MALWI LITERARY AND DIGITAL PRODUCTION AS SOCIOLINGUISTIC RESISTANCE: LANGUAGE, IDENTITY, AND MULTILINGUAL HIERARCHIES IN CENTRAL INDIA

Abstract

In multilingual societies structured by unequal language regimes, regional and minoritized languages often persist outside formal institutions through cultural and increasingly digital practices. This paper examines the Malwi dialect of central India as a sociolinguistic case study of how literary production and digital dissemination function as forms of resistance within asymmetric multilingual hierarchies dominated by Hindi and English. Drawing on qualitative analysis of Malwi literary texts, proverbs, authorial practices, and digital platforms, the study foregrounds Malwi as a site of ethnolinguistic identity, cultural memory, and symbolic capital. Anchored in sociolinguistic and cultural theory—particularly Fishman’s ethnolinguistic identity, Bourdieu’s linguistic capital, and theories of language endangerment—the paper argues that Malwi’s vitality is sustained through community-driven literary and digital practices rather than institutional support. By situating Malwi within broader debates on multilingual inequality and minoritized language resilience, the study contributes to international discussions on language, power, and cultural sustainability.