SoM

Bangalore, Dec 9: Kannada has gained classical status and there has been a debate on what could be done for the development and wider usage of Kannada.

The Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL) started working in February on a dictionary to do away with Sanskrit and English words in Kannada making it easier to interact in chaste Kannada.

This task has been the first of its kind among Indian languages.

This dictionary specially aids in replacing Sanskrit and English words generally used in Kan-nada newspapers with pure Kannada words. It is all the more interesting to note that this work is being undertaken keeping an eye on journalists, in the wake of the perception that the use of Kannada amongst the community will proportionately increase with its use in newspapers. All those who love to use pure Kannada can use this dictionary soft-ware, which is available on online and in the form of CDs.

The software contains three options —if Sanskrit words are used while writing Kannada, then it will be brought to the notice of the writer. The second is to name alternative Kannada words and the third is to translate Sanskrit words into Kannada as soon as it is written.

"This is not anti-Sanskrit and it is only a pro-Kannada stance. The main objective of this software is to break the tradition of using Sanskrit words as a practice and instead use Kannada words in their place. This dictionary is being prepared by conducting studies on the usage of Kannada words in prominent Kannada dailies," said CIIL's linguist Dr. K.V. Narayan.