I know Little bit Tamil
Taranya Keereen
This is an issue which has been nagging me for years which I am finally happy that I am being given a chance to express it.
The issue that I want to highlight is the use of our mother tongue, Tamil or Malayalam or Telugu for that matter. I understand that although we are all categorized as Indians in this country but in our own way we are of many different types of clans and thus we have different types of language we practice. What I don’t understand is that since when English became our mother tongue? Did our great-grandparents have illicit affairs with the Mat Sallehs who were in Malaysia before our independence? Is that why we have so many dark skinned vellekaren walking amongst us?
Honestly I am sick and tired of listening to Indians who keeps SPEAKING broken English to their kids at temples, dhevarem classes and bharathanatyam classes.Seriously what the hell? Come on, these people are coming there to enhance the Indian tradition but are ashamed to speak their own mother tongue? If we don’t practice our mother tongue then who is going to speak it? Chinese? Or better still Americans?
The other day I was at the temple going about my business when I heard something which made me rooted to the spot I was standing and turn around. I saw this lady (might be in the age group of 40+ ) who was explaining to her niece of 6 or 7 years old bout Mother Durga. The only thing which made me pissed was not her explanation but the language she used. For God’s sake that lady who should obviously know Tamil (since when Indians in the olden days were fluent in English? So her parents definitely would have communicated with her in Tamil,shoot me if she can’t speak Tamil cause I can and I am way younger than her) was explaining to the girl or more likely introducing her to Goddess Durgama in English. How corny. What a shame for the Indian community that an introduction between a deity and her young devotee is done in English. Oh and did I mention that she did it in Tanglish which is the broken English that most Indians are so proud of parading around?
I can even digest that but what I can’t really digest is the new trend going around this days, yenneku Tamil theriyathu especially very popular amongst the TAMIL GIRLS!!! Seriously what is so damning about the Tamil language? Why is it that our youths can’t speak Tamil? Frankly I am not a pure Tamil either. I am a mix of Tamil and Malayalee but I am proud to say that I am Tamilian. I am not from Tamil school. I can’t read Tamil. I was from private school where most of the time we practice English. Still I am fluent in speaking Tamil. Why? Because of my parents. My father always I won’t say that the fault all these youths parading around saying they can’t speak Tamil are theirs but actually it’s their parents’ fault. Yes their parents pretended to be kononnya ‘higher class’ by refusing to practice their own mother tongue to their children thus now the children also are doing the same thing. So who is at fault here? The parents or the youths?
Gambar sekadar hiasan
If their skin is a bit fair and if they are working in any office, then these people love to pretend that their ‘upper class’. God save me from these people because I really feel like puking on their faces. Earth to people of this mentality, well-educated Indians practice good Tamil at home not the other way around. What is the biggest shame is that I know a boy in my college who the father is a HEADMASTER FOR A TAMIL SCHOOL and he can’t speak Tamil! What type of a teacher is he? He can’t educate his own son on his mother tongue, how is he going to educate the children of others? Another friend of mine whose both parents are Tamil school teachers but their children can’t speak a word of Tamil,pathetic lots.
The same goes for other native tongues as well. Malayalam, Telugu, Hindi and Punjabi. If we don’t practice our mother tongue who will? I mean let’s take the Chinese for example, when a group of them join together, they tend to speak Cantonese or Mandarin or Hokkien (which are their native tongues) or the Malays. When the Malays gather bout they will be talking in Malay. They all seem to speak their mother tongue when they are together but not the Indians. Oh no no no, our Indians are way too ‘high class’ for poor old Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu. They are all the siblings of Americans. They only practice English albeit a broken one which sounds like ‘sitting under the murunge maram eating sambar satham’.
They would rather embarrass themselves with those commands in English rather than to speak beautiful Tamil. We also have another category who loves to pretend that they can’t speak Tamil. Um how may I ask that these people communicate with the older generations such as their grandparents? Maybe they sent their grandparents to English tuition perhaps? OK I can hear all sorts of uproar saying that how are we going to improve our English? PAUSE…! Let me ask a question. How are you going to clean your neighbor’s mess when your house is in a mess? It’s the same concept. How dare you teach your child a foreign language before he or she masters their own language? Is Tamil so hard to master? I didn’t think so. Remember the first word out of a child’s mouth is amma not mummy. Please master your own language first before you take up on others’.
Fun info to all those English loving Indians who don’t know the pride behind Tamil language is that:
1. Tamil is one of the classical language in India due to the fact that it has not been influenced by Sanskrit
2. It is known as an antique language due to its literature predating any other modern Indian languages etc Tolkappiyam which came around 200BC
3. Tamil is first Dravidian language which was predominant in the south India which gave way to the evolving of Telugu and Malayalam.
I hope that after reading this at least most Indians would be proud of their mother tongue. Thank you.
Sincerely,
A Tamilian who can’t stand through anymore broken English,
Durai says : “Who said Tamil girls don’t speaking Tamil? Look at the beautiful words used below.”
‘Remember the first word out of a child’s mouth is amma not mummy.’ Respect you all the way, just for this!!!
Tamilan yendre soluda/di, thalai nimenthe nileda/di… N the gambar hiasan is top…
This issue will never fade away. Every Yindians out there regards themselves as if they are one helluva big shot from Queen Elizabeth’s chamber.
