Outlining the History and Evolution of Ecolinguistics in Indigenous Odisha

Outlining the History and Evolution of Ecolinguistics in Indigenous Odisha
Puja Gorai and Gundal Upender

Abstract

Ecolinguistics, an emerging interdisciplinary domain that investigates the relationship between language and environmental contexts, offers significant insights into indigenous linguistic structures. This dissertation examines the historical development of ecolinguistic philosophy within the indigenous linguistic framework of Odisha, India. The indigenous languages of the region have unique phonetic, phonological, and auditory traits shaped by environmental conditions, cultural practices, and social interactions, and are grounded in rich oral traditions. This research clarifies how historical events, environmental attributes, and cultural transmission have shaped language use and communication systems across time. Furthermore, it does a comprehensive analysis of the effects of modernisation, linguistic assimilation, and language shift on the viability of indigenous speech patterns. The research emphasises the necessity of documenting, preserving, and reviving efforts to protect Odisha’s linguistic landscape through historical linguistics, phonetics, and sociolinguistics. This interdisciplinary method enhances comprehension of the co-evolution of language and environment in indigenous communities.