Wagner Lecture Week 10-1

EDUC 815 Course Overview

  • Instructor: Elvis Wagner

Weekly Announcements

  • No P&A Due This Week: No recordings for Week 10 discussions.

Paper Assignments in November

  • “English with an Accent” Group Discussion and Paper (5%)

    • Due Date: Nov 9

  • Multilingual Neighborhood Report Paper (15%)

    • Due Date: November 22

  • Important: Watch Wagner Lecture Week 10-2 for more details on both assignments.

Today's Agenda

  • No recordings today: Overview of topics covered.

  • Reading Summary: McCormick & Agnihotri (2009)

  • Main Topic: Multilingualism in India

Engagement Activity

  • Do Now (3 min):

    • Questions to consider:

      • Which nations are considered multilingual?

      • What defines a 'multilingual country'?

      • Is multilingualism beneficial or detrimental? Why?

Multilingualism in Modern Society

  • Key Insight:

    • Almost all modern countries are multilingual by definition.

McCormick and Agnihotri (2009) Insights

  • In multilingual settings, language choice reflects:

    • Need for understanding and personal identity aspirations.

  • Case Studies: Language use examples from Delhi and Cape Town influence client perceptions and business interactions.

Multilingualism: Challenges and Advantages

  • Challenges:

    • Daily decision-making on language use can hinder social interactions and lead to distress among multilingual individuals (Coulmas, 2013, p.123).

    • Risks of individual language loss and the potential extinction of languages.

    • Nationalistic tensions due to multilingual dynamics.

  • Advantages:

    • Multilingualism enhances cognitive abilities and personal development, offering linguistic privileges.

    • Tasks in multilingual communities often assigned based on language.

Linguistic Diversity in India

  • Bonvillian (2008):

    • India possesses vast linguistic diversity:

      • Language Families (1981 Census):

        • Indo-Aryan: 74%

        • Dravidian: 24%

        • Austro-Asiatic: 1.5%

        • Tibeto-Burman: 0.70%

Distribution of Languages in India

  • Languages Spoken:

    • Major languages with speaker populations:

      1. Hindi: 402.2 million

      2. Bengali: 83.0 million

      3. Telugu: 78.7 million

      4. Marathi: 74.5 million

      5. Urdu: 51.8 million

      6. Gujarati: 48.5 million

      7. Tamil: 63.2 million

      8. Others: Include Assamese, Malayalam, Punjabi, etc.

Regional and Linguistic Challenges

  • Example of Regional Divisions:

    • Emotional & political disputes arise from language demarcations, such as:

      • Historical subdivision of Punjab into Hindi-speaking Haryana & Punjabi-speaking Punjab.

      • Ongoing conflicts over border disputes involving language groups.

  • State Language Designations:

    • Various states designate regional languages differently (e.g., Hindi vs. indigenous languages).

Complexity of Writing Systems

  • Case Study: Santhali

    • Different scripts used in Assam, Bihar, Orissa, and West Bengal complicate writing and communication in this language.

    • Ongoing efforts by the central Commission of Linguistic Minorities to unify writing systems but face regional disagreements.

Social Influence of English

  • Social Status: English holds significant prestige, with notable opposition to Hindi in Southern states.

Language Modernization Trends

  • Indian languages adapting and modernizing by incorporating new vocabulary and replacing indigenous terms with those from languages of higher societal status.

Linguistic Minorities

  • Present Challenges:

    • Linguistic minorities often face stigmatization, viewed as barriers to societal progress and cohesion.