In reality, all kosong cerita.
I am Chinese educated. I speak fluent Mandarin. I speak BM, English and Tamil too. Out of all the languages, I am proud to say I can read and write Tamil as well. Bharatiyaar once said, there is no other language as beautiful as Tamil and I agree with it.
It is just me or is it really ironic that the whole post about speaking tamil is written in English? In my opinion language is a survival tool. Thats all. If I leave you on an island with just one family there and they only speak german lets say, over time would you not learn it? You will because you need it to survive! English is a universal language! Nothing wrong in speaking english when you meet another person. Language, tamil per se only plays an important part where culture is bound. Thevarams are mostly tamil, a lot of our scriptures are translated into tamil, as tamil is one of the oldest language present, thus there are words there that cannot be translated to English.. This is where tamil knowledge plays a part. Language is not something to worry about for the moment, it is our culture that is at stake, something we really need to worry about.
Instead of getting all angsty about the aunty speaking english why dont look at the bright side and realize well she is still feeding the poor child on what seems to be very Indian to me. Just because she is doing it in a foreign language doesnt mean she doesnt respect our culture right?
If your question is why not teach in tamil, my question is whats wrong if its done in English??
This is the type of mentality we have. When two chinese meets, they speak in their own language. When two malay meets, they speak in their language. When two indians meet, engiruntho varutho intha english. Indiamacha speaks english when highly intoxicated. But mooka vaasi naathiringe thanni podemaaleh peter parambarai-nu neneppu. Conversing in english to train one self is different from showing off.
Dude, can you tell me ALL malays speak malay when they see each other, or ALL chinese speak chinese when they see each other? Jesus!. I have seen tons of Malays speaking English to another Malay.I have tons of chinese friend who cant speak chinese. What the heck are you ranting about?
Dont use this bullshit reason la, dont harp on something you cant prove. Evono oruthan eppoyo sollirupan, odene…poi pilla kutiya padike veyinga pa…kappi thanama pesikethu!
Conversing in english to train one self is different from showing off. —–> 101% agreed.
Hey ME,dont u think language is a major part of a culture?? its not wrong to teach in english,but y not in tamil?? its ur mother tongue ryte? Who will use it if it is not you ! simple ryte?? Think bout it.sethupolampo
Are you saying that a white guy cannot embrace our culture if he cant speak English?
Are you saying that a white guy cannot embrace our culture if he cant speak Tamil?
why? feeling urself ridiculed in tis post? go get a life!!! let me rephrase d question to you… when you can do it in english, then why not in tamil? afterall language acts as a mode of communication….
I commented my opinion on the post, instead of commenting on the post you are getting all worked up on my comment and I am the one who needs to get a life? Bwwwahahahaha!!
Dude, no reason to get your panties in a wad, all I am saying is there nothing wrong in speaking English with another Indian. Maybe acting like you dont know tamil is a shame, I agree but not for petty reasons like “Oh the aunt explained about God in English”. So what??
You sir/madam, have my ultimate respect.
I love your articles. Anyways, this is my 2 cents. I’ve been living in Germany for the past 6 years. I’ve always been slightly sad by the fact that I don’t have anyone to speak Tamil with here. The only ones I can speak with right now are my parents. My mom makes me speak Tamil to her since she is a Tamil teacher. Granted, I took Tamil for granted when I was growing up. I used it predominantly to speak with my grandparents and my parents.
Anyways, I put Tamil as one of the languages that I know on my CV. Needless to say employers are quite impressed with the fact that I have the ability to speak Tamil after I explain to them to sheer complexity and the history of the Tamil language. It gave me a slight advantage over other candidates for employment. Indians think that speaking (broken) English gives a better impression than speaking Tamil. Bitch please! White people are more impressed when you can speak Tamil.
Needless to say, now I am proud that I can speak Tamil. I thank my mom for teaching me how to read, write and speak Tamil. Hell, I’ll even teach my future half-white children Tamil.
Hey ME,dont u think language is a major part of a culture?? its not wrong to teach in english,but y not in tamil?? its ur mother tongue ryte? Who will use it if it is not you ! simple ryte?? Think bout it.
Different case with me though..was brought up in Alor Star..most of my school mates were Malay..and most Indians speak Malay with Kedah accent. My Tamil sounded like I was speaking Thai..but that was then…ippe all Tamil kette varthai teriyum
hmmm..kind of sad to hear this articel..nowdays majority indians doing like this..
one of the best articles ever. good job @Taranya Keereen
~another fluent tamil speaking girl from a non-tamil school.
very hot article for those speaking tanglish..this kind of people r everywer…dunno wat they r ashamed of tamil,,their own language..hhmm!!!
Very good article. Hope it will be an eye-opener for those who practice english especially in temples. Its not that English is not important. Let us learn our mother tongue 1st, and other languages comes 2nd..I myself, didn’t have a chance to go to tamil school as it is very far from house, but im very much eager to learn tamil. Cannot read and write, but atleast im proud to say that I can converse well in Tamil. Its really ridiculous to say that you will be much respected if you can speak in English. It is an advantage for you, that’s all..But use it at a proper place.
