Arunachal is at a crossroad—even as the impediment for this tribal state has been the lack of a lingua franca an even greater challenge is that majority of its languages have fallen to disuse and on the brink of extinction. As many as 82 tribal languages spoken in the state are on the verge of becoming extinct according to a survey.

 

 

According to the 2009 UNESCO Atlas of the World’s Languages in danger data, 26 languages of Arunachal Pradesh have been identified as endangered. In the list, smaller communities like Meyor and Bugun face the biggest threat. Even languages of largely populated tribal groups like Adi, Galo and Nyishi have been categorized as unsafe by UNESCO.

 

 

As the world turns increasingly globalised, it is impossible to thwart the penetration of world languages. The advent of English and Hindi has become a prerequisite for a better life and inclusion into mainstream society. Arunachal not having a common language of its own, has taken to Hindi like ‘fish to water’ and the prevalence of Hindi in the frontier state has shocked the best of Hindi speakers from across the country. However, on the flipside, the youth of today are increasingly wandering away from their mother tongue and at this rate there might not be any takers for native tongues in the near future.

 

 

Ever since the NDA came to power at the Centre it has taken a clear stand in support of Hindi, pushing for it to replace English as the preferred language of the Government of India. PM Narendra Modi at several international platforms has spoken in Hindi thereby clearly sending a message.

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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