ABSTRACT
Sanskritization and desanskritization of languages have taken place throughout Indian history. In modern India, however, there has been widespread sanskritization of all regional languages, including tribal languages, except perhaps Tamil. Use of standardized language in education, administration, print and electronic media, and other sectors of society, along with migrations from rural, including tribal, areas to urban centres, have played a major role in sanskritization of regional languages. To understand the basic nature of sanskritization it is necessary to keep in mind M. N. Srinivas’s original description and analysis of Sanskritic versus non-Sanskritic culture in his Coorg book. Temples have always been a powerful agent of sanskritization. The chapter discusses the complicated issue of sanskritization among the Dalits and the Adivasis. In the changing social scenario, the process of sanskritization is thus becoming increasingly delinked from castes, including the so-called untouchable castes, and from the so-called tribes.
