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A Sociolinguistic Survey of Nilgiri Irula

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A Sociolinguistic Survey of Nilgiri Irula DigitalResources Electronic Survey Report 2018-010 A Sociolinguistic Survey of Nilgiri Irula Researched and compiled by Sylvia Ernest, Clare O’Leary, and Juliana Kelsall A Sociolinguistic Survey of Nilgiri Irula Researched and compiled by Sylvia Ernest, Clare O’Leary, and Juliana Kelsall SIL International® 2018 SIL Electronic Survey Report 2018-010, October 2018 © 2018 SIL International® All rights reserved Data and materials collected by researchers in an era before documentation of permission was standardized may be included in this publication. SIL makes diligent efforts to identify and acknowledge sources and to obtain appropriate permissions wherever possible, acting in good faith and on the best information available at the time of publication Abstract The purpose of this sociolinguistic survey of three Nilgiri Irula [iru] speech varieties (Mele Nadu, Vette Kada, and Northern) was to provide an initial assessment of the viability of vernacular literature development. The fieldwork was conducted during the latter half of 1992 and the early part of 1993. The original report was written as an unpublished paper that was completed in mid-1993. The research instruments used for this survey were wordlists, Recorded Text Testing (RTT), sociolinguistic questionaires, and a Tamil Sentence Repetition Test (SRT) that was developed during the course of the fieldwork. SRT results indicated that more than half of Irula speakers, especially those living in more remote villages, would probably have difficulty using complex written materials in Tamil. Questionaire results indicated that Irula is a vital language and is being maintained consistently within the Irula community. RTT results, along with dialect attitudes and reported contact patterns, tentatively pointed to Mele Nadu Irula as the preferred form for language development and literacy materials. (This survey report written some time ago deserves to be made available even at this late date. Conditions were such that it was not published when originally written. The reader is cautioned that more recent research may exist. Historical data is quite valuable as it provides a basis for a longitudinal analysis and helps us understand both the trajectory and pace of change as compared with more recent studies.—Editor) Contents Abstract 1 Introduction 1.1 Geography 1.2 The Irula people 1.3 Varieties of the Irula language 1.4 Irula groups excluded from this research 1.5 Goals of the sociolinguistic survey of Nilgiri Irula 1.5.1 Identification of Irula dialect areas 1.5.2 Intelligibility between Irula dialects 1.5.3 Dialect attitudes and contact patterns between different Irula communities 1.5.4 Language attitudes and use: Irula vs. Tamil, Kannada, Badaga 1.5.5 Levels of proficiency in Tamil among the Irula 1.6 Summary of findings 1.6.1 Identification of Irula dialect areas 1.6.2 Intelligibility between Irula dialects 1.6.3 Dialect attitudes and contact patterns between different Irula communities 1.6.4 Language attitudes and use: Irula vs. Tamil, Kannada, Badaga 1.6.5 Levels of proficiency in Tamil among the Irula 2 Dialects of Irula 2.1 Lexical similarity 2.1.1 Procedures 2.1.2 Irula dialect areas 2.1.3 Lexical similarity with related and neighboring languages 2.2 Intelligibility between Irula dialects 2.2.1 Identification of test points for RTTs and sampling 2.2.2 Results of recorded text testing 2.2.3 Perceived comprehension of texts vs. RTT scores 2.2.4 Mixing of Tamil as an aid to comprehension of RTT texts 2.2.5 Conclusions regarding dialects of Nilgiri Irula 3 Language use, attitudes, and vitality 3.1 Procedures 3.2 Dialect attitudes and contact patterns between different Irula communities 3.2.1 Perceived dialect similarity and difference 3.2.2 Communication and contact patterns between dialect areas 3.2.3 Perceptions of dialect purity or mixing 3.2.4 Positive or negative attitudes towards other dialects 3.3 Language attitudes and use: Irula vs. Tamil, Kannada, Badaga 3.3.1 Domains in which Irula is consistently used 3.3.2 Domains in which other languages are reported to be used 3.3.3 Attitudes regarding language use for education and literature 3.3.4 Attitudes and beliefs regarding the maintenance of Irula 4 Levels of second language proficiency among the Irula 4.1 Reported proficiency in Tamil/Kannada/Badaga according to questionnaires 4.2 Tested levels of Tamil proficiency on the Tamil SRT in Nellithurai 4.2.1 Sampling for the Tamil SRT in Nellithurai 4.2.2 Tamil SRT results 4.2.3 Conclusions based on the Tamil SRT results 5 Recommendations for an Irula language program 5.1 Recommendations for further research 5.2 Recommendations for language development iii iv Appendix A: Lexical similarity study procedures and additional matrices