“Language and Environment” in Contemporary Tamil

சமகாலத் தமிழா#வில் “மொழியும் சூழலும்”

Abstract

Today, the environment in India has become severely degraded, described metaphorically as turning into a “garbage bin” (as noted by Maamach Sandhiguha, Environmental Studies in Tamil, P.18). The world has been largely affected by environmental degradation, and despite international conferences aiming to devise plans to prevent and mitigate environmental damage, human society continues to exert dominance over nature. Many environmentalists and concerned individuals are striving to protect ecosystems from human-caused destruction. Natural resources are meant for the use of all living beings, and their benefits should be utilized responsibly rather than being depleted or misused. Unfortunately, society has largely forgotten this principle. Even organisms that once roamed freely in forests now struggle to survive, highlighting the urgent need for faster, more decisive conservation efforts. The extinction of species serves as a warning of global collapse. Evidence shows the planet’s atmosphere is polluted, rivers are drying up, groundwater levels are declining, and forests are disappearing. Overall, environmental degradation today is more severe than ever. All five elements and all forms of life are being adversely affected. However, environmental destruction also impacts language. Linguists and environmentalists note that just as ecosystems degrade, the richness of language can also decline. Language flourishes when new words are adopted and revitalized; conversely, when words disappear from usage, the language itself begins to decay over time. Scholars observe a direct correlation: environmental destruction contributes to language loss. This study examines how environmental degradation can accelerate the erosion of language and emphasizes the interconnectedness of ecological and linguistic preservation.