THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The same word — or minor variations of it — can hold different meanings for different people. The word ‘kara’ can conjure up images of ‘land’ in the minds of a Malayali. But imagine speaking the same word to a person from the Irula community, for whom the term ‘karae’ means ‘water’. The variance becomes pronounced when students are made to learn words that convey another meaning in their native tongue.
To combat this issue and support the primary education of tribal children, the Centre for Endangered Languages of Kerala (CELK), under the University of Kerala, is set to release a primer for three tribal languages — Irula, Muduga, and Kurumba. CELK plans to launch the elementary book— the result of close to three years of tedious effort — this month.
“The loss of a language means the loss of a culture,” said CELK co-ordinator S Prema. She said the primer will serve as a reference book for primary students. Divided into sections such as relations, animals, etc., each word is listed in its Irula, Muduga, Kurumba, Malayalam, Tamil and English versions, along with corresponding images.
“A simple listing of words and their translation may not have the desired impact. A book must be attractive in the first place,” Prema said, adding that the primer was prepared as part of a state-funded project. However, it will require more government procedures, including SCERT approval, for the book to reach the hands of children, she said.
As part of its compilation, the CELK team travelled to tribal settlements and engaged with residents, to better understand their languages. The team would show community members objects or images to gather what they were called in the corresponding languages. “Not all communities were open to us in the beginning. Active engagement ensured that the team was treated like family on subsequent visits,” Prema added.
“But reintroducing these languages can fly in the face of practicality and job prospects,” opines Ravisankar S Nair, advisory committee member of CELK. “The communities may question the benefit of learning their languages, when knowledge of Malayalam or English is what is required to land a job. It is in this context that we need the coordinated efforts of various institutions to help them understand the significance of their identity,” Ravisankar points out.
Tribal languages in themselves do not have a script and are passed down through oral traditions. Moreover, the invasion of mainstream languages — in this case Malayalam, Tamil, and Kannada — may leave them on the verge of extinction.
The endangerment of a language is often measured by analysing the decline in the number of speakers in every subsequent generation, Ravisankar explains. With close to 90% of tribal languages expected to face a bitter fate within the next 15-20 years, he believes that the primer would prove to be a remarkable intervention. Sindhu Sajan, headmistress of the Karara Government UP School, in Attappadi, welcomed such initiatives.
“Kids begin learning by relating to things they already know. But as the medium of instruction is not their mother tongue, they face difficulties,” she said. The students will have to make the effort to first understand what the teacher is trying to communicate, relate it to their mother tongue and map it to the medium of instruction.
“People often make insensitive remarks about tribal students, but are they aware of the difficulties these children face?” she said. Having worked in tribal education for several years, Sindhu’s words offer insights into the wider topics of discussion, including the need for affirmative action in fields such as education and employment.
Gifts of the Gab
Key features of the three tribal communities/languages the primer concerns itself with
Irula
Relatively has the most number of speakers
Tamil’s influence is more evident in the language
Muduga
They number less than the Irula
The language exhibits both Malayalam and Tamil influences
Kurumba
Has the least number of users
Kannada’s influence is pronounced in the language
Members live a more primitive life in distant settlements
Generally, all these tribes reside in the Attappadi region of Palakkad.
They generally earn their livelihood collecting forest produce and by engaging in farming.
Many of them also work as forest watchers and daily wagers.