Konkani language

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Konkani कोंकणी, Konknni, ಕೊಂಕಣಿ, കൊങ്കണി, koṃkaṇī
Pronunciation:	kõkɵɳi (standard), kõkɳi (popular)
Spoken in:	India
Region:	Konkan
Total speakers:	7.6 million
Ranking:	123
Language family:	Indo-European  Indo-Iranian   Indo-Aryan    Southern Zone     Konkani      Konkani
Writing system:	Devanagari (official), Roman, Kannada, Malayalam and Arabic
Official status
Official language in:	Goa, India
Regulated by:	no official regulation
Language codes
ISO 639-1:	none
ISO 639-2:	kok
ISO 639-3:	kok
This page contains Indic text. Without rendering support you may see irregular vowel positioning and a lack of conjuncts. More...

Konkani (Devanāgarī: कोंकणी; Roman: Konknni; Kannada: ಕೊಂಕಣಿ; Malayalam: കൊങ്കണി; IAST: koṃkaṇī) is an Indo-Aryan language belonging to the Indo-European family of languages spoken in the Konkan coast of India. It has approximately 7.6 million speakers of its two individual languages: Konkani and Goan Konkani.

Konkani is the official language in the state of Goa and is also one of the Official languages of India.

Konkani does not have a unique script. Scripts of the other regional languages where its speakers inhabit are used. Devanagiri has been mandated as the official script.

Contents 1 Phonology 1.1 Vowels 1.2 Consonants 2 Grammar 3 Word Formation 4 Geographical distribution 5 History 5.1 Origins 5.2 Early years 5.3 Other communities 5.4 Migration and fragmentation 5.5 Konkani in Portuguese era 5.6 Konkani revival 5.7 Post-independence period 5.8 Recognition as an independent language 5.9 Official language status 6 Scripts 7 Dialects 7.1 N. G. Kalekar's classification 7.2 Ethnologue (ISO) classification 8 Related languages/dialects 9 Problems/Issues 9.1 Multilingualism 9.2 Konkani - Marathi dispute 9.3 Script and dialect issues 10 Organizations and institutions 11 Notable works in Konkani 12 Miscellaneous facts 13 See also 14 References 15 External links

[edit] Phonology

The Konkani language has 16 basic vowels (excluding equal number of long vowels), 36 consonants, 5 semi-vowels, 3 sibilants, 1 aspirate and lots of diphthongs. Like the other Indo-Aryan languages, it has both long and short vowels and syllables with long vowels may appear to be stressed. Different types of nasal vowels is a special feature of the Konkani language^{[citation needed]}.

[edit] Vowels

One of the most distinguishing features of Konkani phonology is the use of ɵ, the Close-mid central vowel, instead of the schwa as used in Hindi and Marathi.

Whereas most Indian languages use only one of the three front vowels, represented by the Devanagari grapheme ए(IPA:e), Konkani uses three: e, ɛ and æ.

The Near-open front unrounded vowel (æ), as used in Konkani is different from its standard IPA definition. It is positioned between ɛ and æ and slightly longer than æ. The standard pronunciation of æ is only used for loan-words.

[edit] Consonants

Consonants

	Labial	Dental	Alveolar	Retroflex	Alveopalatal	Velar	Glottal
Voiceless stops	p pʰ	t̪ t̪ʰ		ʈ ʈʰ	cɕ cɕʰ	k kʰ
Voiced stops	b bʰ	d̪ d̪ʰ		ɖ ɖʰ	ɟʝ ɟʝʰ	ɡ ɡʰ
Voiceless fricatives			s		ɕ		h
Nasals	m mʰ	n̪ n̪ʰ		ɳ ɳʰ	ɲ	ŋ
Liquids	ʋ ʋʰ		l ɾ lʰ ɾʰ	ɭ ɽ	j

The Consonants in Konkani are similar to Marathi.

[edit] Grammar

Konkani is a language rich in morphology and syntax. It cannot be described as a stress language nor as a tone language. ^[1]

[edit] Word Formation

Most of the words in Konkani have evolved from Sanskrit to be precise from Sauraseni and Maharashtri{^{[citation needed]}. It also includes a significant number of loan words derived from Dravidian languages ^[2]. It has loan words from other languages, such as Marathi, Kannada, Urdu and Portuguese.

