I am so glad to be a member in email groups such as YCCF- International and Chinland where the Chin people who have different native tongues meet together and share ideas by using English language in common. I believe that the current situation is reality. Chins from Teddim, Falam, Mindat, Matupi, Paletwa and Hakha-Thanglang and others meet and use English language. We may be a little bit poor in English yet it can be our official language. Just see the latest Seminar. What language did the scholars use for argument? They use English!.
Therefore, whether we accept it or not, the Chin people around the world have been using English language for our common communication. Currently different Chins in Burmese might be using Burmese language for common communication. But English is more broadly used by the Chin people around the world. So I believe that the Chin people would be able to adopt English language for our official language. But it doesn't mean to make different dialects of Chin disappear. Promoting own dialects would be always appreciated.
Especially in terms of unity, using English language will bring advantages for the Chin people. And it is not an impossible one in this IT era. It is just the matter of time and effort. For example, let's say that we will use Lai language. We will need to take times. How long? and How? and let's say - English.. How long and how? just balance these two things. The result will be equal or almost equal. But let's see that there are more advantages of speaking in English than speaking in Lai or one of other Chin dailects.
Singapore is known as a small country. But the population is about 4.5 millions. Originally, there are many different languages such as Mandrin, Kentoness, Malay, Tamil...etc...( According to world factbook the language spoken in Singapore are ....Mandarin 35%, English 23%, Malay 14.1%, Hokkien 11.4%, Cantonese 5.7%, Teochew 4.9%, Tamil 3.2%, other Chinese dialects 1.8%, other 0.9% (2000 census). According to thess numbers, it is obvious that most percentage of the language spoken is Madarin. But Singapore is using English language for common. Actually I am afraid to compare the Singaporians with the Chins interms of development. However, we can see it as an example for taking English language as common language. There are still many others countries like this.
I would like to state that there would not be an official common language until and unless we achieve our own autonomy. By the time, we have it, most of the Chins will find English language easier.
Finally, I would like to say that the name Chin is the sweetest and best for our common name and it has been used as the common name of the Chin people for about 2 hundreds years. So let me sweetly say " WE ARE ONE IN CHIN"...............
Therefore, whether we accept it or not, the Chin people around the world have been using English language for our common communication. Currently different Chins in Burmese might be using Burmese language for common communication. But English is more broadly used by the Chin people around the world. So I believe that the Chin people would be able to adopt English language for our official language. But it doesn't mean to make different dialects of Chin disappear. Promoting own dialects would be always appreciated.
Especially in terms of unity, using English language will bring advantages for the Chin people. And it is not an impossible one in this IT era. It is just the matter of time and effort. For example, let's say that we will use Lai language. We will need to take times. How long? and How? and let's say - English.. How long and how? just balance these two things. The result will be equal or almost equal. But let's see that there are more advantages of speaking in English than speaking in Lai or one of other Chin dailects.
Singapore is known as a small country. But the population is about 4.5 millions. Originally, there are many different languages such as Mandrin, Kentoness, Malay, Tamil...etc...( According to world factbook the language spoken in Singapore are ....Mandarin 35%, English 23%, Malay 14.1%, Hokkien 11.4%, Cantonese 5.7%, Teochew 4.9%, Tamil 3.2%, other Chinese dialects 1.8%, other 0.9% (2000 census). According to thess numbers, it is obvious that most percentage of the language spoken is Madarin. But Singapore is using English language for common. Actually I am afraid to compare the Singaporians with the Chins interms of development. However, we can see it as an example for taking English language as common language. There are still many others countries like this.
I would like to state that there would not be an official common language until and unless we achieve our own autonomy. By the time, we have it, most of the Chins will find English language easier.
Finally, I would like to say that the name Chin is the sweetest and best for our common name and it has been used as the common name of the Chin people for about 2 hundreds years. So let me sweetly say " WE ARE ONE IN CHIN"...............
