Why pure Bengali (Promit Bangla) language, sweetest language, teaching and learning is necessary at school and home in Bangladesh?

Pamelia Riviere:

 

“A Dandelion”

On this beautiful earth, 

We see varieties of flowers! 

Mother nature allows them to grow

Without discrimination!

You try hard to eliminate the plant

Thinking unappealing Dandelion

No matter what, 

It returns next Spring!

You consider him a weed; No, he is not!

What a disgrace!

He is a human being,

And he is a voice of anti-racism! 

No more hatred and oppression! 

Live and let him live, No to racism!

Let the Wildflower bloom! 

He is a Dandelion, and a Dandelion has its own Grace!

According to a UNESCO survey, Bengali has been classified as the sweetest language in the world. As a language, Bengali is widely spoken in West Bengal (India), Assam, Andaman & Nicobar Island, the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, and Bangladesh. The Constitution of India also recognizes the sweetest language in the world. So we must take care of language teaching at school and home, so our children can speak their mother tongue, sweet, pure Bengali.

About pure Bengali learning, reminiscing a precious memory of my mother, we were not allowed to say kutta (dog). We were supposed to say kukur. My mother was too strict about language use and accent. In my childhood, my mother used to give us incentives, sometimes 5 cents, 10 cents, and quarters, so we could feel encouraged to speak pure Bengali, not local dialects. From India, she came to Bangladesh in 1947, just before the partition, and she could find the difference between her accent and the local accent of the then people of Mymensingh. 

The lack of pure Bengali (Promit Bangla) language learning is one factor that affects most Bangladeshis. Most Bangladeshis speak their parents’ accents (local languages) in public. They do not use pure Bengali during conversations in offices or public places. Many prominent Bengalis speak their territorial dialects even in front of National TV or Media. Why could they not develop a skill learning pure Bengali? Because in their childhood, they were used to speaking the local dialect at home and school. It was hard for them to learn the pure Bengali accent in adulthood. Possibly, they had no intention of learning pure Bengali as they were more comfortable with the local dialect. 

Therefore, we can’t blame or harass Mr. Alam, or those prominent people who used to speak in the local Bengali dialect in front of the media. Turning them down in the media or attacking them personally is unethical and discriminatory because of their regional dialects and accents. We need to think about the language skill issue from a broader perspective. To reduce pure Bengali speaking difficulty, the Bangladesh government should promote pure Bengali teaching and learning at school and encourage parents to speak pure Bengali at home. Bangladesh is a small country, but it has many local dialects.

Some dialects are hard to understand as the dialects vary from one district to another. All teachers, including Bengali class teachers, must speak pure Bengali at school to help students learn how to speak pure Bengali. Hence, they can communicate well and not feel embarrassed in their professional life when they grow up.

During the drama rehearsal, Jotirindranath Tagore (second son of Noble Laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore) once mentioned that it was hard to teach people to pronounce pure Bengali (Promit Bangla) because of their local dialects and accents. The pure Bengali language (Promit Bangla) speaking difficulty ensued for Mr. Alam, including other actors and singers.  

Unfortunately, many renowned professionals can’t speak pure Bengali, and they have accents. We must accept everyone’s accents and respect them, but teachers and parents can try their best to improve children’s Bengali speaking skills. However, teaching pure Bengali (Promit Bangla) language has been necessary since childhood. So, children can speak the sweetest language in the world. 

However, speaking pure Bengali will take a lot of work for parents from rural backgrounds. But teachers must urge parents to speak pure Bengali at home. In this case, Bangladesh’s primary education sector must take the initiative to teach children pure Bengali at school so they can successfully communicate the Bengali language in the school environment.

References:

Ashraful Hossen Alom, best known as Hero Alom, is a Bangladeshi actor and youtuber who rose to fame with his youtube channel.

https://www.thedailystar.net/entertainment/tv-film/news/if-i-dont-suit-your-taste-you-should-kill-hero-alom-3282616

 

About the writer:

The writer is an expert in Curriculum and Pedagogy (CP), Peace and Conflict educator, Toronto, Canada. She can be reached at [email protected]

 

 

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