LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 20:9 September 2020
ISSN 1930-2940

Editors:
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         T. Deivasigamani, Ph.D.
         Pammi Pavan Kumar, Ph.D.
         Soibam Rebika Devi, M.Sc., Ph.D.

Managing Editor & Publisher: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.

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Language Loss and Revitalization of Gondi language:
An Endangered Language of Central India

Dr. Deepa Moni Boruah, M.A., M.Phil., Ph.D.

Abstract

The present paper illustrates the various causes of language loss of Gond tribes of central India, the second largest tribal group of India and the status of revitalization process of the community to revive the language. A linguistic analysis on the data collected are presented to demonstrate the current linguistic situation of the tribe and to ascertain the current language in use. The linguistic analyses are wholly based on author’s observation and the study conducted on the language spoken by the tribe. The data are collected from Gondi speakers who inhabit border areas of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, two states of central India, where Gonds are found in large number. Gondi is the native language of Gond tribe, mainly spoken in the Indian states of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and in various adjoining areas of neighboring states. Gondi originally belongs to Dravidian language family and it has been distinguished as a vulnerable language in UNESCO, 2009 report, which explains that the language is spoken by most children, but it may be restricted to certain domains. Gondi language, which is widely spoken in Madhya Pradesh by Gond tribes is found to reflect many linguistic similarities with other dominant languages like Hindi or Chhattisgarhi.The paper also summarizes the attitude of the speakers towards their lost language. It briefly explains the recent revitalization initiation by the community to minimize the communication gap among the Gonds of different states and presents the different factors causing hurdles in revitalization process.

Keywords: Gond, Gondi, Indigenous, Endangered, Preservation, Revitalization

1. Introduction

India is a home to diverse religious, linguistic, and cultural groups and thus become a multi-religious, multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, and multi-lingual country in the world. Indian subcontinent consists of a number of separate linguistic communities which enjoy language and culture in common and sometimes deliver a huge difference in dialects. In a multilingual country like India making choice over other languages in any domain may cause a lot of turbulence socially, economically, and politically. Indian tribal languages are priceless relics of India.

Indian tribal language can be defined as `folk` languages, possessing no literary specifications of their own and spoken by people of ethnic groups who prefer to live in relatively isolated groups. The Constitution of India has made specific provisions to safeguard the cultural and linguistic rights of the tribes and the minorities. Article 29 of the Constitution of India guarantees any section of the citizens having a distinct language, script, or culture of its own has the right to conserve the same. Notwithstanding these constitutional guarantees of linguistic and cultural rights, many tribal languages and indigenous cultures are in the path of extinction. Due to lack of education and ignorance about constitutional right, many indigenous tribes have lost their languages and their precious cultures.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Dr. Deepa Moni Boruah, M.A., M.Phil., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of English and Foreign Languages
Indira Gandhi National Tribal University
Amarkantak484886
Madhya Pradesh
Mobile: 09407012762
boruahdeepa49@gmail.com
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