Sneha Asaikar set to publish dictionary to bridge gap between three languages

When it comes down to the details it is easy to see the similarities between Japan and Maharashtra It is more than just tea This week Vile Parleresident Sneha Asaikar will release Kakehashi Nihongo Jiten mdash a comprehensive dictionary of 10000 words mdash that bridges the gap between Japanese Marathi and English languagesCrossing streamsSneha Asaikar Pics CourtesySneha AsaikarThe work is a product of a lifelong love for the Japanese language that began in the early rsquo90s we learn ldquoI am actually a Science student you knowrdquo Asaikar reveals surprising us ldquoI studied BSc in Microbiology and then did my Masters in it But I was always good at languages Back then French and German were the most popular ones But a friend of mine was learning Japanese and they suggested I should give it a tryrdquo the educator says casuallyIllustrated panels from the dictionaryIt led to a career that has spanned over 25 years as a professional teacher and trainer in the language ldquoWe used to learn at the IndoJapanese Association in Fort in those days We had a native Japanese professional Mr Sasaki who would teach us thererdquo she recalls Asaikar would go on to travel to Japan thrice on scholarship from the Japan Foundation and even spend a month in the Goto islands in the Nagasaki prefecture ldquoI learnt the tea ceremonies and O Shuji Japanese calligraphyrdquo she sharesBreaking it downThe term Kakehashi Nihongo Jiten quite simply refers to a bridge suitably apt for a dictionary She started putting together the words in 2008 but had to restart after an issue with the Marathi font ldquoThe dictionary has 10000 words written in the Hiragana script and kanji a pictorial script Each word is followed by its Devanagari translationrdquo the 65yearold addsA view of a framed piece of calligraphy by AsaikarIt is this Devanagari connection that makes the dictionary a rare oneofakind moment ldquoEven when I first started learning the similarities in the language and the way it was used struck me as familiar For instance Japanese is often spoken with partial sentences You do not repeat the subject of the conversation again and again Much like we speak in Marathi or Hindirdquo she explainsThe invite captures the two languages prominent in the dictionaryBut words and grammar are a limited part of a language There is much more to it we point out Pat comes the question from Asaikar ldquoDo you speak Marathi It will be easier to explainrdquo This follows a quiet but detailed explanation in Marathi about the nature of social grammar ldquoYou see like us Japan has a tradition of politeness respect for elders and layers of language In Marathi there is Tu Tumhi and Apan Japanese is similar There are different words for the same term in different contexts mdash business social and familial The dictionary has fewer business terms but I have tried to include and point out the othersrdquo she explains Then there is the use of particles mdash connectors that often bridge words not unlike prepositionsThe Asian connectionHaving taught at the IndoJapanese Association and later at her own institute Sachi Nihongo Gakko founded in 2001 Asaikarrsquos observations stem from extensive experience She even tried it out as an experiment with willing students using Marathi as the bridge language ldquoIt cut down the teaching time to 50 per centrdquo she revealsAsaikar says ldquoIt is not the script but the rhythm When I started thinking in Marathi I noticed it was easier to use Japanese They have very similar grammatical forms For instance yoursquod say lsquoI go to schoolrsquo in English The verb precedes the object noun Whereas in Marathi you say lsquoMee shaalela jaatorsquo Here the object noun precedes the verb Much like in JapaneserdquoThe book is set to be launched in Pune in collaboration with the Japanese Language Teachersrsquo Association of Pune JALTAP on September 20 This will be followed by a launch in Mumbai on October 18 Asaikar says ldquoMy institute completes 25 years this year It Japanese is a fascinating language and a simple one at thatrdquoWhatsapp 9821334455 for details about the book