How I Met my Mother-Tongue: Language, Identity and the LLRC
 |
| A student team at the Sri Lanka Unites conference. Photo credit: Indika Yapa (Sri Lanka Unites) |
*smack!* “You must learn to speak your mother tongue!”
Unfortunately for my arm, it wasn’t the first time I had been admonished in this way by a Sri Lankan disappointed that I was not fluent in Sinhala or Tamil. Although my first spoken language was Tamil, as a lifelong Canadian, English is the language I am most proficient in. This made me wonder, if a person is unable to speak a language, how can it be considered their ‘mother tongue’?
Is a mother tongue:
• Your first spoken language?
• The language of your ancestry or ethnicity?
• The language you express yourself most comfortably in?
• The tongue spoken by your mother?
And by extension, was I expected to have certain beliefs or allegiances according to what my mother tongue was determined to be?
Personal identity is inextricably linked to language. Collective history, societal customs, idioms, culture: all are woven into language and passed from generation to generation. And in every language there are concepts and nuances that just cannot be translated. Identity, therefore, is defined to an extent by linguistic boundaries.
“Language shapes the way we think, and determines what we can think about.” -Benjamin Lee Whorf
While in its latter stages the war in Sri Lanka was labelled as a war on terrorism between the Sri Lankan Government and the LTTE, the conflict was sparked by the division between two ethnic groups speaking different languages, the Sinhalese majority and the Tamil minority. The obstacle that the language barrier presents to the reconciliation process was recognized in the 2011 report produced by the Lessons Learned and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC). The report, which itself was initially released in English and only became available in Sinhala and Tamil languages in August 2012, includes the following recommendations:
9.243 The learning of each others’ languages should be made a compulsory part of the school curriculum. This would be a primary tool to ensure attitudinal changes amongst the two communities. Teaching Tamil to Sinhala children and Sinhala to Tamil children will result in greater understanding of each other’s cultures.
 |
| Women’s Textile Cooperative in Jaffna |
But what action has been taken? Political will, commitment and investment are required to achieve these goals. In a nation where coverage of a news story may vary depending on whether you read the English, Sinhala or Tamil newspaper, knowledge of more than one language provides a wider perspective and a larger platform for dialogue.
Over the course of my past two months in Sri Lanka, I have witnessed firsthand the undeniable value of multilingualism in this nation. In August, when meeting with a women’s group in Batticaloa, I was amazed by the instant trust and ease in the women’s demeanors when I switched from speaking to them in English to conversing with them in their native Tamil tongue. A few weeks later, as a volunteer at the Sri Lanka Unites ‘Future Leaders Conference’ in Jaffna, I saw high school students from across the country come together to learn the skills and build the relationships necessary to lead Sri Lanka as a unified nation. As the students completed each activity, it was clear the advantage that the bilingual and trilingual students had in expressing themselves and relating to their diverse peers. Multilingualism was something that the students came to value and strive for.  |
| Students at the Sri Lanka Unites Conference identifying national issues in Sinhala, Tamil, and English |
A common theory I have heard here is that the key to unifying the country as well as keeping students competitive in the globalized economy is to introduce English as a universal language of instruction, rather than the current separate streams for Sinhala, Tamil, and English instruction. While knowledge of English is a definite asset, if the two national languages are not used in academia, they will not be able to develop and adapt to the changing times. For example, in discussions about development, I have heard Tamil and Sinhala conversations peppered with English words such as “capacity building”, “sustainability”, and “livelihoods”. The academic use of a language is necessary to cultivate it for future generations, as well as to preserve the unique culture that it carries.
As I write this, it occurs to me that many of the people I am writing about will not be able to read this, making it another example of something lost in translation. To this effect, I have started taking both Sinhala and Tamil classes to improve my language skills. Trilingualism may be a lofty goal, but I truly believe that it is a worthwhile one.
LLRC Report: http://slembassyusa.org/downloads/LLRC-REPORT.pdf
Sri Lanka Unites: http://www.srilankaunites.org/
Sabina Martyn
No comments:
Post a Comment