By TOM MAKIRE
JOSEPH Gaita, 35, from Waloa village in Erave, Southern Highlands province is creating waves in the academic circles, more specifically among the linguists of the world.
Joseph is in the process of formalising the Pole (Kewapi) language spoken by the Erave people and others in Kagua, Ialibu and other parts of Pangia and Mendi districts.
His work is accessible on the Internet to linguists the world over.
Joseph is a linguist in his own right.
Though he lacks a formal qualification, his work has been rated by linguist Willie Junduo and another academic Dr Willie Ako “as unique and comparable to the work of renowned academics”.
For a language - including English, Chinese and Korean to be formal - it must have distinct written forms.
Joseph has spent a good part of his youth working on formalising his mother’s tongue.
As a child, Gaita grew up rejecting the concepts he thought were foreign and not relevant to his people’s way of life.
It is not a surprise that Gaita abandoned his studies when his language lecturers could not answer to his satisfaction his simple question, “What s ‘A’ in the English alphabet?”
He was not satisfied with the answer that ‘A’ is the first letter in the English Alphabet.
Joseph was convinced that Papua New Guinea children would learn better if they learned using a language system that is relevant to their culture, environment and their society.
He was further convinced that a vertical written form of a language would be readily accepted by the human mind as it conforms to many natural phenomena like human growth, rainfall, sun rays and plant growth.
Vertical writing, in Gaita’s opinion, is a heavenly way as it reflects the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Based on these principles, Gaita devised an alphabet system that has more than 700 characters.
The Chinese alphabet has been more than 1,000 characters.
Gaita’s characters are similar to the Asian stick-like characters.
Most of his characters have relevance to the Kewapi culture, society and the universe.
For instance, the first letter in his language is Ato, written IXI Ato, and is derived from the traditional chest band called Atoro which is strapped to the chest and back of back of males forming an ‘X’ shape.
The Pole language as Gaita’s language is called is different from the English language in the four aspects:

* It is written vertically which conforms to the nature;
* It is five-sense related because the characters are based on what people see, taste, touch, smell and hear;
* It has a tag at the end of each word. The tag can tell the reader if the word is a joining word. The word ‘pange’ is equivalent to the English word ‘and’, a joining word. The word ‘pange’ is written;
* Every letter in the alphabet has a wisdom-related scripture attached to it. The first letter ‘ato’ has as its wisdom the text Ephesus 6:8: the armour of a Christian.

To come up with such a language that encompasses the nature, society and deity would require time and deep thinking.
When Gaita returned to his village after abandoning studies, his parents and guardians ridiculed him.
This did not deter Gaita who would disappear into the thick jungles alone for months on end.
He spent those times in solitude putting together his beloved Pole language.
His people would label him as a “longlong man” when he would return occasionally to his village.
His “wild man” looks would frighten children and even older people.
In 2004, a team of academics from the Education Department in Waigani led by linguist Willie Junduo spent a week in Erave with Joseph Gaita investigating his work.
The findings of this visit can be accessed on the website www.nlaspng.org or by contacting email nlaspng@yahoo.com.
Joseph Gaita has put together a 500-page manual that attempts to formalise the Pole language.
This 500-page manual is a thesis that could earn Gaita a PhD in language.
Just like any new knowledge, Gaita’s work needs to be passed by experts in Language.
The importance of Gaita’s work to the Kewapi speaking school-age children is immense.
Learning in their own tongue would be easier.
His work can be extrapolated to other languages in PNG.
Furthermore, Gaita’s work presents the opportunity to linguists to study new a language can be formalised in these contemporary times.
It can lead to understanding how ancient languages like English and Chinese become formalized.
Surely Joseph Gaita’s work should be supported and encouraged.
A pilot project to establish an elementary school that incorporates Pole language in the children’s learning process would be an idea worth pursuing.
To date, the elementary school students in the Erave valley are using Gaita’s Pole language in their lessons.
According to former Erave Primary School headmaster Yapus Yawaye and current deputy headmaster Fred Pasu, results are encouraging.

* More information of Joseph Gaita’s work can be sought from the author on phone 683 3239.

 

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