I studied in an English medium school. And i communicate with my parents in English. But, at the same time, my mom thought me to read, write and speak Tamil. I can speak fluent Tamil, good in writing and also reading it. And i would also say that i am very well versed in English too. So there’s is no way one could blame that if his/her child speaks and learn Tamil, they would not master a foreign language. That is all bullshit. Initiative matters here. Me, an English medium school student who can speak fluent Tamil and also can be host and take part in Tamil Puranam Drama’s, why can’t the other’s do it ?? So, stop all these bullshits and start learning our Beautiful language !!
Does the “iyer” who perform the rituals in temple use our mother tongue? Let settle this one first before moving on to blame others on this issue..I just seeing people who effortless blaming but what they tried to do about it? No point dwelling in it without any solutions..i just see a bunch of pointless talking peoples here..cheap fame..
First and foremost, there is bound to be people who will disagree with me. So let me make this clear, this is my opinion on this matter. I’d be glad if someone actually gives some feedback on my opinions but it would be nice if it remains civil. It also would show that, people out there actually read, UNDERSTAND and THINK. They don’t just swallow whatever that is fed to them. With that said, let me begin in earnest.
First and foremost, just because an Indian person cannot speak in Tamil, does not make them a bad person. There is a common misconception among Indians that IF an Indian cannot speak in Tamil, it means they know NOTHING of their religion. Which, I would like to happily disagree with. Fact is, there are Indians out there, who cannot speak Tamil, but their UNDERSTANDING of their religion will put many out there who can speak fluent Tamil to shame. The sad thing is that, many people don’t see it that way. They think, because they know Tamil, they know everything there is to know about being an Indian or even a Hindu.
Point 1 : You know Tamil does not mean you know anything or everything about your religion. LANGUAGE and RELIGION are 2 DIFFERENT THINGS. So is CULTURE. Yes, they are all deeply intertwined but THEY ARE NOT THE SAME.
Second, I believe that passing on INFORMATION or even KNOWLEDGE that is ACCURATE is more important that the LANGUAGE used. No offense to the writer, but just take a look at it from my point of view. Maybe the child has a better understanding of English than Tamil. So the auntie spoke it in such a way so that the CHILD WOULD UNDERSTAND what she is saying. In my line of profession, any misinformation can be disastrous. Sometimes, the smallest detail can mean the difference between life and death. Back to the child, if I was that child, and that lady explained it to me and I misunderstand what she is saying, I may end up with that misconception all my life. For me, the KNOWLEDGE GAINED HERE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE LANGUAGE THAT WAS USED.
Third, I can’t speak Tamil. I am able to understand but not very well. I wish it was otherwise. I will NOT BLAME my parents for MY REFUSAL to learn the language when I was younger. I was foolish and now I regret it. But I know IT IS NOT TOO LATE. I am trying to pick up the language by speaking it, but I do have the intention of taking lessons to improve my Tamil in speaking, writing and understanding it. Here, I would like to say, there is almost no point in playing the blame game. I would instead encourage the Indians out there to encourage their friends, acquaintance whomever they know to understand that learning a new language is an advantage. Be smart about it. If that person finds art appealing, explain to them a particular piece of poetry that YOU are able to relate to or that YOU LOVE, and why? Trust me, they will see the beauty in it and may be moved to learn the language.
So instead of bashing them up for not knowing, EDUCATE them. For those who think it’s a waste of time, well, IT IS AN ADVANTAGE TO KNOW ANY EXTRA LANGUAGES. Think of a doctor who is able to speak many languages (Tamil, English, Malay, Mandarin, Cantonese, Russian, Indonesian, Hindi, Urdu etc.). Patients that come to the doctor will be able to better express their problems, how they feel, what symptoms they have – because they feel more comfortable expressing it in a language they KNOW. This is especially true in a multiracial country like ours. This goes to almost any line of profession. A person who knows more languages is at an advantage. It is an ASSET. They are an ASSET.
Instead of forcing something down a person’s throat, I would recommend you entice them, make them interested in learning the language. That way, they would be more willing to learn. Simply cause it’s interesting to them. If a movie is boring, you switch it off. But when it is interesting, and it keeps you on your toes, at the end of the movie, you rave about it to all your friends. More people watch it, the director earns more money. Ok I’m ranting. My point is, no one likes to be forced to do things. Children these days mature at a younger age. Let them be children, but don’t stop them from learning. If they ask questions, find a way to make them understand and learn. Treat them as intellectuals, DO NOT DISMISS THEM. Listen. Knowledge is acquired throughout life. We are all God’s children and I’m pretty sure he listens to us all.
Another thing I would like to say is, no matter what language you pray in, at the end of the day, God still receives it. He understands what you are saying no matter what language you use. He is God after all, I am pretty sure he knows all the languages, even Swahili.
Another thing, I can’t speak Tamil properly. Yes I know I’ve mentioned that. One of my biggest regrets is that I find it very difficult to communicate with my both my grandmothers (Patti, Ammayi, Moyang – whatever you call them). Um, I know some of you are probably jumping up and down to point out to me that Ammayi is what you call your auntie in Telugu, but in my family, the tradition is such that I call my grandmother (mother’s mother) Ammayi. Anyway, I love both of them very much, and I love just spending time with them. Whether it is helping them out in the kitchen or just keeping them company, I just love being around them. It sucks, trust me when I really want to share something with them but I find it so difficult to express it to them that I resort to mixing Tamil with English, Malay and even sign language. I am a sight to behold when I do this. Haha. It is during this moments that I regret not knowing Tamil because it sucks when you’re Patti is telling this particularly embarrassing story about your Appa (Dad, Naina, Acha – whatever you call your father), and you can’t understand it (It always fails when I try to tease my father later on -_-“) or even when she’s telling you a story about you grandfather (Tata, Apuchi, Kakek – whatever you call your grandfather), and you can’t understand. I never got a chance to know one of my grandfather’s and it just sucks. The other one, let’s just say I was too young and immature to understand what I ended up losing.