Evolution of Konkani words from Sanskrit and Prakrit

Sanskrit	Prakrit	Konkani	English
Aham	Ahaau	Hanv	I
Kutrah	Kahim	Khay	Where
Tatrah	Tahim	Thay	There
Sugrishmakah	Suggimaho	Shigmo	Onset of Summer
Grishmah	Ggimaho	Gim	Summer
Manushyah	Manisu	Manis	Men
Shunah	Sunnaho	Suno	Dog
Ghotakah	Ghoddao	Ghodo	Horse
Devakulah	Deaaula	Devul	Temple
Gramah	Gaamma	Gav	Village
Pravrushah	Paaussa	Pavas	Rain
Pugiphalaah	Pupphalao	Pophala	Bettlenuts
Aaam	Aaai	Hay	yes
Amrah	Aammao	Aamo	Mango
Yuddhah	Jujjha	Jhuj	War
Hastah	Hatth	Hat	Hand

Konkani verbs and their roots

• All the verbs and their evolution strictly follow the rules of Apabrhamsh (corruption of language ) and Prakrit (ie Sauraseni and Maharashtri )^{[citation needed]}

Sanskrit Verb root /Dhatu	Konkani Verb /Kriyapad	Literal Meaning in English
khad / खाद्	khavap /खावप	to eat
pib / पिब्	pivap/ पिवप	to drink
bhaksh / भक्ष	bhakhap,bhakap,bhakkap / भखप भकप	to eat
ach / अच्	vachap / वचप	to go
uch / उच्	ulovap ( apabrahmsha or prakrit influence ) / उलोवप	to speak
tishth / तिष्ठ	tishthap / तिष्ठप	to wait /stand
chal / चल	chalap / चलप	to walk
dhav / धाव्	dhavap / धावप	to run
randh / रांध	randhap / रांधप	to cook
math / मथ	mathap / मथप	to churn
pat / पत्	padap / पड़प	to fall

Metaphors

Konkani language is very euphimistic and if full of metaphors^{[citation needed]}.

Konkani word	Euphimism/Metaphor	Literal Meaning
Ashru	Dukkh ( Dukkh - sorrow )	Tears
Mhataro	Janato ( Janato - one who knows more )	Old person
Shakahari	Shivrak ( comes from the Sanskrit word "shravaka" meaning Jain )	Vegetarian ( Shravaks or Jains are vegeterian , and Konkani people are not )

[edit] Geographical distribution

The Konkani language is spoken widely in the Western Coastal region of India known as Konkan. This consists of the Konkan division of Maharashtra, Goa, South Canara, North Canara and some pockets in Kerala. Each region has a different dialect, pronunciation style, vocabulary, tone and sometimes, significant differences in grammar. Konkani language is also spoken in minorities in other parts of Karnataka. A very few Konkani speakers are also found in North India.

The Census Department of India, 1991 figures put the number of Konkani speakers in India as 1,760,607 making up 0.21% of India's population. Out of these, 602,606 were in Goa, 706,397 in Karnataka, 312,618 in Maharashtra and 64,008 in Kerala.^[1] It ranks 15th in the list of Scheduled Languages as per strength. According to the 2001 estimates of the The Census Department of India, there are 2,489,015 Konkani speakers in India.^[3] A very large number of Konkanis stay outside India, either as expatriates or citizens of other countries (NRIs). Determining their numbers is difficult.

Ethnologue puts the number of Konkani speakers at 7.6 million (estimated).^[4][5]

[edit] History

[edit] Origins

The Konkan region is the narrow strip of land between the Sahyadri Mountain range and the Arabian Sea on the western coast of India. The Konkani language developed in the region, primarily in Gomantak (now Goa).

There are two theories regarding the origins of Konkani:

The precursors to the Konkani are the Brahmins who resided along the banks of the river Saraswati ie Saraswati Mandal which flowed in Northwestern India about 5000 years ago. As a consequence of seismic activity in the Himalayas, the river ran underground around 1900 B.C.E. forcing a migration of the inhabitants. After a long journey, a group of these people settled in the Gomantak region. They brought their own dialect of Shauraseni Prakrit, which over time evolved into modern Konkani. ^[6]

Another theory is that Konkani is a Sanskritised version of a language spoken by the Kokna tribe. The Kokna tribals (also referred to as Kokni or Kukni or Kukna) are now found in North Maharashtra and South Gujarat, but may have been the primary settlers in the Konkan region. The migrating Aryans who came to the Konkan picked up the language and added various Prakrit/Sanskrit words. ^[7]

