Language Endangerment and Preservation: A Study of Tribal Languages of Tamilnadu

Abstract

There are 461 languages spoken by the Tribal people of India (Census 2011).
Due to the less usage of the tribal people’s language, it faces a significant threat of becoming an endangered language. Some tribes, like the Sentinelese Tribes in the Andaman Island, want to lead their lives in their natural habitat. They are called primitive tribes. But some tribes have to interact with the urban people to survive in this modern world. Due to that interaction, the influence of modern culture and suppression of their original identities, they adapted to modern culture. While some of their customs and traditions are continued to be practiced by them, due to less usage of their own language, tribal language endangerment happens. This article focuses on Tribal Languages spoken across Tamilnadu, Government’s schemes and measures to preserve tribal languages and cultures, and ways to preserve tribal languages using modern technologies. Tribal languages of Irula, MalaiVedan, Toda, Kota, Kattunayakkan and Badaga are analysed in this article. Government schemes like Tribal Research, Information, Education, Communication and Events (TRI-ECE), Scheme for Protection and Preservation of Endangered Languages (SPPEL) and their results are discussed in this article. This article also explores modern technologies which can be used to preserve tribal languages.