I hope after people read this, instead of teasing a person due to their inability to speak the beautiful Tamil, instead you encourage them or get them interested to learn this language. Oh, there will definitely be people who are not willing to listen or try, but there are those still with hope. And I hope you encourage them, not make them hate it by making them feel inferior. No one likes a bully.
Have a nice day people.
Amazing points, madam.
Thanks?
Green Apple,
Vanakkam.
I enjoyed reading your post. I found myself agreeing to almost everything you had to say. Yes, almost. I’ll come to that shortly.
I am a firm believer in child-centred learning. I support first language instruction, and by extension Tamil and Chinese medium schools. Research (done in the US over a dozen or so years) shows that kids learn best if taught in their first language.
That said, let me tell you a different temple story — this from my hometown in Sungai Petani, Kedah. A mother wants her son follow her around the temple — what we call ‘valam varuthal’ in Tamil — and, so, she tells him in all earnestness, “Come son, let’s go circulating the temple!” This story was related to me by a friend, and we thought it was so funny. And, perhaps, symptomatic, as well, of the ill that is ailing our community.
My point: it is one thing for a parent who is fluent in English to communicate with her children in the language. It’s whole new game when she attempts to do so when she herself has a scant grasp of it. I see this all the time. Many Tamils speak In ‘English’ with their kids. They are quite proud of it, too. This includes a number of my acquaintances. That they are depriving their children of the richness of parental love and communication is lost to them. Presumably their grunts and half sentences are sufficient to bring their children places. I could be wrong about this, of course. But I can’t but feel sad whenever I witness it.
And, Green Apple, it’s been two months since you typed the above comment. I hope you have had a chance to improve your Tamil. It shouldn’t be that difficult, no? Take my case. I received my early education in Tamil. English was taught only from Standard 3 onwards, which was the norm then. And, I manage to speak it, at least haltingly, only in Form 5. It was clearly insufficient, and, so, sometime in my late twenties I decided to memorise the Oxford Learners Dictionary that my mom had presented to me a few years earlier. I worked. It took me perhaps a year. But it worked.
So, stop regretting; start doing.
Grandparents won’t be around forever. Over the last twelve years, I have lost two of them. One, whom I loved dearly, and who brought me up in my early years, passed away while I was pursuing my graduate studies in the US. I didn’t attend her funeral. It remains a regret I’d probably carry to my grave.
Well, cest la vie. What’s precious in life often isn’t what we could count. Or, so I think — given that I am still relatively young and inexperienced to be a judge of anything, let alone life.
Cheers, -e.
Ve. Elanjelian,
Vanakkam.
I have a question. Do you actually greet people with vanakkam? Well, Indian’s usually, and in reality? I am merely curious by the way.
Regarding what you said about parents who communicate with their children in English even though they themselves have a scant grasp of it, well, I’ve noticed this too. I believe they are unaware of this though. I mean, why would someone embarrass themselves purposely? To them, it is adequate. Most likely because their social circles communicate in the same way and hence there is no one to correct them. I agree that they are depriving their children of the richness of parental love and communication is lost to them. Not only that though. I believe they are also depriving their children of the wonderful art of expressing themselves with words. Sometimes, words may be considered synonyms, but there may be a subtle difference in the meaning they carry, making them more appropriate to be used in certain ways than others. I hope you understand that -_-”. (I still consider my English average and my ability to confuse – EPIC)
How can we solve this? I wouldn’t mind correcting them without any intention of embarrassing them, but how many people will look at it that way? Everyone has pride, and it is something dangerous to injure. How can I randomly correct someone I’ve never spoken to? It is even worse to try and correct the “older” generation. Trust me, I’ve tried. They look at me with a – “you’re only 19, what do you know?” kind of look. It’s hard trying to get people to listen. Most of them have so many things to worry about, so why should they bother themselves with worrying about the state of their community?
Right now, I am still a student. I am not an influential person. So, who am I to tell people that they are wrong? I may advise my friends but how many of them will actually listen? Even I rarely change just because someone advises me. They need to leave an impression on me before I think about the matter and make a decision on how to proceed. Try having a conversation with teenagers these days. Most of the time it’s gossip. I am lucky I have someone to discuss things like this with. Maybe someday in the future, I may have influence on the community. Maybe then people might actually listen to me, but I don’t like it? Influence and power also comes with responsibility. For me, it is a huge burden and only when someone is truly ready should they shoulder it. Power corrupts. Even Gandalf was afraid of the “one ring”. xD
Back to the point: I’ve thought about this and the only idea I came up with is educating the younger generation. Children who attend tuition or school being the target and leaving them with a LASTING IMPRESSION. They are still impressionable, so, it’s easier. When people, things, or even a movie leaves an impression on me, it ends up making me think. That’s the basic idea. But this is a double edged sword. If it is misused, it can destroy our community.
