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| Sunday, 13 January 2002 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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One man's tongue is another man's mouth The language a child learns first is called his mother tongue because it is usually the language that his mother speaks. So Sinhala happens to be my mother tongue because my mother spoke Sinhala and I picked up my first words from her. Instead of calling her language 'the mother language', English calls it 'the mother tongue' because the English think that the tongue is the most important organ used in producing language. The Sinhalese however, don't agree. For the Sinhalese the most important organ that is used in producing speech is the mouth, which is called in Sinhala kata. Thus when an Englishman warns someone to guard his tongue, a Sinhalese says: 'Guard your mouth' (Kata paressan kara ganda) Guarding one's mouth is a very important matter when the Sinhalese are on pilgrimage to some sacred places like Sri Pada (Adam's Peak) or Kataragama. Novices who join the pilgrim party are strongly advised to guard their mouths particularly by saying nothing regarding their arrival at the site or their return home. He who violates this taboo will incur the wrath of gods, for only God knows how these things will happen. When a Sinhalese is about to say something that he ought not, others shout 'kata kata!' (mouth! mouth!) to warn him to mind his language. On the other hand, when a Sinhalese suppresses his own desire to say something he says: 'ane mage kata' (oh, my mouth) Thus, while the English symbolize language by 'tongue', the Sinhalese symbolise it by 'mouth'. Isn't one man's tongue another man's mouth then? |
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