Languages in India
India is rich in languages. There are a quite a number of languages spoken in India. Some of these languages are accepted nationally while others are accepted as dialects of that particular region.
The Indian languages belong to four language families namely Indo-European, Dravidian, Austroasiatic (Austric) and Sino-Tibetan. Majority of India's population are using Indo-European and Dravidian languages. The former are spoken mainly in northern and central regions and the latter in southern India. Some ethnic groups in Assam and other parts of eastern India speak Austric languages. People in the northern Himalayan region and near the Burmese border speak Sino-Tibetan languages.
The written forms of language or scripts come from an ancient Indian script called Brahmi.
India has 22 officially recognised languages. But around 33 different languages and 2000 dialects have been identified in India. Hindi, in the Devanagari script is the official language of the Federal government of India. English is an associate official language. Sanskrit, the classical language of India, represents the highest achievement of the Indo-Aryan Languages. The beginning of Sanskrit literature may be traced back to Rig Vedic period. It is the oldest literary language of India, which is more than 5,000 years old and the basis of many modern Indian languages including Hindi and Urdu. Its earliest dialect form, Vedic was spoken by the Aryans. All the classical literature and the Indian epics have been written in Sanskrit.
List of languages recognized by the Indian Constitution:
List of other languages of India:
English in India:
Officially English has a status of assistant language, but in fact it is the most important language of India. After Hindi it is the most commonly spoken language in India and probably the most read and written language in India. Indians who know English will always try to show that they know English. English symbolizes in Indians minds, better education, better culture and higher intellect. Indians who know English often mingle it with Indian languages in their conversations. It is also usual among Indians to abruptly move to speak fluent English in the middle of their conversations. English also serves as the communicator among Indians who speak different language. English is very important in some systems - legal, financial, educational, business – in India. Until the beginning of 1990s, foreign movies in India weren't translated or dubbed in Indian languages, but were broadcast in English and were meant for English speakers only. The reason Indians give such importance to English is related to the fact that India was a British colony.
The Indian languages belong to four language families namely Indo-European, Dravidian, Austroasiatic (Austric) and Sino-Tibetan. Majority of India's population are using Indo-European and Dravidian languages. The former are spoken mainly in northern and central regions and the latter in southern India. Some ethnic groups in Assam and other parts of eastern India speak Austric languages. People in the northern Himalayan region and near the Burmese border speak Sino-Tibetan languages.
The written forms of language or scripts come from an ancient Indian script called Brahmi.
India has 22 officially recognised languages. But around 33 different languages and 2000 dialects have been identified in India. Hindi, in the Devanagari script is the official language of the Federal government of India. English is an associate official language. Sanskrit, the classical language of India, represents the highest achievement of the Indo-Aryan Languages. The beginning of Sanskrit literature may be traced back to Rig Vedic period. It is the oldest literary language of India, which is more than 5,000 years old and the basis of many modern Indian languages including Hindi and Urdu. Its earliest dialect form, Vedic was spoken by the Aryans. All the classical literature and the Indian epics have been written in Sanskrit.
List of languages recognized by the Indian Constitution:
| Languages | Official Language of | Spoken by |
| Assamese | Assam | 15 million |
| Bengali | Tripura & West Bengal | 67 million |
| Bodo | Assam | |
| Dogri | Jammu and Kashmir | |
| Gujarati | Dadra and Nagar Haeli, Daman and Diu & Gujrat | 43 million |
| Hindi | Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Bihar, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh & Uttaranchal | 180 million |
| Kannada | Karnataka | 35 million |
| Kashmiri | ||
| Konkani | Goa | |
| Maithili | Bihar | 22 million |
| Malayalam | Kerala & Lakshadweep | 34 million |
| Manipuri (Meithei) | Manipur | |
| Marathi | Maharashtra | 65 million |
| Nepali | Sikkim | |
| Oriya | Orissa | 30 million |
| Punjabi | Punjab | 26 million |
| Sanskrit | ||
| Santhali | ||
| Sindhi | ||
| Tamil | Tamil Nadu & Pondicherry | 66 million |
| Telugu | Andhra Pradesh | 70 million |
| Urdu | Jammu and Kashmir | 46 million |
List of other languages of India:
| Languages | Language of | Spoken by |
| Awadhi (sub-variety of Hindi) | 20 million | |
| Bhili | Bhil tribals | |
| Bhojpuri (sub-variety of Hindi) | Bihar | 23 million |
| Bundeli (sub-variety of Hindi) | ||
| Chhattisgarhi (sub-variety of Hindi) | Chhattisgarh | 11 million |
| Deccani | 11 million | |
| Gondi | Gond tribals | |
| Haryanvi (sub-variety of Hindi) | Haryana | 13 million |
| Hindustani (mixture of Hindi and Urdu) | Northern part of India | |
| Kanauji (sub-variety of Hindi) | Uttar Pradesh | |
| Kodava | Kodagu (Karnataka) | |
| Kutchi | Kutch (Gujarat) | |
| Magahi (sub-variety of Hindi) | southern Bihar | 11 million |
| Marwari (sub-variety of Hindi) | Rajasthan | 12 million |
| Portuguese | Partly in Goa, Daman and Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli | |
| Sikkimese | Sikkim | |
| Tibetan | Tibet (Kashmir) | 6 million |
| Tulu | Tulu people (Karnataka & Kerala) |
English in India:
Officially English has a status of assistant language, but in fact it is the most important language of India. After Hindi it is the most commonly spoken language in India and probably the most read and written language in India. Indians who know English will always try to show that they know English. English symbolizes in Indians minds, better education, better culture and higher intellect. Indians who know English often mingle it with Indian languages in their conversations. It is also usual among Indians to abruptly move to speak fluent English in the middle of their conversations. English also serves as the communicator among Indians who speak different language. English is very important in some systems - legal, financial, educational, business – in India. Until the beginning of 1990s, foreign movies in India weren't translated or dubbed in Indian languages, but were broadcast in English and were meant for English speakers only. The reason Indians give such importance to English is related to the fact that India was a British colony.
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