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Yes! We say futbon

Having an accent and the inability to properly articulate a foreign word or a loanword due to mother-tongue influence is a matter of great pride.

ByArambam Luther

Updated 29 Apr 2023, 1:50 am

Representational Image (Photo: Pixabay)
Representational Image (Photo: Pixabay)

Whenever there is a discussion on English pronunciation, the Meiteis particularly among other communities in the state, has been on the receiving end of criticisms and jokes on how bad we are at it. The targets are usually the programme announcers, leaders, and most politicians who are often ridiculed in the comment sections of social media for their bad pronunciations. 

Yes, we are talking about the language of England, a country that proudly claims Chicken Tikka Masala as its national dish. England does take pride in its ability to absorb other cultures. In a speech acclaiming the advantages of Britain's multiculturalism, British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook mentioned in 2001 that Chicken Tikka Masala, a South Asian dish, is a true British national dish, not only because it is the most popular, but because it is a perfect illustration of the way Britain absorbs and adapts external influences. 

It is well known that the English language is made up of over 80-90 per cent of words borrowed words or loanwords from other languages such as French, German, Latin, Spanish, Dutch, Italian, Japanese, Arabic, Portuguese, Sanskrit, Scandinavian, Russian, Maori, Hindi, Hebrew, Persian, Malay, Urdu, Irish, Afrikaans, Yiddish, Chinese, Turkish, etc. It is said that more than 50 per cent of English words have Latin and French origins. English has thousands of Cognates, a word that shares a root origin with a similar word in another language (‘atencion’ in Spanish and ‘attention’ in English are cognates originally drawn from Latin).

The loanwords tend to lose their original spelling or pronunciation when they get absorbed by another language such as English (e.g. ‘Koekje’ – Dutch, ‘Cookie’ - English). One can only imagine the irony when we get laughed at for mispronouncing an English word that is made up by using loanwords and has gone through many changes from its original root. 

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Some Meities tend to say ‘futbon’ instead of ‘football’. That particular word ‘futbon’ has two significant revelations: first is our thick accent which bears testimony to the fact that we have a more than 2,000-year-old history, culture, identity, and most importantly our established language. Having an accent and the inability to properly articulate a foreign word or a loanword due to mother-tongue influence is a matter of great pride.

Only a person belonging to a community or race with a rich history and language can have an accent or face such difficulties. Our accent is our identity. So, it is actually beautiful when the elderly Meitei folk pronounce ‘Radio’ as ‘Redicot’. The ‘mispronunciation’ here is actually his/her rich mother tongue influence and the cultural past doing the work. Imagine saying all the English words like a native speaker from England and losing all our beautiful accents and our identity. Wouldn’t that be a matter of utter shame?

The supposed “better or right” way of speaking English or pronouncing comes easily to those who are routinely exposed to English-speaking atmospheres or to those who probably grew up speaking only dialects and have no proper first language to influence their accents. Having no accent actually could be interpreted as an indication of lacking a cultural heritage and foundation with no firm language to mark one’s identity.

Yes, if one has to go to English-speaking countries and needs to clear IELTS or TOEFL examinations, they must change their accent or articulation so that the native people of the countries they are visiting can understand them. But there is no need for one to practice for hours in front of a mirror to correctly pronounce English words just to acquire a false sense of superiority. However, the stronghold which the language of the colonisers have upon us appears to be losing and our post-colonial hangover with the English language seems to be dying as well.

Even in Europe, English is losing its dominance. At the beginning of this April, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's Brothers of Italy party introduced new legislation which proposes a fine of up to Euro 100,000 for using English in official communication. This is how Italy, the birthplace of the Renaissance and the cradle of Western civilization, is taking pride in her rich past and reclaiming her roots.     

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The second significance of saying ‘futbon' instead of the English pronunciation of 'football' is the flexibility and our ability to absorb other words and make them our own, and this is a key feature for a language to develop and survive.

The English language grew because it absorbed words from other languages. Manipuri or Meiteilon also has this capability as pointed out by many. Words like ‘futbon’ and ‘redicot’, etc. can actually be added to our lexicon and be a part of Meiteilon just like every other language that absorbed, grew, and survived. These words are no longer mispronunciations but have become loanwords we have adopted.

At this point, we have to understand that a particular language is protected not by filtering out foreign words or ‘lonyan’ but by increasing the number of people who speak it. The growth of a language has to do with mortality rates, business expansion, travel, trade and commerce with other cultures and countries, and many other factors, etc. A language stops growing and dies out only when there is no one left to speak it. As for pronunciation, we say 'futbon' and we should be proud of it. 

(The views expressed are personal)

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Tags:

meiteisenglishmeitei accent

Arambam Luther

Arambam Luther

Senior Sub-Editor, Imphal Free Press

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