Dr Rudolph Joyer Noronha

Mangaluru, Jul 20: KonKanKit, poileñ pustak very successfully meets the author’s stated objective of guiding a student of Konkani through the first steps in learning the language. This is especially so in the case of a large number of emigrants and their descendants who have grown up in societies that do not speak Konkani.

Konkani being an oral language with no script of its own, the author uses the Roman script for Konkani words. This is a difficult exercise as Konkani has many accents and variants. The author, modestly admitting KonKanKit is not a scholarly work, has chosen to limit his effort to the variant he is familiar with, spoken by the Catholic community of Mangaluru.

The book comes in two major divisions, the first of which contains three parts. Part 1 gives brief explanations on how the book has been formatted. It covers accents, I-TRANS (International Transliteration Scheme) and grammar.

Part 2 introduces Konkani through short narratives from everyday life. An English translation follows each sentence so that the student is not distracted by having to turn pages to understand its meaning. Being short, the student is further encouraged to re-read and digest the nuances of spoken Konkani. It helps the student acquire vocabulary and confidence.

Part 3 takes the student beyond the first hesitant steps with little tales. The English text appears first. The student, therefore, knows the story before he begins reading the Konkani version that follows. It allows the Konkani version to flow freely in its natural medium without being hindered by the need to translate at micro-levels. This gives the reader a feel for the spoken language.

The second division, comprising the major part of the book, contains the vocabulary and wordlist. I believe it has been inappropriately listed as an appendix as it is an integral part of the book, comprising 80% of its pages. The vocabulary is extensive and covers much more than a beginner would need. It is presented in a very innovative manner. Both English and Konkani words are listed together alphabetically. They are easily identifiable by the simple method of capitalization of English words. The words list gives separately under specified categories Konkani words for vegetables and fruits, fish, flora and fauna, groceries and items of everyday use which makes referencing more user-friendly.

The book lays a firm foundation for progressively advanced versions following the pattern of chapters 2 (exercises) and 3 (short tales). It already contains an extensive vocabulary and a words list. A word in appreciation for the role of Pundalik Prabhu, the editor, in bringing this book out would not be out of place. A few proofreading errors that have crept in do not in any way detract from the value of this book in guiding beginners through their first steps into the treasures that Konkani preserves in its rich folklore accumulated over generations of Konkani speakers.

An audio version made available on the internet would be particularly effective in meeting the author’s objective of preserving his mother tongue through the only medium Konkani has survived through the centuries.

To encourage beginners, the author has very generously made the e-version of the book freely available. Interested persons may email Alan Machado at alan.machado3@gmail.com for their free copy. Now this book has also been made available for reference on www.archive.org for the benefit of Konkani enthusiasts.