Artificial intelligence can process a billion words in seconds. It still needs a human to explain that “REF-yoos” is rubbish and “re-FYOOZ” means to decline, as a report rightly points out.
Understanding of that distinction belongs to a linguist, a professional the technology industry now desperately needs and can barely find. For decades, linguistics was dismissed as a discipline without a future.
The AI revolution is posing a pointed question: can India’s universities revive it in time?
The urgency is not abstract. At Gujarat University, the MA linguistics programme reportedly has just five students across both years combined.
At MS University in Vadodara, only 11 students enrolled in the undergraduate course against 30 available seats, and a mere four opted for the postgraduate programme, which has 40. The last permanent faculty member at GU retired roughly five years ago.
Two contractual staff members now hold the department together.
Demand, meanwhile, is running in the opposite direction. Students are ignorant of the immense potential that this discipline holds, linguists have observed.
The report, citing linguists’ views, claims that there is a huge demand for linguistics and every year. Institutes based in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and other metros seek experts in this discipline.
The shortage is not simply one of awareness. A structural flaw runs through the system. Linguistics is not recognised as a qualifying discipline for government teaching posts at either the school or college level.
An MA in English, Hindi, or Gujarati is typically preferred but most vacancies every year are for English teachers, the report adds.
But a candidate with a BA, an MA, or even a PhD in linguistics is not considered eligible for those posts, experts noted.
The career signal, for prospective students, could hardly be weaker.
At the recently concluded AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, Indian innovators showcased products built for Indian users, with Large Language Models anchored in Hindi, Gujarati, Telugu, and other official Indian languages at their core.
Indian languages are now at an unprecedented intersection of technology and culture, and a new class of jobs for linguists has emerged from it.
Some linguists are already embedded with computer scientists, training LLMs to understand and generate Indian languages.
Yet even now, basic misconceptions persist. Linguists gripe that they still have to explain the difference between language and linguistics not only to students but also to recruiters.
A sliver of hope is visible, nonetheless. The general sentiment is that with AI developing rapidly, there will be high demand for linguists, especially those who understand computational linguistics.
Also Read: Artificial Intelligence Can Replace Auditors And Accountants, Says Union Finance Secretary https://www.vibesofindia.com/artificial-intelligence-can-replace-auditors-and-accountants-says-union-finance-secretary/
