AFTER THE DELUGE: AN ACTION NOTEBOOK FOR A RESPONSIBLE SOCIOLINGUIST

Abstract

In this paper, we begin with inevitability and cyclicity of pandemic during the last two centuries. The problems seem to be coming back to us again and again through Small-pox, Tuberculosis, Plague, Influenza, HIV/AIDS, Ebola, and now COVID-19. The 2003 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) pandemic and the Avian Influenza resulted in establishment of WHO protocols and awareness. However, as we consider the people at the Bottom of the Pyramid in developing and poor countries, the problem of survival of ethnic groups and their languages appear to be more acute. We know that 96% of India’s mother-tongues are spoken by only 4% of the population. But as India houses 3592 numerically weak mother tongues (spoken by 705 tribes or ethnic groups and 1284 castes scattered all over our rural landscape), with high degree of poverty combined with social hierarchies based on caste, religion and ethnicity, the shape of our population pyramid is relatively flat and bulging at the bottom making the problem of the survival of mother-tongues and learning in other-tongues complex. Our problem is that these ethnic groups and speakers of indigenous languages are fast losing their grip over their respective mother-tongues as they have to survive in an urban cauldron. It is this group that faced/faces the COVID-19 crisis more than anyone else, and it is this group that was seen walking back from urban centres to their villages. But those who stayed back in villages are also vulnerable to the pandemic. The effect of COVID-19 on our indigenous groups could be dangerous. After defining and describing ‘Danger’, we argue that the creativity of these indigenous language speakers is facing a grave threat. This is not only a matter of survival or production, but also an issue of printing, publishing, being read, translated, and sold. After discussing a few theoretical positions, from Ethnologue to Fishman and others, a list of tasks of Responsible Sociolinguistics is enlisted here. Then a detailed comparison is held between Biological and Linguistic Endangerment. What lessons could be learned by sociolinguists and language planners is discussed. The kind of tensions existing as real threat to survival are discussed in terms of systems theory and power-conflict theory. We argue that Linguistics should be used for healing of the wounds and injured pride of the smaller speech groups.