a weird look.
Sometimes it even happens that even the person is very good at his or her english people comment on your accent.
Specially people in south Mumbai they will talk like they live in US and expect others to speak english like it only.
It's just not about Marathi or Hindi. Other people with different languages also they try to speak english more compare to their native language or the language of place they live in or their national language.
I believe one need to always respect their mother tongue and speak in the same with people having same language.
National language is the other language everyone need to acquire and other one is the language from the place where you live it makes life alot easier and friendly around you.
- I never heard any harsh comment but once I remember when I said 11 a friend of mine corrected by pronunciation.
I wasnt good enough in english back then. Being from Marathi medium it became challenge for me to converse in english.
Eventually I catch up the train and now when I say that I did my schooling in Marathi medium some people say one cannot make out from your english.
And about other languages I am very good at Marathi and Hindi so no comment on that.
- Marathi is the language I born and grew up with, so everyone around me parents, neighbors , friends from school they have influence on that.
Hindi automatically came dont even remember when started speaking that.
English yes it is influenced I build my vocabulary with English movies and books mostly movies.
and even sometimes pronunciation of particular words which struck my mind at the time of watching stays with me.
- There wasnt any particular motive behind way I speak but I started watching english movies to make my english better.
- Not as such.
- Nope
- Your Identity is not with the way you speak but what you speak.
Sometimes it's cool to speak in a accent but it is of no use when majority of people cant understand you.
I try to learn different languages in order to converse with different people in my life.
Your Identity is not with the way you speak but what you speak.
DeleteGood one .....
-Establish a link between the scenario shared above about language situation in Mumbai and issues of empowerment, or social status related to speaking in English?
ReplyDeleteMumbai is cosmopolitan city in India, one will find unity in diversity here. There are many languages spoken in Mumbai. It is not just Marathi or Hindi or English spoken here. One will find people speaking in Gujarati, Tamil, Telgu, Kanada, Bohpuri etc. Majority of people may not be able to speak in regional languages but will definitely understand few words / sentences of the languages.
However, there are few who may think speaking in English means person have higher social status and the one who can’t speak fluently had low status, even though that person can speak many other languages. Even if the person is highly qualified but can’t speak fluent English finds very difficult to get success in life.
This is may be the main of shutting down of vernacular medium schools today because every parent wants their child to learn English and lead a successful life. It is not wrong to think this, but one should also respect the mother tongue and other regional languages.
-What do others say about the way you speak?
I have never got any negative comment on my language skills weather it is English or my mother tongue Marathi. People have appreciated my language skills.
-Who has influenced the way you speak?
The family and the community around (friends, teachers, neighbours, relatives) have influence the way I speak. Marathi being my mother tongue, it is integral part of my communication. Schooling help me to learn and speak English. Hindi being the National language, I learnt from the community around. Other regional languages I learnt from my friends. Hence all the people around me has influence my language skills.
-What were the motives behind this influence, wanting to speak in a particular way?
Human being is a social animal. He/she needs acceptance from the society always. He/she never want to be left alone. Hence to be a part of the community group and not being left alone is my main reason to speak in a particular way. My mother tongue is Marathi and being born and brought up in Mumbai, getting along with Marathi speaking group in society was never an issue. But connecting with other language speaking people / friends was little difficult. So the best way to connect with them was to learn their languages and communicate with them.
-Have you ever felt out of place in your own country, speaking? where and when?
Never
-Is the way you speak commented on? where? school? work? social setting?
No
-What is your opinion about Language and self identity?
Self-identity is how you portray yourself in front of society and language is means to communicate with society to convey your ideas and emotions. Language and Self-identity goes hand-in-hand because what you communicate and how you communicate shows your ideas and emotions you have for others.
ReplyDeleteGood one About language and identity
Other members in the group do participate in the discussion
ReplyDelete* In Mumbai there are various language mostly in Mumbai people use Marathi, English, Hindi. In Mumbai if we try for a government job the first preference given to the Maharashtrian people who can speak Marathi or in some job places it is compulsory you must know fluent English if not then people that neglected you due to language barrier. We must respect other mother tongue there should not be any discrimination between various languages.
ReplyDelete* I always speak Hindi with my family friends relatives only in school college we use English when I try to speak Bhojpuri language with relatives they appreciate us because Bhojpuri is our native place language.
*Family, friends, teacher's, good relatives all of them always influenced the way we speak.
*no one has commented the way i speak.
*The way I speak with others is my identity. To communicate with others we must know different languages. So we must always learnt other people language also,not only hindi, English, Marathi there are various language around us.
Although Marathi is the Official Language of Mumbai, 2 other major languages spoken are Hindi and English which you will hear when at day to day travel, public communication, markets, shopping malls etc. Being one of the very few cosmopolitan city in India where people travel in from various other states due to employment and tourism, Many other regional languages can be heard in Mumbai when similar community people meet and starts talking in their mother tongue.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was small I was very much comfortable in speaking in Hindi All others used to tell me to speak in English
ReplyDeleteI speak in my language i.e . Gadwali
I have learnt this language from my parents and I feel so comfortable in speaking this language with my family and relatives
My parents
Language is directly related to onces personal identity I feel , people feel so comfortable speaking their own language
Being a Mumbaikar from the year 1982,when my father came to Bombay now called Mumbai was a challenge with new ray of hopes coming in. I was born and brought in Mumbai so naturally my accent of speaking was basically Mumbai types not a pure Hindi version it was a mixture of 3 language Hindi, Marathi, English and one more added Malayalam thanks to my South Indian neighbors.
ReplyDeleteAs said, surrounding and people have great impact on the lifestyle of the people, so was on me too.
No one till now has commented on my way of speaking except my grandparents because they speak in native language which I hardly know how to speak even if I try to speak it becomes blunder and chaotic situation for me.
My surrounding and people around me has influenced alot on my way of speaking.
Motives as such can't be said it's a natural phenomenon which automatically gets carried away by the time and tide.
No
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Language and self identity are 2 different concept I can say language is the what you speak so that the person to whom you are conversing can understand you wheareas self identify is something which rely to your own self and which reflect that is 'You'.