Directorate of Language Planning and Implementation (DLPI) is a directorate of the Government of Manipur in charge of the

language planning In sociolinguistics, language planning (also known as language engineering) is a deliberate effort to influence the function, structure or acquisition of languages or language varieties within a speech community.Kaplan B., Robert, and Richard ...

and the implementation of policies of Meitei language (officially known as

Manipuri language Meitei (), also known as Manipuri (, ), is a Tibeto-Burman language of north-eastern India. It is spoken by around 1.8 million people, predominantly in the state of Manipur, but also by smaller communities in the rest of the country and in pa ...

) as well as other indigenous

vernacular A vernacular or vernacular language is in contrast with a "standard language". It refers to the language or dialect that is spoken by people that are inhabiting a particular country or region. The vernacular is typically the native language, n ...

s of

Manipur Manipur () ( mni, Kangleipak) is a States and territories of India, state in Northeast India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. It is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west. It ...

. The 1st anniversary of the Directorate of Language Planning & Implementation coincided with 18th

Meitei Language Day ) , type = cultural , image = "Meitei Language Day" alias "Manipuri Language Day" written in Meitei script and Latin script.jpg , imagesize = 300px , caption = Meitei translation of "Meitei Language Day" written in ...

(officially called

Manipuri Language Day ) , type = cultural , image = "Meitei Language Day" alias "Manipuri Language Day" written in Meitei script and Latin script.jpg , imagesize = 300px , caption = Meitei translation of "Meitei Language Day" written in ...

), the annual commemorative celebration of Meitei language's inclusion in the Eighth Schedule to the Indian Constitution. Though

(officially called

) is annually observed even before the establishment of the Directorate of Language Planning & Implementation, the Directorate is serving as one of the key organisers of the very annual event after just its inception in 2013.

Language planning and implementation works

During November 2013, in collaboration with the ''

Central Institute of Indian Languages The Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL) is an Indian research and teaching institute based in Mysuru, part of the Language Bureau of the Ministry of Education. It was founded on 17 July 1969. Centres The Central Institute of Indian La ...

(CIIL), MHRD,

Government of India The Government of India ( ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

Mysore Mysore (), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. Mysore city is geographically located between 12° 18′ 26″ north latitude and 76° 38′ 59″ east longitude. It is located at an altitude of ...

'', the Department of Language Planning and Implementation organised a five-day training programme on

Natural Language Processing Natural language processing (NLP) is an interdisciplinary subfield of linguistics, computer science, and artificial intelligence concerned with the interactions between computers and human language, in particular how to program computers to proc ...

(NLP) ''in relation to Meitei language'' in

Lamphelpat ) , native_name_lang = , other_name = , nickname = , settlement_type = town , image_skyline = , image_alt = , image_caption = , pushpin_map = I ...

. The event took up the initiatives for the provision of the very essential boost for Meitei language and for ''"building of co-opera"'' in the ''Linguistic Data Consortium of Indian Languages'' (LDCIL). Major significant tasks discussed and highlighted during the event were

machine translation Machine translation, sometimes referred to by the abbreviation MT (not to be confused with computer-aided translation, machine-aided human translation or interactive translation), is a sub-field of computational linguistics that investigates t ...

for Meitei language documents;

Optical Character Recognition Optical character recognition or optical character reader (OCR) is the electronic or mechanical conversion of images of typed, handwritten or printed text into machine-encoded text, whether from a scanned document, a photo of a document, a sc ...

(OCR) for Meitei language

spell checker In software, a spell checker (or spelling checker or spell check) is a software feature that checks for misspellings in a text. Spell-checking features are often embedded in software or services, such as a word processor, email client, electronic ...

, transcription (and

transliteration Transliteration is a type of conversion of a text from one script to another that involves swapping letters (thus ''trans-'' + '' liter-'') in predictable ways, such as Greek → , Cyrillic → , Greek → the digraph , Armenian → or ...

) of

Bengali script Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

into

Meitei script ) , altname = , type = Abugida , languages = Meitei language (officially known as Manipuri language) , region = * Manipur , sample = "Meitei Mayek" (literally meaning "Meitei script" in Meitei language) writte ...

