Indian Linguistic Culture and the Genesis of Language Policy in the Subcontinent

Harold Schiffman
University of Pennsylvania

• Contents
• Where do Language Policies come from?
  • Language policy study in the subcontinent.
• Linguistic Culture and Language Policy in South Asia
• Language in Ancient India
  • Diglossia
  • Diglossias of various types.
• Language and Colonialism
  • Oriental Jones and the `discovery' of Sanskrit
  • Missionary activity on behalf of other Indian languages
  • The Macaulay Minute and the imposition of English
  • The (re)discovery of Tamil and other roots of tradition
• Language Policy in Independent India
  • The Fatal Error: the Importation of the Soviet language policy model.
  • The Soviet Model
  • Discongruities between the Soviet Model and Indian circumstances
• Three-language Formula.
• Guarantees at the State and Regional Level.
• Summary: Antiquity, Ubiquity, Orality, Diversity
• About this document ...