Ghodke Language Loss and Marginalisation in India

Migration, Caste, and the Waddar Speech Community
1. Auflage 2026
ISBN: 978-3-032-35336-8
Verlag: Springer International Publishing
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: 1 - PDF Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 307 Seiten

Reihe: Social Sciences

This book examines how caste, poverty, migration, and education contribute to language loss in India through the case of the Waddar community, a semi-nomadic De-notified Tribe whose ancestral Dravidian language, Waddari, is endangered. It combines sociolinguistics, ethnography, and political economy to explain why marginalized communities experience rapid language shift. Across its chapters, the book traces the historical legacy of colonial criminalisation, caste-based exclusion, labour migration, and state language and education policies that weaken intergenerational language transmission. Drawing on extensive fieldwork and interviews with Waddar speakers across generations, it explores changing language use, bilingualism, identity, and aspirations for social mobility. Situating the Waddar experience within broader debates on language endangerment, linguistic justice, and multilingual education, the book offers insights relevant to India and the Global South. It will appeal to researchers and students of sociolinguistics, anthropology, education, caste studies, and language policy.

Zielgruppe

Research

Autoren/Hrsg.

Ghodke, Digambar M.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Chapter 1: Language Loss and Marginalization: Conceptual Foundations and Methodological Approach.- Chapter 2: Language, Caste, and the Indian Nation-State: Roots of Cultural and Linguistic Exclusions in Maharashtra.- Chapter 3: Migration, Labor, and Linguistic Displacement.- Chapter 4: Language Use, Education, and Aspirational Shift.- Chapter 5: Identity, Resistance, and the Possibility of Revitalization.- Chapter 6: Conclusion and Policy Implications.

Über Autor(innen)

Digambar M. Ghodke is Professor of English at Sangamner Nagarpalika Arts, D. J. Malpani Commerce and B. N. Sarda Science College (Autonomous), Maharashtra, India. A sociolinguist, translator, and poet, his research focuses on language endangerment, multilingualism, caste, and linguistic justice, with projects funded by the University Grants Committee (UGC), British Council, and Savitribai Phule Pune University, India.