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In this section I will focus on one factor, that of diglossia, to illustrate
how by deliberately turning its back on its own indigenous values about
language, India's policy planners caused chaos in post-Independence
language policy. Diglossia as a concept and as a feature of language has been
well-known since at least the appearance of Ferguson's seminal article (1959)
and an extensive literature on the subject attests to its widespread
manifestation in the languages of the world, not the least of which is India,
classical and modern. To me it is clear that diglossia is so deeply rooted in
Indian culture that it is not only probable that we will find it no matter
which language we look at, it is almost an inevitable feature of the
Indian linguistic scene. I have claimed before (Schiffman 1978) that
diglossia is rooted in a concern for purity that is parallel to, if not
related to, the purity/pollution complex. I would now expand this to say that
it is rooted in Indian linguistic culture (witness Deshpande above) per se.
It is not just a concern for purity, but for purity of language(s) as a way of
maintaining the purity of the channels for the transmission of culture. But
the underside of diglossia is that all sorts of things are allowed
outside the arena of pure things, as long as they are not dignified by any
attention being paid to them.
Next: Diglossias of various types.
Up: Language in Ancient India
Previous: Language in Ancient India
Harold Schiffman
12/8/2000