Language Shifts among the Scheduled Tribes in India

The present work attempts to identify spatial patterns of the extent and nature of language shifts among the tribal population in India. It provides social, economic and political dimensions of changing linguistic identity. Based on both secondary and primary data, some of the socio-economic variables have been statistically tested through Correlation and Regression to determine the relationship with language shifts. The impact of urbanisation and regional development on the linguistic behaviour of the tribal population has been analysed.

The study rejects the claim that language shift indicates the process of integration - rather it shows the process of assimilation of the tribal people into the majority culture group. In fact, language shifts among these societies have been perceived more often as social compulsions.

The study emphasises the need of promoting and preserving the tribal languages as these are cultural heritage of India. The study may provide a basis to understand the dynamics of language shift - as it might have implications of language planning in multilingual societies like India.

About the Author:

M. Ishtiaq (b. 1956) received his M.A., M.Phill. and Ph.D. degrees in Geography from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Social Geography is his specialisation. He has contributed more than two dozens of research papers on tribal languages of India published in the journals of national and international repute.

Dr. Ishtiaq is on the faculty of geography, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi since 1981. As a geographer, he has the distinction of receiving the Advanced Diploma in Cartography from the Survey of India, Hyderabad. His book on 'Practical Geography' is widely referred to as a text book in the Indian Universities. He is a life member of many Academic Associations/ Societies and a corresponding member of the Commission on Marine Geography, International Geographic Union, Italy.

PREFACE
LIST OF TABLES
LIST OF FIGURES

1. INTRODUCTION

2. LANGUAGE SHIFT: CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
   2.1 Introduction
   2.2 Directions of Language Shift
   2.3 Process of Language Shift
   2.4 Overview of Literature

3. TRIBAL LANGUAGE OF INDIA
   3.1 Introduction
   3.2 Distribution of Austric Languages
   3.3 Distribution of Sino-Tibetan Languages
   3.4 Distribution of Dravidian Tribal Languages
   3.5 Distribution of Indo-Aryan Tribal Languages

4. AUSTRIC LANGUAGES: DISTRIBUTION AND PATTERNS OF LANGUAGES SHIFT
   4.1 Introduction
   4.2 Major Austric Languages
   4.3 Minor Austric Languages
   4.4 Changing Linguistic Identity

5. TYPOLOGY OF LANGUAGE SHIFT AND MAINTENANCE
   5.1 Decadal Variations and Language Shift
   5.2 Patterns of Language Shift and Maintenance:
   Case Studies
   5.2.1 The Bhils
   5.2.2 The Korkus
   5.2.3 The Mundas
   5.2.4 The Santals
   5.3 The Empirical Evidence
   5.4 Typology of Language Shift and Maintenance

6. DETERMINANTS AND CORRELATES OF LANGUAGE SHIFT
   6.1 Introduction
   6.2 Linguistic Diversity
   6.3 Linguistic Exposure
   6.4 Bilingualism / Multilingualism
   6.5 Correlates of Language Shift
   6.6 Explaining the Unexplained

7. LANGUAGE SHIFT: IMPLICATIONS AND EXPLANATIONS
   7.1 Introduction
   7.2 Development and Language Shift
   7.3 Urbanisation and the Process of Language Shift
   7.4 Language Regionalism

8. PLANNING FOR THE PRESERVATION OF TRIBAL LANGUAGES
   
   
9. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

   APPENDIX

   REFERENCES
   INDEX

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