‘Small’ languages and their speakers

Abstract

This article illustrates some of the challenges faced in trying to do research on little-known languages, particularly tribal languages. It refutes the widespread stereotype that tribal people share a ‘primitive’ language type. Functional bilingualism or even multilingualism is a natural feature of tribal communities. The question may be raised whether mastery of alternative languages promotes language death. A comparison is made with ‘small’ languages in contemporary Europe.