Language in South Asia

by Edited by Braj B. Kachru , Yamuna Kachru , S. N. Sridhar

• ISBN13: 9780521786539
• ISBN10: 0521786533
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-04-21
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

South Asia is a rich and fascinating linguistic area, its many hundreds of languages from four major language families representing the distinctions of caste, class, profession, religion, and region. This comprehensive new volume presents an overview of the language situation in this vast subcontinent in a linguistic, historical and sociolinguistic context. An invaluable resource, it comprises authoritative contributions from leading international scholars within the fields of South Asian language and linguistics, historical linguistics, cultural studies and area studies. Topics covered include the ongoing linguistic processes, controversies, and implications of language modernization; the functions of South Asian languages within the legal system, media, cinema, and religion; language conflicts and politics, and Sanskrit and its long traditions of study and teaching. Language in South Asia is an accessible interdisciplinary book for students and scholars in sociolinguistics, multilingualism, language planning and South Asian studies.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Languages, contexts and constructs

Language History, Families and Typology

Language in historical context

Typological characteristics of South Asian languages

Languages and their Functions

Hindi, Urdu, Hindustani

Persian in South Asia

Major regional languages

Minority languages and their status

Tribal languages

Sanskrit and Traditions of Language Study

Sanskrit in the South Asian sociolinguistics

Traditions of language study

Multilingualism, Contact and Convergence

Contexts of multilingualism

Language contact and convergence

Pidgins, creoles and bazaar

Orality, Literacy, and Writing Systems

Orality and literacy

Writing systems

Language, State and Education

Language politics and conflicts

Language Standardization and Modernization

Language modernization

Language and Discourse

Language in social and ethnic interaction

Language and the legal system

Language in media and advertising

Language in cinema

Language of religion

Language and Identity

Language and gender

Dalit literature, language, and identity

Language and youth culture

Languages in Diaspora

Languages in diaspora

South Asian diaspora in Europe and the US

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