The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Plan to conserve native languages

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Tuesday, Aug 26, 2008
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Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Plan to conserve native languages

Special Correspondent

Thiruvananthapuram: Linguists representing more than 200 Indian languages will participate in a conference titled ‘Bhasha Sangamam,’ to be organised by the State Institute of Languages, Kerala, here this year.

Institute director P.K. Poker told reporters on Monday that the conference was aimed at reviving languages that faced the threat of extinction. “Unable to surmount the challenges posed by globalisation, many smaller languages in the country were dying out. Bhasha Sangamam will be an effort to reverse this trend and put these threatened languages back on the rails.”

The initiative is part of a year-long programme to be conducted by the institute in connection with its 40th anniversary. Another proposed activity is a monthly series of discourses by eminent personalities that will later be published as a book.

The institute is also planning to extend the reach of its mobile book store to all parts of the State, including educational institutions. District- level exhibitions will also be held.

Seminars, symposia and training in language computing are the other programmes.

Dr. Poker said the institute was planning to establish a new campus as part of its augmentation programme. Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan will lay the foundation stone of the new building at the Nalanda complex on August 27. Minister for Cultural Affairs M.A. Baby will preside.

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