( mni,

Meitei Mayek ) , altname = , type = Abugida , languages = Meitei language (officially known as Manipuri language) , region = * Manipur , sample = "Meitei Mayek" (literally meaning "Meitei script" in Meitei language) written ...

) and vice versa. The event's main objective was to set up “building of co-opera” containing millions of Meitei language words, phrases, word meanings, words'

spelling checker In software, a spell checker (or spelling checker or spell check) is a software feature that checks for misspellings in a text. Spell-checking features are often embedded in software or services, such as a word processor, email client, electronic di ...

in computers. Experts and scholars of socio-linguistic groups working on

Meitei literature , image = Numit Kappa.jpg , imagesize = , caption = The Numit Kappa, a Classical Meitei epic text written during the 1st century, based on ancient Meitei mythology and religion (Sanamahism) , alt ...

, including the ''

Manipuri Sahitya Parishad , image = Numit Kappa.jpg , imagesize = , caption = The Numit Kappa, a Classical Meitei epic text written during the 1st century, based on ancient Meitei mythology and religion ( Sanamahism) , alt ...

(MSP), Culture Forum Manipur, KALAM, MEELAL'', etc. also participated in the event. The training program event was the ''first step'' in forwarding the development of Meitei language by the Directorate of Language Planning and Implementation. During May, 2014, the Directorate of Language Planning and Implementation organised a 10-day workshop on

terminology Terminology is a group of specialized words and respective meanings in a particular field, and also the study of such terms and their use; the latter meaning is also known as terminology science. A ''term'' is a word, compound word, or multi-wo ...

building for Meitei language (officially known as

) in the Multipurpose Hall of SCERT,

Lamphelpat ) , native_name_lang = , other_name = , nickname = , settlement_type = town , image_skyline = , image_alt = , image_caption = , pushpin_map = I ...

. Experts including professors of various departments of

Botany Botany, also called plant science (or plant sciences), plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "bot ...

, Chemistry,

Economics Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics analy ...

Geography Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, a ...

Physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which rel ...

Zoology Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and ...

and Meitei language from different universities took part in the workshop. The purpose of the event was the imparting of education upto graduation level of the ''mentioned general subjects'' in Meitei language medium. It was in accordance to the provisions of the "Manipur Official Language Act, 1979". The main aim of the event was to discover as many as 30,000 Meitei language terminologies to replace English terminologies used in three subjects, viz. Physics, Economics and Geography, after which all the practicable Meitei terminologies could be added to a Meitei lexicon. During September 2014, the Directorate of Language Planning and Implementation organised another 10-day workshop at the conference hall of the directorate in Old Lambulane town, Imphal West district. The event was participated by 35 university and college teachers. Translations of different books of various subjects including

anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of be ...

commerce Commerce is the large-scale organized system of activities, functions, procedures and institutions directly and indirectly related to the exchange (buying and selling) of goods and services among two or more parties within local, regional, natio ...

economics Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics analy ...

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...

, home science, philosophy,

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and ...

and

sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of empirical investigation and ...

into Meitei language, for educational standards from Class XI up to graduation level, were carried out. During March 2016, the Directorate of Language Planning and Implementation organised a

symposium In ancient Greece, the symposium ( grc-gre, συμπόσιον ''symposion'' or ''symposio'', from συμπίνειν ''sympinein'', "to drink together") was a part of a banquet that took place after the meal, when drinking for pleasure was acc ...

on the theme "Multiculturalism and Aspects of Translation". The venue for the event was in the Manipur Press Club. The symposium had two sessions. In one session, various resource persons presented papers on different topics for the promotion of Meitei language. In another session, resource persons presented research papers to sharply increase the level of the translation works to impart the knowledge and understanding of Meitei language to people living outside the state of

. During June 2017, the Directorate of Language Planning and Implementation organised a 10-day Meetei Mayek orientation programme for college teachers who teach Meitei language as a subject. The venue for the event was at the DM College of Arts,

Imphal Imphal ( Meitei pronunciation: /im.pʰal/; English pronunciation: ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Manipur. The metropolitan centre of the city contains the ruins of Kangla Palace (also known as Kangla Fort), the royal seat of the ...

