the men and that, even if they can understand Malayalam, they are unable to speak it well. Most of the women are illiterate.
Muthuvan people were not observed to speak Malayalam amongst themselves. However, Malayalam is spoken to some degree with some merchants and government officials. Schools are not available in
many villages. Few parents are willing to send their children to live in a hostel in order to attend school, nor are many children interested in doing so. The literacy rate of the Muthuvan is one of the lowest
among the people groups of Idukki district. Children below 12 years of age were not observed to be able to speak Malayalam. Most of the villages are located deep within forests, so the people make little contact
with outsiders.
The Tamil Muthuvan people enjoy Tamil songs and other radio programmes, although they also listen to Malayalam radio stations. It was observed that the young people are using Tamil cinema songs
for dances in their festivals. The bachelors of each settlement live together in a common shelter. They speak Muthuvan among themselves when they gather there.
5.4.2 Mannan
Education, age and contact with outsiders are the main characteristics that define the bilingual proficiency of the Mannan community. The motivation for learning Malayalam is high, since they
consider Malayalam to be a prestigious language and it is the medium of education. As Mannan men have greater contact with outsiders and more opportunities for education, they tend to be more bilingual in
Malayalam than the women. Few of the older people can speak Malayalam to a high degree of proficiency. However, it seems that many young people can communicate in Malayalam, especially males.
Bilingual abilities and literacy in Malayalam tend to be greater among the educated. However, some education does not guarantee any degree of literacy in Malayalam. Mannan boys were observed to receive
only a fourth to a tenth class education. The girls often only study up to between first and seventh standard, after which they help with housework. It is suspected that, even if a Mannan student studies up
to fifth class, they are neither becoming literate nor continue using the skills of literacy afterwards.
There have been more opportunities for Mannan people to learn Malayalam in recent times. More outsiders have been coming to the Mannan area to purchase land and raise crops. There were Malayali
households in about half of the settlements that the researchers visited. The Malayalis and Mannan interact with each other on a regular basis. Their children go to school and play with each other. Most
Mannan settlements have at least one Malayali shop. Malayalam cinema and songs are popular. Although intermarriage is traditionally forbidden among the Mannan, it is slowly becoming more common.
Transport facilities are improving and giving opportunities for high contact with outsiders. Some young boys have started to work as wage labourers in fields outside their home area.
There are also some factors that promote the preservation and use of the Mannan language. Although there has been increasing interaction with outsiders, most Mannan people primarily interact with their
own people. They speak their mother tongue among themselves. The Mannan people seem to be working hard to lift their position and prestige in society. They are conscious about the necessity of preserving
their culture and language. A local association, the Mannan Samudaya Sangam, works for the welfare of the people and promotes their cultural values. Their local organisations and their king, Mr. Thevan
Rajamannan, seem to be making a difference for the development of their culture and language.
5.5 Conclusion
