Diversity in languages may bring on extinction in India. There are over 700 languages, spoken by the people in the different parts of the country. India is a linguistic treasure-chest. UNESCO has listed 197 Indian languages, as endangered. To mention a few. Ahom from Assam, a language that has not been spoken fluently for centuries, but it is preserved through ancient manuscripts. Asur, a language that is spoken by 8000 people only, according to the reports from 2021. Saimar is also a language, only a few people from Tripura speak. Koro of Arunachal Pradesh has only 1500 speakers today. Great Andamese languages, some of which have fewer than ten speakers.
They are dying due to urbanization or younger generations adopting dominant languages. The lack of documentation of all the languages causes the languages to fade away. When a language dies, it dies along with its entire tradition and ways of thinking of the people also. To preserve these languages are preserving identities of the humanity as a whole.
The language has carrying capacity.
When it grows, it evolves, changes and could die out. It gets merged with other stronger languages. Especially this happens in a place like India, where there is a diversity of languages. They crack and develop into a different language altogether as a means of communication. This is because it is widely used in communities. These languages could be saved if they are properly documented and the sincere efforts are made for their preservation. Before the advent of modern education, many of these languages were being passed down orally from an earlier to the subsequent generation. They had no written records. ‘Mandeale’, a Western Pahari language from Himachal Pradesh was historically scripted in Takari but shifted to Devanagari after 1912. The Colonization of Lands Act accelerated its decline from prominence to being endangered and subsequent extinction.
Forgotten historical facts
According to Ganesh Devy, a literary critic, who surveyed India’s languages in the Indian States in 2010. “The 1961 census of India had listed 1652 mother tongues. However, the data of 1971 showed only 108 mother tongues. This proves that 1544 mother tongues were either concealed or lost or forgotten. George Grierson’s, linguistic Survey of India, documented 179 languages and 544 dialects across British India.
The Constitution of India has 22 recognized- registered languages, which is higher than any other country in the world. Out of which 9 have similar scripts. We could notice the Boti language in Himachal Pradesh has come from Bhutan. It has semantic links right up to the heart of China.
Contribute for a cause
Dr D.G. Rao states, “When a language goes, the culture goes. As many of the practices, socio-cultural aspects also go with the language.” Protection of these cultures can be done only through protecting the languages. The elder speakers of Toda language are of the opinion that Toda language of South India, Tamil Nadu should be included in the schools within the syllabus. Also, elders should encourage the speaking and the use of the language more often within the communities. Each one should contribute their best for the preservation of these endangered languages. According to Shubhranshi Choudhury, former journalist, founder of CGNET SWARA, there is a big conflict, which is going on for more than five centuries now. The Gond Adivasi tribe dropouts speak only Gondi. This shows that these kinds of languages would also become endangered, if there are nobody to document and preserve it.
The modern conflict is the dilemma that the dominance of powerful languages upon these weaker languages that have fewer speakers. The language can only be preserved if there are many more speakers and users of these languages on a regular basis. There is lack of government patronage and there are dwindling number of speakers. The migration and urbanization also play a major role for people to stop using these weaker languages. Poor primary education in local languages and lack of cohesive national language policy contribute to the languages being endangered. The younger generation face education and job barriers, if they do not speak the more prominent languages. This prompts youth to shift languages and start speaking the dominant languages of the place. They neglect or abandon their own tribal languages or their mother tongue, which again endangers these languages.
Cultural Insight
Each language carries a social aspect, customs or cultures along with it. There is an ecological touch to each language. For example, Sora language is sort of a mixed language of a number system. The cultural implications involved the loss of cultural identity. Losing a language implies that a community sort of loses its identity. The history and traditions are also modified or altered, only because the language has become endangered. The community and society lose the unique systems, myths and legends that languages used to have. A language plays a crucial role in binding the community together. There are ecological wisdom and rituals in the languages. As we see, Toda views hills as sacred with Gods like ‘Kotajen’ in mountains. These reverence through language to nature and connection to pastoral identity is lost in translation.
