Summary: Stammer
"Stammer" by K. Satchidanandan is a profound philosophical poem that redefines stammering not as a disability but as a natural mode of speech. The poet presents stammer as "the silence that falls between the word and its meaning," comparing it to lameness, which is "the silence that falls between the word and the deed." He raises intriguing questions about whether stammer preceded language or came after it, and whether it is merely a dialect or a language itself—questions that make even linguists stammer. The poem suggests that each time someone stammers, they are offering a sacrifice to the God of meanings, implying a deeper spiritual or philosophical significance. When an entire people stammer, it becomes their mother tongue, reflecting a collective condition. The poet makes a bold theological statement that God himself must have stammered when creating man, which explains why human words carry different meanings and why everything humans utter—from prayers to commands—stammers like poetry. Through this unconventional perspective, Satchidanandan challenges societal prejudices about speech impediments and presents stammering as an integral part of human communication that reveals the gap between intention and expression, thought and articulation. The poem ultimately suggests that stammering is universal—embedded in language, meaning, and even divine creation—making it not a handicap but a fundamental aspect of human existence and communication.
Summary Malayalam: Stammer
കെ. സച്ചിദാനന്ദന്റെ "സ്റ്റാമർ " എന്ന കവിത വിക്കലിനെ വൈകല്യമായിട്ടല്ല, സ്വാഭാവികമായ സംസാരരീതിയായി പുനർനിർവചിക്കുന്ന ഒരു ആഴത്തിലുള്ള ദാർശനിക കവിതയാണ്. കവി വിക്കലിനെ "വാക്കിനും അതിന്റെ അർത്ഥത്തിനുമിടയിൽ വീഴുന്ന നിശബ്ദത" ആയി അവതരിപ്പിക്കുന്നു, ഇത് മുടന്തലിനോട് താരതമ്യപ്പെടുത്തുന്നു, അത് "വാക്കിനും പ്രവൃത്തിക്കുമിടയിൽ വീഴുന്ന നിശബ്ദത" ആണ്. ഭാഷയ്ക്ക് മുമ്പോ ശേഷമോ വിക്കൽ ഉണ്ടായിരുന്നോ, അത് വെറും ഒരു ഭാഷാഭേദമാണോ അതോ ഒരു ഭാഷ തന്നെയാണോ എന്ന കൗതുകകരമായ ചോദ്യങ്ങൾ അദ്ദേഹം ഉന്നയിക്കുന്നു—ഭാഷാശാസ്ത്രജ്ഞരെപ്പോലും വിക്കലിപ്പിക്കുന്ന ചോദ്യങ്ങൾ. ഓരോ തവണയും ആരെങ്കിലും വിക്കലിക്കുമ്പോൾ, അവർ അർത്ഥങ്ങളുടെ ദൈവത്തിന് ഒരു ബലി അർപ്പിക്കുകയാണെന്ന് കവിത സൂചിപ്പിക്കുന്നു. ഒരു ജനത മുഴുവൻ വിക്കലിക്കുമ്പോൾ, അത് അവരുടെ മാതൃഭാഷയായി മാറുന്നു. മനുഷ്യനെ സൃഷ്ടിക്കുമ്പോൾ ദൈവവും വിക്കലിച്ചിരിക്കണമെന്ന് കവി ധീരമായ ദൈവശാസ്ത്രപരമായ പ്രസ്താവന നടത്തുന്നു, അതുകൊണ്ടാണ് മനുഷ്യവാക്കുകൾക്ക് വ്യത്യസ്ത അർത്ഥങ്ങൾ ഉള്ളതെന്നും പ്രാർത്ഥനകൾ മുതൽ കൽപ്പനകൾ വരെ എല്ലാം കവിതപോലെ വിക്കലിക്കുന്നതെന്നും വിശദീകരിക്കുന്നു. ഈ അസാമാന്യമായ വീക്ഷണകോണിലൂടെ, സച്ചിദാനന്ദൻ സംസാര വൈകല്യങ്ങളെക്കുറിച്ചുള്ള സാമൂഹിക മുൻവിധികളെ വെല്ലുവിളിക്കുകയും ഉദ്ദേശ്യവും ആവിഷ്കാരവും, ചിന്തയും ഉച്ചാരണവും തമ്മിലുള്ള അന്തരം വെളിപ്പെടുത്തുന്ന മനുഷ്യ ആശയവിനിമയത്തിന്റെ അവിഭാജ്യ ഭാഗമായി വിക്കലിനെ അവതരിപ്പിക്കുകയും ചെയ്യുന്നു.
