6.2.3.2 Questionnaire and observations
The self-reported questionnaire among Mannan subjects shows that most of them feel they are able to comprehend conversation in Malayalam. It was observed that the educated of the community and those
who have high contact with outsiders especially young people and men are more bilingual in Malayalam. However, one cannot be objectively certain how much of the community would be able to
fully understand complex materials written in Malayalam.
6.2.4 Language use, attitudes and vitality study
The questionnaire results and observations show that a majority of the Mannan subjects use their mother tongue in home, village and religious domains. However, a trend towards greater use of Malayalam in the
home and village domains is slowly taking place. The mother tongue is used quite often by children and with children. This makes it seem that a great deal of language shift may not occur in the near future.
The study of language attitudes among the Mannan reveals that they have a generally positive attitude towards their mother tongue, especially for communication among themselves. The Mannan
people primarily prefer Malayalam when dealing with outsiders. The greatest favouritism towards the LWC is found among the educated young people. The use of the LWC in more traditional domains is
tolerated. The people consider their mother tongue to be as good as the LWC. However, as is the case in most tribal groups, the Mannan people appreciate the use of an LWC, as it provides prosperity and
prestige.
The overall questionnaire responses provide some inferences about the future of the Mannan language. The present trend of language use and attitudes of the Mannan subjects towards their mother
tongue support the continuation of their language and may help avoid language shift in the immediate future. However, the main factors that may decrease the use of their mother tongue in the future are the
impact of education, the acceptance of inter-community marriage and the influence of Malayalam. The informal interviews show the community’s desire to have materials in their mother tongue. The attempts
by community leaders in this regard provide hope for the survival and development of the vernacular language of the Mannan people.
7 Recommendations
7.1 Muthuvan
7.1.1 For literature development
The results of this survey suggest that the Muthuvan people have their own unique language that they speak among themselves. They primarily speak Malayalam and Tamil with outsiders. Education and
contact with outsiders are the primary factors that influence the degree of proficiency to which the Muthuvan speak these LWCs. As most of their villages are in interior locations, both contact with
outsiders and educational facilities are limited. It is believed that this has resulted in limiting the degree to which many Muthuvan people are able to communicate in Malayalam and Tamil. Although the
Muthuvan subjects scored well overall in the Malayalam bilingualism testing, the scores may be misleading, as the tool that was used can only effectively measure lower levels of bilingualism.
The 1991 census reported that the literacy rate among the Muthuvan is 24. It is likely that rates of functional literacy are even lower than that. Most Muthuvan women are not bilingual in Malayalam and
are illiterate. The Muthuvan tend to be an independent people group, appreciating and preserving their traditional culture. They see their mother tongue as a part of their culture and, as such, use their language
often and tend to have positive attitudes towards it. Based on this situation, it is strongly recommended that a mother tongue language development programme be initiated among the Muthuvan.
The Muthuvan language does not exhibit great variation, other than the assumption and claim that there are two sub-groupings of their people and language, Tamil Muthuvan and Malayalam Muthuvan.
Each group prefers their own language variety. More than two-thirds of the Muthuvan people are Tamil Muthuvan. No dialectal differences were observed among Tamil Muthuvan villages. It is recommended
that a language development programme start out utilising the Tamil Muthuvan variety, as the Malayalam Muthuvan also understand it. However, such materials will need to be tested to see whether
they are acceptable for use by the Malayalam Muthuvan or if it will be necessary to adapt the materials further. Malayalam is the medium of education and script used in Idukki district. So it is possible that the
Malayalam script may provide a good starting point for an orthography to be used in Muthuvan literature production. A few Muthuvan settlements are found in Tamil Nadu, and it may be possible that the people
living in these settlements can utilise the same materials in Malayalam script.
7.1.2 For literacy work
