New Tamil generations who can't read or don't speak Tamil ?

[Soomy]

What are the reasons of this failure ?

[Lambretta]

Well, my reason is tat I've never lived in TN in my whole life so far! :)
And bcos I've lived in other places, I had other languages to learn, I didn't find it feasible or relevant to learn how to read Tamil.....I can speak it bcos tats wat we speak at home....:)

[ssanjinika]

I studied in a convent where my second lang was Hindi.Though my mom tried to teach me to read tamil,I just viewed it as one more thing to study and never tried to properly learn it.I can read it very slowly by the time finish one para of a story / article I loose interest :D.

[Lambretta]

I studied in a convent where my second lang was Hindi.Though my mom tried to teach me to read tamil,I just viewed it as one more thing to study and never tried to properly learn it.I can read it very slowly by the time finish one para of a story / article I loose interest :D.
Wow! First time I'm coming across a Tamil who was raised in TN yet can't read Tamil! :D 'guess I don't hav to feel like an odd-one outt in this regard afterall! :lol:

[Anoushka]

Lamby, a few of my cousins who studied in Madras can't read Tamizh because they took Hindi as second langauge in school and my aunts/uncles never insisted that they learn the language :(

[ssanjinika]

Why do you say that Lamby?Lots of tamilians dont put their children to learning tamil coz they feel they can themselves teach the children language whereas it wounldt be the case with hindi.Neways now a days I think theres no option coz most schools have come out with the third language thing.

[Lambretta]

Why do you say that Lamby?Lots of tamilians dont put their children to learning tamil coz they feel they can themselves teach the children language whereas it wounldt be the case with hindi.
Well, for one thing I rem. being told (many yrs ago) tat Tamil was compulsory in state syllabus schools in TN (I know tat in ICSE/CBSE u can always choose another language subject :)).....I'm not sure if its still tat way......perhaps u'll be knowing since ur mom is a teacher? :)
Also I understand Tamil is given far more prominence as a spoken + read/written language in TN than say, Hindi, unike sum cities in other states (eg. Hyd. where Hindi is regarded an official language besides Telugu! :))


Neways now a days I think theres no option coz most schools have come out with the third language thing.
U mean to say Tamil has to be taken as a compulsory subject now?? I rem. its the same case in Orissa where I had a tough time for the 2 years we were there! I believe its the same even in schools in Calcutta.

[ssanjinika]

Yes its true :(. In TN tamil is given so much prominence that they forget that hindi is our "NATIONAL" Language.Whats wrong in wanting to learn our national language is something I would never understand.
But as I said now most schools have to teach 2 secondary languages(i.e if English is the mode of teaching ,the children have to choose either hindi or tamil for the second and third languages respectively).The idea is to teach the students atleast the basics of these 2 languages which IMO is a step in the right direction :thumbsup:

[Lambretta]

Yes its true :(. In TN tamil is given so much prominence that they forget that hindi is our "NATIONAL" Language.Whats wrong in wanting to learn our national language is something I would never understand.
Well, a similar thing seems to be happening here in AP too! There'd been a clamour abt making Telugu as a compulsory subject in state syllabus schools atleast! Today I even came across a program on TV where 2 ex-film personalities were extalling it as our "mathrubhasha" (did they forget abt non-telugus living in AP?! :x:) & the need to preserve it, sayin tat forgetting our "mathrubhasha" is like forgetting our own mother etc etc.....actually I don't see y they hav to make such a big fuss, Telugu is certainly not diminsihing in existance asfa I can see! :roll:


The idea is to teach the students atleast the basics of these 2 languages which IMO is a step in the right direction :thumbsup:
Yea if its only basics then its ok I guess...but then tat wud be poss' only for a year or 2 then wat abt students who join school after those years (say for eg. in 8th std. if the basics of these langs r taught only in 4th/5th itself?)

[P_R]

I have a cousin who struggles with Tamil in school. His parents pack him off to tuitions in Maths/Physics etc while his lowest scores are in Tamil. The basic idea is: It doesn't matter (i.e. Tamil scores do not count when college entrance cut-offs. :evil: The attitude is grit and bear for another year and then you'll be done with it. He is basically a smart kid and he is losing a whole world and I feel very bad about it.


Yes its true :(. In TN tamil is given so much prominence that they forget that hindi is our "NATIONAL" Language. So much prominence ? You were that close to saying too much prominence :P And regarding what we forget , IMHO, it is eminently forgettable. But that is another story, I don't want to digress the thread.

[swathy]

[tscii:90d01cf7ea]Main reason is parents. They are not responsible. They don’t show more interest to train them.

My nephew started his schooling in Bangalore. There is no way to learn Tamil in his school. His mother's focus is only to complete his home work. He is very naughty and it’s very difficult to control him. I tried my level best and made him to read and write uyir yezhuthukkal. Soon I'll start Mei yezhuthukkal.
[/tscii:90d01cf7ea]

[great]

swathy :cry: :notworthy:

[Lambretta]

swathy :cry: :notworthy:
Enna gr8, r u sad or happy?? :)

[Anoushka]

Great Swathy :) keep up the good work :)

Prabhu: I agree with you, most people don't worry about the language papers as it is not counted for entry into professional courses! My brother picked up Tamizh because he wanted to read kumudham, kunkumam and anandha vikatan :)

My dad had a transferable job and children like us get affected with the cumpulsary third language system! I escaped because I took Special English and Additional English as my third language papers in Kerala. My brother had to do Sanskrit and at some stage Malayalam in Kerala!

But I definetly think children should learn as many languages as possible .... they miss so much if they know just one or two languages..

[Lambretta]

Prabhu: I agree with you, most people don't worry about the language papers as it is not counted for entry into professional courses! My brother picked up Tamizh because he wanted to read kumudham, kunkumam and anandha vikatan :)
:lol:
But then it'd still be mandatory to bother abt these language subjects atleast until u clear the school exams rite?


But I definetly think children should learn as many languages as possible .... they miss so much if they know just one or two languages..
Well, many ppl. (esp. children & teens) tend to learn fluently the abuses in a 'new' language first b4 learning the entire language itself! :lol:

[great]

swathy :cry: :notworthy:
Enna gr8, r u sad or happy?? :)

i pity her nephew , thats y :cry:

:notworthy: ---> swathy , for her effort :lol: :lol:

[Lambretta]

Ohh....ok got it! :D

[pooja.shankar]

i was born in tn ..though raised abroad .....for the first 4 years of my life iwas in north , middle ..and all over india but not in TN...

since 5 yrs ..i ve been outside india ...

but i speak tamil well..good enuf to converse .in ..many people ...here dunt knw their mother tong coz they spk in english at home ...well we do too ..but ...i knw tamil wel.....

there are another class of tamils here whu think ...its weird to be NRI ..basically foreigns and talk in tamil ...GOSH ..i think every one shud knw their MOTHER TONG ..and try to learn the culture and language of the place wer they live too .......


my mom tried teaching me to read tamil....i can read letter by letter ...good enuf to read the name of a moive .....and cast etc ...but not good enuf to read a mag or nything ....

NEVERTHELESS ...i knw tamil and wen i am finished wid my studies i will learn to read and write tamil too ...
and brush up arabic too ....

having brought up in the middle east its a shame not to knw the regional lang ..i can read arabic ....
but i dunt unders tand the lang .....