Visva-Bharati University Publishes Tribal Language Dictionaries

Visva-Bharati University has published dictionaries for tribal communities, including Koda, Mahali, and Kurukh, through its Centre for Endangered Languages. These resources aid in studying and preserving marginal languages. The university has also released 19 books and other linguistic tools, emphasizing the importance of language preservation for cultural identity.

Visva-Bharati University has released dictionaries targeting tribal communities to help study and preserve marginalized languages, an official announced on Tuesday.

The dictionaries, produced by the university's Centre for Endangered Languages (CFEL), include languages like Koda, Mahali, and Kurukh, with translations in over 10 languages such as Bangla, Hindi, and English. These resources are available on the CFEL website and its mobile application.

To date, CFEL has published 19 books, including grammar guides for the Birhor community and tools for linguistic field surveys. Some books were unveiled during a national seminar organized with the National Tribal Research Institute (NTRI). Officiating Vice-Chancellor Prof. Binoy Kumar Saren highlighted the importance of preserving tribal languages for maintaining cultural identity and retaining multilingualism in the country.

(With inputs from agencies.)