Language Loss and Marginalisation in India: Migration, Caste, the Waddar Speech Community

This book examines how caste, poverty, migration, and education contribute to language loss in India through the case of the Waddar community, a semi-nomadic De-notified Tribe whose ancestral Dravidian language, Waddari, is endangered. This book examines how caste, poverty, migration, and education contribute to language loss in India through the case of the Waddar community, a semi-nomadic De-notified Tribe whose ancestral Dravidian language, Waddari, is endangered. It combines sociolinguistics, ethnography, and political economy to explain why marginalized communities experience rapid language shift. Across its chapters, the book traces the historical legacy of colonial criminalisation, caste-based exclusion, labour migration, and state language and education policies that weaken intergenerational language transmission. Drawing on extensive fieldwork and interviews with Waddar speakers across generations, it explores changing language use, bilingualism, identity, and aspirations for social mobility. Situating the Waddar experience within broader debates on language endangerment, linguistic justice, and multilingual education, the book offers insights relevant to India and the Global South. It will appeal to researchers and students of sociolinguistics, anthropology, education, caste studies, and language policy.