. In the event,

Thokchom Radheshyam Singh Thokchom Radheshyam Singh is an Indian politician. He was elected to the Manipur Legislative Assembly from Heirok (Vidhan Sabha constituency), Heirok in the 2017 Manipur Legislative Assembly election as a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He ...

, the then ''Education, Labour & Employment Minister'', launched Meitei language textbooks (in

) for the academic degree in

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

e-book An ebook (short for electronic book), also known as an e-book or eBook, is a book publication made available in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, readable on the flat-panel display of computers or other electronic devices. Al ...

formats. During April 2018, the Directorate of Language Planning & Implementation organised a three-day conference on the topic ''"Classical Language Status in respect of Manipuri Language"'' at the conference hall of Manipur State Guest House, Sanjenthong,

Langpoklakpam Jayantakumar Singh Langpoklakpam Jayantakumar Singh ( Meitei pronunciation: /lāng-pōk-lāk-pam ja-yant-kū-mār sīng/) is an Indian politician. He was elected to the Manipur Legislative Assembly from Keishamthong in the 2017 Manipur Legislative Assembly elec ...

, the then Minister of Art & Culture Department of the Government of Manipur, as a Chief Guest of the event, assured that he will take a leading role in the efforts of attaining classical language status for Meitei language for the sake of future generations.

, the then minister of the Education Department of the Government of Manipur, as a President of the event, while calling upon the people to involve in the movement for inclusion of Meitei language in the classical language list.

Issues and Demands

November 2020

During November 2020, in response to the then education minister's statement of introducing

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominalization, nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cul ...

as a subject in selected schools and colleges of

, there were strong criticism of the minister's plan from the sides of various social organizations. A spearheading social organization, "MEELAL" (Meetei Erol Eyek Loinasillol Apunba Lup) demanded the Government of Manipur that there should be state language departments other than Directorate of Language Planning and Implementation (DLPI) and the concerned authorities should first work on the development and the promotion of

's indigenous languages and Meetei Mayek writing system before promoting other languages.

January 2022

During January 2022, in a meeting with the Wakhallon Mannaba Apunba (WAMA),

Leishemba Sanajaoba Maharaja Leishemba Sanajaoba is the current titular king of Manipur, India, and a politician belonging to the Bharatiya Janata Party from Manipur. In 2020, he was elected as the member of Rajya Sabha from Manipur. Debates on bills Leish ...

expressed that he was extremely unsatisfied with the negligence of the

Department of Language Planning and Implementation Directorate of Language Planning and Implementation (DLPI) is a directorate of the Government of Manipur in charge of the language planning and the implementation of policies of Meitei language (officially known as Manipuri language) as well a ...

in the documentation works for inclusion of Meitei language among the classical languages. The WAMA expressed that such negligence of the Language Department will make the efforts of Sanajaoba, of raising his voice in the

Rajya Sabha The Rajya Sabha, wikisource:Constitution of India/Part V#Article 80, constitutionally the Council of States, is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of India. , it has a maximum membership of 245, of which 233 are elected by the legisl ...

, useless. The WAMA demanded the Government of Manipur for the change of the present director of

. According to the WAMA, Chitra, the present director, is unfit to hold the very directorial position because of her neglecting and irresponsible behaviours.

Notes and References

External links

* * * {{Cite web , title=GP Women College students decry over the unavailability of Meitei Mayek text book : 12th sep17 ~ E-Pao! Headlines , url=http://e-pao.net/GP.asp?src=24..120917.sep17 , access-date=2022-08-22 , website=e-pao.net Meitei language Government of Manipur Government of India Academia in India Academic works about linguistics Language education Language law Language policy Language reform Language regulators Language reformers Languages of Manipur Languages of India Linguistics organizations Linguistics projects Linguistic research Linguistic research in India Linguistic research institutes in India Linguistics works Official languages Research and development in India Research in India Research institutes in India Sociolinguistics works Standard languages Works about language