Research done by Dr Kulkarni( University of Nagpur) has shown that Konkani has many words of Maharashtri origin ( not to b mixed with marathi language.,though both the languages have comman roots}

[edit] Early years

Konkani as a language flourished in Goa. It is believed that the Brahmi script may have been used initially for writing in Konkani but it fell into disuse. It is also believed that Brahmi gave way to the Devanagari script. However, no evidence has been found to support these claims. In the 1300s, the development of Marathi and the availability of religious and literary works in Marathi, led to its use extensively for religious purposes among the Hindus of Goa. Konkani existed only as a spoken language until the arrival of the Portuguese.

[edit] Other communities

Other Konkani communities came into being with their own dialects of Konkani. The Konkani Muslim communities of Ratnagiri and Bhatkal came about due to a mixture of intermarriage of Arab seafarers and locals as well as conversions of Hindus to Islam. ^[8] Another migrant community that picked up Konkani was the Siddis who were sailor-warriors from Ethiopia. ^[9]

[edit] Migration and fragmentation

The arrival of the Portuguese lead to major changes in Konkani. The conversion of Konkanis to Christianity and the religious policies of the Portuguese caused a large number of Konkanis to flee to neighbouring territories. The isolation of Hindu and Christian Konkanis added to the fragmentation of Konkani into multiple dialects.

The language spread to Canara (coastal Karnataka), Kokan-patta (coastal Konkan division of Maharashtra) and Kerala during the last 500 years due to migration of Konkanis. Although a few Konkanis may have been present in the neighbouring areas and there may have been migrations due to economic reasons in the past, the main cause of migration was the Portuguese control over Goa.

It was spread to these areas by Hindu Konkani and Christian Konkani speakers in three waves of migration. The first migration occurred during the early years of Portuguese rule and the Inquisition of 1560s. The second wave of migration was during the 1571 C.E. war with the Sultan of Bijapur. The third wave of migration happened during the wars of 1683-1740 C.E. with the Marathas. While the first wave was of Hindus fleeing religious persecution, the second and third waves were mainly those of Christians.

These migrant communities grew in relative isolation and each developed its own dialect. Since these communities had to interact with others in local languages on a daily basis, Konkani dialects show strong local influences in terms of script, vocabulary and also style.

[edit] Konkani in Portuguese era

Early in the era of Portuguese colonization, Christian missionaries realized the importance of propagating in local tongues and translated Christian Literature into Konkani and sometimes Marathi, the most notable among them being Fr Thomas Stephens.

However, in 1684 C.E., the Portuguese administration banned the use of local languages in their Indian territories. They mandated the use of Portuguese not just for official purposes but everyday conversations including speaking at homes or bazaars. This was because local languages served as a medium for Hindu religious instruction. They also wanted to sever the links the new converts had with their culture.

Coupled with the imposition of Portuguese as an official language, it lead to a steady decline of Konkani, which unlike most Indian languages had absolutely no state patronage.

The Hindus of Goa had been using Marathi as a language of religious ceremonies from a long time. Also the interaction between Marathis and Konkanis in the past, that had resulted in Konkanis being bilingual with Marathi, now cemented the status of Marathi as the liturgical and literary language of Hindus in Goa, including Konkanis. Similarly, upper class Christians used Konkani only to communicate with the lower classes and poor, using Portuguese in social gatherings. The use of Portuguese led to the influence of Portuguese in Konkani, especially in the dialects spoken by the Christians. ^[10]

Meanwhile, the migrant communities outside Goa kept Konkani alive, and the language became more fragmented. The Devanagari script came into use in Maharashtra, while Kannada Script was used by migrants to Karnataka.

[edit] Konkani revival

Konkani was in a sorry state, due to the use of Portuguese as the official and social language among the Christians; the predominance of Marathi over Konkani among Hindus and the Konkani Christian-Hindu divide. Seeing this Vaman Raghunath Varde Valaulikar set about on a mission to unite all Konkanis, Hindus as well as Christians, regardless of caste or religion. He saw this movement not just as a nationalistic movement against Portuguese rule, but also against the pre-eminence of Marathi over Konkani. Almost single handedly he crusaded, writing a number of works in Konkani. He is regarded as the pioneer of modern Konkani literature and affectionately remembered as Shenoi Goembab.^[11] His death anniversary, 9th April, is celebrated as World Konkani Day (Viswa Konknni Dis)^[12]

[edit] Post-independence period

Following India's Independence and its subsequent reconquest of Goa in 1961, Goa was absorbed into the Indian Union as a Union Territory, directly under central administration.

