Paper short abstract:

This paper attempts to deal with the politics and the formation of self when we use a certain language. By presenting the case of Goa, the author wants to point out that this politics of script is also related to the politics of academic text circulations and the dominance of English today.

Paper long abstract:

This paper attempts to deal with the politics and the formation of self when we use a certain language. A language as a system can be considered from two aspects: language as sounds (spoken form) and language as script (written form). The latter became foregrounded by the preparation of dictionaries as well as the establishment of particular orthographies in the modern time, which perpetuated (substantialized) what languages are to be. Besides, internalization of the written form of language given at school strengthened the process. This leads to the rise of a sense (or attachment) that we own "our language" and how it should be managed.

The author presents the case of the official language issue in Goa, India, especially the problem of selecting the "right" script for Konkani, the language of the state of Goa. Goa was under the Portuguese rule between 1510 and 1961. After it was incorporated to India, it should decide the official language and which script the language should be written. However, Konkani, the local language did not have the sole script. Hindu Konkani writers utilized Devanagari script; Christians have been attached to Roman script. The official language act of 1987 specified that the state official language is Konkani written in Devanagari script. But Roman script is still widely used.

The author would like to point out that this politics of script is also related to the politics of academic text circulations and the dominance of English in the world today.