‘Mahale Voices’ Aims to Keep Endangered Mahale Language Alive

Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) has launched a research-based book titled Mahale Voices to support the preservation of the endangered Mahale language, spoken by the Mahale community in the Rajshahi region. The book was unveiled on Wednesday at the DMK Lecture Gallery on the IUB campus.

The book, jointly published by IUB and Adorn Publication, is authored by Towhid Bin Muzaffar, Assistant Professor in the Department of English and Modern Languages at IUB, with co-authors writer and researcher Haroonuzzaman and Mahale community member Santosh Hemrom. The unveiling event was organised by IUB’s Sasheen Center for Multilingual Excellence (SCMLE) and the Department of English and Modern Languages.

SCMLE works on documenting and preserving endangered and lesser-used languages of Bangladesh. Mahale Voices features 26 folk stories and 24 poems of the Mahale community, compiled in Mahale, Bangla and English. As the Mahale language has no alphabet, the researchers used Roman letters to document the texts. The compilation and translation work took more than three years.

Author Towhid Bin Muzaffar said, “Our work ensures that the Mahale language is documented through the voices of its own people. The stories and poems in this book come directly from the community, reflecting their lived experiences rather than interpretations by outsiders. By bringing these original narratives to light, we are making them accessible not only in Bangladesh but also internationally.”

According to UNESCO’s Language Vitality and Endangerment framework (2003), a language becomes endangered when it is no longer passed down to younger generations and gradually loses its use in daily life. Social and economic pressures often encourage communities to shift to more widely spoken languages for education, work and social mobility.

Co-author Haroonuzzaman said, “I hope this book serves both as a celebration and a call to action to nurture, protect and carry forward the Mahale language and its literature. Preserving languages is preserving our shared humanity. I encourage readers to explore Mahale Voices and recognize the value of safeguarding linguistic heritage for future generations.”

UNESCO’s Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger highlights that when a language declines in use at home, in education, cultural practices, or public life, communities risk losing unique cultural knowledge, identity, and heritage embedded in that language.

Co-author Santosh Hemrom, who comes from the Mahale community, said, “If you read this book, you will know about the Mahale community’s living conditions, house patterns and socio-economic background. When we wrote this, we had no alphabet, so we tried our best to develop one for this work. It is a matter of pride for our people, as the Mahale community now has its first book in three languages for the world to know.”

Prof. Dr. Bokhtiar Ahmed, UNESCO Chair in Language Ecology and Director of SCMLE, said, “This book is an attempt to build a bridge among languages. It places Mahale at the centre, with Bangla and English translations alongside. I believe works like this will help the community, especially the younger generation, connect their language with more widely used languages like Bangla and English. Mr. Towhid Bin Muzaffar has been working on preserving endangered languages for over 12 years and has given us valuable scholarly outcomes, including the Mahale Voices itself.”

IUB Vice Chancellor Prof. M. Tamim; Pro-Vice Chancellor Prof. Daniel W. Lund; Dr. Naureen Rahnuma, Head of IUB’s Department of English and Modern Languages; Samar Soren, Member of UNESCO’s Global Taskforce; Mahale community leader Sisti Tudu; Dr. Mustafa Kamal Akand, Professor of Anthropology at University of Rajshahi; and Syed Zakir Hussain, Chief Editor, CEO and Publisher of Adorn Publication, also spoke at the event.