STUDIES ON TRIBAL AND ENDANGERED LANGUAGES

India is a multiethnic and multicultural country. Different ethnic groups have been speaking different languages for communication within and outside their communities. There have been tribal groups belonging to different races (viz., Indo-Aryan, Dravidian, Austric and Mongoloid (-linguistically Sino Tibetan/Tibeto Burman) practicing different belief systems and representing different cultural ethos. These have very effectively shaped and enriched their languages to be very unique. But due to the smallness of their population, lack of political power and poor socioeconomic conditions their languages have not been used in the domains of modern life like education, administration and mass media. This situation leaves these languages to be used only in their spoken forms within the respective communities in spite of the constitutional guarantees for the maintenance and use of these languages in domains like education. And hence, the study of these tribal languages chiefly by CIIL and by other agencies like the Universities has been very useful and essential in promoting them in the domains like education and mass media. Also, such studies help in documentation of these languages for their richness in folklore, folk medicine and indigenous knowledge systems.

Linguists from CIIL have conducted several field studies to collect data of these tribal languages. Several grammars and bilingual dictionaries have been published and several others are either under preparation or in print. For CIIL's publications on grammars, dictionaries, folklore and teaching material (for tribal school children) one can click here and go to the list of CIIL's publications. Also, works on individual languages can be read under the heading of such languages. A list of tribal languages CIIL has worked or contemplating to work is listed here alphabetically. One can click the Search button, scroll and click on a language to arrive at the site of a particular language for more details.

All languages are not treated and patronized equally in any multiethnic and multilingual country for various reasons. India is not an exception. Tribal and minor languages that are spoken by small groups face a serious threat due to lack of recognition, patronage and status. The psyche of such small groups in the presence of larger (in population), powerful and dominant neighborhood languages also does not encourage them to maintain their languages. As a result, a few minor and tribal languages are almost near extinction and some other languages are moving in that direction. That is why it is told that tribal bilingualism in India is unstable, implying that, the tribals becoming bilinguals in a neighborhood dominant language is only to lose their original mother tongue one day.
There is yet another dimension to language endangerment in India (as it is in the case of some American Indian languages). A few very small tribal groups are biologically endangered and if left unattended and uncared for, the population of these very small groups (like the Andamanese in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands) may further reduce and become extinct very soon. If this is allowed to happen, the languages spoken by these groups also will become extinct.

In order to revert the situations described above, CIIL has been working more actively in the areas where such communities live. Such communities and the their languages have become the thrust areas of study and language development activities by CIIL, independently, as well as in collaboration with other agencies. Languages that are considered endangered and languages that are considered to be moving in the direction of becoming endangered are listed here in this section. One can click on the Search button, scroll and click on a particular language for more details.