Table of Contents

Introduction: Languages, contexts and constructs Braj B. Kachru; Part I. Language History, Families and Typology: 1. Language in historical context Ronald E. Asher; 2. Typological characteristics of South Asian languages Karumuri V. Subbarao; Part II. Languages and their Functions: 3. Hindi, Urdu, Hindustani Yamuna Kachru; 4. Persian in South Asia S. A. H. Abidi and Ravinder Gargesh; 5. Major regional languages Tej K. Bhatia; 6. Minority languages and their status Rakesh M. Bhatt and Ahmar Mahboob; 7. Tribal languages Anvita Abbi; Part III. Sanskrit and Traditions of Language Study: 8. Sanskrit in the South Asian sociolinguistics Madhav Deshpande; 9. Traditions of language study Ashok Aklujkar; Part IV. Multilingualism, Contact and Convergence: 10. Contexts of multilingualism E. Annamalai; 11. Language contact and convergence S.N. Sridhar; 12. Pidgins, creoles and bazaar Hindi Ian Smith; Part V. Orality, Literacy, and Writing Systems: 13. Orality and literacy Rama Kant Agnihotri; 14. Writing systems Peter Daniels; Part VI. Language, State and Education: 15. Language politics and conflicts Robert L. King; Part VII. Language Standardization and Modernization: 16. Language modernization S. N. Sridhar; Part VIII. Language and Discourse: 17. Language in social and ethnic interaction Yamuna Kachru; 18. Language and the legal system Vijay Bhatia and Rajesh Sharma; 19. Language in media and advertising Tej K. Bhatia and Robert Baumgardner; 20. Language in cinema Wimal Dissanayake; 21. Language of religion Rajeshwari Pandharipande; Part IX. Language and Identity: 22. Language and gender Tamara Valentine; 23. Dalit literature, language, and identity Eleanor Zelliot; 24. Language and youth culture Rukmini Bhaya Nair; Part X. Languages in Diaspora: 25. Languages in diaspora Rajend Meshtrie; 26. South Asian diaspora in Europe and the US Kamal K. Sridhar.

Promotional Information

An overview of the language of South Asia within a linguistic, historical and sociolinguistic context.

About the Author

Braj B. Kachru is Center for Advanced Study Professor of Linguistics and Jubilee Professor of Liberal Arts and Sciences Emeritus at the University of Illinois. Yamuna Kachru is Professor Emerita of Linguistics at the University of Illinois. S. N. Sridhar is Professor and Chair at the Department of Asian and Asian American Studies, State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Reviews

' … substantial collection of essays, and certainly should not keep curious readers … from delving into these fascinating studies … Herman Tull, The Journal of Asian Studies