About K. Satchidanandan
- Indian poet born in 1946 in Kerala, writing in Malayalam and English
- Pioneer of modern poetry in Malayalam
- Also works as a critic, columnist, and translator
- Former Secretary of Kendra Sahitya Akademi
- Intellectual upholding secular democratic views
- Active supporter of causes like environment, human rights, and free software
- Known for thought-provoking lectures and articles on contemporary Indian literature
- Shortlisted for the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2011
- His works challenge conventional thinking and explore profound philosophical themes
Questions and Answers
What does the poet think of stammer primarily?
The poet primarily thinks of stammer not as a handicap or disability but as a legitimate mode of speech. He presents it as a natural form of communication that has philosophical and linguistic significance. Stammer is described as "the silence that falls between the word and its meaning," suggesting it represents the gap between thought and expression. The poet elevates stammering from a speech impediment to a meaningful aspect of human communication that reveals the complexity of language and meaning. He even suggests that stammering might be a language or dialect itself, questioning whether it preceded or succeeded language, thereby giving it equal status with conventional speech.
How does the poet link stammer and lameness to silence?
The poet creates a parallel between stammer and lameness by defining both through the concept of silence or gap. Stammer is "the silence that falls between the word and its meaning"—the pause or hesitation between what one intends to say and what is actually communicated. Similarly, lameness is "the silence that falls between the word and the deed"—the gap between intention and action, between what one wants to do and what one can physically accomplish. Both represent a disconnect or pause in expected flow: stammer interrupts the smooth flow of speech just as lameness interrupts the smooth flow of movement. This comparison suggests that both conditions reveal fundamental human limitations in bridging thought and expression, intention and execution.
What, according to the poet, does a person do when he stammers?
According to the poet, when a person stammers, he is "offering a sacrifice to the God of meanings." This metaphorical statement elevates stammering from a mere speech difficulty to a spiritual or philosophical act. The sacrifice suggests that in stammering, the speaker is struggling with the inadequacy of language to fully capture meaning, giving up easy fluency in pursuit of deeper truth. It implies that stammering is not meaningless repetition but a genuine effort to bridge the gap between thought and expression, between what we mean and what we can say. The religious imagery of sacrifice gives dignity and purpose to stammering, suggesting it is a sincere offering in the difficult quest for authentic communication and true meaning.
Why does the poet refer to the linguist here?
The poet refers to linguists to highlight the profound complexity of stammering that even experts cannot fully explain. He poses challenging questions: "Did stammer precede language or succeed it? Is it only a dialect or a language itself?" These questions are so fundamental and difficult that they make "the linguists stammer"—a clever wordplay suggesting that even language experts are left speechless or confused when confronting these questions. The reference serves multiple purposes: it shows that stammering raises legitimate linguistic and philosophical questions, it demonstrates that stammering confounds even those who study language professionally, and it humorously suggests that everyone "stammers" when faced with difficult questions about the nature of language and meaning. This legitimizes stammering as worthy of serious intellectual consideration.
When does stammer become a social phenomenon?
According to the poem, stammer becomes a social phenomenon "when a whole people stammer." When stammering is no longer limited to individuals but affects an entire community or society, it transcends being a personal speech impediment and becomes their collective "mother tongue." This suggests a broader metaphorical meaning—the poet is indicating that when an entire society struggles with communication, when there is a collective gap between words and meanings, between what people say and what they mean, stammering becomes the characteristic way that society communicates. This could refer to political doublespeak, communication breakdowns, loss of authentic expression, or the general inadequacy of language to convey truth in modern society. When everyone struggles to express genuine meaning, stammering becomes normalized as the standard mode of communication.
Pick out the lines you particularly like and discuss them with a partner.
This question encourages personal reflection and discussion. Some particularly striking lines include:
"Stammer is the silence that falls between the word and its meaning" – This beautifully captures how stammering represents the gap between intention and expression, making it philosophical rather than just a speech problem.
"Each time we stammer we are offering a sacrifice to the God of meanings" – This line gives dignity and spiritual significance to stammering, transforming it from embarrassment into a sacred struggle for authentic expression.
"God too must have stammered when He created man" – This bold theological statement suggests that imperfection and struggle are built into creation itself, explaining why human communication is inherently flawed.
"That is why everything he utters from his prayers to his commands stammers, like poetry" – This final comparison between stammering and poetry is particularly powerful, suggesting that the broken, hesitant quality of stammering shares something essential with poetic expression, where meaning exceeds easy articulation. Students should discuss which lines resonate with them and why, exploring how the poem challenges their understanding of communication and difference.