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16 - South Asian Languages

from Part III - Multilingualism in Britain and Ireland: Minority Languages

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 October 2024

By
Devyani Sharma
Edited by
Susan Fox
Susan Fox
Affiliation:
Universität Bern, Switzerland
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Summary

This chapter reviews the history, culture and politics of South Asian languages in the UK. South Asian migration to the UK dates back to the British colonial period. It expanded in the twentieth century, first with British Indian participation in the two World Wars and then with post-war British policies that initially encouraged South Asian immigration for low-skilled labour. South Asian communities in Britain share some characteristics but differ markedly in other respects. Overall, sustained migration, relatively large settlements, and a reduction in the early explicit hostility to migrants has meant that South Asian speech communities have tended to maintain their languages, though with inroads by English in each successive generation. South Asian languages initially struggled to be included in school curricula and university provision. Some languages, such as Urdu and Arabic, have wider religious or cultural appeal and see much higher uptake through education than other South Asian languages, even languages with more native speakers. Almost no research has been conducted on structural change within South Asian heritage languages, a rich area for future research on language contact and generational change.

Keywords

migrationBritish South Asian communitiesPanjabiBengaliGujaratiHindiUrduTamillanguage maintenance
Type
Chapter
Information
Language in Britain and Ireland , pp. 386 - 401
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

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