Maintenance of Telugu as an ancestral language in multilingual Mauritius; language planning through education

Abstract

This empirical study analyses the role of education policies in maintaining ancestral languages, specifically Telugu, a minority language in post-colonial multilingual Mauritius. Telugu in the Mauritian context no longer has communicative purposes since generations and exists only in specific spaces, having passive functions. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews from two Telugu teachers. Languages are taught in curriculum mostly to develop cognitive and communicative functions. However, in the Mauritian curriculum, ancestral languages (a category of mainly Indian languages), have been introduced (by indentured laborers in the 1800s, who now comprise the majority of the population) mainly to preserve an ancestral root and maintain the multilingual profile of the country. These languages are symbolical of the heritage bequeathed by the ancestors, and the descendants have shown a deep sense of belongingness and have militated to avoid language and culture loss. Furthermore, cultural politics has played an essential role in the maintenance and revitalization of these languages to such an extent that the government has embarked in a revitalization process after independence and is fully engaged in their preservation. Education is the main tool used among others. This paper aims at contributing a case study to the existing literature.

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