Languages of India

Languages of India
Languages of India

Language families of greater India.

Nihali, Kusunda, and Thai languages are not shown.
Official
language(s)

For Central Government:Standard Hindi written in the Devangar script (the Indian Constitution recognises
English as a subsidiary official language)

Regional
language(s)

Angika Assamese Beary bashe Bengali Bodo Chhattisgarhi Dogri Garhwali Garo Gujarati Hindi
Kannada Kashmiri Khasi Kodava Takk Kokborok Konkani Kumaoni Maithili Malayalam Manipuri
Marathi Mizo Nepali Oriya Punjabi Rajasthani Sanskrit Santali Sindhi Sinhala Tamil Telugu Tulu
Urdu

The Languages of India belong to several language families, the major ones being the Indo-Aryan languages (a
subbranch of Indo-European) spoken by 74% of Indians and the Dravidian languages spoken by 23% of Indians.[1][2]
Other languages spoken in India belong to the Austroasiatic, Tibeto-Burman, and a few minor language families and
isolates.[3]
The official language of the Central Government of Republic of India is Standard Hindi, while English is the
secondary official language.[4] The constitution of India states that "The official language of the Union shall be Hindi
in Devanagari script."[5] Neither the Constitution of India nor Indian law specifies a national language, a position
supported by a High Court ruling.[6] However, languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian constitution are
sometimes referred to, without legal standing, as the national languages of India.[7][8]
Individual mother tongues in India number several hundred;[9] the 1961 census recognized 1,652[10] (SIL Ethnologue
lists 415). According to Census of India of 2001, 30 languages are spoken by more than a million native speakers,
122 by more than 10,000. Three millennia of language contact has led to significant mutual influence among the four
language families in India and South Asia. Two contact languages have played an important role in the history of
India: Persian and English.[11]

Languages of India

History
The northern Indian languages from the Indo-Iranian branch of the
Indo-European family evolved from Old Indo-Aryan by way of the
Middle Indo-Aryan Prakrit languages and Apabhraa of the Middle
Ages. There is no consensus for a specific time where the modern
north Indian languages such as Hindustani, Assamese, Bengali,
Gujarati, Marathi, Punjabi, Rajasthani, Sindhi and Oriya emerged, but
AD 1000 is commonly accepted.[12] Each language had different
influences, with Hindustani being strongly influenced by Persian.
The Dravidian languages of South India had a history independent of
Sanskrit. The major Dravidian languages are Tamil, Telugu,
Malayalam, Kannada and Tulu.[13] Though Malayalam and Telugu are
Dravidian in origin, over eighty percent of their lexicon is borrowed
from Sanskrit.[14][15][16][17] The Telugu script can reproduce the full
The Hindi-belt, including Hindi-related languages
range of Sanskrit phonetics without losing any of the text's
such as Rajasthani and Bihari.
originality,[18] whereas the Malayalam script includes graphemes
capable of representing all the sounds of Sanskrit and all Dravidian languages.[19][20] The Kannada and Tamil
languages have lesser Sanskrit and Prakrit influence. The Austroasiatic and Tibeto-Burman languages of North-East
India also have long independent histories.

Inventories
Dialectologists distinguish the terms "language" and "dialect" on the basis of mutual intelligibility. The Indian
census uses two specific classifications in its own unique way: (1) 'language' and (2) 'mother tongue'. The 'mother
tongues' are grouped within each 'language'. Many 'mother tongues' so defined would be considered a language
rather than a dialect by linguistic standards. This is especially so for many 'mother tongues' with tens of millions of
speakers that are officially grouped under the 'language' Hindi.
The Indian census of 1961 recognised 1,652 different languages in India (including languages not native to the
subcontinent). The 1991 census recognizes 1,576 classified "mother tongues"[21] The People of India (POI) project
of Anthropological Survey of India reported 325 languages which are used for in-group communication by the
Indian communities.SIL Ethnologue lists 415 living "Languages of India" (out of 6,912 worldwide).
According to the 1991 census, 22 'languages' had more than a million native speakers, 50 had more than 100,000 and
114 had more than 10,000 native speakers. The remaining accounted for a total of 566,000 native speakers (out of a
total of 838 million Indians in 1991).[21]
According to the most recent census of 2001, 29 'languages' have more than a million native speakers, 60 have more
than 100,000 and 122 have more than 10,000 native speakers.
The government of India has given 22 "languages of the 8th Schedule" the status of official language. The number of
languages given this status has increased through the political process. Some languages with a large number of
speakers still do not have this status, the largest of these being Bhili/Bhiladi with some 9.6 million native speakers
(ranked 14th), followed by Garhwali with 2.9 million speakers, Gondi with 2.7 million speakers (ranked 18th) and
Khandeshi with 2.1 million speakers (ranked 22nd). On the other hand, 2 languages with fewer than 2 million native
speakers have recently been included in the 8th Schedule for mostly political reasons: Manipuri/Maithei with 1.5
million speakers (ranked 25th) and Bodo with 1.4 million speakers (ranked 26th).

