language maintaining/India

00 00 dietzgm at YAHOO.DE
Sun Apr 24 17:34:47 UTC 2011


I have read your paper, Mr. Mallikarjun. The relation between Sanskrit and the indo-arian languages is similar to that one between Latin and the Romance languages in former times. For those languages had been latinized when they had developed Standard languages. They have as well gained prestige over the local dialects. 

I am not that estonished by the number of languages spoken in India as there is a population of just above 1 billion people.
Because of the huge population, I doubt if English as a lingua franca is that necessary for every Indian citizen.. Hindi as lingua franca for India and around could be enough..This would hinder the further spread of English as another threat to Indian languages. English ought to be limited as lingua franca for people being active internationally. In Drawidian areas including Sri Lanka, a lingua franca out of the Drawidian languages could be fostered.

Sanskrit in India is comparable with Latin in Western Europe. 

Although language death has always occurred throughout histiry, one has to admit that never before were that many languages threatened. In former times, language shift was a rather slow process with long bilingual periods. Within the last 200 years, heavyly violent actions have been put into place. 

Yes, diglossia is usually the beginning of language endangerment. The best is to already take action when diglossia spreads. Clearly defined purposes for languages are favourable for the survival. In my point of view, the local or indigenous languages ought at any rate to be used between speakers in the area in all domains. Lingua francas ought only be the choice in the task when necessary, namely when people are involved in the talk who do not speak the language, but a lingua franca. 

The use of a non-local or non-indigenous languages between persons who do both dominate the local or indigenous one as in diglossia occurs is actually a very strange thing. In my point of view, no language is inferior for certain situations, but only a certain choice of words.

The right answer to modern settings of intercultural contacts is bi- and multilinguism whereas lingua francas are clearly limited to intercultural dealings.
The learning of classical languages is worth for gaining an inside into times further back and for traditional reasons.

Alex



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