However, with the reorganization of states along linguistic lines, and growing calls from Maharashtra, as well as Marathis in Goa for the merger of Goa into Maharashtra, an intense debate was started in Goa. The main issues discussed were the status of Konkani as an independent language and Goa's future as a part of Maharashtra or as an independent state (see Konkani-Marathi Controversy). A plebiscite retained Goa as an independent state in 1967.^[11]. However, English, Hindi and Marathi continued to be the preferred languages for official communication, while Konkani was sidelined.^[13]

[edit] Recognition as an independent language

With the continued insistence of some Marathis that Konkani was a dialect of Marathi and not an independent language, the matter was finally placed before the Sahitya Akademi. Suniti Kumar Chatterji, the president of the Akademi appointed a Committee of linguistic experts to settle the dispute. On 26 February 1975, the Committee after due deliberation, came to the conclusion that Konkani was indeed an independent and literary language. ^[14]

[edit] Official language status

All this did not change anything in Goa. Finally fed up with the delay, Konkani lovers launched an agitation demanding official status to Konkani in 1986. The agitation turned violent in various places, resulting in the death of six agitators. Finally, on 4 February 1987, the Goa Legislative Assembly passed the Official Language Bill making Konkani the Official Language of Goa.^[13]

Konkani was included in the Eight Schedule of the Constitution of India, as per the Seventy-First Amendment on 31 August 1992, adding it to the list of National Languages.

[edit] Scripts

Konkani is written in a number of scripts. Brahmi was originally used but fell into disuse. Devanagari is the official script for Konkani in Goa. Roman script is also popular in Goa. The Kannada script is used amongst the Konkani population of Karnataka. Malayalam script is used by the Konkani community, centered around the cities of Cochin and Kozhikode in Kerala state. Konkani Muslims in coastal Maharashtra and Bhatkal taluka of Karnataka use Arabic script to write Konkani.^[10]

Konkani Alphabets

IPA Symbol	Modified Devanagari Alphabet	Standard Devanagari Alphabet	Roman Script	Kannada Alphabet	Malayalam Alphabet	Arabic Alphabet
/ɵ/	अ	अ	o	ಅ/ಒ	അ	?
/aː/	आ	आ	a	ಆ	ആ	?
/i/	इ	इ	i	ಇ	ഇ	?
/iː/	ई	ई	i	ಈ	ഈ	?
/u/	उ	उ	u	ಉ	ഉ	?
/uː/	ऊ	ऊ	u	ಊ	ഊ	?
/e/	ए	ए	e	ಎ	എ	?
/ɛ/	ऍ	ए	e	ಎ	ഏ	?
æ	no symbol	ए	/e/	ಎ or ಐ	ഐ	?
/ɵi/	ऐ	ऐ	ai/oi	ಐ	ഐ	?
/o/	ओ	ओ	o	ಒ	ഒ	?
/ɔ/	ऑ	ओ	o	ಒ	ഓ	?
/ɵu/	औ	ಔ	au/ou		ഔ	?
/ⁿ/	अं	अं	om/on	ಅಂ	അം	?
/k/	क	क	k	ಕ್	ക്	ک
/kʰ/	ख	ख	kh	ಖ್	ഖ്	که
/g/	ग	ग	g	ಗ್	ഗ്	ک
/gʱ/	घ	घ	gh	ಘ್	ഘ്	گه
/ŋ/	ङ	ंग	ng	ಙ	ങ്	ڭ
/ts/	च़	च़	ch	ಚ್	ത്സ്	څ
/c/	च	च	ch	ಚ್	ച്	چ
/cʰ/	छ	छ	chh	ಛ್	ഛ്	چه
/z/	ज़	ज़	z	ಜ	?	ز
/ɟ/	ज	ज	j	ಜ್	ജ്	ج
/zʰ/	झ़	झ़	zh	ಝ್	?	زه
/ɟʱ/	झ	झ	jh	ಝ್	ഝ്	جه
/ɲ/	ञ	ञ	nh	ಞ	ഞ്	ڃ
/ʈ/	ट	ट	tt	ಟ್	ട്	ټ
/ʈʰ/	ठ	ठ	tth	ಠ್	ഠ്	ټه
/ɖ/	ड	ड	dd	ಡ್	ഡ്	ډ
/ɖʱ/	ढ	ढ	ddh	ಢ್	ഢ്	ډه
/ɳ/	ण	ण	nn	ಣ್	ണ്	ڼ
/t̪/	त	त	t	ತ್	ത്	ت
/t̪ʰ/	थ	थ	th	ಥ್	ഥ്	ته
/d̪/	द	द	d	ದ್	ദ്	د
/d̪ʰ/	ध	ध	dh	ಧ್	ധ്	ده
/n/	न	न	n	ನ್	ന്	ن
/p/	प	प	p	ಪ್	പ്	پ
/f/	फ़	फ	f	ಫ್	?	ف
/b/	ब	ब	b	ಬ್	ബ്	ب
/bʱ/	भ	भ	bh	ಭ್	ഭ്	به
/m/	म	म	m	ಮ್	മ്	م
/j/	य	य	i/e/ie	ಯ್	യ്	ې
/ɾ/	र	र	r	ರ್	ര്	ر
/l/	ल	ल	l	ಲ್	ല്	ل
/ʃ/	श	श	x	ಶ್	ഷ്	ش
/ʂ/	ष	ष	x	ಷ್	ശ്	?
/s/	स	स	s	ಸ್	സ്	س
/ɦ/	ह	ह	h	ಹ್	ഹ്	?
/ɭ/	ळ	ळ	ll	ಳ್	ള്	?
/ʋ/	व	व	v	ವ್	വ്	ڤ

