ABSTRACT
Maithili is one of the major Indo-Aryan languages spoken primarily in the Mithila region of India and Nepal. Despite its rich literary heritage and constitutional recognition in India, Maithili faces various sociolinguistic challenges arising from multilingualism, language contact, migration, urbanization, and the dominance of regional and national languages. This paper examines the sociolinguistic status of Maithili by analyzing its historical development, linguistic identity, language use patterns, multilingual practices, language attitudes, code-switching phenomena, and challenges to language maintenance. The study highlights the complex interaction between language, culture, identity, and social change in the Maithili-speaking community. The findings suggest that while Maithili remains a strong marker of ethnic and regional identity, increasing language contact and globalization have created pressures that may influence its future vitality.
Keywords: Maithili, sociolinguistics, language maintenance, multilingualism, language shift, identity, code-switching
Publication Date: 2026