The Politics of Language Contact in the Himalaya

"This highly original and timely collection brings together case studies from salient areas of the Himalayan region to explore the politics of language contact. Promoting a linguistically and historically grounded perspective, The Politics of Language Contact in the Himalaya offers nuanced insights into language and its relation to power in this geopolitically complex region. Edited by respected scholars in the field, the collection comprises five new research contributions by established and early-career researchers who have been significantly engaged in the Himalayan region. Grounded in a commitment to theoretically informed area studies, and covering Tibet (China), Assam (India), and Nepal, each case study is situated within contemporary debates in sociolinguistics, political science, and language policy and planning. Bridging disciplines and transcending nation-states, the volume offers a unique contribution to the study of language contact and its political implications. The Politics of Language Contact in the Himalaya is essential reading for researchers in the fields of language policy and planning, applied linguistics, and language and literary education. The detailed introduction and concluding commentary make the collection accessible to all social scientists concerned with questions of language, and the volume as a whole will be of interest to scholars in anthropology, sociolinguistics, political science and Asian studies."--Publisher's website Contents 6 Contributors 8 Preface 12 Introduction: Language Politics and Language Contact 16 References 28 1. Language Contact and the Politics of Recognition amongst Tibetans in the People’s Republic of China 32 Vertical and Horizontal Politics of Language Contact in Tibet 32 The rTa’u-speaking ‘Horpa’: Ambiguous Origins and Shifting Polysemy 35 rTa’u-speakers and Contemporary Tibetan Language Politics 45 Conclusion 55 References 58 2. What Happened to the Ahom Language? 64 The Mandala State 67 The Ahom Kingdom 72 The Colonial State 81 The Modern State 85 Conclusion 89 References 90 3. Transforming Language to Script 94 Linguistic Authority Through Language Contact 96 Writing Language, Claiming “Authenticity” 100 Language, Dialect, and Making “Corrections” 108 Language, Script, and Social Acceptability 113 Language, Education and Frames of “Legitimacy” 117 Conclusion 120 Acknowledgements 121 References 121 4. The Significance of Place in Ethnolinguistic Vitality 124 Kaike Speakers 125 Language and Identity 130 Intergenerational Transmission 141 Conclusion 145 References 146 5. Speaking Chone, Speaking ‘Shallow’ 152 The Shape of Linguistic Hegemony: Coercion and Consent 153 Situating Chone County in Time and Place 155 Research Methods and Subject Position 159 Coercion as an Aspect of Linguistic Hegemony 160 The Role of Consent in Shaping Linguistic Hegemony 169 Conclusion 174 References 174 6. Concluding Thoughts on Language Shift and Linguistic Diversity in the Himalaya 178 Acknowledgements 189 References 190 List of Tables and Figures 192 Introduction 192 Chapter 1 192 Chapter 3 192 Chapter 4 193 Chapter 5 193 Index 194 This highly original and timely collection brings together case studies from salient areas of the Himalayan region to explore the politics of language contact. Promoting a linguistically and historically grounded perspective,The Politics of Language Contact in the Himalaya offers nuanced insights into language and its relation to power in this geopolitically complex region.,Edited by respected scholars in the field,the collection comprises five new research contributions by established and early-career researchers who have been significantly engaged in the Himalayan region. Grounded in a commitment to theoretically informed area studies,and covering Tibet (China),Assam (India),and Nepal,each case study is situated within contemporary debates in sociolinguistics,political science,and language policy and planning. Bridging disciplines and transcending nation-states,the volume offers a unique contribution to the study of language contact and its political implications.,The Politics of Language Contact in the Himalaya is essential reading for researchers in the fields of language policy and planning,applied linguistics,and language and literary education. The detailed introduction and concluding commentary make the collection accessible to all social scientists concerned with questions of language,and the volume as a whole will be of interest to scholars in anthropology,sociolinguistics,political science and Asian studies.

"This highly original and timely collection brings together case studies from salient areas of the Himalayan region to explore the politics of language contact. Promoting a linguistically and historically grounded perspective, The Politics of Language Contact in the Himalaya offers nuanced insights into language and its relation to power in this geopolitically complex region. Edited by respected scholars in the field, the collection comprises five new research contributions by established and early-career researchers who have been significantly engaged in the Himalayan region. Grounded in a commitment to theoretically informed area studies, and covering Tibet (China), Assam (India), and Nepal, each case study is situated within contemporary debates in sociolinguistics, political science, and language policy and planning. Bridging disciplines and transcending nation-states, the volume offers a unique contribution to the study of language contact and its political implications. The Politics of Language Contact in the Himalaya is essential reading for researchers in the fields of language policy and planning, applied linguistics, and language and literary education. The detailed introduction and concluding commentary make the collection accessible to all social scientists concerned with questions of language, and the volume as a whole will be of interest to scholars in anthropology, sociolinguistics, political science and Asian studies. "