Aishwarya Reddy
Independent Researcher
Telangana, India
Abstract
Between 1950 and 2000, All India Radio (AIR) emerged as a powerful instrument for cultural consolidation and linguistic preservation in Northeast India—a region characterized by exceptional dialectal diversity and a complex colonial and postcolonial history. While much scholarship highlights AIR’s role in nation‐building and mass communication, less attention has been paid to its specific interventions aimed at underwriting indigenous dialects during a period of rapid socio‐economic transformations, infrastructural expansion, and media proliferation. This enhanced study employs a convergent mixed‐methods design combining an in‐depth archival analysis of five decades’ worth of AIR programming schedules and listener correspondence with a structured survey of 200 community members sampled across Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, and Mizoram. By triangulating quantitative measures—such as percentage airtime devoted to local‐language bulletins, drama, and music—with qualitative listener narratives and self‐reported language‐use patterns, we elucidate how dialect‐based broadcasts influenced both language maintenance and intergenerational transmission. Key findings reveal that: (1) dialect programming grew from a modest 5% of total airtime in the 1950s to a peak of 18% in the 1980s, (2) daily engagement with AIR dialect content correlates strongly (r = .58, p < .001) with higher self‐rated dialect proficiency, and (3) listener testimonies emphasize AIR’s role in fostering positive language attitudes, motivating community‐based language teaching initiatives, and reinforcing cultural cohesion. This expanded abstract situates the study within broader debates on media and minority‐language vitality, underscores methodological rigor—highlighting instrument validation (Cronbach’s α = .82) and ethical protocols—and previews implications for contemporary community‐radio and digital‐streaming platforms aiming to arrest language shift and support endangered dialects.
Keywords
All India Radio, Indigenous Dialects, Language Preservation, Northeast India, Broadcast Media
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