Multiscriptality in South Asia and language development

Abstract

The paper raises a few old debates in the field of language development, such as the one between a ``free'' versus a ``monitored'' policy, treading of a ``known'' or a ``novel'' path of progression, or the cost and consequences of a decision to develop a writing system, or the sociopolitical factors that may contribute to such multilinguality or multiscriptality. It suggests that so far wrong questions have been raised, viz. whether one is talking about a language or a dialect, or whether the variety of speech has a script, or, say, could it have its own grammar, etc. In raising such questions, one overlooks the fact that both in the developed western communities and in South Asia, di€erent languages employ the same or similar writing systems and yet remain di€erent. The study discusses a few actual cases of plurality and multiscriptality in South Asia and the problems arising out of plurality of scripts. It is argued here that in civil societies, all linguistically minority communities have the right to develop their own languages and choose or create their own writing systems.