India
Ethnolinguistic vitality has emerged as an important empirical framework to examine the linguistic identity of ethnic groups, especially small migrant ones. The likely survival of an ethnic group as a distinct linguistic entity is based on factors like demographic patterns, its status in inter-group setting and institutional support the group receives. Besides language use patterns of a group also contributes towards its vitality. The present article reports the findings of a survey undertaken to examine the ethnolinguistic vitality of a small immigrant ethnic group in the valley of Kashmir. During the study, it was observed that in intergroup setting where a large and prestigious group dominates a small group in almost every public domain, language use patterns of the latter can be a significant factor in contributing towards its vitality.