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SOUTH SUDAN / DINKA LANGUAGE
STORY: SOUTH SUDAN / DINKA LANGUAGE
TRT: 2:38
SOURCE: UNMISS
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH/ NATS
DATELINE: AUGUST 13, 2013, JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN
1. Med shot, men discussing words at easel
2. Med shot, over the shoulder, same group
3. Wide shot, room
4. Med shot, professor at easel
5. Long shot, working group
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Moses Mading -Ministry of Education’s National Director Languages:
“In this workshop I am a Dinka! So this is unification of Dinkatography. So that the writing system of the whole Dinka should be one and then in this writing system the material will be produced for the language and be translated for the other subjects and now we are translating some of the key terms in English into Mother-tongue. Like bomb and psychology, bicycle and other things. So these things they must be known all over in the Dinka community in the seven States of Southern Sudan.”
7. Close-up, professor
8. Close-up, hand
9. Med shot, professor and group
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Professor John Myhill – Linguistics Expert, University of Haifa in Israel:
“First of all it is never too early. What is happening now is that South Sudanese school children are going to school in English. They do not understand English, many of their teachers do not understand English and it is a complete waste. They are going to school and learning nothing! Not only are they learning nothing, they are becoming discourage from attempting to learn because they don’t understand anything that is being said to them. So not only do I think it is too early to move, I think something should have been done earlier. Already you are beginning to waste another generation of children who are going to school and learning nothing!”
11. Med shot, group members
12. Wide shot, group
13. Med shot, professor speaking
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Ludoviko Lual Aken, President of the Dinka Language Development Association, DILDA:
‘We are not taking it in that aspect. We are taking it at culture and we don’t want to. That is why have come together the four Dialects without leaving the other side out. So that we share and we also enjoy while we are discussing, the other side of the people who have never met together. So it is almost a platform where we come together and share ideas on how to develop the language. Politically? No! It is culture!”
15. Med shot, men at table
16. Med shot, man at table talking
In South Sudan a “war of words” has begun.
English is now the official language of this new nation, but there are over 60 indigenous languages. Of that 60, Dinka, Nuer, Bari and Zande are spoken the most and in the nation’s capital Juba, Juba Arabic; which is a simple version of Arabic is commonly used.
The Department of Education has undertaken an initiative to standardize the most common languages spoken in South Sudan. They have brought in Linguistics Expert Professor John Myhill from the University of Haifa in Israel.
Dinkas from all over the country converged on the capital and formed a working group to agree on which words should be used by all Dinkas.
SOUNDBITE (English) Moses Mading -Ministry of Education’s National Director Languages:
“In this workshop I am a Dinka! So this is unification of Dinkatography. So that the writing system of the whole Dinka should be one and then in this writing system the material will be produced for the language and be translated for the other subjects and now we are translating some of the key terms in English into Mother-tongue. Like bomb and psychology, bicycle and other things. So these things they must be known all over in the Dinka community in the seven States of Southern Sudan.”
Professor Myhill’s specializes in exotic languages and this is his fifth visit to the country. His primary goal is to make all the written dialects of Dinka language similar to each other and to develop more words for the Dinka people so that they can be used in an academic setting.
For example, the Dinka do not have a word for “thank you”. The group believes that if the Dinka language is to be used for more functions in academics and government, then it needs more words like this.
Some experts believe it is never too early to learn, but there are challenges ahead.
SOUNDBITE (English) Professor John Myhill – Linguistics Expert, University of Haifa in Israel:
“First of all it is never too early. What is happening now is that South Sudanese school children are going to school in English. They do not understand English, many of their teachers do not understand English and it is a complete waste. They are going to school and learning nothing! Not only are they learning nothing, they are becoming discouraged from attempting to learn because they don’t understand anything that is being said to them. So not only do I think it is too early to move, I think something should have been done earlier. Already you are beginning to waste another generation of children who are going to school and learning nothing!”
Creating a standardized language is not an easy process and could have political consequences. But the president of the Dinka language development association believes this is cultural and not political.
SOUNDBITE (English) Ludoviko Lual Aken, President, Dinka Language Development Association, DILDA:
“We are not taking it in that aspect, we are taking it at culture and we don’t want to. That is why have come together the four dialects without leaving the other side out. So that we share and we also enjoy while we are discussing the other side of the people who have never met together. So it is almost a platform where we come together and share ideas on how to develop the language. Politically? No! It is culture!”
If they can accomplish this great challenge, it could be another milestone in the history of South Sudan.
ENDS
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