Well, Ve. Elajelian, it has been 2 months since I’ve typed that comment. I am currently studying in a different country and only my colloquial usage of Tamil has improved – slightly. My teachers are my housemates. If I can’t understand something, they explain it to me. They’re very helpful but it is a slow process. I’ve spoken to my father about this and he agreed to send me for classes when I come home for holidays.
In a way though, I feel that I am fortunate for not being able to understand Tamil when I was younger. English is my first language. Due to my inability to understand Tamil, I was never interested in watching Tamil movies. The only time I did was if my mother was around to translate it for me. My poor mother xD Because of this, I was not influenced by the movies in the sense of how I behaved. I saw many good Indian students who ended up having different priorities. Love became more important than studies. I believe this is largely due to Tamil movies. Well, that is another thing altogether.
Thank you Ve. Elanjelian for your input on this matter. I appreciate it. I checked back a couple of times in the first 2 days after I posted my comment, but since there was no reply, I did not bother to return, until recently. It was a delight for me to read your post.
Sorry to hear about your grandparents. Regrets will always be a part of our lives, but the bittersweet quality of life itself is what makes us strife? I don’t know. As you said, I too believe I am still young and inexperienced to be a judge of anything, let alone life.
Anyway, take care.
Green Apple.
Green Apple,
Vanakkam.
Yes, I do greet almost all Indians with Vanakkam. It’s a rather common practice, actually.
You are right. Parents who speak bad English do not know their English is wanting. They are wishful, perhaps, that by exposing their kids to English early they’d to raise more talented children.
I don’t think anyone likes to be corrected for their language — more so in public. You may come out a snob or a prude. The best way is to use the word correctly, perhaps in a different context, and demonstrate how it’s done. This normally works.
As to power, influence and responsibility, have you heard of the term “will to power”? It was first formulated by Friedrich Nietzsche. He proposed that we human beings are driven by our ambitions, our desire to become the best we could. The same concept found expression a couple of generations later in Richard Dawkins’ selfish gene hypothesis. If so, what makes us noble? What differentiates us from the animal world? When you think about it there isn’t much.
If at all, it is how we react to, make use of, our surroundings. And, there, too, we pick and choose philosophies and principles that prop up our predilection. So, while I think the power and responsibility pairing is OK, power and humility pairing is better. That’s because we, human beings, are fallible. We should constantly guard against folly.
If you have some time to spare, consider watching the Justice with Michael Sandal course offered by Harvard University. I think you’ll enjoy it. Go here: http://www.justiceharvard.org/
I am delighted to hear you are gradually picking up Tamil. It is a beautiful language. Perhaps someday you’ll fully appreciate its richness.
Eg —
உடுக்கை இழந்தவன் கைபோல ஆங்கே
இடுக்கண் கலைவதாம் நட்பு.
“udukkai izhandhavan kaiphola aangge
Idukkan kalaivadhaam natpu.”
It’s a couplet from one of our ancient texts, Thirukkural. The above defines friendship.
As to Tamil movies, I grew up with them — and, the songs. They no longer play an important role in my life today. But I still try to watch one or two movies every month. I must admit, the quality of Tamil movies today has really gone many notches up.
Cheers, -e.
GreenApple,
God bless you girl. And speaking of this quote:
“Instead of forcing something down a person’s throat, I would recommend you entice them, make them interested in learning the language. That way, they would be more willing to learn. Simply cause it’s interesting to them. If a movie is boring, you switch it off. But when it is interesting, and it keeps you on your toes, at the end of the movie, you rave about it to all your friends. More people watch it, the director earns more money. Ok I’m ranting. My point is, no one likes to be forced to do things. Children these days mature at a younger age. Let them be children, but don’t stop them from learning. If they ask questions, find a way to make them understand and learn. Treat them as intellectuals, DO NOT DISMISS THEM. Listen. Knowledge is acquired throughout life. We are all God’s children and I’m pretty sure he listens to us all.”
This surely happened to me..I was put in a degradatory position regarding my language skills and the fact that I was compared to other people..and what did it do..I started hating the language. This is why I do not have any respect for hideous narrow-minded people. You know one visit during India, I got into the my parents’ langauge and within 2 weeks, I was speaking quite well. What you said is 100% true regarding this quote b/c after I came back, instead of leaving it as it is or making me feel good about it, I was lashed because I was not perfect in it..and guess what, my burning desire to learn it turned into refusal. Like the pp, I don’t regret anything..and you are right and very smart unlike the rest of these people here…instead making very harsh, rude critical comments, it’s not going to help at all, instead, it will show that those who act like this are arrogant and full of pride and that they think they are better than others and will trash down other cultures and people. Nowadays people HATE those kinds of people with that attitude.
Just to add: I still speak and continue in learning my parents’ language just for my curiousity and interest, not to prove I am proud to be Indian or know my culture. You don’t have to know the language to show respect. And I speak ONLY with those humble, understanding people who don’t know English my parents’ tongue, not those who are very close minded and have that “in your face” attitude. Sorry but if that’s how you are gonna treat people that’s what you get :p. Green Apple, Chilled Out, Anitha and those others who are similar in mindset. God bless you b/c you have spoken some words of wisdom there. Taranya, you can certainly learn something from them so next time you can think before you speak up something like this. YOU DO NOT JUDGE PEOPLE like that..that is very wrong is so many levels.