[edit] Dialects

Konkani, despite having a small population shows a very high number of dialects. The dialect tree structure of Konkani can easily be classified according to the region, religion, caste and local tongue influence.^[10]

Different researchers have classified the dialects differently.

[edit] N. G. Kalekar's classification

Based on the historical events and cultural ties of the speakers, N. G. Kalekar has broadly classified the dialects into three main groups:^[10]

• Northern Konkani :Dialects spoken in the Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra with strong cultural ties to Marathi.
• Central Konkani : Dialects in Goa, where Konkani came in close contact with Portuguese language and culture.
• Southern Konkani: Dialects spoken in the Canara region of Karnataka which came in close contact with Tulu and Kannada.

[edit] Ethnologue (ISO) classification

ISO 639-3 classifies Konkani generic macrolanguage(ISO 639-3:kok) into^[15]:

• Goan Konkani (ISO 639-3: gom )
• Konkani (individual language) (ISO 639-3: knn)

A list of Konkani dialects available from Ethnologue is as follows:

• Dialects of Konkani (ISO 639-3: knn):^[4]
  • Agari of Kolaba
  • Parabhi (Kayasthi, Damani)
  • Koli
  • Kiristav
  • Dhanagari
  • Bhandari
  • Thakuri (Thakari, Thakri, Thakua, Thakura)
  • Karhadi
  • Sangamesvari (Bakoti, Bankoti)
  • Ghati (Maoli)
  • Mahari (Dhed, Holia, Parvari)

• Dialects of Goan Konkani (ISO 639-3: gom):^[16]
  • Standard Konkani (Goan)
  • Bardeskari (Gomantaki)
  • Sarasvat Brahmin
  • Kudali (Malvani)
  • Daldi (Nawaits)
  • Chitpavani (Konkanasths)
  • Mangalore.

[edit] Related languages/dialects

Other languages/dialects which are included by ISO 639-3 in the Konkani family of the Language tree ^[5] but may be not be regarded as dialects of Konkani(they may be regarded as sister languages):

• Katkari (kfu)
• Kukna (kex)
• Phudagi (phd)
• Samvedi (smv)
• Varli (vav)

[edit] Problems/Issues

The Konkani language has been in danger of dying out primarily due to

1. The fragmentation of Konkani into various, sometimes mutually unintelligible dialects.
2. The Portuguese influence in Goa, especially on Catholics.
3. Strong degree of bilingualism of Konkani Hindus in Goa and coastal Maharashtra with Marathi
4. Progressive inroads made by Urdu into the Muslim communities.
5. Mutual animosity among various religious and caste groups; including a secondary status of Konkani culture to religion.
6. Migration of Konkanis to various parts of India and around the world.
7. Lack of opportunities to study Konkani in schools and colleges. Even till recently there were few Konkani schools in Goa. Populations outside the native Konkani areas have absolutely no access to Konkani education, even informally.
8. Preference among Konkani parents to speak to their children in "Potaachi Bhas" (language of the stomach) over "Maaim Bhas"(mother tongue) Konkani; primarily in English to help their children gain a grip over English in schools.^[10]

Efforts have been made to stop this downward trend of usage of Konkani^{[citation needed]}, starting with Shenoi Goembab's efforts to revive Konkani. There has been a renewed interest in Konkani Literature. The recognition granted by Sahitya Akademi to Konkani and the institution of an annual award for Konkani literature has helped.

