Comparing linguistic landscapes in Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh and Norfolk Island, South Pacific

At first glance it may seem strange and almost fruitless to compare the language ecology and linguistic status of two such seemingly disparate entities as an Indian holy city and a remote island in the South Pacific Ocean. Aside from their obvious geographical distance and cultural differences, Vrindavan, now a burgeoning and booming sizeable town, and Norfolk Island, a small island of 40 square kilometres and an external territory of Australia with a colourful history of paradise turned to hell and back again, present the language ecologist a considerable task. One would be hard pressed to find two more dissimilar linguistic and human-nature interactions. This is, however, the undertaking of the current paper.