28.3748, Diss: Sindhi; Sociolinguistics; Writing Systems: Arvind Iyengar: 'Sindhī multiscriptality, past and present: A sociolinguistic investigation into community acceptance'

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LINGUIST List: Vol-28-3748. Tue Sep 12 2017. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 28.3748, Diss: Sindhi; Sociolinguistics; Writing Systems: Arvind Iyengar: 'Sindhī multiscriptality, past and present: A sociolinguistic investigation into community acceptance'

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Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2017 12:55:26
From: Arvind Iyengar [arvind.iyengar at une.edu.au]
Subject: Sindhī multiscriptality, past and present: A sociolinguistic investigation into community acceptance

 
Institution: University of New England, Australia 
Program: PhD 
Dissertation Status: Completed 
Degree Date: 2017 

Author: Arvind Iyengar

Dissertation Title: Sindhī multiscriptality, past and present: A
sociolinguistic investigation into community acceptance 

Dissertation URL:  http://tiny.cc/sindhi

Linguistic Field(s): Sociolinguistics
                     Writing Systems

Subject Language(s): Sindhi (snd)


Dissertation Director(s):
Finex Ndhlovu
Cindy Schneider

Dissertation Abstract:

The thesis focuses on the use of the written form of the Sindhī language
within the minority Indian Sindhī community. As demonstrated by several
studies, community competence in written Sindhī in India has been declining
for several decades. This is attributable to the lack of economic use for the
language in India, and to the fact that the language has traditionally been
written in the intricate Perso-Arabic script. Consequently, community
motivation to learn this script purely for reading and writing Sindhī is low.
Attempts have been made to use the Devanāgarī script for the Sindhī language
in India, with partial success. Of late, a community proposal for using the
Latin or Roman script for the Sindhī language has emerged, claiming to bridge
the script divide in the community between Perso-Arabic and Devanāgarī.

On this basis, the study investigates the use of scripts for the Sindhī
language, both from a diachronic and synchronic perspective. It addresses the
questions of how and why certain scripts were and are being used for the
Sindhī language. It also explores what the Indian Sindhī community today feels
about using the Roman script to read and write the Sindhī language. In doing
so, the study examines the potential Roman has in improving community
competence in written Sindhī, and identifies solutions that may aid Sindhī
language maintenance in India.

The thesis first analyses the rich but understudied script history of the
Sindhī language from the tenth century to modern times. Domains in which
certain scripts were used are investigated, and definite patterns in script
distribution are identified. Particular attention is paid to Perso-Arabic and
Devanāgarī, which emerged as the two most widely used scripts for the language
in the twentieth century. The diachronic analysis draws on archival sources as
well as academic works on the Sindhī language, and brings to the fore hitherto
neglected data on historical script use for the language.

The thesis then analyses present-day community opinion on the proposal to use
the Roman script to read and write Sindhī. Distinct themes in community
opinion are highlighted, and popular semiotic associations of Roman,
Perso-Arabic and Devanāgarī are identified. The synchronic analysis is based
on original fieldwork data, comprising in-depth qualitative oral interviews
with members of the Indian Sindhī community (n = 50) of diverse backgrounds
and ages from various geographical locations.

The findings of the historical and contemporary sociolinguistic investigation
in this study challenge the simplistic view prevalent in the literature that
past and present script use for the Sindhī language has been the result of
either authoritarian imposition or voluntary choice. They also question the
oft-asserted claim in the literature that the choice of script for a language
is a reflection of its speakers’ ideological affiliation. Rather, the study’s
findings point to more quotidian factors influencing historical and
contemporary script use for Sindhī, including socioeconomic need and
situationally-determined appropriateness. The study’s findings also indicate
that community members consider oral competence in the Sindhī language to be
more important than written competence in it. Finally, from a pedagogical
point of view, both Devanāgarī and Roman are shown to have distinct advantages
for beginner readers in Sindhī.




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