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Article published In: Australian Review of Applied Linguistics
Vol. 49:1 (2026) ► pp.87–111

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Assessing language vitality

A case of Indigenous Kuwi

ORCiD logo with link | Indian Institute of Technology Madras
ORCiD logo with link | Indian Institute of Technology Madras
Published online: 28 July 2025
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/aral.24115.pre
Abstract
Assessment of a language is about the evaluation of its vitality. To understand the vitality of a language, a language community should be assessed every few decades, so that the success of any revitalization program can be evaluated according to its vitality index. Based on language vitality, we can formulate specific revitalization methods/programs to help nurture individual languages. In this paper, we critically examine two assessment tools, UNESCO and EGIDS, and explore their effectiveness and problems by applying them to assessing the vitality of Kuwi, an Indigenous language spoken in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. In the process, we investigate the meaning of the term “Indigenous” by discussing the issues related to language endangerment and its causes in the context of multilingual and pluricultural India.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Language endangerment
    • 2.1Meaning of “Indigenous” and “minority” languages
  • 3.Indigenous language profile of Andhra Pradesh
  • 4.Reasons for endangerment
  • 5.Language assessment tools: A case study of Kuwi
    • 5.1UNESCO tool
    • 5.2An expanded GIDS (EGIDS) tool
      • 5.2.1EGIDS evaluation pattern
      • 5.2.2Assessment of Kuwi by EGIDS scale
    • 5.3Problems, potentials, and effectiveness
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgments
  • Declaration of contributions from Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process
  • Notes
  • References
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