Tezu, Mar 19: The Bamboosa Library here, in collaboration with the Forum of Library Activists, Medo, successfully conducted a three-day workshop on enhancing the writing skills of Kaman Mishmi speakers from March 15 to 17, last.
The workshop was led by linguists Akhilesh K R, a PhD researcher in Linguistics at Heinrich Heine University, Germany; Dr Pamir Gogoi, PhD in Linguistics from the University of Florida and Sakelu Chikro from the Forum of Library Activists.
A total of 20 Kaman Mishmi speakers actively participated in the sessions, engaging with experts to refine their writing skills for complex sounds using standard orthographic symbols approved by the community's linguistic bodies.
Interactive language bingo games and immersive exercises made the learning process engaging for participants aged 10 to 30 years.
The sessions covered essential elements of the Kaman Mishmi script, including hyphens, glottal stops, and umlauts.
Participants practiced identifying and writing consonants and vowels by associating words with images of animals, objects, and actions.
A major achievement of the workshop was the collective creation of a pictorial dictionary in Kaman Mishmi Language, a valuable resource for future language preservation efforts.
Addressing the attendees, coordinator of the Lohit Youth Library Network S Mundayoor emphasised that for minor and script-less languages to survive, their speakers must actively use them in literature.
Dr Gogoi encouraged participants to embrace their linguistic identity with confidence, while Dr Awan, head of RCML at RIWATCH, explained the importance of hyphens for clarity in writing.
Researcher Akhilesh K R urged participants to spread their newly acquired writing skills among fellow youth.
The workshop was hailed as a significant step toward strengthening creative writing among Kaman Mishmi speakers, with participants unanimously supporting more such initiatives to ensure the growth of all local languages.
