A call to dump conservatism, write what you converse

Is the Kannada script accessible to all sections of society? Does the language need simplification in its written form? Has the influence of Sanskrit on Kannada created barriers for learning and usage?

Social media has been abuzz with these debates in recent weeks. “Ellara Kannada”, a movement that attempts to simplify Kannada language usage has been at the crux of these debates.

The proponents of “Ellara Kannada” argue that Kannada, in its present form, needs simplification as some of its features like the “aspirated sounds” (Mahapraana) have made the language inaccessible to a large section of the society.

For, most people do not use aspirated consonants while speaking. The written script must be accordingly simplified to make it relatable to all, they say. The campaign challenges the idea that pronunciation has to be in a certain way to speak the language correctly.

While that’s one part of the debate, the larger effort is also to use words that are etymologically derived from Kannada and not Sanskrit.

Where did this debate originate from? Why is it being discussed now?

In recent weeks the debate has been driven on social media by a section of Kannada language activists and linguists. However, the term “Ellara Kannada” was coined in 2013, activist Ganesh Chetan explains.

Simplifying the Kannada script was part of a larger project associated with ‘Honalu,’ a Kannada language portal.

The ‘Honalu’ team experimented with a reformed script with fewer letters in the Kannada alphabet. “Ellara Kannada” was the tagline given for the simplified script, Chetan says.

They have also come up with Kannada equivalents for Sanskrit-rooted scientific terms, compiling about 8,000 such words.

“Our focus was to simplify academics for students in Kannada medium. Especially when it comes to science terms, we have complicated words rooted in Sanskrit. We wanted to find simpler equivalents,” he adds.

Aside from Honalu, author and linguist Shankar Bhat has been among the active proponents of simplified Kannada in years.

There have been earlier efforts, too. Kannada poet B M Shrikantaiah (BM Shri) had done one such experiment in his book “Kannada Baavuta”.

In this work, BM Shri tried placing the clustered sounds (Vottakshara) side by side instead of one below the other, as is used in Kannada.

“Tamil uses it horizontally and BM Shri tried to replicate it in Kannada,” says Meti Mallikarjuna, Professor of Linguistics, Sahyadri College.

While authoring books, Mallikarjuna himself makes use of words with Kannada etymology rather than Sanskrit.

“Words with Kannada etymology do not have aspirated sounds. So naturally, the script gets simplified.”

The debate is not purely linguistic but political, too. Those demanding a simplified script believe that “Sanskritisation” is a result of a Brahminical approach to the language, which seeks to keep its usage exclusive to one section of the society.

Nonetheless, the ‘Ellara Kannada’ campaign has seen backlash, with many fearing that the features of Kannada language will be diluted.

Author Vasudhendra adds nuance. While the intention behind the movement is good, one cannot expect sudden change, he opines.

“How the language is used will be decided by the society at large. It always changes with time. The Kannada we use today is different from what it was in the tenth century,” he says. While spoken language can be unique to each individual, the written script needs some uniformity, he opines.

Publisher Akshatha Humchadakatte has a similar opinion. “We all have to practise usage of spoken Kannada words in writing, too. This will give a momentum to the language,” she says.

“However, no one should impose this process on anyone. It has to take its own course.”