Atlas of the Languages and Ethnic Communities of South Asia by Roland J.L. BretonThis geographical atlas constitutes the first systematic presentation of the spatial and quantitative characteristics of the distribution of languages in the countries of South Asia. Combining and comparing language data from various national censuses, this atlas enables readers to actually see the geographical location, extension and linguistic affinities of any of the numerous languages spoken in South Asia. In the first part, Professor Breton introduces the reader to the general relationship between language and the complex ethnocultural structure of the subcontinent. He stresses both the importance of and difficulties in analyzing the vitality of South Asian language groups, and examines the similarities and differences in language use and various ethnic traits among similar population groups. The second part - which comprises 60 plates along with supporting text - is devoted to graphically analyzing a large number of aspects including: the regional distribution of language and ethnic communities; the relationship between language and race, tribe, caste and religion; the main linguistic minorities; and ethno-political factors.
Negotiating Languages : Urdu, Hindi, and the Definition of Modern South Asia by Walter HakalaPrior to the nineteenth century, South Asian dictionaries, glossaries, and vocabularies reflected a hierarchical vision of nature and human society. By the turn of the twentieth century, the modern dictionary had democratized and politicized language. Compiled "scientifically" through "historical principles," the modern dictionary became a concrete symbol of a nation's arrival on the world stage. Following this phenomenon from the late seventeenth century to the present, Negotiating Languages casts lexicographers as key figures in the political realignment of South Asia under British rule and in the years after independence. Their dictionaries document how a single, mutually intelligible language evolved into two competing registers-Urdu and Hindi-and became associated with contrasting religious and nationalist goals. Each chapter in this volume focuses on a key lexicographical work and its fateful political consequences. Recovering texts by overlooked and even denigrated authors, Negotiating Languages provides insight into the forces that turned intimate speech into a potent nationalist politics, intensifying the passions that partitioned the Indian subcontinent.
Location: Online
Publication Date: 2016
Other Tongues: Rethinking the language debates in India by Nalini Iyer (Volume Editor); Bonnie Zare (Volume Editor)Other Tongues: Rethinking the Language Debates in India explores the implications of the energetic and, at times, acrimonious public debate among Indian authors and academics over the hegemonic role of Indian writing in English. From the 1960s the debate in India has centered on the role of the English language in perpetuating and maintaining the cultural and ideological aspects of imperialism. The debate received renewed attention following controversial claims by Salman Rushdie and V.S. Naipaul on the inferior status of contemporary Indian-language literatures.
Other Tongues is the first collective study by to bring together voices from differing national, linguistic and professional contexts in an examination of the nuances of this debate over language. By creating dialogue between different stakeholders ¿ seven scholars, three writers, and three publishers from India ¿ the volume brings to the forefront underrepresented aspects of Indian literary culture.
Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics by Keith Brown (Editor-In-Chief)These 4 volumes contain articles on central linguistic themes, their related concepts and relationships with other disciplines. They intend to be authoritative, comprehensive and international in scope, while appealing to an academic audience. There is an alphabetic list of the articles; the longer entries are signed and followed by bibliographies.
Location: Mugar Memorial Library Reference X (P29 .E48 2006 )
Publication Date: 2005
International Encyclopedia of Linguistics by William J. Frawley (Editor)The goal of this source is to present articles on the full range of linguistic disciplines (applied, sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, etc.) and their inter-relationships, as well as their intersections with other disciplines.
Location: Mugar Memorial Library Reference X (P29 .I58 2003)