I have been trying to locate confirmation of that point on the Web
without success.
If that is true, I would like to know if Marathi, Kannada and
Malayalam too have joined Gujarati.
That's absurd. www.ethnologue.org
More helpfully: http://www.ethnologue.org/show_language.asp?code=guj.
Estimated number of speakers in India alone: 45.5 million (1997). It's
the official and the majority language of Gujarat state (population 51
million).
Similarly, Marathi is the official and majority language of Maharashtra
(pop. 98 million), Kannada is the official and majority language of
Karnataka (pop. 53 million), and Malayalam is the official and majority
language of Kerala (pop. 32 million).
What does Vyas say is his basis is for characterizing any of these
languages as being on their way to extinction?
As I am sending this to those who can get a response from Vyas let me
copy paste what other 3 posters have contibuted.
Peter T. Daniels
That's absurd. www.ethnologue.org
Harlan Messinger
More helpfully: http://www.ethnologue.org/show_language.asp?code=guj.
Estimated number of speakers in India alone: 45.5 million (1997). It's
the official and the majority language of Gujarat state (population 51
million).
Similarly, Marathi is the official and majority language of
Maharashtra
(pop. 98 million), Kannada is the official and majority language of
Karnataka (pop. 53 million), and Malayalam is the official and
majority
language of Kerala (pop. 32 million).
What does Vyas say is his basis is for characterizing any of these
languages as being on their way to extinction?
Panu
Last time I checked. Gujarati was spoken by some fifty million people.
What has happened? Have the Pakistanis invaded, or something?
Vyas wrote, rather asked
ગુજરાતી ભાષા બોલતા ભાષકોની સંખ્યા ફ્રેન્ચ ભાષા બોલતા કે જર્મન ભાષા
બોલતા ભાષકો કરતાં ઓછી નથી છતાં ભવિષ્યમાં લુપ્ત થનારી ભાષાઓની યાદીમાં
ગુજરાતીને સ્થાન મળ્યું છે, ફ્રેન્ચ કે જર્મનને નહીં. આવું કેમ થયું ?
That is
Gujarati is not spoken less than French or German, but unlike them
Gujarati put in the list of the languages that will become extinct in
future.
On the Web there is reference of UNESCO list of languages to become
extinct or endangered. It said that out of 6000 languages 3000 are
identified as endangered. Just now found UNESCO Interactive Atlas of
the World’s Languages in Danger http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?pg=00206
where against India number 196 given but cannot get which one they
are.
In Peter Daniel's http://www.ethnologue.org/nearly_extinct.asp#Asia
only 7 are listed.
> > I have been trying to locate confirmation of that point on the Web
> > without success.
>
> > If that is true, I would like to know if Marathi, Kannada and
> > Malayalam too have joined Gujarati.
>
> Looks like languages of all of the western coast of India are headed for
> extinction. :-) You forgot Goa in between. So add Konkani to this list
> as well.
>
> It isn't surprising that the western coast would see most changes (not
> extinction) - most contact (maritime or otherwise) with the Middle East,
> Africa, and Europe somewhat.
Thanks for jogging my memory. I am looking at the UNESCO Atlas as I type
this reply, and I find that there are 35 languages on the "critically
endangered" list. They all appear to be tribal languages - lots of
clusters in the Andaman/Nicobar islands, a couple in central India, and
lots in Orissa. Curiously there is a cluster in northern Kerala as well
(got to check this). However, the major languages Gujarati, Marathi,
Kannada and Malayalam do not light up as being "critically endangered."
Following are 196
List of languages:
A'tong
Adi
Ahom
Aimol
Aiton
Aka
Anal
Andro
Angami
Angika
Ao
Apatani
Asur
Badaga
Baghati
Balti
Bangani
Bangni
Bawm
Bellari
Bhadravahi
Bhalesi
Bharmauri
Bhumji
Biete
Birhor
Bishnupriya Manipuri Creole
Bodo
Bokar
Bori
Brokshat
Bunan
Byangsi
Chairel
Chambeali
Chang
Chokri
Churahi
Cuona Menba
Dakpa
Darma
Deori
Dimasa
Gadaba
Galo
Gangte
Garhwali
Geta?
