Kui Language

12th July, 2023 History

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Context

On Monday, the Odisha state cabinet gave an approval to a proposal which recommended the inclusion of the Kui language in the 8th schedule of the Constitution of India.
The cabinet is of opinion that the inclusion of language to 8^th schedule will not have any financial implications.

Kui Language

There are around 46 languages are which are spoken by tribal population in Odisha.
Kui language, a vernacular tribal language, is one of them.
It is also referred to as Kandh, Khondi, Kanda, Kodu, Kuinga
It is a South-Eastern Dravidian language mainly spoken by the Kandhas or Kondhs
It is mostly spoken in the hilly and forested areas of Odisha for instance –
- South and central Odisha which are Phulbani (Kondhamal), Boudh, Koraput, Kalahandi, Rayagada, Nayagarh, Ganjam, Gajapati, Nabarangpur, Sonepur, Angul and Dhenkanal district.
Closely related to the Gondi and Kuvi languages, Kui language is written in the Odia script.
The language has approximately 1 million speakers, 9,41,488 to be precise, as per census of India.
According to information available on UNESCO site, the Koi language status situation is potentially vulnerable.

Significance of inclusion in 8^th schedule

As per cabinet committee, more than 7 lakh people of Kandh tribe of Odisha will be benefitted from this decision.
The inclusion of Kui language in 8^th schedule will help in the preservation, promotion and propagation of this language and associated culture.
The recognition of this language will get a thrust hence the publication and content creation will be facilitated by this move.
An eco-system to assist and enable research and studies of the Kui language will also be created.