APPENDIX R- REFORMS IN MARATHI, GUJRATI AND KANNADA SCRIPTS
The following vote has been received from the Government of Bombay:
" Various Literary Conferences and individuals have expressed from time to time, the desirability of reforming Marathi, Gujrati and Kannada Scripts. Those Literary Conferences and individuals, however keen and influential, are not in a position to take an initiative on their own and, therefore, it has been represented to the Government of Bombay that they should appoint an export Committee with three sub- committees, to go into the question and recommend the necessary reform. It has also boon suggested that the question will be more easily solved if the Provincial-Government, decides to give effect to the recommendations of the Committee
The demand for reforms arises out of certain inherent drawbacks in the script The time required to learn Devanagari Script, it is said, is approximately double that required to learn the Roman Script. Some of the sounds dento-palatal for example- are ambigous, the method of writing conjuct-consonants is cumbersome and too much space is required for writing. Printing and typing too is a complicated proceess. Too many types (over 200 for Devnagari) are required in a fount, composition speed is low and the price of printing, consequently high.
The Provincial Government is of opinion that it would be better if the question of such reform is considered by the Government of India on an All-India basis.
The problem, as it confronts us to-day, is much wider in its scope than the on. suggested above. The real used is for a script common to a majority of -if not all-the Indian Languages. Such a script will help to bring about closer inter-provancial contact and simplify the difficulties-so, very urgent in these days of mass iteracy and mass education connected with printing and manufacture of typewriters
It is claimed that Devnagari which forms the basis of most of the current Indian script has a definite advantage, over others, as a scientific stool of speech sound representation. One authority for example, claims that by introducting suitable reforms this script can be made easy for printing, typing reacting and writing without inpairing the existing phonetical unambiguity.-(vide-Pamphlet by Dr. Manohar)
Thus the Committee of exports, if appointed should (1) consider the advisability of adopting a common script for some of or all the regional languages, (2) suggest reform in that script in order (a) to make printing typing, reading and writting easier and (b) to maintain the essential requisities of a scientifically sound script and (3) recommend ways and means of dealing with the transitional period until the now script is completely introduced".
* Not. reproducedhere
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