NEW DELHI: There are only six people alive who speak the endangered Great Andamanese languages . The rest 49 of that community don’t know their original language, but 28 of them speak Hindi .

Two other ancient languages still alive on the islands are Jarawa and Onge, but they, too, have few speakers—just about 300 and 106, respectively. And they also run the risk of extinction. “The Great Andamanese languages comprised 10 languages of which six became extinct by 1935. Then the Government of India shifted the population to the Strait Islands in the Andamans. There are only 55 of them alive today of which only six can speak their local language,” said Padma Shri Anvita Anvi , a professor in Jawaharlal Nehru University. She added that most of the languages spoken in the middle and south of the islands are extinct now, including Bo and Khora that died out in 2009 and 2010, respectively, after their last speakers died.

Abbi advocates preservation of languages. “Just like other natural resources, languages need careful planning to sustain the biodiversity of the planet. A large number of languages which are endangered in India should be researched on, preserved, or revitalized and documented. Above all, languages are the witness of the diverse and varying ways human cognitive faculties perceive the world,” she said.

There has been no documentation of languages spoken by people in the North Sentinel Island, even though it is believed that the 200 people who live there speak a sister language of Jarawa.

“There has been no headcount. We only have a rough estimate based on some figures obtained during the British times. No work has been done on the language these people speak and outsiders don’t have access. Anyone venturing within 1km of the island is welcomed with arrows,” said Abbi.

