THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala Institute for Research, Training and Development Studies of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (KIRTADS) has embarked on a behemoth project, to create a writing system for each of the 37 tribal languages of Kerala.
To begin with, they have chosen Paniya language spoken by Paniyars, the tribe which has the largest population in Kerala.
‘’This is the first time that KIRTADS is attempting such a project,’’ says Bindu S, Director, KIRTADS.
A script for the Paniyars in Tamil Nadu has been developed based on Tamil script. However, the Paniya language in Kerala is more similar to Malayalam.
The urgency of the project comes from the fact that the languages could just be wiped out, and some may have already disappeared. Currently, there are only 37 tribal languages whereas books from the ‘70s list 45 tribal languages in the state. In the books ‘Paniyar’ and ‘Paniya Bhasha’ published in 1976, linguist P Somasekharan Nair states that there are 45 tribal languages in Kerala. Nettur P Damodaran, who was a member of the first Lok Sabha, also says that there are 45 tribal languages in his 1974 book ‘Adivasikalude Keralam’.
Census 2001 enumerates 36 Scheduled Tribes. However, more recent surveys by the State Government says that there are 37 tribes.
Some of the tribes are considered to be endangered as their population is considerably low. Six tribes - Chola Naikkan, Kattu Naikkan, Irula, Kadar, Kurumbar, Koraga - are considered to be the most primitive tribes. Chola Naikkans have the least number of people - just 363, according to a 2011 study undertaken by KIRTADS.
Another reason for the disappearance of the languages is that the younger generation has been disowning their rich culture. The linguistics team at the research wing of KIRTADS has just completed anotherproject, which is going to aid the script project. They have conducted a statistical study of all 37 tribal populations, enlisting basic facilities likepower, water and shelter available to each tribal settlement. ‘’The survey identifies some languages as endangered. We are about to publish a book detailing the findings of this field study,’’ says Syam S K, Research Assistant, KIRTADS. The background work for the script project is nearly over.
The team is still busy finding the consonants, long vowels, short vowels, stresses and clusters.