The Ecology of Language in Multilingual India

Cynthia Groff is Guest Researcher at Leiden University, Netherlands. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education, she has conducted post-doctoral research through Université Laval, Québec, Canada, and the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Iztapalapa, Mexico.

This book explores the linguistic ecology of the Kumaun region of Uttarakhand, India through the experiences and discourses of minority youth and their educators. Providing in-depth examples of Indian multilingualism, this volume analyses how each language is valued in its own context; how national-level policies are appropriated and contested in local discourses; and how language and culture influence educational opportunities and identity negotiation for Kumauni young women. In doing so, the author examines how students and educators navigate a multilingual society with similarly diverse classroom practices. She simultaneously critiques the language and education system in modern India and highlights alternative perspectives on empowerment through the lens of a unique Gandhian educational context. This volume allows Kumauni women and their educators to take centre stage, and provides a thoughtful and nuanced insight into their minority language environment. This unique bookis sure to appeal to students and scholars of multilingualism, sociolinguistics, language policy and minority languages. 

 

Provides an in-depth, situated perspective on multilingualism in India

Chapter 1. Introduction: Ecological Metaphors, Minority Voices, and Language Education in the Kumaun.- Chapter 2. Lakshmi Ashram and the Kumaun: Young Women and Gandhian Educators in their Linguistic and Educational Context.- Chapter 3. National-Level Language and Education Policies in India: Kumaunis as Linguistic Minorities.- Chapter 4. Language and Ethnography: Conducting Research in the Kumaun.- Chapter 5. Language Use and Language Labels in Community: Bhasha and Boli.- Chapter 6. Mother Tongue and Medium of Instruction: Official and Unofficial Language Choices in the Kumaun.- Chapter 7. Language Ecology in the Kumaun: The Value of Each and Relationships among Them.- Chapter 8. Young Women, Aims, and Education in the Kumaun.- Chapter 9. Empowerment, Moving Forward, and Alternative Values in Education.- Chapter 10. Conclusions: The Ecology of Language and Biliteracy in the Kumaun and Beyond.