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akssri • today at 5:45 AM • 2 replies • view on HN

EU laws get written in 24 languages - and the CJEU (the equivalent of SC) doesn't give precedence to any one "master" language. These arguments for a "master-language" (let alone a foreign one), by both Hindi/Tamil nationalists, are cliched and threadbare.

In my opinion, these are just excuses for continued colonial-era English-imposition - because it's often only the aforementioned section that makes such brain-dead arguments.

For all the politically-ostentatious love of their own mother-languages there's not a single technical-university of any great reputation in either of these (it's worse in other Indic languages). The economic-value of these languages is close to zero if not negative.

Sheldon Pollock notes that, even in classical studies and literature, the institutions have turned utterly incompetent and filled with political retainers who can barely hold a mantle to people from previous generations who were experts in linguistics and manuscriptology.

So much for "Hindi/Tamil..." pride...

Replies

vikrantrathore • today at 7:27 AM

Comments like these do injustice with Indian constitution which grants:

1. Protection of Language and Script (Article 29)

Article 29(1): "Any section of the citizens... having a distinct language, script or culture of its own shall have the right to conserve the same.

Article 29(2): "No citizen shall be denied admission into any educational institution maintained by the State or receiving aid out of State funds on grounds only of religion, race, caste, language or any of them."

Article 30(1): "All minorities, whether based on religion or language, shall have the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice."

Article 350: "Every person shall be entitled to submit a representation for the redress of any grievance to any officer or authority... in any of the languages used in the Union or in the State..."

Article 350. Language to be used in representations for redress of grievances- Every person shall be entitled to submit a representation for the redress of any grievance to any officer or authority of the Union or a State in any of the languages used in the Union or in the State, as the case may be.

Article 350A. Facilities for instruction in mother-tongue at the primary stage - It shall be the endeavor of every State and of every local authority within the State to provide adequate facilities for instruction in the mother-tongue at the primary stage of education to children belonging to linguistic minority groups; and the President may issue such directions to any State as he considers necessary or proper for securing the provision of such facilities.

Article 350B. Special Officer for linguistic minorities-

    There shall be a Special Officer for linguistic minorities to be appointed by the President.
    It shall be the duty of the Special officer to investigate all matters relating to the safeguards provided for linguistic minorities under this Constitution and report to the President upon those matters at such intervals as the President may direct, and the president shall cause all such reports to be laid before each House of Parliament and sent to the Government of the States concerned.
The only unequal part which is only applicable to Hindi and not other languages:

Article 351. Directive for development of the Hindi language- It shall be the duty of the Union to promote the spread of the Hindi language, to develop it so that it may serve as a medium of expression for all the elements of the composite culture of India and to secure its enrichment by assimilating without interfering with its genius, the forms, style and expressions used in Hindustani and in the other languages of India specified in the Eighth Schedule, and by drawing, wherever necessary or desirable, for its vocabulary, primarily on Sanskrit and secondarily on other languages.

  Amendment Act  Year  Languages Added  Resulting Total
  Original Constitution  1950  14 Original Languages      14 languages
  21st Amendment Act     1967  Sindhi                     15 languages
  71st Amendment Act     1992  Konkani, Manipuri, Nepali  18 languages
  92nd Amendment Act     2003  Bodo, Dogri, Maithili, Santhali  22 languages
  96th Amendment Act     2011  "Oriya" to "Odia"          22 languages
Doubt in Germany a user can submit documents in French and can get have special protection by Germany for promoting French language.
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whyagaindavid • today at 7:07 AM

> colonial-era English-imposition

Making it 45 languages etc will not solve issues. The point is not master or slave. Stop that victim mindset.

If people follow law and order all will be fine. Telling reputation etc is all good. Foreign people study and celebrate Indic languages better. Foreign institutes spend more grants in that.

> there's not a single technical-university of any great reputation in either of these (it's wor

It was tried in S.India - Anna University. Very few people joined to do B E in Computer Science Engg.

The real question is every ruler wants to keep population stupid.

You still celebrate people like NarayanaMoorthy or L& T chairman. biju or ola CEOs lying in public.

At the end, there is endemic corruption. Blaming UK or West will not solve anything.