Some organizations such as the Konkan Daiz Yatra, organized by Konkani Bhasha Mandal, Mumbai since 1939 and the newer Vishwa Konkani Parishad have laid great stress on uniting all factions of Konkanis.

[edit] Multilingualism

According to the Census Department of India, Konkani speakers show a very high degree of multilingualism. In the 1991 census, as compared to the national average of 19.44% for bilingualism and 7.26% for trilingualism; Konkani speakers scored 74.20% and 44.68% respectively. This makes Konkanis the most multilingual community of India.

This has been due to the fact that in most areas where Konkanis have settled, they seldom form a majority of the population and have to interact with others in the local tongue. Another reason for bilingualism has been the lack of schools teaching Konkani as a primary or secondary language.

While bilingualism is not by itself a bad thing, it has been misinterpreted as a sign that Konkani is not a developed language. The bilingualism of Konkanis with Marathi in Goa and Maharashtra has been a source of great discontent because it has led to the belief that Konkani is a dialect of Marathi ^{[17] [10]} (see Konkani-Marathi Dispute)and hence had a bearing on the future of Goa.

[edit] Konkani - Marathi dispute

It has been claimed by some quarters that Konkani is a dialect of Marathi and not an independent language. This has been attributed to several historical reasons (outlined in the History section), the close similarities between Marathi and Konkani, the geographical proximity between Goa and Maharashtra, the strong Marathi influence on Konkani dialects spoken in Maharashtra (such as Malwani), a supposed lack of literature in Konkani and a great degree of bilingualism of Konkani Hindus with respect to Marathi.

José Pereira, in his 1971 work "Konkani - A Language: A History of the Konkani Marathi Controversy", pointed to an essay on Indian languages written by John Leyden in 1807 wherein Konkani is called a "dialect of Maharashtra" as an origin of the language controversy. ^[10]

Another linguist to whom the error is attributed is Grierson. Grierson's work on the languages of India: The Linguistic Survey of India was regarded as an important reference by other linguists. In his book, Grierson had distinguished between the Konkani spoken in costal Maharashtra (then, part of Bombay Presidency) and the Konkani spoken in Goa as being two different languages. He regarded the Konkani spoken in costal Maharashtra as a dialect of Marathi and not as a dialect of Goan Konkani itself. But, in his opinion, Goan Konkani was also to be considered a dialect of Marathi because the relegious literature used by the Hindus in Goa was not in Konkani itself, but in Marathi. Grierson's opinion about Goan Konkani was not based on it's linguistics but on the diglossic situation in Goa.

S. M. Katre's 1966 work, The Formation of Konkani, which utilized the instruments of modern historical and comparative linguistics across six typical Konkani dialects, showed the formation of Konkani to be distinct from that of Marathi. ^{[10] [17]} Shenoi Goembab, who played a pivotal role in the Konkani revival movement, rallied against the pre-eminence of Marathi over Konkani amongst Hindus and Portuguese amongst Christians.

Goa's accession to India in 1961 came at a time when Indian states were being reorganized along linguistic lines. There were demands to merge Goa with Maharashtra state. This was because Goa had a sizeable population of Marathi speakers and Konkani was also considered to be a dialect of Marathi by many. Konkani Goans were opposed to the move. The status of Konkani as an independent language or as a dialect of Marathi had a great political bearing on Goa's merger, which was settled by a plebiscite in 1967. ^[10]

The Sahitya Akademi (a prominent literary organization in India) recognized it as an independent language in 1975, and subsequently Konkani (in Devanagari script) was made the official language of Goa in 1987.

