The Quintessence of Apatani Language (Prelude)

A book titled “The Quintessence of Apatani Language (Prelude)” by Nending Ommo was released by Hon’ble Minister for Power, Forest, Environment and Parliamentary Affairs, Mr. Setong Sena on Dree, 5th July 2011 at Ziro.

Mr. Setong Sena, Hon’ble Minister for Power, Forest, Environment and Parliamentary Affairs releasing the book The Quintessence of Apatani Language (Prelude) at Dree ground in the presence of local MLA Mr. Padi Richo

The book underscores on the importance of preserving Apatani language, talks on the linguistic affiliation of Tani Languages, spotlights on the dialectal variations in Apatani, highlights on the provisional phonetics of Apatani language, accentuates on the exigency to standardize orthography, discusses the limitations of Tani Lipi with regards to Apatani etc.

 

The writing of the book is sociolinguistic in nature and it challenges the readers to contemplate on saving of one’s mother tongue.

The author understands the gravity of the report of UN’s cultural agency UNESCO’s Atlas of the World Languages in Danger 2009 which enlists all the languages of Arunachal Pradesh as either vulnerable or endangered of which Apatani language is obviously one of them. Apatani is listed as ‘vulnerable’ in degree of transmission as per the factor of Intergenerational Language Transmission.

The author also realises that cultural change or dynamism and language assimilations and endangerment at this age of modernisation are inevitable. But the least as a sentient Linguist and a responsible Apatani, he feels he can contribute to the society is to document this endangered language. He opines that language is the epicentre of any culture and he hopes to bestow something meaningful to the logic of the axiom ‘Loss of Culture, Loss of identity’ in Apatani community context.

The Quintessence of Apatani Language (Prelude)   Front Cover

The Quintessence of Apatani Language (Prelude)   Front Cover

The author indubitably feels the need to preserve and save Apatani language and Apatani culture as the culture is as vulnerable as the language. The pressing need of the hour he feels is to document Apatani language, as preserving or saving language and culture are steps beyond initial documentation. If one’s language is lost it would be irreparable loss of cultural heritage as language is the source of the speakers’ identity and reflects a unique worldview and culture complex, mirroring the manner in which a speech community has resolved its problems in dealing with the world and has formulated its thinking, its system of philosophy and understanding of the world around it.