I am thinking of going on holiday to Goa. Can anyone tell me what are the main languages spoken there? It was a portugese colony so is portugese or english more popular as a second language? Is it very portugalized are or does it retain indian authenticity?
Languages in Goa
The official language of Goa is Konkani, an Indoeuropean language spoken there by 7-8 million people.
Marathi and English are also very important used for official documents. Portuguese and Hindi are minority languages, not very spoken.
Marathi and English are also very important used for official documents. Portuguese and Hindi are minority languages, not very spoken.
Is Portugese influence still strongly felt in Goa? Is it still very much portugalized or did it regain the mainstream Indian atmosphere?
''Is Portugese influence still strongly felt in Goa''
there's nothing left from Portuguese in Goa, aside from architecture and Portuguese last names...and of course religion (33% of Goans are Catholics) .Even Konkani which was written in Latin script during the Portuguese colonial rule is now spelled in Devanagari (a requirement made by Indian government).
there's nothing left from Portuguese in Goa, aside from architecture and Portuguese last names...and of course religion (33% of Goans are Catholics) .Even Konkani which was written in Latin script during the Portuguese colonial rule is now spelled in Devanagari (a requirement made by Indian government).
''the Sahitya Akademi (a prominent literary organization in India) recognized it as an independent language in 1975, and subsequently Konkani (in Devanagari script) was made the official language of Goa in 1987.''
/wikipedia/
/wikipedia/
here's a song in Konkani:
http://www.ojustme.com/2007/awesome-nike-commercial-simple-lingua-osmosis/
There was a guitar, trumpet and Ella Castellino, the singer. I had to capture the energy of the video.”
The song is Konkani, a reinvention of old Goan music.
The Konkani version of the song
Rav patrao rav
Khedong maka di mhunta aao
Khedong maka di na zhalya
Tuzho kortelem patlanv
Khedoch amche oslen
Kednanch ravonk nosle
Undir matracho khed yo kosle
Maka bhogta oslen
Arre maaroon, dhoroon, phodoon
Saiba noshib mozhe phoslen
English Translation
Wait, partner, wait
First let me play
If you don’t play, I’ll keep chasing you all day
Our game is like this only
Where we have no time to think
It is the game of cat and mouse
That I have begun to love
And in the falling running breaking
My destiny is entwined
;)
http://www.ojustme.com/2007/awesome-nike-commercial-simple-lingua-osmosis/
There was a guitar, trumpet and Ella Castellino, the singer. I had to capture the energy of the video.”
The song is Konkani, a reinvention of old Goan music.
The Konkani version of the song
Rav patrao rav
Khedong maka di mhunta aao
Khedong maka di na zhalya
Tuzho kortelem patlanv
Khedoch amche oslen
Kednanch ravonk nosle
Undir matracho khed yo kosle
Maka bhogta oslen
Arre maaroon, dhoroon, phodoon
Saiba noshib mozhe phoslen
English Translation
Wait, partner, wait
First let me play
If you don’t play, I’ll keep chasing you all day
Our game is like this only
Where we have no time to think
It is the game of cat and mouse
That I have begun to love
And in the falling running breaking
My destiny is entwined
;)
it's a state of India in the same way California is a state of America.
Is konkani related to sanskrit? Is it mutually intelligible with other sanskrit-related indian languages? Where can I find basic phrases?
^^there's nothing left from Portuguese in Goa, aside from architecture and Portuguese last names...and of course religion ^^
Something you should realize is that, contrary to other colonial people, the Portuguese intermarried with local people, and there are many Goans of Portuguese decent. Not only that, any Goan that lived in Portuguese Goa, including their children and grand children, is entitled to a EU Portuguese passport.
««Portuguese television programming, newly available by cable television, is reviving Portuguese language skills among older Goans. From Lisbon and a Portuguese Consulate here, an increasing number of exchanges, scholarships and seminars link ''Goa and Lisboa."
In addition, there is a brisk business in Portuguese passports, available to anyone living here in 1961 -- when Goans were considered Portuguese citizens -- or to their children and grandchildren. »»
««'We want to put in very big headlines: Hindus and Christians never fought in Goa in the last 500 years,'' ''We are saying this is a unique blend of East and West.'' »»http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=travel&res=9507E4DA1330F930A35755C0A9659C8B63
Something you should realize is that, contrary to other colonial people, the Portuguese intermarried with local people, and there are many Goans of Portuguese decent. Not only that, any Goan that lived in Portuguese Goa, including their children and grand children, is entitled to a EU Portuguese passport.
««Portuguese television programming, newly available by cable television, is reviving Portuguese language skills among older Goans. From Lisbon and a Portuguese Consulate here, an increasing number of exchanges, scholarships and seminars link ''Goa and Lisboa."
In addition, there is a brisk business in Portuguese passports, available to anyone living here in 1961 -- when Goans were considered Portuguese citizens -- or to their children and grandchildren. »»
««'We want to put in very big headlines: Hindus and Christians never fought in Goa in the last 500 years,'' ''We are saying this is a unique blend of East and West.'' »»http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=travel&res=9507E4DA1330F930A35755C0A9659C8B63
There's still a Portuguese influence in Goa:
Architecture, Religion (catholicism), families (intermarriage, surnames), loan words and the Portuguese language is still spoken by older people, especially as many worked for the Portuguese Administration. Having said that, of course English will help you much more.
Architecture, Religion (catholicism), families (intermarriage, surnames), loan words and the Portuguese language is still spoken by older people, especially as many worked for the Portuguese Administration. Having said that, of course English will help you much more.
In Pondicherry, India, French is still spoken as part of the norm there.