Gondi
Gorum
Gutob
Handuri
Hill Miri
Hmar
Ho
Hrangkhol
Idu
Irula
Jad
Jangshung
Jarawa
Jaunsari
Juang
Kabui
Kachari
Kanashi
Kangdi
Karbi
Khamba
Khampti
Kharia
Khasali
Khasi
Kheza
Khiamngan
Khoirao
Khowa
Kinnauri
Koch
Koda
Kodagu
Kokborok
Kolami
Kolhreng
Kom
Konda
Konyak
Koraga
Korku
Korwa
Kota
Kui
Kului
Kumaoni
Kundal Shahi
Kurru
Kuruba
Kurux (India)
Kuvi
Ladakhi
Lamgang
Lamongse
Langrong
Lepcha
Lhota
Liangmai
Limbu
Lishpa
Luro
Mahasui
Malto
Manchad
Manda
Mandeali
Mao
Mara
Maram
Maring
Mech
Meithei
Miji
Miju
Milang
Minyong
Mising
Mizo
Motuo Menba
Moyon
Mra
Mundari
Muot
Mzieme
Na
Nahali
Naiki
Nihali
Nocte
Nruanghmei
Nyishi
Onge
Padam
Padri
Paite
Pangvali
Parji
Pasi
Pengo
Phom
Pochuri
Pu
Purik
Purum
Rabha
Rangkas
Remo
Rengma
Rongpo
Ruga
Sanenyo
Sangtam
Sengmai
Sentilese
Sherdukpen
Sherpa
Shompen
Simi
Singpho
Sirmaudi
Sora
Spiti
Sulung
Tagin
Tai Nora
Tai Phake
Tai Rong
Takahanyilang
Tamang
Tangam
Tangkhul
Tangsa
Tarao
Taruang
Thado
Tinan
Tiwa
Toda
Tolcha
Toto
Tshangla
Tulu
Turi
Wancho
Yimchungru
Zaiwa
Zangskari
Zeme
No Gujarati in there.
Have to wait if Vyas gets this.
Wonder after formation of Uttaranchala if a language other than Hindi
has been made State Language.
In eighties whatever American Christian Establishment promotes
translation of Bible had engaged a Gujarat Linguist with Ph.D. from
Summer School of Linguistics to translate Bible into Gadhwali.
Of 196 languages listed at http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?pg=00206
some may have Bible translated in them.
> (3) In Southern India, Tamil (with a lot of very recent English
> borrowings) seems quite vibrant and is under no immediate threat.
That cluster is probably Tulu, which is spoken by about two or three
million people. That would be a lot of folks in Europe, but not in
India. There is also Kodava or Coorg, which has less than a million
speakers. There are other small Dravidian languages in Southern India
too. Some of them are probably perceived as transitional dialects
between the Big Three (i.e. Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, and Telugu, so
that people don't necessarily think of them as "endangered languages",
but rather as "rustic dialects which are naturally giving way to
standard Malayalam/Tamil/Kannada/Telugu".
Thanks for the info. Both Tulu and Kodagu (Kodava? Coorgi?) figure in
the list that Romanise posted earlier in this thread. Hmm, 2 to 3
million speakers puts a language on the endangered list?
The southern cluster looks like it is at the corner of three states of
Kerala, TN, and Karnataka. I don't think there is any Telugu involved in
this cluster. Can we really think of some of these languages as being
dialects of the bigger ones? I thought Tulu and Coorgi are distinct
languages. I don't know what scripts they use. The languages in the
cluster in question might be what various tribes speak in the Nilgiris.
Yes, Kodava, Kodagu and Coorgi all mean the same language.
Hmm, 2 to 3
> million speakers puts a language on the endangered list?
It's not the number of speakers, it's the social context. If a
language has no high status in society, and if there is much more TV,
films, and other media available in a closely related metropolitan
language, then it is probably endangered. Shilpa and Shamita Shetty
are native speakers of Tulu, but their films are recorded in
metropolitan languages (Tamil and Hindi, I guess).
>
> The southern cluster looks like it is at the corner of three states of
> Kerala, TN, and Karnataka. I don't think there is any Telugu involved in
> this cluster. Can we really think of some of these languages as being
> dialects of the bigger ones? I thought Tulu and Coorgi are distinct
> languages. I don't know what scripts they use. The languages in the
> cluster in question might be what various tribes speak in the Nilgiris.
I reckon Tulu and Coorgi use the scripts of the big Dravidian
languages of the states where they are spoken. As regards their
distinctness as languages, there are many instances of distinct
languages being widely felt to be rather dialects than languages,
because their status in society is that of a dialect.