Dear LangCom.
The Konkani conversation seems stalled. I have just tried to check on it, and discovered that this response (quoted below) from Vishnu of the Access To Knowledge program in CIS (India) never made it to the list (according to the archive). Please proceed, and let the Konkani volunteers out of the purgatorium of the Incubator.
Thanks,
Asaf
-------- Forwarded Message -------- Subject: Re: [Langcom] [Langcom-l] Konkani Date: Sat, 03 Jan 2015 01:32:27 +0530 From: Vishnu vishnu@cis-india.org To: langcom@lists.wikimedia.org
Dear Santhosh, MF-Warburg and other LangCom members,
Yes, the current request from the Konkani Wikipedia community is to make the Konkani Wikipedia live in the *Devanagari script*. It has been mentioned in the request page on Meta and I have now highlighted it.[0]
Of course, the community also wants the LangCom to consider incubating separate Konkani Wikipedia projects in Romi (i.e. Latin script) and Kannada scripts - two other popular variants of Konkani. This will ensure that the rich diversity of Konkani language and the knowledge in all these three major script variants will flourish along with the associated communities.
If I may be allowed, I would like to bring to the notice of the LangCom members that CIS-A2K[1] has been putting focussed efforts on Konkani Wikipedia and has managed to nurture and grow a volunteer community that is now sustainable.
The multiple scripts (Konkani is written in 5 scripts) has been a great challenge to understand and work with, especially when each script variant is tied to specific religious and regional community and has significant variations. We have left no stone unturned in objectively finding a practical solution to this multiple script issue, including a script converter. In this process we have consulted Konkani Wikipedians, Konkani linguists, professors from Konkani Department at Goa University, Konkani cultural experts, bureaucrats in the government, media personnel and arrived at the conclusion of having separate Wiki projects for each of the three script variants (i.e. Devanagari, Romi (Latin) and Kannada).
We have also requested Fr. Pratap Naik [2] a notable linguist, who has worked on all the script variants of Konkani language for many years to give his expert opinion in writing, which is available here [3]. This note has been widely circulated and everyone, including the currently active Konkani Wikipedians (majority of which edits in Devanagari variant) believe that having three Konkani Wikipedias for the three script variants is the way to go.
*May I reiterate that the current request is to only make the Konkani Wikipedia, in Devanagari, live.*
It's been a huge personal learning for me about this rich language and culture and I have some intimate context [4] on the multiple scripts issue and would be happy to answer questions if the committee has any. I am reasonably positive that we will see three active Konkani Wikipedias soon. Having the Devanagari one live will only create a healthy competition.
Thanks, Vishnu CIS-A2K, Programme Director
[0] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Requests_for_new_ languages/Wikipedia_Konkani_2
[1] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/India_Access_To_ Knowledge/Work_plan_July_2014_-_June_2015/Konkani
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pratap_Naik
[3] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:India_Access_To_ Knowledge/Konkani_Wikipedia
[4] http://www.sfxkutamuae.com/news.asp?id=8698 (I have since then been invited to be part of the Konkani Language Planning-Steering Committee by the Global Konkani Conclave)