Jaunsari: a sociolinguistic survey

A survey of the Jaunsari language community was undertaken to investigate the need for mother-tongue language development and literacy programmes. The goals of the survey were as follows:

1. Appraise the extent of dialect variation within the Jaunsari speech community, and to determine the similarity to Sirmauri and Garhwali. Intelligibility measurements would also be made if necessary.
2. Assess the vitality of the Jaunsari language including language use in domains of daily life, attitudes and bilingual proficiency in Hindi.
3. Identify the geographical areas inhabited by the Jaunsari people.