Negotiating Languages and Identities: India’s Plurilingualism in a Sociolinguistic Perspective

Abstract

India is a highly plurilingual society where diverse languages coexist and are flexibly used across social, cultural, educational, and communicative domains, making sociolinguistic analysis essential for understanding language use, identity, and social integration.This research explores the sociolinguistic mechanisms of plurilingualism in India through an analysis of language, identity, education, and social mobility as experienced among multilingual speakers. While it is well known that India is a land of languages, not much systematic investigation has been done on the interplay of English, Hindi, and the so–called regional languages in the different spheres of everyday life and how such interplay is influenced by social stratification, education policies, and new media communication. Based on Fishman’s (1972) domain theory, Blom and Gumperz’s (1972) code-switching theory and Haugen’s (1972) language ecology model, the research follows a mixed method approach by conducting quantitative surveys (n = 400) and qualitative semi-structured interviews (n = 40) in five Indian states representing geographical diversity. The quantitative data were analysed through descriptive statistical analysis such as frequency distribution, percentage analysis, mean score of comparisons while qualitative data analyses for interviews and observations involved thematic codification to examine recurring sociolinguistic themes regarding language choice, identity negotiation and perceptions of policy. The validity and reliability of the results were fortified by the triangulation of data sources and tools. The findings show a clear domain-specific pattern of languages, with regional languages being predominant in the home and community, English dominating in education and the workplace, and Hindi serving as a link language at the inter-regional level of communication. Findings also show that are not linguistic deficient but rather socially meaningful practices of identity negotiation. Digital media promote linguistic hybridisation, yet limited access to language resources and disparities in multilingual policy execution continue to foster linguistic hierarchies. The research advances the sociolinguistic literature by providing a rich empirically informed account of plurilingual competence as a socially shaped and strategically negotiated practice in the context of contemporary India. It also has bearings for multilingual education, language policy and the safeguarding of regional and minority languages.