Language and Social Issues (An Old & Rare Book)

INTRODUCTION TO INTRODUCE From the cradle of civilization two experiments have gone on side by side in the world. One is, increasing economic status of human beings and the other is increasing the social status of human beings. It is true that when economic status is elevated there is concomitant elevation of social status and vice versa. But there are equal number of instances of individuals and groups enjoying high economic status but low social status and people enjoying high social status but low economic status. Even during the life time of Marx and certainly after him a large body of literature has been created on the issue of the human face of socialism. While some have claimed that both these terms are incompatible, others with equal vehemence, have asserted that without one the other is impossible

Over the centuries it has been clear that any economic development which does not take into account social issues acting and interacting on it is doomed to failure. As Kuklinsky says planning without reference to its context is unlikely to succeed. Language is an important context of human development and planners can ignore it only at the cost of planning itself.

Language is a primary instrument of social group formation. It is the tool of conviviality, which negotiates agreement. As a mark of identity it delineates boundaries of communication. It is a prime factor in developing perceptive and cognitive skills and is at the root of all creativity and innovativeness. As the medium of education, administration and communication it holds the key to both social equality and inequality.

It is inconceivable that there was a single language for all human beings at any time since human societies were formed. Multiplicity and diversity are the characteristics of nature. There are parasites which live on others. But the result of growth due to overconsumption is auto detonation. It is only human organisms and human organization which destroy themselves through over consumption and over expansion. Whenever human societies or human languages have tried to expand themselves absorbing and incorporating other elements, following the inexorable law of dialectics anti-thesis has developed within itself.

**Contents and Sample Pages**