Correction : Ammayi is Malayalam for paternal auntie. Sorry, my bad >_<"
Mate,its really a very good article & i was hoping either Durai/someone can come up with this.I can agree with some ppl that it brings no harm if an indian speaks to another indian in English “BUT” my point of view you always have to see your surroundings/place you use the language. The other day i was at temple for relatives engagement. So there was this 2 boys somewhere around 16-17years old standing right infront of me speaking in english for hours. To be honest it was not wrong but they failed to realise where they are,what function they are attending or is it necessary for you to speak your engbish over there.You are surrounded by bunch of indians & you are speaking in english for hours. What are you trying to proof? Then one of the guy saw this patti coming,he went hugging the patti asking how are you ? the patti like smiling,not sure if she understood or what but she gave him a hug. I was like “Adda thambi,ongga patti pa..tamileh pessu pa”…Its so pathetic to be honest.You got the right to speak what you want but macha please try to understand that You eat paruppu & notsome pasta/peeezaa or spakothi !!!! IF we indians are not proud of our own language then you got to learn from some white ppl who are craving to learn our language. Till today i regret that i was not sent to a tamil school/was tought how to read & write in tamil but im happy i can speak fluently in tamil.
TAMIL VALGA
Language is a mean of communication. Why is there a big fuss over Indians speaking other languages to other Indians? What’s the big deal? As long as you understand what the other party is saying then it shouldn’t be a problem. I think it is a personal choice to speak in whatever language that one feels comfortable with and fluent in it. Why judge people based on the language they speak? Every family have their own way/rules or whatever you call it to raise their kids and that is their business. I live in the US and I have seen Indians from India talking in English among them. Same goes to other races. Like I said, language is a personal choice. Stop judging others!
Even Gandhi once said that he would love to master Tamil so that he can read the Thirukkural in the mother tongue of Valluvar.
Guess our makkals these days are too high class even compared to Gandhi!
Practically every nut commenting here (including me) is a tamilian. and how are we communicating with each other? In tamil?
The only way to master a language is through practice. And that is why practically all the english teachers in malaysia are indians. simply because we are tho only ones practicing.
The sad fact is that every 50 years, 20 languages will be lost and forgotten. Some like the author of the article will resist and can do nothing about it.
Globalisation. Accept it or get left behind.
well i am a Malayalee who was bought up among m own people,,so i have very little interaction with the tamils…so when i started working i made some tamil friend,,,,when i commincate with them i would rather speak in english coz i would not like to kill the language which i not good with,that does not mean i am trying to be a english..
I grew up with english and tamil mix background , I can read and write in tamil , english and malay , at home I speak in tamil with my fellow members ,during chill out with friends tamil is the main priority but at work I have to converse in English via emails with my overseas counterparts and colleagues even with my bosses who are Indians due to the company policy which does not allow native language (do i have a choice ?). Every single manuals and instructions of technologies which I use everyday in my working ground are in English,France,Japan or German and I’m searching if I could find 1 in Tamil language and still searching. I believe that if we know that, it is not the spoken language but the politeness in communicating with others determines our beautiful culture and background.Just my 2 cents. Have fun and keep rockin’guys.
Dear Writer, if you loved you mother tongue so much why dont you write in Tamil instead?
Your comment doesn’t make sense at all. This article is aimed at those purported velekarichis and velekarens so if the author is to write in Tamil, how do you expect those idiots to understand the whole article? That is why it is written in English.
Great people talk about ideas. Average people talk about things. Small people talk about other people.
I apologize for the morbid sentence you are about to read: Who died and gave anyone the rights to judge people based on the language they choose to communicate, whichever race they’re born into? Who made the rule that if you eat sambar, you have to converse in Tamil (I don’t understand this either, it’s a direct translation from Tamil and is a common insult)?
What the actual *bleep*? Where is the connection? Who said by speaking in another language (which you might be better trained at, given many circumstances we’re thrown into) you’re disrespecting or disregarding your mother tongue?
So you share a status or a story of how the English speaking Tamils are way out of line and give many examples of how many successful people in the world are Indians. Side note: I wonder if they climbed up the success ladder by speaking only their mother tongue hmmm. Then what? What are you trying to tell the world? That you are a better person than the one who doesn’t speak Tamil? Or did speaking your mother tongue automatically increase the world’s food supply by 50%? Did it decrease child prostitution by half, at least?
I didn’t think so, either.
Why don’t you save these passive-aggressive and condescending comments, and show some genuine efforts in preserving the language? How about joining Teach Malaysia and start teaching Tamil to the school children? That might be more fruitful. But who are we kidding? More than half of the people who made the hoo-hah are not interested in the longevity of the language (in my humble opinion). Oh but go ahead and prove me wrong, entertain me. That bit of satisfaction of putting people down is not going to solve any problems in the long run. Neither is your righteousness. Want to see change in the world? Roll up those sleeves and start working towards the change. Do not sit behind a laptop screen and yap and expect your target group to respond engagingly.
I have been quite, how should I put it, victimised (and probably hated?), by these sorts of people during school days. I was a prefect almost all my school life and one of the major issues were speaking languages other than English and Malay during school hour. So naturally, I did not speak any Tamil in school. Dear Lord, the amount of haters that milkshake brought to my yard. For thirteen years! It didn’t help that my then-boyfriend was a non-Indian. I was a betrayer of my race! Little did they know I speak mainly Tamil at home and I can write and read Tamil better than most of them put together. I survived a little more than a month in Tamil Nadu, India last summer (where Tamil is the official language) and even helped some of the whites who were traveling there to read signboards and what not.
