Why It's ‘Kannada' For Karnataka & ‘Kannad' For North? ‘1st Language Interference' Explained
There has been a significant row over non-Kannada speakers' inability to speak the local language fluently.
The simmering language debate in Karnataka has taken a new turn, this time, over the pronunciation of South Indian languages. A common point of contention is the frequent mispronunciation of 'Kannada" as 'Kannad," which has irked many locals. Even Kannada star Kiccha Sudeep joined the conversation, saying, 'Just like Hindi cannot be called Hind, Kannada cannot be Kannad."
But the question remains. How did the phrase 'Kannad' come into existence? According to a recent discussion with linguists in Deccan Herald, many believe it's a result of 'first language interference", where a speaker's native language influences their pronunciation and usage of other languages.
Why Do People Pronounce Kannada As Kannad?
Meti Mallikarjuna, a linguist, professor and researcher at Kuvempu University, spoke to the outlet, explaining how linguistic structures are different for different languages, including Kannada and Hindi. 'While Kannada and other Dravidian languages are largely based on vowels, which means the words end with a vowel, languages like Hindi end with a consonant sound," he added.
As a result, those unfamiliar vowel-ending languages are likely to struggle with the correct pronunciation and end up mixing it with a consonant sound. The linguistic expert went on to cite a few examples, showing the difference between the pronunciation in Hindi and Kannada, such as pustak-pustaka (book), ganith-ganitha (mathematics) and chintan-chintana (think).
Likewise, DN Shankara Bhat, another linguist, stated how speakers make certain changes in pronunciation when they borrow more from other languages. 'The structure of the borrowed word may be different from what the speaker is exposed to in their primary language. This is the reason why North Indians refer to our language as Kannad," he added. Noting that the mispronunciation of Kannad is not necessarily wrong, as such adjustments are common, Bhat went on to share how English speakers have a distinction between alphabets but Indians do not.
Sahiba, an academician and former Kannada professor, explained how pronunciation issues prevail among Tamil speakers as well when they converse in Kannada using Tamil grammar. 'The grammatical rules of the primary language are deeply rooted everywhere. Many speakers are only able to adapt to the grammar of a second language while speaking it is as much as their own primary language," she explained.
Linguistic experts continued to emphasise that the variations in mispronouncing languages might not be deliberate, as not everyone is aware of it, and they have nobody to correct them.
Despite being a common issue with speakers from all parts of the country, many within the state of Karnataka are still seen as being targeted for not speaking Kannada fluently or mispronouncing words. It reflects how language politics have been unfairly affecting those with limited access to linguistic support.
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