Languages of India

Language families
The languages of India belong to several language families. The largest of these in terms of speakers is the
Indo-European family, predominantly represented in its Indo-Aryan branch (accounting for some 700 million
speakers, or 69% of the population), but also including minority languages such as Persian, Portuguese or French,
and English as a lingua franca. Kashmiri and other Dardic languages, which form part of the Indo-Iranian, and
arguably Indo-Aryan family, have some 4.6 million speakers in India.
The second largest language family is the Dravidian family, accounting for some 200 million speakers, or 26%.
Families with smaller numbers of speakers are Austroasiatic and numerous small Tibeto-Burman languages, with
some 10 and 6 million speakers, respectively, together 5% of the population.
The Ongan languages of the southern Andaman Islands form a fifth family; the Great Andamanese languages are
extinct apart from one highly endangered language with a dwindling number of speakers. There is also a known
language isolate, the Nihali language. The Bantu language Sidi was spoken until the mid-20th century in Gujarat.
Most languages in the Indian republic are written in Brahmi-derived scripts, such as Devanagari, Kannada, Eastern
Nagari - Assamese/Bengali, Telugu, Oriya, Tamil, etc., though Urdu is written in an Arabic script, and a few minor
languages such as Santali use independent scripts.

Official languages
The official languages of the Republic of India are Standard Hindi (41% of the country speaks Standard Hindi or
another Hindi dialect) and English. According to the article 343 (1) of the Constitution of India, "The Official
Language of the Union shall be Hindi in Devanagari script."[22] The individual states can legislate their own official
languages, depending on their linguistic demographics. For example, the state of Maharashtra has Marathi as its sole
official language, the state of Punjab has Punjabi as its sole official language, the state of Andhra Pradesh has Telugu
as its sole official language, the state of Odisha has Oriya as its sole official language, the state of Tamil Nadu has
Tamil as its sole official language, the state of Karnataka has Kannada as its sole official language and the state of
Kerala has Malayalam as its sole official language, while the state of Jammu and Kashmir has Kashmiri, Urdu, and
Dogri as its official languages.
Article 345 of the constitution authorizes the several states of India to adopt as "official languages" of that state
which people of that state can then use in all dealings with all branches of the local, state and federal governments
either Standard Hindi or any one or more of the languages spoken in that state. Until the Twenty-First Amendment
of the Constitution in 1967, the country recognised 14 official regional languages. The Eighth Schedule and the
Seventy-First Amendment provided for the inclusion of Sindhi, Konkani, Meiteilon and Nepali, thereby increasing
the number of official regional languages of India to 18. At present there are 22 official languages of India.[23]
Individual states, whose borders are mostly drawn on socio-linguistic lines, are free to decide their own language for
internal administration and education.
The following table lists the official languages, aside from English, set out in the eighth schedule as of May 2008:[24]

Languages of India

Language

Family

State(s)

Speakers
[25]
(inmillions,2001)

Assamese/Axomiya

Indo-Aryan,
Eastern

13

Assam, Arunachal Pradesh

Bengali

Indo-Aryan,
Eastern

83

West Bengal, Tripura, Andaman & Nicobar Islands

Bodo

Tibeto-Burman

1.4

Assam

Dogri

Indo-Aryan,
Northwestern

2.3

Jammu and Kashmir

Gujarati

Indo-Aryan,
Western

46

Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Gujarat

Hindi

Indo-Aryan,
Central

258422

Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Chandigarh,

Chhattisgarh, the national capital territory of Delhi, Haryana, Himachal
Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and
Uttarakhand

Kannada

Dravidian

38

Karnataka

Kashmiri

Indo-Aryan,
Dardic

5.5

Jammu and Kashmir

Konkani

Indo-Aryan,
Southern

2.57.6

Maithili

Indo-Aryan,
Eastern

1232

Bihar

Malayalam

Dravidian

33

Kerala, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Puducherry

Manipuri (also Meitei

or Meithei)

Tibeto-Burman

1.5

Manipur

Marathi

Indo-Aryan,
Southern

72

Maharashtra, Goa, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Madhya
Pradesh