I love the language. I think it’s exhilirating and I am continously learning it.
However, I think in English. I express better in English (while also learning it). There wasn’t much room for expression for a girl growing up in a traditional Indian home, but that’s story for another day. This is the result of my formal education, and that’s not going to change. I am not one bit ashamed of it.
Having said all that, in an ideal world, people would shut the hell up about being proud of their race or religion or language and embrace all possible human experiences by just, living. In an ideal world, I wouldn’t have to write this in my defence.
We are not in a ideal world, so I will just knock my head hard a few times and go to bed. A girl can dream.
Correction ” You can eat sambar and even speak in French, but don’t eat sambar and pretend you can’t speak Tamil, when you actually can” … get it?
What if people pretend they can’t speak even if they do? What’s the big deal? Why can’t you mind your own business and stop being judgemental. A person is defined by his/her personality, not the language spoken. As long as you understand English then there shouldn’t be a barrier for you to communicate with them. I understand that you love Tamil very much but do not impose it on others. What others choose to speak is their business.
What’s the big deal in me not being in favor of those phony people? “Siapa yang makan cili dia yang terasa”.In what way is this bothering you? Because I’m being judgmental? Who died and made you the epitome of righteousness and holier-than-the rest? You are already doing what you preach. You can’t mind your own business and neither can you stop being judgmental.Hypocrisy at its best.
You did not answer my question. Girls and their insecurities! tsk tsk!
Ms. Chill out now,
Vanakkam.
I hope you see the irony that all of us here, whom I presume have a love for and/or an opinion about Tamil, should communicate in English. Stuff like this breeds resentment, I think, at least at the spirit level, and leads us to wish for a different set of circumstances. Moreover, a Tamil who is not fluent in English is not likely to be taken seriously — and be considered an educated person. Conversely, a Tamil who doesn’t know Tamil is not likely to be considered an idiot. This is but my opinion, of course; correct me if you are aware of data points that say otherwise.
Take Ms. Taranya Keereen. She is a Tamil, and quite proud of it, too, but she doesn’t read or write Tamil. Should we be at liberty to label her an illiterate? I think not. Unfortunately, such generosity is not always extended to those of us, Tamils, who do not read or write English. One could be a Tamil ‘puzhavar’, but should s/he lack fluency in English, she would not even be able to order food with ease at one of the mid-range eateries in Malaysia.
I detest this. My inner core rebels against this circumstance. I ask why? What could I, or we as a group, do to change this for the better? At some point I feel people relent, and give in to societal pressure; but the resentment remains. Or, so I think.
That said I believe a lot could still be done. The fact that we are having this conversation is a healthy sign. This is what I do. Others may feel free to emulate.
1) Speak Tamil (one that is unadulterated by English or Malay) at home with parents, spouse, children and relatives.
2) Speak Tamil to fellow Tamils, and resist using English nouns and verbs when better Tamil words exist.
3) Read works in Tamil. How else to improve one’s language skills, and vocabulary? Today, there are countless many Tamil bloggers out there. Read them. There are also magazines that carry interesting stuff of interest to Tamils.
4) Write. There is no substitute. It is not easy to write flawlessly in any language, but it must be the goal for anyone who wants to be literate person.
Anyway … That’s me. I may have had, and continue to enjoy, many privileges that others lack. So, it’s ultimately an intensely personal choice.
Cheers, -e.
Tamilan endre soleh da….Talai nimernthe nila da!!!
To the author,
I understand where you’re coming from when Tamilians speak English instead of Tamil. There are Tamilians who pretend not to know understand Tamil so that they can talk in English, but I am deeply offended with the over generalisation that you’ve made. Just because, one Tamil person cannot speak their mother tongue it does not make them any less of a person than a person who is able to speak their mother tongue. I cannot, speak Tamil fluently but I understand every single word. It was not because, my parents didn’t bother to teach me Tamil they did but I never had the interest in learning it since I moved to Australia at a very young age. In Sg, I learned Tamil for a few years and was absolutely terrible at it. English was easier for me to understand and I excelled in English therefore had a leniency towards the English language. Yes,most of my friends are white, but that does not mean I am a Indian hiding behind a façade of English speaking country. I am a proud Tamilan, I embrace my language although I cannot speak it, I can recite the Suprabatham, I attend the temple regularly and am a practising Hindu. In where, I live the opportunity to learn Tamil is minimal so parents have to teach their kids and sometimes it isn’t successful so they have to teach kids about their culture in English and so what if kids speak English in the Temple. Shouldn’t you be proud that kids are learning about Hinduism instead about worrying the language that there are learning it in. I agree, that things can be lost in translation and some words are impossible to translate into English. Please do not judge people, who cannot speak Tamil, I wish I could speak Tamil and embrace my culture completely.Iniya Tamizh Puthandu Nalvaazhthukkal.
