For someone like me who suffers from a chronic case of foot-in-mouth disease, eating humble pie is pretty easy. After all, its an acquired taste.
After hearing some people say that Mizos writing in English are less Mizo (whatever that means), I fired off a little post about language and culture purists. Basically the post was about me ranting what makes those people decide who is 'more' Mizo and who is not? And the term Mizo is a blanket term comprising of Lai, Mara, Paite etc peoples, and is it fair to call them Mizo II because we, the Lusei are the majority. And in the same way, why should the Duhlian language be considered as Mizo tawng just because it is the most widely used language within the Mizo community, blah blah blah.
This would have sounded quite valid had I not been writing in Duhlian language, which pretty much busted my little rant because I also talked about the correct usage of Duhlian language, and unfortunately, my own writing Mizo is stilted, and the syntax is not as perfect as I would wish it to be. As a medium of writing, I am much more comfortable in English, though I am spectacularly good at spoken Mizo, so don't ever get into an argument with me. And I can read Mizo flawlessly, with perfect intonation and pitch. But anyway, after posting the piece, I cooled down and discovered the many mistakes plus the ambiguity, and so I removed it.
Of course, it showed up clearly in people's readers and stuff and so, here I am, gorging myself on humble pie, admitting that I strayed into an arena where I am not qualified to. Kudos to the Mizo writers and the people who are trying to instill correct usage. But my stance on the medium of writing and it's supposed implications remain.
And yes, I often lack tact and sensitivity, and often have to cover my ass or eat humble pie after making a huge blooper. Like the time I went shopping with a friend and she asked my advice about a shoe. I thought it was for her mom and said, "Your mom's only 50-ish. That shoe is so 60 +." And she says, "I meant to buy it for myself" Oh hell, what do you do in those circumstances except flatter her a little and fess up? So I told her she had pretty feet that would look good in any shoe, but suggested other styles for her.
The there's the time another friend showed me a new phone and I unthinkingly said, "I thought of buying it too, but it was too bulky and yellow". Ooopsss.. my runaway tongue does it again. So I said, "But the yellow is nice, looks like Bumblebee" and proceeded to take a lot of pictures of myself with the phone cam. Sometimes I try to shut up, and when I do talk, I use polite words. Then they tell me I'm being unnatural, blehhh!
That said, I'm usually not a nasty person with a lot of bitchy comments. I just say the wrong things at the wrong time. Like complimenting a previously rake-thin friend on her new voluptuousness and she said, "I'm not voluptuous. I'm pregnant. I was excommunicated last Wednesday". Damn damn damn.
So, as long as I keep talking (or writing), let there be a steady supply of humble pie.
10 comments:
I still have THAT post on my feed reader! *GRIN* Oh how I'd love to post the content here in the comment section for others to read, especially the closing Paragraph! :D
Haha love the Bridget Jones type foot in mouthisms :D About the issue that's made you eat humble pie, I carry a few scars from online battles in my time. Now I just avoid narrow-viewed people like that. To each his own is the premise I stand on.
@ill: Hey, don't make my pie any humbler! And let it be noted that I removed the post BEFORE reading the misual posts.
@Calliopia: Lolzzz, I have to admit that this time I reacted with more gusto than the situation warranted. Note to self: Don't enter a war zone before making sure you have just cause + proper armaments :D
Tunlaia ka thil vei em em chu kan thalai ten Mizo an type/ziah chhuah dan hi -
"ene tih" "gai ce" " i sual tei m my a gae ltk suh" etc etc. Kum 16~18 naupang (hehe) in an lo hmang anih chuan ka la hrethiam thei mahse ka thianpa hianpa kum 25 val in khitiang abbreviation a rawn hmang ka hmuh kha chuan ka ngainep zo vek :D ("ene tih.. gai che" chu min ti lo ania..)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foot-and-mouth_disease
Lal Pu mos, keipaw'n SMS language in tawngdan pangai a lan chu tha ka tilo ka tihve tho alom :p
A thuhrimah mi tawngsual/ chhetchhiat hi i hmu fuh thei phian zuia, nahne, sual tuk, mei2. I hriatsualve- "foot AND mouth disease" ka tilo, "foot IN mouth" ka ti.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foot_in_Mouth_Award
Mi chesual te chu an inhliam phah te nih loh chuan nuih a ti za lawm. St.Pauls kan luh lai khan Hmeichhe ho volleyball khelh laia dusbtin a tla lut khan tun thleng hian ka nuih a la ti za.
Chuan nuihzatthlak miah loh chu hmanni khan Bangalore sikul naupang pakhat hi bang in a delh palh hlauh mai a. A mang ang lutuk khan 911 te a dial a.. mahse a thih phah tak. :|
foot in mouth ka google a link rawn awm hmasa ber ka rawn vawm bei tawp nih kha.
Very trong awn is our Mossy green tooths. eg wot's "a thih phak tak"? tsk tsk.
ku2, I keep forgetting to ask may I add you on my blogroll pls?
Kaliopes - ka edit hmain ka submit a. Engpawhnise
PHAK tih ka type loh khi. I mit pawh zai a ngai dawn nih hi.. hehe.
"a thih phah ta a.." tih ka tum mawle..
@Mosa: Mitthi ina kala "I see dead people" ti su su kha i ni lo maw? I nuihtizatu a "macabre" hmel..Sir Dara'n hmel serious tawka "One car climb over the girl leg on Tlangnuam" atih kha chu thalo lam nimahse nuih huk a awl.
@Calliopia: Go right ahead! And thanks for taking the time to ask :D Hopefully there will be no more netiquette breaches for me in the future
Greaat blog you have here
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