[edit] Script and dialect issues

The problems posed by multiple scripts and varying dialects have come as an impediment in the efforts to unite Konkanis. The decision to use Devanagari as official script and Antruz dialect has met with opposition both within Goa and outside it^[13]. The critics contend that Antruz dialect is unintelligible to most Goans, let alone other Konkanis, and that Devanagari is used very little as compared to Roman script in Goa or Kannada script in coastal Karnataka^[13]. Prominent among the critics are Konkani Catholics in Goa, who have been at the forefront of the Konkani agitation in 1986-87 and have for long used the Roman script including producing literature in Roman script. They are demanding that Roman script be given equal status to Devanagari. ^[18]

In Karnataka, which has the largest number of Konkanis, leading organizations and activists have similarly demanded that Kannada script be made the medium of instruction for Konkani in local schools instead of Devanagari.^[19]

At present no single script or dialect can claim to be understandable or acceptable to all sections. No serious efforts have been made to achieve a consensus on this issue. The lack of a standard dialect which is acceptable to all means that at many times Konkanis interact with other Konkanis in other languages.

[edit] Organizations and institutions

There are various organizations working for Konkani but primarily, these were restricted to individual communities. The All-India Konkani Parishad founded on 23 January 1978 served the purpose of providing a common ground for all groups. A new organization known as Vishwa Konkani Parishad which aims to be an all-inclusive and pluralistic umbrella organization for Konkanis around the world was founded on 11th September 2005.^[20]

Some notable institutions working on Konkani are:

• Konkani Bhasha Mandal,Mumbai^[21]
• Konkani Triveni Kala Sangam, Mumbai ^[22]
• Thomas Stephens Konknni Kendr^[23]
• World Konkani Centre: A culture and language centre to be set up in Mangalore.^[24]
• Konkani Bhas Ani Sanskriti Pratistan(Konkani Language and Cultural Foundation): The organization building the World Konkani Centre.^[22]
• Goa Konkani Akademi (GKA). ^[25]
• Dalgado Konkani Academy.^[26]
• Karnataka Konkani Sahithya Academy.^[27]
• Konkani Ekvott – an umbrella organization of various Konkani bodies in Goa.
• Vishwa Konkani Sammelan (World Konkani Convention): first held in 1995. ^[24]
• Konkan Daiz Yatra: oldest Konkani organization which was started in the 1939 by Konkani stalwarts in Mumbai.^[28]

[edit] Notable works in Konkani

• The first known printed book in Konkani was written by an English Jesuit priest, Fr. Thomas Stephens in 1622, and entitled Dovtrina Cristam Em Lingoa Brahmana Canarim (Old Portuguese for: Christian Doctrine in the Canarese Brahman Language).^[24]
• Konkani Mansagangotri - Prof. Olivinho Gomes
• Vajralikhani - Shenoi Goembab
• Konkani Bhashecho Itihas - Shenoi Goembab
• Sollavea Xekddeantlem Konknni Mhabharot: Adi Porv - collection of 18 stories from the Mahabharat epic. It was written down in the 16th century by a Jesuit in the Roman script using diacritics. It is probably the oldest form of Konkani available today.

[edit] Miscellaneous facts

• There is some disagreement about whether the name "Konkani" was always the accepted name for the language. The earliest reference to the Konkani language comes in a devotional poem by Sant Namdev(c.1270-c.1350 CE) where he has written a stanza in Konkani.
• An international ad campaign by Nike for the 2007 Cricket World Cup featured a Konkani song Rav Patrao Rav as the background theme. It was based on the tune of an older song Bebdo, composed by Chris Perry and sung by Lorna. The new lyrics written by Agnello Dias (who worked in the ad agency that made the ad), recomposed by Ram Sampat and sung by Ella Castellino (article, lyrics).
• A Konkani cultural event Konkani Nirantari held in Mangalore on 26th and 27th January 2008; has entered the Guinness Book of World Records for holding a 40-hour-long non-stop musical singing marathon by beating the Brazilian musical troupe who had previously held the record of singing non-stop for 36 hours.^[29]

[edit] See also

• Konkani people
• Konkani words from other languages
• Languages of India
• List of national languages of India
• List of Indian languages by total speakers
• Linguistic issues in Goa

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Konkani Sammelan: Biennial event in North America
• Learn GSB Konkani online
• Learn Mangalorean Konkani online
• Ethnologue report for Konkani
• The Origins of the Konkani Language
• Mother Tongue blues by Madhavi Sardesai
• List of Prominent Konkanis
• An excellent article on Konkani history and literature by Goa Konkani Academi
• Online Konkani (GSB) dictionary

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