Sorry for my bad language. my Tamil teacher use to say this to us. An India who speaks Tanglish. is called Karupee sute vellaikaran…. An Indian who only speaks English is called “Eating Parupee Kari but Talking Mullukarandi……Frankly to say i speak good English, even with the British accent, but i speak superb Tamil, i was brought in a family which does not restrict from speaking any language…but we do feel awkward when spoken in any other language other than Tamil…we even tried but it just did not work with my family…i thank my parents for that. There are people who regret till today…can’t speak Tamil or Chinese from a family who father is a Chinese and mother is an Indian. SO be proud of you language as they are precious as they symbolize you hereditary and culture.
Speak good english? dude you can’t even spell!
dont make me laugh at you.you speak good english?you can barely write a perfect sentence la..come on dude?honestly?hahahhahahaahahahahahahahaha…
dei, ippe enna solle varumna, tamilane partha tamil pese, ethuke english pesure.. dey noe dat person nt fluent in english bt stil puluveraning in english…atha matter… ok ???
hey hye…i duno whther u wl read tiz o nt …bt afta i read ur article m so proud of u tht u concern bout our language tiz mch…m a tamilian too…as u said each n every tamilians know tamil bt its jz thy r so shame 2 talk…i also duno y…bt tis is jz my opinion would like 2 share with u…n tiz is nt reffering 2 any1 though…i felt so m telling..as u said yea suum tamilians talking in broken english…u knw y? cause thy r nt practising it…we r tamilians n 4 sure we knw tamil so its nt tht we must prove tht we know tamil…cummon we tamilians as i knw already gud enuf in tamil only sum of thm still acting lyk duno…nw we shld try practising English atleast jz 2 improve our skill…u can get irritated with broken english spoke by de tamilians bt did u think y r thy still remaining with their broken english?another thing is we can aspct every1 of us 2 talk de real pure tamil which used by the old generation cause our great grandparents also cant get de exact 1…wt m trying 2 tell is…we r tamilians n shld proud o it n tamil is our soul n everything…our soul till die wl b with us ny…wteva it is also…bt thiss foreign language is sumthing in btw tht we gt 2 knw…so we shld encourage our tamilians 2 skill in it…i dun speak proffesional english n my english also broken english only…m admitting it…so i wanna improve ma skill n get it right thts de purpose i speak english nt bcoz of wanna show ma parents r mat salleh o m frm america o hollywood…the problem with sum of us is tht our tinking is narrow n we shld try thinking it in different angle so tht we knw watz the purpose ppl nwdays nt talking tamil…n sry if anythin was harsh…i jz felt tiz bcoz so many of ma frns also keep on talkin bout tiz bt thy self duno wtz the use of foreign language…m nt trying 2 make tiz as issue too…so mayb if u r nt satisfied with tiz u can tell me wtz ur perception…thnk…n gud article…
hey niro just saw your comment… appreciate your view but what I am emphasizing here is about Indians who pretend on not knowing Tamil or feeling embarrassed bout it… its ok to talk using broken English but its a matter of whom you are talking to… if you are talking to a person who is not sharing your ethnic background then its fine… this is where you are supposed to practice your English and improve your language… don’t go around improving your English to your grandmother who does not understand English… and again don’t start talking in English to a person of your ethnicity or in places where its crowded with the same ethnic background… Do you understand what I am trying to say here? there is a proverb or a saying in Tamil which goes ‘idam, porul, eval’ which literally means place,matter and purpose… so lets start behaving accordingly…
Ok well I’m not a Tamilian, but am of origin of their fellow neighbors, Kerala. But I was raised abroad in the West..and let me say that compared to others, GreenApple really hit the nail on the head. I don’t speak fluent malaylam at all, and I can’t read or write. Does it bother me? Absolutely not. I still feel a part of the culture because I am surrounded by it and take part of all the festivities and cultural events still makes part of my identity as Indian even if I speak English 95% of the time.
The fact I do have not perfection in malayalam shouldn’t disrupt that..you know what I mean. Who came with the ridiculous theory that if you don’t the language, you don’t know the culture..that’s just rubbish b/c language is only aspect of culture..not everything. And also for the barrier, my malayalam significantly gotten better after spending time with my non-English speaking grandparents. It just came as it is. And so now I can speak coversationtional mallu
. I do not “blame” my parents or regret that I am not fluent..why should I? I’m happy and look into the things I am blessed with and am greatful for my parents for raising me into a good human being. The fact I’m not fluent in a language shouldn’t be a burden. People are too judgemental in this issue. We all have quirks with us and we are not or never can be perfect. This world will never be anyway. Be happy with what you have and look for the heart and goodness in the people, not their qualities or a personality that makes them something they are not.
As they say, if you judge others, you will be judged the same way. So let’s not judge each other may we? If you can speak another language fluently, that’s fantastic, no probs, but if you can’t or not as well..no issue either :p
Give them a tight slap!! Aprom vayile irunthu Amma nu varutha ille Mummy nu varutha nne teriyum..
rombe mukiyom!mothe school poi padikereh veleyeh parungeh,aperoh pesengeh.hypocrites!
Kashy i have finished my schooling thus that’s why i wrote this article… its not important just to learn things in school its also important to learn your language as well…. after all you are learning Tamil in school…
mothe anthe dorai mandheyeh odekenum!thengga mandhe!
I think one should learn to converse, comprehend and if possible learn to write in their own Mother tongue be it Tamil or any other language for that matter…We should not forget our mother tongue as it’s the first language that we speak and describes our origin.