By Daiarisa Rumnong (PhD)
What is language? Language is alive because it is spoken by living persons. Language evolves because we are evolving. Like everything that is part of human existence, it needs to be nurtured, protected and preserved. Language is beautifully concrete and abstract. We say and mean something literally and also symbolically. This is why there is power in words; in how they are placed and spoken; given impetus by tone, pause and pitch. At its purest, language exists in the spoken realm. The flight from tongue to page is fraught with gaps of meaning. At its most mysterious, language is not fixed. It moves in breath, it is forgotten, it is remembered, it receives love, it endures apathy. Language evolves yet it also stays the same. It is a constant process of regeneration yet staying true to essence.
As babies, before we learn to speak, we first learn to hone in our listening skills when people talk to us. Earlier it may only have been the mother tongue that babies listened to but now babies have to grapple with at least two languages, namely the mother tongue and the English language. Now we can expect a toddler’s first word to be in English. Does this undermine the importance of the mother tongue? Do we impose a hierarchy of language in our homes? Do adults unconsciously (or consciously) slip into using English when they speak, text or think? And if there is conversation in dreams, which language do we dream in?
The International Mother Language Day was first announced by UNESCO on November 17, 1999. It was formally recognised by the United Nations General Assembly in 2002. The International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is observed on August 9, and was first pronounced by the United Nations General Assembly in December 1994. In addition to this, 2022-2032 has been declared as the International Decade of Indigenous Languages. UNESCO has highlighted a ten-year action plan to draw the world’s attention to the critical loss of indigenous languages and the urgent need to preserve, revitalise and celebrate them.
“The situation of indigenous languages is alarming: at least 40% of the more than 6,700 languages spoken around the world are threatened with extinction in the long term, due to a lack of speakers. This would have severe consequences for cultural diversity and would jeopardize the centuries-old knowledge and know-how that could be decisive in humanity’s efforts to solve the challenges of this century, including climate change and biodiversity loss.
Furthermore, less than 2% of languages have any real presence online, including localised software and websites, translation and text-to-speech services and content moderation algorithms. This prevents millions of indigenous language speakers and signers from fully engaging in society and shows the need for the active development of a truly multilingual digital world.” (https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/unesco-celebrates-international-decade-indigenous-languages?hub=416)
Thus, there is a growing awareness about the conservation and revitalisation of indigenous languages, which in turn preserves culture, history and identity. This also becomes extremely relevant for communities like the Khasi who follow the oral tradition. Most of us only study Khasi language and literature in school and that is where it ends. But as one reflects on all that has been stated above, a deeper insight is needed to speak, write and read a language with purpose. This lack of knowledge of a language and its literature affects its readership and relevance in day to day life. We cannot allow this to be the case for the Khasi language as it is the crux of our culture, identity and history in an increasingly globalised world.
Globalisation is inevitable and when understand this, we can begin to balance the use of the English language with our mother tongue. Both languages should be given equal importance in our homes, so that our children learn to value their mother tongue rather than dismiss it as a second language. Further, the use of the mother tongue will imbibe a wider and deeper understanding of the dynamics between culture, identity and history. The cultural nuances of a mother tongue while speaking or writing it should not be lost on our children and if they speak both their mother tongue and English, they are enriched and can further juxtapose the two languages and see them with a critical eye.
In Meghalaya most of us are multilingual, we speak standard Khasi, our dialects, English and Hindi. We can all agree that this works to our advantage. As globalisation takes hold of our lives, digital platforms like Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube have gained ground like never before. This is where we get our news and other forms of entertainment also contribute to art, read and write poetry or articles, engage in debates about politics or religion. So quite conveniently, the world and our selves are literally in our hands. Then, do we pay attention to which language we use to do all this in?
Speak Your Roots emerged out of a conversation which demanded there be meaningful experiences on social media. An Instagram page was created which would focus on the Khasi language as an effort to revive the interest not only in speaking the language but also in reading and writing in the Khasi language. On August 3, 2020, the page was launched and it is a work of passion and love for community and culture. Speak Your Roots has grown into a compendium/ archive of word meanings, phrases, precepts, customs, interviews, poetry, research articles and so on. Now at five years old, with a following of 10,900+ Speak Your Roots is a testament that language appeals to the heart and mind because it is something innate, stemming from a yearning for self-knowledge. The enthusiastic response to the content of Speak Your Roots also shows that there is awareness of a loss or disconnect between us and our oral tradition, especially in the urban areas. This may be due to the fact that we do not speak, read or write in the Khasi language as often as we should. So our knowledge of Khasi folklore or folklife is at best superficial. Again, this is inevitable perhaps because of modernisation and globalisation.