Salai Biak Lian Sang,
I am so glad to read your article. I am absolutely with you. Yes, ENGLISH could be and has to be our Official Language. Why? Let me please add few thoughts, in fact, my personal view; (1) God has prepared us by giving all the Chin Languages in English Alphabet (Unconcious preparation of God), (2) After 8888 issue, most of WE Chins could attend Bible Colleges through which many of us learnt English (God's Concious preparation), (3) There are more Bible Colleges in Myanmar - English Medium learning places, (4) We can Communicate better ALL the CHIN around the World in English whereas Burmese is impossible. (5) By using English as our Chin Common Language, we can influence our brothers and sisters such as Karen, Kachin and other Christians ethnic groups. You gave Singapore as an example, very good. Let me also give another one "Nagaland in India". They are like us CHINS, almost every village has their own dialects but English is their Common Language..... Let us Go Forward .... YES, WE CAN.
Salai Timothy Thian (Rev).
what is the meaning of Chin? Is this just a name?
I have no clue about the meaning of Chin. May be smoebody might be able to help you. Good luck.
Dear Thian te,
Thanks for your comment. Yes We Can! I like that.
It is also believed that the word Chin is originated in Chinese word "Jin" which means "Gold". Jin Dynasty(265-420) in Chinese history is well known and it has been still in research whether today Chin people and Jin Dynasty has any relation. Jin Dynasty was founded by Emperor, Sima and later on succeeded by Zhau or( Zahau tribe). Here we have some similarities again. Sim tribe and Zahau tribes are still in Chin State.
Dr. Lian H. Sakhong a well known Chin scholar and politician who won Martin Luther King award said, "One of the main arguments in this paper is that the word “Chin” is not a foreign tongue but the Chin in its origin, which comes from the root word “Chin-lung”. According to the myth of the origin, the Chin people emerged into this world from the bowels of the earth or a cave or a rock called “Chin-lung”, [3] which is spelled slightly differently by different scholars based on various Chin dialects and local traditions, such as “Chhinlung”, “Chinn-lung”, “Chie'nlung”, “Chinglung”, “Ciinlung”, “Jinlung”, “Sinlung”, “Shinlung”, “Tsinlung”, and so on." According to him, the word "Chin" is derived from the name of a cave called "Chin-Lung" which literally means Chin-Stone or Jin-Stone.
Please see Dr. Sakhong's article on this blog or See Here http://chinyouth.blogspot.com/2008/09/origin-of-chin.html
Suggesting English as the common language for Chin people is a farce and mockery to the real situation. We all know that Mizo (Duhlian) is the most spoken and most understood languages among Chin-Kuki-Mizo people today. You do not know the far reaching implications and complications of adopting English as the common language will cause and create among our people.
Watch both Nagaland Idol and Mizo Idol and you will understand why English it not a good option. English should be the co-official language of our people but not the sole common language. If Lais (Laimis) and Tiddim (Zomis) fight for their respective languages to be the common language, why not use Mizo, already known by many Zomis and Lais. Mizo is the language which can unite the waring groups in Chin State.
First of all, why would any body want to use English as Chin / Chien official language? That would be unthinkable. English is good for academic terms for science and education. But for the peoples of Chinland to use English would be so much impractical in daily life. We do not have to be so narrow-minded to accept one of our Chin languages including Mizo language. Even though I would like to use Laiholh as Chinland language, I think Mizo would be most suitable for Chinland language provided that there is no other option.
But we should be very clear about the practicality of Mizo in Chinland to be official language because there is not much Mizo speakers in Chinland. The most practical and suitable language is Laiholh (Halkha + Falam) at least for the current situation. By the way, if any body do not want to speak Laiholh because of his localism attitude, never go to the regions where Laiholh is spoken, or you can leave Chinland and never come back. But it is absolutely safe to say that someone will benefit from willingly accepting and speaking Laiholh in the future or even now.
Proposing Mizo as Chinland official language is quite reasonable but I am not sure how would that happen.