Atong (India)
[aka A'tong]Classification: Sino-Tibetan
·threatened
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Threatened
80 percent certain, based on the evidence available
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unknown
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"Even after more than twelve months of fieldwork in the area, it was impossible to estimate the number of speakers. New Atong-speaking villages are reportedly still being built, while at the same time Garo, a closely related and regionally important language, encroaches rapidly on a lot of existing Atong-speaking villages." (pg. 2)
- DOMAINS OF USE
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- SPEAKER NUMBER TRENDS
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- TRANSMISSION
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- MORE ON VITALITY
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"Although Atong is under a lot of pressure from Garo, the language is still learnt by most children in villages where Atong is the dominant language and shows no signs of obsolescence. It is impossible for me to say objectively what the situation of Atong is at the moment. Given the enormous percentage of bilingual speakers and the prestige of Garo, the majority of the Atong language community could simply decide to abandon their language overnight." (pg. 17-18)
- SPEAKER ATTITUDE
- "The Atongs have a rather negative image of their own language and are not comfortable speaking in front of strangers and non-Atong speakers..." (pg. 17)
- OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY
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Garo
- Scripts (Writing system)
- Orthography based on the Roman alphabet developed in 2006 by Seino van Breugel.
- LOCATION DESCRIPTION
Spoken in the stream area of the Symsang river in the south Garo Hills District of Meghalaya in Northeast India, in adjacent areas in the West Khasi Hills, and reportedly in the Mymensingh district of Bangladesh as well.