[Assam] Article about assamese language in sentinel forwarded

[Dhiraj M.G. Phukon]

The Demise of Asomiya Language in America
                               Half of the world's 6,000 languages, as
estimated by the United Nations, will go the way of the dinosaurs in less
than a century. In fact one falls out of use about every two weeks. Usually,
the life of a language comes to an end when the speakers of the language
stop speaking it for any reason. The Asomiya language in the USA has already
been put to sleep by the Asomiyas themselves, which is the product of
parental failure to inculcate a sense of pride in our ancient culture and
language. After all, diet and dialect are perhaps the emblems of any
society. The abdication of the Asomiya parents makes it easy for the Asomiya
children here in America to follow the path of least resistance by imitating
their American peers. The result : most of the Asomiyas, belonging to the
in-between generation, if not all, do not speak their mother tongue at all.
                               It is too facile of an argument, often made
by the expatriate Asomiyas, that teaching children their native language
interferes with the English language development. It would, therefore, be
better to focus on English than teach a language that is going to be of
limited use in this country. This line of reasoning, in my opinion, does not
seem to have two legs to stand for a few simple reasons.
                               First, research consistently points to the
cognitive and academic advantages of being bilingual, no matter what the
second language is. But the Asomiya parents are not dissuaded by
multilingual pre-schoolers reading earlier and faster than their monolingual
counterparts. The young child's alloplastic mind is fertile ground for a
multitude of ideas. Far from stunting mastery in English, learning another
language enhances a child's ability to learn English by expanding linguistic
structure and syntax. Furthermore, most children passively acquire English
through ubiquitous interactions with teachers and fellow schoolmates at
school, television and on the street. Conversely, they imbibe their native
language only at home.
                               Secondly, when Americans themselves have
begun to realize that this land is not a melting pot but rather a rich
mosaic, it is ironic that many of us still cling to the archaic philosophy
of Romans in Rome. Thankfully, the Asomiyas here in America do not live in
such a rigid world where they have to choose between extremes.
                               Thirdly, there is another powerful benefit
that is relevant to our children growing up here and that is in helping them
a strong sense of identity which can help lead to better self-esteem and
self-confidence.
                               The Asomiya diaspora of the USA insists and
claims that the foremost reason of celebrating Bihu is to transmit — and
preserve — our culture to the next generation. One would fall off the chair
to learn that the entire affair is conducted in English! I am at a loss to
understand as to how on earth one can pass one's culture and heritage on to
their progeny by merely holding Bihu function once in a year without
impressing upon their children the importance of learning their own language
which is the essence of any culture.
                               Kamaljit Deka,
                               Sugarland, Texas.


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Dhiraj M.G.Phukon
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