International Journal

on Multicultural Societies
(IJMS)

Vol. 4, No. 2, 2002

“Protecting Endangered
Minority Languages:
Sociolinguistic Perspectives”

International Journal on Multicultural Societies (IJMS)

Vol. 4, No. 2, 2002

The Impact of Government Policies on Territorially Based

Ethnic or Nationalist Movements
DIRECTOR OF PUBLICATION: Paul de Guchteneire
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Matthias Koenig
GUEST EDITOR: Eda Derhemi
MATTHIAS KOENIG, Editorial 148

EDA DERHEMI, “Thematic Introduction: Protecting Endangered Minority Languages: 150

Sociolinguistic Perspectives”
SALIKOKO MUFWENE, “Colonisation, Globalisation, and the Future of Languages in 162
the Twenty-First Century”
SUZANNE ROMAINE, “The Impact of Language Policy on Endangered 194
Languages”
RAJESHWARI PANDHARIPANDE, “Minority Matters: Issues in Minority Languages 213
in India”
PIETER MUYSKEN, “Uchumataqu: Research in Progress on the Bolivian Altiplano” 235
EDA DERHEMI, “The Endangered Arbresh Language and the Importance of 248
Standardised Writing for its Survival: The Case of Piana degli Albanesi”
JOSHUA FISHMAN, “Endangered Minority Languages: Prospects for Sociolinguistic 270

Research”
Title : Minority Matters: Issues in Minority Languages in India

Author : Rajeshwari V. Pandharipande

Source : International Journal on Multicultural Societies (IJMS), “Protecting

Endangered Minority Languages: Sociolinguistic Perspectives”

Edition : Vol. 4, No. 2, 2002

Year : 2002

Place : United State

Publisher : UNESCO

Annotation :

The author, who is Director of the Program for the Study of Religion and Professor of

Religious Studies, Linguistics, and Comparative Literature at the University of Illinois at

Urbana-Champaign, United States, of his paper entitled “Minority Matters: Issues in Minority

Languages in India” persuaded his views on the complexity of the issues of minority

language in India as the result of the low functional load in the public domain affecting to the

social and cultural condition of the citizens and the need to raise the functional load itself to

prevent their shift and/or attrition. The author has provided some theories supporting his

paper to give a relevancy to it and also attaching some footnotes and annexes helping and

clearing his statements in convincing the reader to what he proposed in the paper.

Since the author is a professional in his field, the content of this paper become reliable to be

used as a good reference, besides relating the relevant data and appropriate theories give

more clues. This paper appropriate to readers belong to undergraduate or postgraduate

students who need a reference in starting a further research about minority language

especially in India; with the data and theories that the author cited from the relevant sources,

and also for anyone who has interest in minority language issues and maintenances needing a

clear reference.