Tamil Language among Diasporas: Retaining and Revitalizing with Technology

1. Tamil language use among the Diasporas andEfforts toward Retention using Technological Resources Differentiated Language Education and Flipped Classroom methods Vasu RenganathanDepartment of South Asia StudiesUniversity of Pennsylvania

2. Stumbling Blocks for the Tamil Diasporas:Diglossia in Tamil • The Registers High vs. Low • High variety • Classical (old and medieval Tamil) vs. Modern varieties • Use of Manipravala Style (code-mixing Sanskrit) • Pure Tamil: Chentamizh (loan creation, translation…) • Platform speech, Media broadcast, government docs. • Academic writing – manuals, books

3. Diglossia: Low variety • Low variety • Social vs. Regional dialects (Lexical and Phrasal) • Caste dialects: Brahmin dialect, Pillai dialect, Nadar dialect, Pallar dialect, Harijan dialect … • Heavily stigmatized and maintain a hierarchy based on prestige, class, economy etc. • Regional dialects: Chennai dialect, Coimbatore dialect, Madurai dialect, Tirunelveli dialect and so on. • No hierarchical differences based on prestige, yet there is a self-proclaimed high status for each of these dialects.

4. Use of Registers – lexical level • Word for ‘water’ and its appropriate use • நீர் nīr - Classical variety • ஜலம் jalam – Caste variety (Skt. Borrowing) • தீர்த்தம் tīrttam – Restricted to Gods –divine contexts • தண்ணீர் taṇṇīr – Common variety

5. Registers in use: ஜலம் • Mātā • Pitā • Guru • Teyvam தண்ணீர் நீர் தீர்த்தம்

6. What if one person takes all of the roles? Which register can one use by those with multiple roles?

7. Pitā takes the roles of guru and teyvam

8. Mātā takes the roles of guru & teyvam Popular Culture of the native land is indeed another stumbling block for the Diasporas!

9. Uncontrolled Tamil speech with multiple registers • Use of excessive Sanskrit words • Parivaarattōṭa cantoṣamā jīvicciṇṭirukkōm ‘we are living happily with all family members’ • Use of excessive English words • familyōṭa happiyā life pōykkiṭṭirukku • Use of regional and social dialect words – spoken variety • kuṭumpa cakitamā nāṅka makiḻcciyā irukkiṛōm

10. What does the mother land want from the Diasporas for the retention of our language? Controlled Tamil speech • Avoid Sanskrit words • Avoid English Words • ‘Tamil only’ mode of communication • Pure Tamil words with loan creations from classical Tamil (Atomic power plant - aṇu ulai lit. atom oven) • Loan translations (Tele-vision -> tolai nōkki –distance vision) • Loan creations (Mouse – cuṭṭi - pointer) • …..

11. Interagency Language Roundtable scale • Level 0 (No Competence) • Level 0+ (Memorized Competence) • ILR Level 1 – Elementary Competence (uses simple forms, requires a sympathetic listener) • ILR Level 2 – Limited working Competence • (makes conjunct const., sustains speech, no abstract forms) • ILR Level 3 – Professional Competence • (Uses abstract forms, idiomatic expressions and so on) • ILR Level 4 – Advanced Professional Competence • (Switches between varieties; platform speech etc.) • ILR Level 5 Superior Professional Competence (high linguistic competence; highly educated proficiency…)Ref. http://www.govtilr.org/skills/Competence.htm

12. ILR Level 1 – Elementary competence • Often called S-1 or Level 1. individual: • can fulfill travelling needs and conduct themselves in a polite manner • Requires the knowledge of proper use of English in Tamil as well as polite/impolite/respect forms. To be able to switch between different registers. (not only polite, but also impolite forms) • able to use questions and answers for simple topics within a limited level of experience • Requires the knowledge of distinction between dialectal and standard Tamil variety • able to understand basic questions and speech, which allows for guides, such as slower speech or repetition, to aid understanding • Knowledge of registers in terms of classical variety vs. spoken Tamil variety is required • has only a vocabulary large enough to communicate the most basic of needs; also makes frequent punctuation and grammatical mistakes in writing of the language • Use of Sanskrit words, loan creations, loan borrowing is required because, the two registers namely pure Tamil and Sanskritized Tamil are constantly used. • The majority of individuals classified as S-1 are able to perform most basic functions using the language. This includes buying goods, reading the time, ordering simple meals and asking for minimal directions.

13. Tamil Pedagogy – Common practice • Only Standard Spoken and Written varieties are used in classrooms – avoiding any social and dialect varieties as part of literacy. • Ability to distinguish between spoken and written varieties • Use only literary variety for writing and spoken variety for speech • Appropriate use of language in terms of politeness, speech contexts, speech participants and so on.

14. Tamil learners: Common practice • Heritage learners use only dialects heard from home for both speech as well as writing. • Difficult to unlearn what is learned already at home, and only one register is maintained throughout the course of learning. • True learners use only literary variety for both writing as well as speech • Difficult to switch between spoken and written forms and maintain the registers appropriately

15. Need for a Proficiency Scale particularly designed for South Asian Languages • Such scale would account for: • Registers: High and low varieties - diglossia • Dialects – knowledge of stigmatized forms • Ability to switch between varieties • Proper understanding and use of polite/impolite forms • ILR/ACTFL scale should be redesigned based on these language specific characteristics to meet the needs of South Asian Language students

16. Technology and the Diasporas:The Diasporas and the Motherland should unite in a Globalized Cyberspace • Create a common platform for the diasporas through World Wide Web. • Make use of Social Media and other technological advances for the purpose of language pedagogy • Design and implement Pedagogically sound Learning materials

17. Proficiency tests: • To be graded at four different levels: • Kindergarten - ILR Level 0 • Beginners - ILR Level 1 • Intermediate - ILR Level 2 • Advanced - ILR Level 3, 4 and superior • To be Interactive • Watch pedagogically produced videos • Listen to audio files • Being able to type in roman and get in Tamil script • Send answers to teachers by email • Teacher and students participate in the process of learning interactively using Cyberboard • Exchange of thoughts among other students using Chat page. • Students get scores on a regular basis

18. http://www.thetamillanguage.com

19. Interactive lessons with video, grammar, glossaries, proficiency tests!

20. Interactive exercises with instant feedback

21. Tool to type Tamil through Roman characters

22. A Globalized interactive education for the Diasporas! Differentiated Learning and Flipped Classrooms! Add videos Add pictures Student/Student Student/teacher Teacher/teacher Interactions. Students engage in a collaborative learning environment using chat page

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