In the village domain, 68 of the subjects exclusively use their mother tongue with friends, while 30 use both Mannan language and Malayalam. Again, the subjects that use both Mannan and LWC are
educated both primary and high school people. During prayer, 92 exclusively use their mother tongue. All of the subjects indicated that Mannan children speak their mother tongue, whether exclusively or in
conjunction with Malayalam, while playing with each other.
The only domain that subjects were asked about in which few said they use their mother tongue, was that of speaking with outsiders such as merchants and government officials. It is unlikely that many
outsiders know the Mannan language. Therefore, it is not surprising that the Mannan usually use Malayalam or Tamil with outsiders.
4.6.2 Language attitudes
4.6.2.1 Attitude towards mother tongue compared with LWC
Qn.5. What is your favourite language?
MT Malayalam
Both Tamil
33 72 7 15
5 11 1 2 This question attempted to find out which language the subjects generally prefer. The results show
that a majority of subjects feel a greater affinity for their mother tongue than any other language. 15 of the subjects most of whom are young and educated said that they prefer Malayalam.
Qn.7. What language do your people young people like to speak when they go out?
MT Malayalam
Both
17 36 19 41
11 23 This question was asked to learn about the attitude of young people towards their mother tongue
while they are outside their home area. The responses were almost evenly split between Malayalam and Mannan.
Just over half of the subjects have the opinion that young people are using Malayalam amongst themselves while they go out, which may indicate that some of the youth are embarrassed to have
outsiders identify them as Mannan by their speech. Qn.8. Would your old people be happy if young people spoke Malayalam or Tamil in the home?
Yes No
Neutral
23 50 10 21 13 29 The intention of this question was to find out about general attitudes that old people have about the
use of the LWC in the home. Half of the respondents said that old people would be happy if the LWC was used in the home. About 20 of the subjects stated that they do not like their young people speaking
Malayalam or Tamil in the home. Another 27 of subjects said that they neither like nor dislike the use of an LWC in the home. The study found that most people are positive or neutral in their attitudes
towards the use of the state language in the home.
Qn.13. Do you feel that the Mannan language is as good as Malayalam or Tamil?
Yes Indifferent answer Better than Malayalam
42 94 2 4
1 2 The aim of this question was to learn about the subjects’ attitude towards their speech variety in
relation to the nearby majority languages. Almost all the subjects answered that their speech variety is as good as Malayalam and Tamil. One of the subjects stated that their speech variety is better than the state
language. These results show that most of the Mannan people feel that their mother tongue is as good as the nearby LWCs.
4.6.2.2 Attitude for continuing their mother tongue Qn.6. Do young people in your community feel good about their language?
Yes No
Don’t know No direct answer
33 70 8 17 5 11
1 2 This question was intended to find out the attitude of young people towards their mother tongue.
Most of the subjects said that the young people like their language, although a few reported that the opposite is true. According to these responses, it would be safe to say that the young people are not
degrading their mother tongue.
Qn.9. What language should a Mannan woman use with her young child?
MT Malayalam
Both
42 91 2 4
2 4 This question was asked to know more about common attitudes regarding passing the mother tongue
on to the younger generation. Almost every subject expressed that a Mannan woman should use her mother tongue with her young children.
Qn.10. Would you be happy if your child spoke only Malayalam or Tamil?
Yes No
Other responses
23 54 17 40 3 6
This question was asked of 43 subjects to learn about their attitudes towards the shift of their speech variety towards Malayalam or Tamil. More than half of the subjects are happy in their children using the
state language and nearly half of them dislike their children using only the state language in the home. 4.6.2.3
Attitude towards their mother tongue Qn.12a. In which settlement is the Mannan language spoken most purely?
Local area Another area All are same Nowhere Don’t know
18 40 5 11
11 24 8 18
3 7 The object of asking this question was to find out which Mannan speech variety is best accepted. By
asking this, it is possible to assess the attitudes that subjects have towards their local variety and other varieties of Mannan. Out of 45 subjects, 18 40 replied that pure Mannan language is spoken in their
settlement or somewhere within their own area where they travel frequently. Eleven subjects answered that all people speak the Mannan language in the same way. Five subjects 11 suggested village names
from other areas that represent pure Mannan speech. Among them, four subjects from Kovilmala suggested that their language is spoken most purely in Kumily. One person from Kumily thought that
Adimali has the purest speech variety of Mannan.
Qn.12b. Why do you say that it is pure? Those who suggested Kumily as the place where the purest Mannan language is spoken stated that this is
because the people in Kumily are always speaking their language. The one that recommended Adimali suggested that the speech variety in Adimali is pure but did not explain what made it pure. Most of the
subjects who said that the speech of their local area is purest said things such as ‘good tone,’ ‘simple,’ ‘no mixing’ and strong language use.
Qn.12c. In which settlement is the next purest Mannan language spoken?
Local area Another area All are same Tamil
5 32 5 32
5 32 1 4
This question was asked to only the 16 subjects out of the 18 that had been partial towards his or her own speech variety in answering question 12a. Five people suggested their local area; five suggested
places outside their area and another five stated that all places speak their language in the same way. Among the five subjects that mentioned other areas, two from Kumily referred to the people of Kovilmala,
whereas the villages of Kodakallu, Adimali and Variyam were mentioned by one subject each as the place where the second purest variety of Mannan is spoken.
4.6.3 Language vitality