Nepali

Indo-Aryan,
Northern

2.9

Sikkim, West Bengal, Assam

Oriya

Indo-Aryan,
Eastern

33

Odisha

Punjabi

Indo-Aryan,
Northwestern

29

Chandigarh, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab

Sanskrit

Indo-Aryan

0.01

non-regional

Santhali

Munda

6.5

Santhal tribals of the Chota Nagpur Plateau (comprising the states of Bihar,
Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha)

Sindhi

Indo-Aryan,
Northwestern

2.5

non-regional

Tamil

Dravidian

61

Tamil Nadu, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Puducherry

Telugu

Dravidian

74

Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Puducherry

Urdu

Indo-Aryan,
Central

52

Jammu and Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and
Uttarakhand

[26]

[27]

[28]

Goa, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Kerala

Languages of India

Official classical languages

In 2004, the Government of India declared that languages that met certain requirements could be accorded the status
of a "Classical Language in India".[29] Languages thus far declared to be Classical are Tamil (in 2004),[30] Sanskrit
(in 2005),[31] Kannada and Telugu (in 2008).[32]
In 2005, Sanskrit, which already had special status in Article 351 of the Constitution of India as the primary source
language for the development of the official standard of Hindi,[33] was also declared to be a classical language; this
was followed by similar declarations for Kannada and Telugu in 2008, based on the recommendation of a committee
of linguistic experts constituted by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India.[32]
In a 2006 press release, Minister of Tourism & Culture Ambika Soni told the Rajya Sabha the following criteria
were laid down to determine the eligibility of languages to be considered for classification as a "Classical
Language",[34]
High antiquity of its early texts/recorded history over a period of 1500-2000 years; A body of ancient literature/texts, which is considered a
valuable heritage by generations of speakers; The literary tradition be original and not borrowed from another speech community; The
classical language and literature being distinct from modern, there may also be a discontinuity between the classical language and its later
forms or its offshoots.

Other local languages and dialects

In addition, the 2001 census identified the following mother tongues (i.e. languages and dialects) having more than
one million speakers. All were grouped under Hindi or Oriya.[35]
Mother tongue

[36]

No. of speakers

Bhojpuri

33,099,497

Rajasthani

18,355,613

Magadh/Magahi

13,978,565

Chhattisgarhi

13,260,186

Haryanvi

7,997,192

Marwari

7,936,183

Malvi

5,565,167

Mewari

5,091,697

Khorth/Khotta

4,725,927

Bundeli/Bundelkhan

3,072,147

Bagheli/Baghel Khan 2,865,011

Pahari

2,832,825

Laman/Lambadi

2,707,562

Awadhi

2,529,308

Harauti

2,462,867

Garhwali

2,267,314

Nimadi

2,148,146

Sadan/Sadri

2,044,776

Kumauni

2,003,783

Dhundhari

1,871,130

Languages of India

6
Surgujia

1,458,533

Bagri Rajasthani

1,434,123

Banjari

1,259,821

Nagpuria (Varhadi)

1,242,586

Surjapuri

1,217,019

Kangri

1,122,843

Regional languages
In British India, English was the sole language used for administrative
purposes as well as for higher education purposes. When India became
independent in 1947, the Indian legislators had the challenge of
choosing a language for official communication as well as for
communication between different linguistic regions across India. The
choices available were:
Making "Hindi", which a plurality of the people (43%) identified as
their mother tongue, the official language, though only a minority of
these "Hindi" speakers spoke Hindi proper.
Making English, as preferred by non-Hindi speakers, particularly
Tamils and Kannadigas, and those from Mizoram and Nagaland, the
official language. See also Anti-Hindi agitations.
Declare both Hindi and English as official languages and each state
is given freedom to choose the official language of the state.
The Indian constitution, in 1950, declared Hindi in Devanagari script
At a tourist site in Bangalore, most widely spoken
Indian Dravidian languages are shown along with
to be the official language of the union.[37] Unless Parliament decided
north Indian language Hindi . Top to bottom, the
otherwise, the use of English for official purposes was to cease 15
languages are: Hindi, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu,
years after the constitution came into effect, i.e., on 26 January
and Malayalam. English and many other
1965.[37] The prospect of the changeover, however, led to much alarm
European languages are also provided here for
tourists.
in the non Hindi-speaking areas of India, especially
Dravidian-speaking states in South India whose languages were not
related to Hindi at all (see examples at right). As a result, Parliament enacted the Official Languages Act,
1963,[38][39][40][41][42][43] which provided for the continued use of English for official purposes along with Hindi,
even after 1965.

