The Languages of Puducherry - Part 2, Volume 23

by G.N. Devy

The People’s Linguistic Survey of India tries to give an idea of the extant and dying languages of India. It is the outcome of a nationwide survey of languages that has been documented by linguists, writers, social activists, and members of different speech communities.

This volume presents to the reader the multiethnic, multicultural and multilingual nature of the Union Territory of Puducherry and the history and the status of the languages in Puducherry. Formerly known as Pondicherry, Puducherry has been greatly influenced by French culture and language which can still be seen in the wide use of French in the region. The Union Territory comprises four small unconnected districts—Puducherry, Karaikal, Yanam and Mahe. Each region has its dominant language as the local official language (Tamil in Puducherry and Karaikal, Malayalam in Mahe and Telugu in Yanam). This volume also highlights the spiritual identity of the region.

104 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 1, 2016

About the author

Ganesh N. Devy, formerly professor of English at the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, a renowned literary critic and activist is founder and director of the Tribal Academy at Tejgadh, Gujarat, and director of the Sahitya Akademi’s Project on Literature in Tribal Languages and Oral Traditions. He was educated at Shivaji University, Kolhapur and the University of Leeds, UK. Among his many academic assignments, he has held fellowships at Leeds and Yale Universities and has been a Jawaharlal Nehru Fellow (1994-96).

Currently (2002 - 2007), he is a Professor at the Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information and Commmunication Technology (DA-IICT), Gandhinagar.

Awards

He was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award for `After Amnesia', and the SAARC Writers’ Foundation Award for his work with denotified tribals. He has also won the reputed Prince Claus Award (2003) awarded by the Prince Claus Fund for his work for the conservation of the history, languages and views of oppressed communities in the Indian state of Gujarat.

Along with Laxman Gaikwad and Mahashweta Devi, he is one of the founders of The Denotified and Nomadic Tribes Rights Action Group (DNT-RAG).

Publications

* Critical Thought (1987)
* In Another Tongue (1992)
* Of Many Heroes (1997)
* India Between Tradition and Modernity (co-edited, 1997)
* Indian Literary Criticism: Theory & Interpretation (2002).
* Painted Words: An Anthology of Tribal Literature (editor, 2002).
* A Nomad Called Thief (2006)
* Keywords: Truth (contributor, date unknown)
* Vaanprastha (in Marathi, date unknown)
* Adivasi Jane Che (in Gujarati, date unknown).