Language Attitudes of the Parsis Toward Parsi Gujarati and English: A Discourse-Based Analysis

Aims and Objectives/Purpose/Research Questions: This study examines explicit language attitudes toward Parsi Gujarati (PG) and English among Parsis in Gujarat, India, and investigates how these attitudes shape patterns of bilingual language use, maintenance, and shift. The following research questions are explored in this study. What kind of attitudes do the Parsis hold with respect to PG, their first language, and English, their second language? How do the explicit attitudes toward PG and English affect language use, within and across generations, in naturalistic conversation? How do these attitudes impact language preservation and shift over time? Design/Methodology/Approach: The PG conversational excerpts are analyzed using the discourse-based methods proposed by Liebscher and Dailey-O’Cain to examine language attitudes in the Parsi-Gujarati community. Digital recordings of semi-structured sociolinguistic interviews were conducted between the fieldworker and the study participants belonging to select towns and cities in Gujarat. Purposive sampling was used to recruit participants representing a variation in age, gender, degree of urbanization, language exposure, and cultural orientations. Data and Analysis: The dataset consists of approximately 33 hr of recorded interactions involving 71 Parsi participants across three generations and both sexes. The data were examined for explicit evaluations and metalinguistic comments concerning PG and English. Particular attention was given to how the participants constructed, negotiated, and conveyed attitudes toward the two languages in interaction. Findings/Conclusions: The key findings of this study reveal a strong preference for English over PG, as well as a perceived stigma around the use of PG. English is typically associated with greater prestige and social value, while PG is considered less desirable in everyday communication. The predominantly negative attitudes toward PG discourage its use in daily discourse, leading to a decline in intergenerational transmission. As a result, the diminishing use of PG threatens its vitality, thus ascribing it the moribund status. Originality: The study’s novelty is two-fold; neither has PG been examined from the bilingualism point of view nor have the Parsi community’s language attitudes been studied before. By applying discourse-based methods to bilingual interaction, it extends research on language attitudes beyond the quantitative measures such as questionnaires and matched-guise or experimental approaches. Significance/Implications: The study highlights how the language ideology of the community contributes to understanding the spectrum of PG bilingualism. More importantly, it demonstrates the importance of examining language attitudes as an integral component of bilingualism, particularly in communities undergoing a language shift. It highlights how speakers’ evaluations of their languages are embedded in everyday interactions and can influence language choice, maintenance, and intergenerational transmission. The findings contribute to the broader understanding of endangered-language bilingualism by presenting how ideological dominance of English can reshape the linguistic practices and vitality of a minority language variety. They also have implications for efforts aimed at documenting, maintaining, and revitalizing PG within the Parsi community.