G N Devy

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Biological evolution and language fatigue

India, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Nigeria put together have about half of the world’s languages in existence. But in all these countries with the maximum number of languages in existence, there is a huge amount of language deaths being reported.

18 November 2024, 02:40 IST

Biological evolution and language fatigue

18 November 2024, 02:40 IST

Languages and the State

For any nation state in the world, it becomes necessary to regulate the growth and development of languages in order to keep the country together and at the same time, to do justice to the nature and identity of its linguistic heritage.

10 November 2024, 21:46 IST

Languages and the State

10 November 2024, 21:46 IST

English and the 'bhashas'

The entrenched context of the English language brings up many questions about what its growth means for Indian languages.

03 November 2024, 22:27 IST

English and the 'bhashas'

03 November 2024, 22:27 IST

The nation and its languages

The non-recognition of several languages and linguistic groups in Census data impacts policymaking, research and even democratic freedom

27 October 2024, 23:09 IST

The nation and its languages

27 October 2024, 23:09 IST

The shifting linguistic profile

Throughout the known history of India, there has been an active exchange between indigenous languages and migratory languages

20 October 2024, 21:14 IST

The shifting linguistic profile

20 October 2024, 21:14 IST

How print technology diminished oral traditions

For most part of India’s long history, multilingualism was a natural cultural condition for various regions in the subcontinent.

13 October 2024, 22:45 IST

How print technology diminished oral traditions

13 October 2024, 22:45 IST

Mapping India’s language traditions and diversity

In the pre-colonial epistemologies of language, hierarchy in terms of a standard and dialect was not common. Language diversity was an accepted fact of life. Literary artists could use several languages within a single composition, and their audience accepted the practice as normal.

07 October 2024, 01:05 IST

Mapping India’s language traditions and diversity

07 October 2024, 01:05 IST

The colonial response to language diversity

Its use primarily gained currency in Europe as a cultural history description when Edward Gibbon (1737–1794) published History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire in six volumes between 1776 and 1788.

29 September 2024, 22:32 IST

The colonial response to language diversity

29 September 2024, 22:32 IST

Ancient India and the age of language mixing

It is beyond doubt that a proto-Dravidian language variety had been in existence in South India, and most likely in various other parts of India as well, prior to its coming in contact with Sanskrit.

22 September 2024, 22:59 IST

Ancient India and the age of language mixing

22 September 2024, 22:59 IST

A civilisation founded on multilingualism

The myths, cosmology, worldview and philosophy that India has inherited from the Sanskrit ‘knowledge system’ are a result of a multilingual ethos.

15 September 2024, 23:36 IST

A civilisation founded on multilingualism

15 September 2024, 23:36 IST