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The People’s Linguistic Survey of India provides an overview of the extant and dying languages of India, as perceived by their speakers. It is the outcome of a nationwide survey of languages that has been documented by linguists, writers, social activists, and members of different speech communities. Critically, it encapsulates the world view of the speakers of the languages.
West Bengal is unique in terms of linguistic diversity, as the languages spoken in this state belong to four distinct language families—Austro-Asiatic, Dravidian, Indo-European, and Tibeto-Burman. The state’s geographical location and its proximity to the neighbouring states of Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, Sikkim and Assam, as well as the neighbouring countries of Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan, have further enriched this vast linguistic diversity.
Pashchim Bangal Ki Bhashayen (PLSI Volume 31, Part 1) discusses and documents the languages spoken in West Bengal. This volume consists of two parts. Part One includes the scheduled languages of West Bengal: 1. Urdu, 2. Nepali, 3. Bangla, 4. Bodo, and 5. Santhali. Part Two includes the non-scheduled languages: 6. Kurmalli, 7. Kurukh (Oraon), 8. Kora, 9. Kol Hayam, 10. Kharia Sabar, 11. Garo, 12. Toto, 13. Dukpa, 14. Tamang, 15. Dhimal, 16. Birhorh, 17. Bedia, 18. Baigani, 19. Mahali Alakhand, 20. Malpaharia, 21. Mundari, 22. Rajbanshi, 23. Rabha, 24. Limbu, 25. Lepcha, 26. Lodha Sabar, 27. Sherpa, 28. Sadri, and 29. The Endangered Languages of North Bengal. It is noteworthy that the last chapter introduces readers to nine endangered languages of North Bengal, which are on the verge of extinction. The book describes various linguistic features as well as folklore, folk songs, popular phrases and proverbs.
The Editors
Ganesh Devy is the chief editor of the PLSI series. He taught at the Maharaja Sayajirao University, Baroda, till 1996 before leaving to set up the Bhasha Research Centre in Baroda and the Adivasi Akademi at Tejgadh, where he worked towards conserving and promoting the languages and culture of indigenous and nomadic communities. Apart from being awarded the Padma Shri (2014), he has received many awards for his work in literature and language conservation.
Sankar Prasad Singha is retired Professor, Department of English, Vidyasagar University, West Bengal. In 2002–03, he was selected as a Commonwealth Post-Doctoral Fellow and joined King’s College, London. He has authored, edited and translated seven books.
Indranil Acharya is a Professor in the Department of English at Vidyasagar University, West Bengal. In addition to teaching, he is engaged in research on Dalit and Adivasi (Indigenous) languages and literatures. He has presented several papers on endangered languages and cultures at seminars in India and abroad. Recently, he completed a research project on an endangered form of folk theatre in West Bengal. He has authored, edited and translated several books, and his research papers have been published in numerous national and international journals. He is also the editor of Janajati Darpan, the only multilingual journal dedicated to indigenous studies in Bengal.
The Translator
N. Lakshmi ‘Priya’ is an Assistant Professor and Head of the Department at Mahatma Gandhi Government College, Mayabunder. Several of her books have been published, including Yayavar Panchhi Ka Geet and Shunya Se Lauta Hoon. She has also translated The Languages of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (PLSI, Volume 2, Part 1) from English into Hindi. She works as a translator from English into Tamil, Kannada and Hindi. She has been honoured with the Surya Antarbharti Bhasha Samman 2019, Sahitya Sammelan Shatabdi Samman 2015, and Vidyasagar Manav Upadhi 2016.
विषयानुक्रम CONTENTS
भाग 1 : अनुसूचित भाषाएँ SCHEDULED LANGUAGES 1. उर्दू Urdu 2. नेपाली Nepali 3. बांग्ला Bangla 4. बोडो Bodo 5. संथाली Santhali
भाग 2 : गैर-अनुसूचित भाषाएँ NON-SCHEDULED LANGUAGES 6. कुरमाली Kurmali 7. कुरुख Kurukh 8. कोरा Kora 9. कोल हयाम Kol Hayam 10. खरिया सबर Kharia Sabar 11. गारो Garo 12. टोटो Toto 13. डुकपा Dukpa 14. तामाङ Tamang 15. धीमल Dhimal 16. बिरहोर Birhorh 17. बेड़िया Bedia 18. बैगानी Baigani 19. महाली अलखंड Mahali Alakhand 20. मालपहाड़िया Malpaharia 21. मुंडारी Mundari 22. राजबंशी Rajbanshi 23. राभा Rabha 24. लिम्बु Limbu 25. लेप्चा Lepcha 26. लोधा सबर Lodha Sabar 27. शेरपा Sherpa 28. सादरी Sadri 29. उत्तर बंगाल की लुप्तप्राय भाषाएँ The Endangered Languages of North Bengal
संदर्भ ग्रंथ सूची Bibliography परिशिष्ट APPENDIX परिशिष्ट-I मानचित्र Political Map of West Bengal परिशिष्ट–II लेखक-अनुवादक परिचय Author–Translator introductions
शब्द-अनुक्रमणिका Index