The Pronunciation crisis

THE PRONUNCIATION CRISIS

At first, I thought of captioning this article as ‘THE PRONUCIATION WAR’ or ‘THE DYING KNOWLEDGE OF LITERATURE’ but I decide to write it as ‘THE PRUNOCIATION CRISIS’, pretty reasonable isn’t it?

Do you know why ‘English’ is accepted as the international dialect for exchange of ideas/information/ War plans (Nudge!!)?? It is because the language itself is derived from various languages of the world, the more important ones such as; Sanskrit, Arabic, Latin, Greek, French etc. It must be heart-breaking for many that English does not have its own root or origin because it is the heterogeneous combination of languages around the world. So those 1900s bureaucrats accepted it.

English words such as BROTHER, BAZAAR, DOZEN, AVATAR, SAMADHI, SHAMPOO (yes!) and 300 hundred other words come from this divine language. They were adopted from Hindi which itself is evolved from Sanskrit.

The very first notion of this idea came up to my mind was by a mental confrontation. It was when I was in Surat and was sent by my school to an inter-school debate competition. There a contestant was using Brit. English in American accent that too not perfectly. Such a deed is a depraved action for me where a person doesn't know to respect the language he speaks. This problem should be looked at a broader prospect.

Today English has been incorporated in our mother tongue so deeply in daily usage that we don’t even know what a particular word means in Hindi or in your mother tongue. The condition deteriorates when today an Indian doesn't know to follow English also. An Indian is supposed to use British English. A few of years ago when I accomplished fluency in ‘BRITISH’ English, I hear this candidate in an inter-school debate use the slang American pronunciation with its equally atrocious American accent. Few appreciated, but I didn't feel it right. You can’t violate even your English also after virtually destroying the dignity of your mother tongue, Come on!

Do you now know which particular English you speak? Is it British, North American, Australian, South African? No, right? Microsoft, Facebook etc. provide 8 types English language including INDIAN. In terms of accent, either you believe it or not, Indian accent is one of the most demanded accent in the whole world. Giant companies dig Indian accent and pay huge sum of money to hire it. It is because it is the most clear and accurate accent in terms of pronunciation. Thanks to INDIAN languages.

Let me take the example of one of the veteran actors whom I respect dearly, Michael Caine. I like him because he played Alfred in ‘The Dark Knight Trilogy’ and I am huge of fan of these films. Let me ask you this,

How do you pronounce the word ‘EITHER’?

a)I-ther      b) ee-ther

Those individuals who want to flaunt their porous English knowledge and sophistication will choose option b) in a flash. If you are not one of those, then let us pray for them.

Oxford had organised dozens of seminar to clear the doubts of a few other words. It was too late, many people had been affected It is said that even an Eagle has to fly away when the snake eats its eggs. An idea is like a virus. It is tough to eradicate it.

 

I would like you to read the following unknown facts:

1.  .. Robert Downey Jr. follows Hinduism.
2. No twins have born in USA since 2008.
3. Neil Armstrong was forcefully asked to walk first on Moon, as NASA was    unsure if the land was strong enough to hold him or would he fly away in space. He did it because NASA promised to pay his debt.
4. Draupadi, wife of the Pandavas was born in today’s New Zealand.
5. The first liver transplant was done in India in 1842.
6. Akbar was only five feet tall.
7. The story of the movie Titanic(1997) was found to be coincidentally true in 2006.

Shocked right? There are several other startling facts unknown to us. If you want to know more such facts, go to this URL directly

www.modernespionage.org/worldy_facts/shockers_of_universe/unknown_facts.jpeg_801_UXS_request_ok155

Why did I tell you these facts? That must be the thought in your mind. It is because I did a lot of research to prove that they are of course, not true. Yes, you have been tricked. I am sure 8/10 people would believe it to be true because I conveyed it to you with so much confidence. Do you get where I am going at?

Ladies and gentlemen, today we are surrounded in an environment full of people who have little knowledge but have lot to say. English, the centre of this article is not a commodity that can be used in whichever way one wants it. It has certain rules and principles. It should be used with sincerity.

I have seen people speaking English with a bag full of confidence but an ink pot full of knowledge. I am not saying that I am an expert, of course not. I just believe that we should commit some activities the way they are meant to be done.

About pronunciation, we always have couple of self-proclaimed pandits who deliberately change the pronunciation of words, every damn (informal!!) words just to stand alone in the crowd and be hailed. Sorry, not going to happen!

The reason for bringing my dear Michael Caine in this debate is because I admire his British accent and pronunciation. They are perfect dot-to-dot. It is just like a sculpture. Being over 80 years old, he still hasn't been harmed or damaged in his mother tongue and continuous to use it ‘the way it is meant to be’.

The following are a sub-set of examples of words damaged by the attempt of some people to stand alone in the crowd.

 Word                         Damaged Pronunciation           Proper pronunciation

·   DIVERSITY                 Dee-versity                          Dy-versity

·   SPECIES                     Spe-kees                             Spe-sheez/Spe-seez       

·   INDICES                     In-dee-cees                         In-dy-cees

·   OFTEN                       Of-tuhn                               Of-uhn

·   MUSCAT                    Muh-skatt(‘skatt’ as ‘cut’)      Muh-scat(‘scat’ like ‘skull’)

After words, lets come to some phrases. I am not saying that the following phrases should be banned, but they are becoming a terrible nuisance and probably People’s Republic of China will consider their usage as treason(wink!).

• ‘You know’—Using this phrase in between sentences. Usually people use it when they are confused while speaking English, due to lack of knowledge. Sadly, people have picked it up as a trend.
•  It’s like/Just like/ You see it’s like/ something something like’— Terrible, should be included in informal English section right away.
• LOL—Lots Of Laugh/Love/Luck/Loss of hair whatever….) It is such a genocide of social interaction. It is a positive sign that its usage is coming down.

“I should probably end this discussion here on a high note believing my message is conveyed to you. Hope these viruses spreads.”

If u get it, der r 4 grmmaticl mistks in d abv quotd lines.

Thank You.