Linguistic Empowerment: A need of hour for the Tribal Diasporas living in Tamil Nadu

Abstract

The tribal diasporas of Tamil Nadu, comprising diverse linguistic and cultural communities, have long been marginalized and excluded from mainstream development processes. Despite their rich cultural heritage and unique linguistic identies, the tribal communities, when come to plain areas where mainstream Tamil people live in, these people experience significant challenges in coping with linguistic abilities of hostland and also face challenges in preserving their indigenous language and culture and also experience challenges in accessing opportunities for social, economic and linguistic empowerment, which involves promoting and supporting the use of indigenous languages in various domains of life. This has emerged as a critical strategy for addressing these challenges. This paper thus tries to explore the concept of linguistic empowerment in the context of tribal diasporas whose homeland is the Nilgiris district, and whose host land is Tamil Nadu, examining their linguistic challenges being experienced in hostland. It also tries to understand the potential possibilites of making linguistic empowerment to be done for the tribal diasporas living in Tamil Nadu. By highlighting the importance of linguistic empowerment for tribal diasporas, this paper aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of the complex relationship among language, culture and development and to frame policies and programmes that promote the rights and well being of these marginalized communities.