Bengali youth must speak in its mother tongue: CM Mamata at International Mother Language Day

Language is like a flowing river, CM Mamata said on the occasion of International Mother Language Day

Emphasising the State’s culture of promoting unity amidst diversity, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on February 21 that for the evolution and growth of a language, it is necessary to include words used by the masses to enter its lexicon.

Addressing a programme at Deshapriya Park in south Kolkata on the occasion of International Mother Language Day, the Chief Minister called for opening up rather than slamming the doors for any language to promote its growth.

"We cannot keep our minds shut, we have to embrace other words and phrases which are used and understood by many Bengalis. ‘ Ma’ is a universally understood word, but many people address their mother as ‘ Amma’. Those who have migrated from Bangladesh use certain phrases which were not used by people in this State.

“Language is like a flowing river. It is my humble submission to linguists and experts what is the harm in incorporating words to enrich our lexicon without tinkering with the basic spirit of the language?” the Chief Minister asked.

Pointing out that language means communication, Ms. Banerjee said those words stay on that reach out to more people.

Mentioning that there is no harm if there is a spurt in Bengali words which may not look out of place, Ms. Banerjee said "More people will understand the term ‘ jailrakshi’ than ‘ kararakshi’ though ' karagar' is widely understood. And tell me, how many people understand the meaning of the word ' arakshan' [security]”.

While agreeing that there is a need for Bengali youth to study in English for employability and upskilling in the international market, she regretted the tendency among a section of youngsters to desert their mother tongue for other languages while speaking at home.