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Writer's pictureSpeak Your Roots

Ka ktien ka long kaba im/ Language is alive











Ka ktien ka long kaba im namar la kren ïa ka da ki briew kiba im. Ki briew kiba mad ïa ka kmen ka sngewsih, kiba don ki jingkhlaiñ bad jingtlot. Ka ktien ka long kaba kylla man la ka por namar ngi ruh ngi kylla man la ka por. Kum baroh kiba dei ki bynta jong ka jingman jingim u briew, ïa ka ktien la donkam ban bsa ïa ka, ban ïada ïa ka bad ban pynneh ïa ka. Ka ktien ka kylla tangba ka sah kumjuh ruh. Ka don ha ka jingïaid ban san ban miat, ban pynthymmai ïalade bad ha kajuh ka por ka long shisha ha ka bynta tynrai jong ka. Kane ka long kajuh ïa ki briew ruh. Ngi nang kylla na ka por sha ka por tangba ngi neh ka kyrteng, ka jaitbynriew, ka kur ka jait bad kumta ter ter. Ki don namar kata kiei kiei kiba kylla bad kiei kiei kiba dei ban neh kumjuh.


Ka jingphylla jong ka ktien ka long ba ha kawei ka liang ka dei kaba lah ban ïohsngew da ki shkor bad ïohi da ki khmat, bad ha kawei pat la saiñdur da ki dak bad nuksa ban pynshai ïa ka jingmut jong ka. Ngi kren bad ngi mut kumba ngi ong bad ngi kren bad ngi mut da ka jingmut kaba sha lyndet ruh. Namar kata ka don ka bor ha ki ktien; kumno la pynshong ïa ki bad kumno la ong ïa ki bad la nang ai mynsiem ïa ki da ka rukom ring sur, ka jingsangeh shipor bad ka jingkiew ne jinghiar ka sur.


Ïa ka jinglong kaba paka tam ne kaba nylla tam jong ka ktien ka dei haba la kren ïa ka. Ka jingher jong ka ktien na u thylliej sha ka sla thoh ka long kaba dap da ki sohkyrdot kiba wanrah ki jingthylli ha ka jingmut jong ka ktien. Ka jinglong maïan jong ka ktien ka pynlong ba ngi nym lah ban shon shap thik kumba pyrkhat. Ka khih ha ka lyer ha shyntur, la klet ïa ka, la kynmaw ïa ka; ka ktien ka pdiang ïa ka jingieit, ka ktien ka shah ïa ka jingbymsalia jong ngi ruh. Ngin ai aïu ïa ka ktien kaba long shi bynta jong ka malade?

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Language is alive because it is spoken by a living person. A person with joy and sorrow, with strengths and weaknesses. Language is always evolving because we are evolving. Like everything that is part of human existence, it needs to be nurtured, protected and preserved.


Language evolves yet it also stays the same. It is in a constant process of regeneration yet staying true to essence. This is the same for a human being. We evolve yet we have the same name, same tribe, same clan and so on. Perhaps there are things which are supposed to change and others which are supposed to stay the same.


Language is beautifully concrete and abstract. We say and mean something literal. We say and mean something symbolic. This is why there is so much power in words; in how they are placed and said, given impetus by tone, pause and pitch.


In its purest form, language exists in the spoken realm. The flight from tongue to page is fraught with gaps of meaning. In its most mysterious, language is not fixed. It moves in breath, it is forgotten, it is remembered, it receives love, it endures apathy. What are we going to give to language that is part of our own self?



Khyndiat ki jingpuson ha ka sngi World Folklore Day shaphang bor bad ka jingmaïan ka ktien ka thylliej 🆎💭🗯️
Some food for thought on World Folklore Day about the power and mystery of language 🆎💭🗯️

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