That is the name of the language of my people, of the small territory of Goa, in south India. Since 1510, Goa has been a territory with a strong portuguese-culture. The picture above shows a south-facing-up map of the old Goa island that was fortified by the Portuguese navy in 1510. It is called an island, because it is surrounded on either side by rivers. At the bottom of the picture is the Mandovi river and at the top the Zuari river. With our long history of belonging to the Portuguese world, our language took up a large body of Portuguese terminology to take on an Indo-European character. Today, after decades of subjection to a pro-Indian-republic propaganda, Goans do not largely speak Portuguese, but speak either entirely in Concanim or a mixture of English and Concanim. Our families are spread over much of India, but especially in Goa and Bombay (which the Indians call 'Mumbai').
I have never learnt my parents' language well, but have enough of it to follow conversations and watch films. It is rather hard to find a decent grammar book for Concanim, since the present school-books (which I am able to find) are erratic in construction and don't present a standardised or organised presentation. I have decided to create one, and to use a page on this blog for it. I have created one here, and I shall build it over the next few months. It is unfortunately rather late in life, but I shall master this grammar and construction. And I shall reject the devanagri script of the schools and the propagandists and use the Latin script that has been used for centuries.
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