In the past, to keep languages alive, the people got together on one pretext or another and communicated in that language. They exchanged their views and so it was the speakers, who kept the language alive. In earlier times, when televisions were rare, the people used to assemble together to watch certain programmes and share their experiences. They used their respective languages and that was one of the ways, these languages were preserved within the community. India’s first endangered language archive from the Sikkim University known as ‘SiDHELA’. It encompasses audio, video and ethnographic data from Sikkim, Darjeeling and Himalayan tongues. It enables preservation of languages for a longer period of time.
Initiatives on the way
The Government have undertaken a few initiatives, like documentation projects. Linguists and researchers are working to document endangered languages. They create dictionaries, grammar books and audio recordings to help in preserving the endangered languages. This includes native speakers and community members together. Some linguistic organizations are setting up schools to teach endangered languages to the children and adults. They help in developing the language policies. There are some community-led initiatives in which the people organize language classes, cultural events, workshops and gatherings. They promote these languages through language apps, AI powered tools, translators or chat bots. Some online media and digital platforms and social media also promote these endangered languages. These methods make these languages more accessible to younger generation.
The Language Archives preserve the written materials. The (ELDP) Endangered Languages documentation Programme, based in the United Kingdom, works with the Indian partners to document and preserve endangered languages. The Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL) is also involved in language documentation and preservation. They have centres across India. ERLC, BHUBANESWAR; NRLC, PATIALA; LNERLC, GUWAHATI; SRLC, MYSURU; UTRC, LUCKNOW; UTRC, SOLAN; WRLC, PUNE. They make efforts to promote endangered languages. They have some functional schemes and projects, namely: BHARATAVANI; LDC-IL; NTM; NTS; ODNEIL; CIIL BHASHAS; SPPEL; Neo-Literate Children’s Literature Bank. The University Grant Commission (UGC) funds the research projects undertaken by the Central and State Universities for preserving and promoting the endangered languages in the country.
Endangered Languages and their last Speakers
Kota from the Nilgiri Hills, District in Tamil Nadu has only 930 native speakers left. This Dravidian language is struggling to survive due to the dominant language of Tamil, which is adversely influencing it. Tai Khamyang is fading away fast due to overlap by the Assamese language. It is critically endangered as only 50 people speak it now. Tarao from Manipur – Chandel District has only 870 speakers according to the 2011 census, now it seems to be a population of 1,000 speakers. UNESCO called language extinct in 2009, with few fluent speakers only now. It belongs to the language family of Kuki-Chin. Purum from Manipur- Senapat District has only 500 native speakers left. It also belongs to the Kuki-Chin family. Shompen from Great Nicobar Islands has only 400 native speakers left. It is of Nicobaric Austroasiatic language.
Jarawa from Andaman – Rulland Island, has only 266 native speakers and belongs to the language family of Ongan. Other Languages like, Sentinelese from Sentinel Island – Andaman has only 250 native speakers. It is unclassified from which family it belongs. The Tangam from Arunachal Pradesh Upper Siang has only 150 native speakers left. It belongs to the Tani language family. Onge is critically endangered from the Andaman Islands. It belongs to the Little Andaman and has only 94 native speakers. it belongs to the Ongan language family. Khamyang from Assam Tinsukia has only 50 native speakers and belongs to the Kra Dai language family.
Nihali is an isolate language in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. It has fewer than 2000 speakers today. Toto, with fewer than 1500 speakers in the State of West Bengal is also endangered language. Birhor, is an Austroasiatic language, the semi nomadic Birhor tribe speaks in the Central India is also endangered language.
Some organizations that support the cause of Language preservation
- sanchika.ciil.org
- Home | Official Website of Central Institute of Indian Languages
- https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=de858cdb409ebbd5bfad80bd2d20b7f4b5b823029242680ed50da1786fbdeb1cJmltdHM9MTc3MTg5MTIwMA&ptn=3&ver=2&hsh=4&fclid=2545831f-f92d-6d91-215c-9090f8f76c5a&psq=SPPEL&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly9zcHBlbC5vcmcv
- Bharatavani
- Endangered Languages Documentation Programme (ELDP)
- https://www.endangeredlanguages.com/
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