Abstract
This chapter presents arguments that support language as politics, taking its cue from the philosophy of language and probing how language as speech and expression is a political act. The position of the Indian National Congress and other Indian associations relevant to the language issue in India is elucidated. Demonstrating the use of language during the partition of Bengal in 1905, the chapter asserts the role of political leaders and spokesmen with regard to the language controversy between Hindi–Hindustani. Further, it notes how language was associated with the Dravidian movement.
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Notes
- 1.
Popularly known as the Simon Commission.
- 2.
The resolution was introduced by Sri. Konda Venkatappaya and supported by C. Rajagopalachari.
- 3.
Panchama means the fifth: it is used for communities outside the Hindu caste system, also called untouchables and in recent decades Dalit.
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Sengupta, P. (2018). Language Conundrum. In: Language as Identity in Colonial India. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-6844-7_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-6844-7_6
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