Appendix B: Irula wordlists Appendix C: Recorded Text Test (RTT) procedures Appendix D: Transcribed Irula texts used for Recorded Text Tests Appendix E: Tamil sentence repetition test (SRT) procedures Appendix F: Tamil SRT results Appendix G: Bibliography of additional references on Irula References 1 Introduction 1.1 Geography In Tamil Nadu, the people of the Irula tribe live in several districts, including Nilgiri, Coimbatore, Periyar, Salem, and Chengai Anna (formerly Chengalput or Chingleput). This survey was done only in the Nilgiri and Coimbatore districts. Map 1 shows the political divisions by state, district, and taluk in southern India. The Nilgiri district covers a surface of 2,549 square kilometers at an average elevation of 6,500 feet. Mysore plateau lies at the north and Kerala state at the west. At the east lies the Bhavani River. Zvelebil (1981:470) says, One of the most striking features of the Nilgiris [the mountains from which the district derives its name] is their massive appearance. In every direction the sides of the hills leading up to the plateau are steep and often precipitous. To the southeast, east, and northeast there is a steep fall of about 5,000 feet to the Coimbatore plains. On the northwest the slope is more gradual, but to the north there is a steep fall of about 4,000 feet. The steep sides leading up to the plateau were until a few decades ago, and to a great extent still are (particularly in the west, northwest, and north) covered with thick, almost impenetrable jungle and precipitous rocks, inhabited by the tribal complexes of the Kurumbas and the Irulas. The Nilgiri district consists of four taluks: Gudalur, Ootacamund (Ooty), Kotagiri, and Coonoor. According to the 1971 census (Census of India 1971), the total population of this district is 494,015 (without Badugas). Mettupalayam taluk (the only taluk of Coimbatore district covered in this survey) lies southeast, at the foothills of the Nilgiris range. 1.2 The Irula people Irula is one of the tribes in the state of Tamil Nadu. Irulas also live in the adjacent states of Karnataka, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh. The name Irula is probably derived from the Tamil [tam]1 word irul. Since most of the Irulas live in the relative darkness of thick jungles, this seems to be a fitting name. Another possible reason for the name is the fact that the complexion of the people’s skin is very dark. There is no written record of the origin and migration of the Irulas of the Nilgiris. According to some Irulas, they migrated from the plains. One Irula man told a story about the origin of the Irula people and their kulams (clans). He said that a long time ago, before the creation of human beings, the Hindu deity Lord Shiva and his wife Parvathy came to this world on a tour. At that time, Lord Shiva took two handfuls of mud and made two images, which he left on the ground as he and Parvathy continued their tour. 1Ethnologue (Simons and Fenning 2018) ISO language codes are listed only with the first occurrence of each language name in this report. 1 2 Map 1. Map of Southern India Adapted from Wikimedia CC BY-SA 3.0. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nilgiris_district_Tamil_Nadu.png. (Accessed on 6/30/2014). 3 While they were returning back to heaven, Parvathy asked Shiva to give those two images life. So he gave them life, and they became a man and a woman. They gave birth to eight children: Kupper, Sambar, Devanar, Kalketti, Koduvar, Pungar, Parader, and Kurunagar. Hence, the eight Irula kulams have been classified according to these eight names. The kulams play a very important role for the Irulas in marriage and other social functions. For example, they have a restriction that they cannot marry within the same kulam. Irulas are non-vegetarians, and they eat rice and pulses. They drink coffee and tea. Most Irulas work as laborers in the coffee and tea estates for very low wages. They also have their own gardens where they cultivate coffee, tea, jack fruit trees, and guava trees. Every Irula settlement has its own leader who is called the maniyakarar. He is responsible for the whole village and is very important in their social functions such as marriages and funerals. Irulas bury their dead, in contrast to cremation (as is practiced by caste Hindus). 1.3 Varieties of the Irula language The Irula [iru] language is a South Dravidian language closely related to Tamil. In this survey, three major dialects of Irula were investigated among the Irula people living in the Nilgiris and the surrounding region. According to the work of several scholars (Parthasarathy 1986; Perialwar 1987 and 1991; Zvelebil 1973, 1979, and 1981), these dialect groups have been named: Mele Nadu Irulas live in small mountain villages in the Kotagiri and Coonoor taluks in the Nilgiris. Mele Nadu indicates the upper country dialect of Irula.
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