•-I am writing this article because Census of India 2011 Phase II “Household Schedule Q.10” asks about our Mother tongue. I am sure that many Naga people do not know the origin of Ao-Language, even to the younger people of Ao-Nagas, and Naga people generally categorize Ao-Language as; ‘the people are Aos so they speaks Ao-Language’.
According to Historical researchers, the present Ao-Naga people (both Jungli and Mongsen) lived together at Chungliyimti more than 500 years, but they never speak Ao-language. They speak Jungli and Mongsen dialects. These Jungli and Mongsen dialects has been used even before they settled at Chungliyimti. However, the said Ao-language has come out only after the advent of Christianity. With Christianity, education also emergence to our land, and the people of Ao (i.e. both Junglir and Mongsener) have discovered that it is necessary to have a common language. So they assembled together and ‘surrendered themselves’ in order to have a common language where the ‘Ao’ or ‘Ao-Language’ emerge which is a combination from both Jungli and Mongsen dialects. So, Ao-Language is neither Jungli nor Mongsen but a combination of both the dialects. Therefore, the story of the origin of Ao-Language has a valuable lesson for us where both Junglir and Mongsener ‘surrendered themselves’ in order to have a new common language for their younger generation.
Therefore, the word Ao-Language never means ‘the people are Aos so they speak Ao-Language’. Regarding to our Census of India 2011 Phase II “Household Schedule Q.10” enumerators can write ‘Ao’ as their mother tongue to those people who speak the Ao-Language. However, all the Indian does not understand or speaks Hindi, likewise Aos that do not speaks or understand Ao-Language may write ‘Jungli’, ‘Mongsen’ ‘Changki’ or ‘Nagamese’ as their mother tongue.
According to Historical researchers, the present Ao-Naga people (both Jungli and Mongsen) lived together at Chungliyimti more than 500 years, but they never speak Ao-language. They speak Jungli and Mongsen dialects. These Jungli and Mongsen dialects has been used even before they settled at Chungliyimti. However, the said Ao-language has come out only after the advent of Christianity. With Christianity, education also emergence to our land, and the people of Ao (i.e. both Junglir and Mongsener) have discovered that it is necessary to have a common language. So they assembled together and ‘surrendered themselves’ in order to have a common language where the ‘Ao’ or ‘Ao-Language’ emerge which is a combination from both Jungli and Mongsen dialects. So, Ao-Language is neither Jungli nor Mongsen but a combination of both the dialects. Therefore, the story of the origin of Ao-Language has a valuable lesson for us where both Junglir and Mongsener ‘surrendered themselves’ in order to have a new common language for their younger generation.
Therefore, the word Ao-Language never means ‘the people are Aos so they speak Ao-Language’. Regarding to our Census of India 2011 Phase II “Household Schedule Q.10” enumerators can write ‘Ao’ as their mother tongue to those people who speak the Ao-Language. However, all the Indian does not understand or speaks Hindi, likewise Aos that do not speaks or understand Ao-Language may write ‘Jungli’, ‘Mongsen’ ‘Changki’ or ‘Nagamese’ as their mother tongue.
Imti Jamir Kohima
Email:- imti.ao.jamir@gmail.com
