Kohima, April 1 (MTNews): At least 200 languages in the North East region of India are considered endangered as per UNESCO’s 2003 Vitality Index, Director of North Eastern Institute of Language and Culture, Guwahati, Rev Dr Vijay A D’Souza said while delivering a lecture on Language Endangerment in the Northeast: From Despair to Hope, at Tetso College in Dimapur.
According to Dr Vijay, most of these languages have less than 10,000 speakers each.
He said the attitude of colonial masters that these languages are worthless have been carried down through generations till today which has made people shun their own languages in pursuit of English and Hindi, on assumption that the dominant languages will grant social mobility and employment opportunities rather than their mother tongues.
Towards revitalizing one’s own language, Dr Vijay said the best and easiest way is to speak one’s own language whenever possible and to cultivate an attitude of pride and belonging for one’s own language and community.
Thanks for the comprehensive overview. Very helpful!