LANGUAGE IN INDIA

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Volume 24:9 September 2024
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Negation Strategies in Markodi: An Exploration of the Mavilan Tribe’s Indigenous Mother Tongue

Anurakhi. K. P., M.A., M.Phil.


Abstract

Negation is a fundamental linguistic feature that has been extensively researched, particularly the standard negation strategies. However, negation strategies in Markodi, the speech form of the Mavilan tribal community in Kerala, commonly regarded as a dialect of Tulu remains unexplored. This paper aims to comprehensively examine both standard negation and clausal negation in Markodi, with a special focus on prohibitive constructions, negative replies and negation of non-verbal predicates. By examining these various facets, the paper aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of the negation system within this under-described speech form, while shedding light on the broader typological variations in negation strategies.

Keywords: Markodi, negation, prohibitive constructions, non-verbal predicates, South Dravidian

Introduction

The Mavilan community, a Scheduled Tribe inhabiting the Kannur and Kasaragod Districts of Kerala, has long been acknowledged for its tribal identity (Thurston & Rangachari, 1909). Despite this recognition, their classification shifted to a scheduled caste in 1956. Despite recommendations for scheduled tribe status in 1967, they remained classified as a scheduled caste until 2003. It was only in 2003, when the state passed the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Orders (Amendment) Act 2002 that they were recognised as a distinct tribal group by the state. While their cultural heritage has since gained attention, the linguistic identity of the Mavilans has often been overlooked. Their speech form, often mistaken for Tulu, and the community’s relatively higher population of 30,867 (Census, 2011) contributed to its exclusion from preservation efforts like SPPEL, the Government of India’s initiative for protecting endangered languages. Classifying their speech through the Tulu-centric perspective has further led to its omission from linguistic databases such as Ethnologue and Glottologue. The present paper aims to provide a descriptive account of negation strategies in the speech form of Mavilans, commonly referred to locally as Markodi.

Anthropological Background and Linguistic Identity of the Mavilan Tribe

The Mavilan tribe, primarily settled in the Kasaragod and Kannur districts of Kerala, have historically been considered hunter-gatherers with Dravidian roots who have gradually transitioned into an agrarian lifestyle. Kurup (2000) believes that Mavilan was essentially a Dravidian tribe, and the people of this tribe were among the original inhabitants of Kerala. Referring to the Mavila forts in the Kasaragod region, Balan (2001) portrays Mavilans as having control over the land stretching from the seashore to the western Ghats before the advent of the Kadamba dynasty. Based on the myths circulating within the community, it is also suggested that the Mavilans served as soldiers under King Devarayar, the ruler of Tulunadu. Their livelihood was once largely reliant on forest resources, especially medicinal plants. The term ‘Mavilan’ is also etymologically linked to the medicinal plant ‘ma:vilavu’, which they traditionally sold.


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Anurakhi. K. P., M.A., M.Phil.
Research Scholar, Department of Linguistics
Central University of Kerala
Tejaswini Hills, Periye (PO)
Kasaragod (DT), Kerala-671320
INDIA
kp.anurakhi@gmail.com

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