For the Khasi community, language came before literature. The oral tradition or the spoken word was already established before the written word or literature. Therefore, one needs to understand the power of the spoken word. For instance, how precepts like Tip Briew, Tip Blei were exclusively handed down and understood by word of mouth. As a consequence, the efficacy of Speak Your Roots depends on the clarity and impact of the spoken word in our day to day lives. Custom, phrases, precepts and others draw their authority from the oral tradition. Thus, we may not learn everything from books. What we refer to is collective knowledge and wisdom and the collective memory that pervades our society. This is ultimately what is posted on the page.
To create content based on folklore and oral tradition is tedious because the content has to be confirmed and verified. To verify phrases, stories or practices (culture, agriculture, architecture, food) we need experts and individuals who are well-versed in Khasi philosophy and who have a grasp of the language. Most importantly, they should have an insight of the Khasi worldview. The support and interaction of such experts and individuals is important for Speak Your Roots because folk-life is indeed carried by the ever-flowing current of language. This is why it is critical that this is maintained on social media.
The communitarian effort behind Speak Your Roots reinforces the circle of the oral tradition. This “circle” is evocative of the lyngwiar dpei or the hearth of a Khasi family where teachings are dispensed and stories narrated. Thus, collecting contributions from followers or others with the same interest is a way of documentation and creating an archive. These contributions create a positive feeling of having a part in the sharing of knowledge with others. Consequently, Speak Your Roots creates a sense of responsibility towards the conservation of language, literature and culture. Speak Your Roots is therefore, culture-centered, community-centered and conservation-centered.
Further, the presentation of content should be attractive and appealing to social media users as they are consumers of indigenous knowledge. The visual element is important because the combination of image and text is seen as the product that is given to the reader to learn from. This “learning” is a process which includes reading, understanding, internalising and usage. This is part and parcel of the task of documenting literature, language, culture and history on Speak Your Roots.
Translation of content into English is seen as a key factor for Speak Your Roots to grow because translation helps to promote and exhibit Khasi culture to the world. Translation facilitates the bilingual nature of the page, making it accessible to the non-native speaker because there are many who are also researchers.
Interpretation and context for translation become significant as what is being explained is based on oral tradition. Translated content is always appreciated by the non-native speaker because it gives them the opportunity to understand, learn and research. This in turn, enhances the aim of preservation and conservation. This leads to the topic of representation.
In terms of representation, digital space such as a social media page, serves the purpose. Representation is a serious task because sometimes literature, history and culture are misrepresented leading to misconception. In Speak Your Roots, the spoken word is represented by the written word. That is, the oral tradition is represented by text, enabling a literary representation of the oral tradition. Thus, as a literary archive, Speak Your Roots captures the multi-layered nature of the spoken word which is itself fluid. Ultimately, the content of Speak Your Roots aims to reconcile the spirit of the spoken word and the ink of the written word.
The digital-age approach to cultural preservation is part of a broader global movement. Social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube are increasingly being utilised as powerful tools for the revitalisation of indigenous languages. They offer a space for grassroots activism, allowing communities to create and share their narratives, thereby increasing the visibility and prestige of their languages. The success of Speak Your Roots lies in its ability to bridge the gap between generations. It offers the youth a way to engage with their heritage in a medium that is familiar and appealing to them, while also honouring the wisdom of their elders. The page acts as a “symbolic hearth”, a place where the community can gather to kindle the fire of indigenous heritage in the digital realm.
Speak Your Roots encourages discussion and debate on various topics that are posted so that a fruitful discourse follows. Collaborations have been forthcoming with the annual International Mother Language Day Campaign undertaken with Big FM 98.3 Shillong and valuable support was received for the creation of the Speak Your Roots website (https://www.speakyourroots.com/) from The North East India Audio Visual Archive, St. Anthony’s College, Shillong.
Speak Your Roots offers a compelling model for indigenous language preservation in the 21st century. It combines a passion for one’s heritage with the strategic use of modern technology to create a vibrant and engaging space for the celebration and revitalisation of a language. The initiative not only serves as a digital repository but also as a living, breathing community forum that is helping to ensure that the Khasi language continues to be spoken, read and written by future generations.
