Abstract
This chapter looks into multilingualism in India and outcomes of contact between different linguistic groups. Based on studies in Bodo-Assamese and Kui-Odia contact outcomes, the chapter seeks some answers to the question “Why do some languages get marginalised and others are assertively maintained in situations of language contact?”
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Notes
- 1.
Name changed for anonymity.
- 2.
During the Bodo movement, which started in the early 1960s and became more vigorous in the 1970s leading to demand for a separate Bodo State (Bodoland), the Bodos rejected the socio-economic and political dominance of the Assamese people and also the Assamese script for writing Bodo. Bodo was then written in Roman script. Later, the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), formed in 2003, undertook wider consultation on the question of writing of Bodo and decided in favour of Devanagari script. Now Bodo is written and printed in Devanagari script with minor modifications. Thus, printed and handwritten materials in Bodo are available in three writing systems – Assamese, Roman and Devanagari.
- 3.
The anglicised name has now been changed to its indigenous form – Guwahati.
- 4.
This was the first major sign of Bodo people’s rejection of Assamese. During the 1920s, there were signs of the emergence of Bodo identity and growth of political consciousness among the Bodos. Even then, Bodos had a clear preference for the Assamese over other communities in contact. When the Simon Commission of the British Government sought to reorganise the province of Bengal, there was a suggestion that the Bodo areas may be merged with Bengal. The Bodos submitted a memorandum to the commission in 1929 expressing their resentment over the proposed transfer of Bodo areas to Bengal; they indicated a clear preference for continuing as a part of Assam.
- 5.
The group, also called Bodo Liberation Tigers Force (BLTF), was founded on 18 June 1996 under the leadership of Mr. Prem Singh Brahma. The BLTF or BLT became a major terrorist group operating in Assam during this period of Bodo movement.
- 6.
Later, BLT and ABSU formed a political alliance called Bodo People’s Progressive Front.
- 7.
During the 1980s and 1990s, Kond population was around 1 million and the number of Kui speakers was around 600,000.
- 8.
One of the researchers, Ms. Jayashree Saikia, lived in BTC headquarters town of Kokrajhar during 2007–2009 as the manager of a project undertaken by the author.
- 9.
There were many signs of emerging political consciousness among the Bodos by the end of the 1920s. During this period, Bodos presented a number of memorandum to the Government of India under the British Rule. In 1929, they represented to the Simon Commission seeking privileges, jobs and higher education for Bodos and also challenging the proposed transfer of Bodo areas to Bengal. In 1924, the students’ organisation of Bodos, Assam Bodo Chatra Sanmilani (Assam Bodo Students Convention), published the first Bodo Magazine Bibar. Earlier, in 1915, the first printed book in Bodo language Bodoni Phisa O’Aiyen had been published stating the customs and rules for Bodo community. The emergence of Bodo identity saw some political activism by the Bodos during the 1930s and afterwards. Some Bodo leaders initiated formation of All Assam Tribal League in 1933 with active participation of the Bodos and sought political privileges and reservations for the plains tribes including the Bodos. This was granted to them by the Government of India Act, 1935, during the British rule.
- 10.
Soon after independence, leaders of All Assam Tribal League, mostly Bodos, joined the Indian National Congress Party hoping for greater autonomy and power to the Bodo people.
- 11.
Language issues became quite prominent in Assam during the 1960s. Assamese became the medium of higher education in addition to English. Assamese also became the compulsory third language in secondary schools.
- 12.
Assimilation option depends on the permeability of boundary of the dominant group. When the dominant group keeps the subordinate group in segregation or when it has distinctive traits like racial features, the boundary becomes impermeable. In such cases, the dominated group may seek other options for mobility.
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Mohanty, A.K. (2019). Dynamics of Marginalisation and Assertive Maintenance in Multilingual Contact. In: Pandey, J., Kumar, R., Thapa, K. (eds) Psychological Perspectives on Diversity and Social Development. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-3341-5_8
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