Language is adapting to climate change. Farmers, fishers and forest communities described newly emerging environmental phenomena. “Bina nishaan,” for instance, connotes unannounced rains.
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There is a word in the Nicobarese language that translates into “a calm sea”. Tamra, today, is however only used by the islands’ elders and is at risk of fading away from their language forever.
As seasons go awry, species go extinct, and livelihoods change, words and phrases in several Indian languages are at the precipice of vanishing altogether, according to a new analysis.
From Marwari to Maithili, Tulu to Tamil, there are words — evocative, nuanced, onomatopoeic, with much exactitude — that describe everything from wild birds and morphing skies to livelihoods.
Published – August 29, 2026 08:00 am IST