Practical problems
India has hundreds of active dialects in use. Therefore, choosing any single language as an official language presents
serious problems to all those whose "mother tongue" is different. However, all the boards of education across India,
recognize the 'need' for training people to one common language.[44] This results in many complaints: There are
many complaints that in North India, non-Hindi speakers undergo considerable difficulties on account of language.
Similarly, there are numerous complaints that all North Indians have language trouble when traveling to South India.
It's common to hear of incidents that result due to friction between those who strongly believe in the chosen official
language, and those who follow the thought that the chosen language(s) do not take into account everyone's
preferences.[45] Local official language commissions have been established and various steps are being taken in a
direction to reduce tensions and friction.

Languages of India

Language conflicts
There are some significant conflicts over linguistic rights in India.
The first major linguistic conflict, known as the Anti-Hindi agitations of Tamil Nadu took place in Tamil Nadu
against the implementation of Hindi as the sole official language of India. Political analysts consider this as a major
factor in bringing DMK to power and leading to the ousting and nearly total elimination of the Congress party in
Tamil Nadu.[46] Strong cultural pride based on language is also found in other Indian states such as Bengal,
Maharashtra and in Karnataka. To express disapproval of the imposition of an alien language Hindi on its people as a
result of the central government overstepping its constitutional authority, Maharashtra and Karnataka Governments
made the state languages compulsory in educational institutions.[47]
However, in Andhra Pradesh, in majority of the schools, students have to learn English and one chosen regional
language (Telugu or Urdu) or Hindi as the main language subjects, and learn an other language (Telugu, or Hindi, or
Special English) as a special language subject. So, usually they learn three in total.
Recently anti-Hindi feelings have been expressed in Mumbai by Shiv Sena and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena[48]
The Government of India attempts to assuage these conflicts with various campaigns, coordinated by the Central
Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL), Mysore, a branch of the Department of Higher Education, Language Bureau,
Ministry of Human Resource Development.

Writing systems
Various Indian languages have corresponding scripts for them. The
Hindi, Marathi and Angika languages are all written using the
Devanagari script. Most languages are written using a script specific to
them, such as Assamese with Assamese/Axomiya, Bengali with
Bengali, Punjabi with Gurmukhi, Oriya with Utkal Lipi, Gujarati with
Gujarati, etc. Urdu and sometimes Kashmiri, Saraiki and Sindhi are
written in modified versions of the Perso-Arabic script. With this one
exception, the scripts of Indian languages are native to India. (See ISO
15919 regarding Romanization of Indian languages)

Ashoka's 6th pillar edict, 3rd century BC

References
[1] Ishtiaq, M. (1999). Language Shifts Among the Scheduled Tribes in India: A Geographical Study (http:/ / books. google. com/
books?id=fkIgsfb95rAC). Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers. pp.2627. ISBN9788120816176. . Retrieved 7 September 2012.
[2] https:/ / www. cia. gov/ library/ publications/ the-world-factbook/ geos/ in. html#People
[3] Nihali and the various Andamanese languages
[4] 1. Schwartzberg, Joseph E., 2007. Encyclopdia Britannica, IndiaLinguistic Composition (http:/ / www. britannica. com/ eb/
article-46398). Quote: "By far the most widely spoken is Hindi, the country's official language, with more than 300 million speakers." 2.
Oldenburg, Phillip (http:/ / www. columbia. edu/ cu/ lweb/ data/ indiv/ area/ idsas/ OLDENBURG,Philip. htm). (1997-2007) Encarta
Encyclopedia "India: Official Languages." Quote: "Hindi is the main language of more than 40 percent of the population. No single language
other than Hindi can claim speakers among even 10 percent of the total population. Hindi was therefore made Indias official language in
1965. English, which was associated with British rule, was retained as an option for official use because non-Hindi states, particularly in
Tamil Ndu, opposed the official use of Hindi." 3. United Kingdom, Foreign and Commonwealth Office: IndiaCountry Profile (http:/ /
www. fco. gov. uk/ servlet/ Front?pagename=OpenMarket/ Xcelerate/ ShowPage& c=Page& cid=1007029394365& a=KCountryProfile&
aid=1018965323192). Quote: "The official language of India is Hindi written in the Devanagari script and spoken by some 30% of the
population as a first language. Since 1965 English has been recognised as an 'associated language'." 4. UNESCO: Education for AllThe
Nine Largest Countries (http:/ / www2. unesco. org/ wef/ en-docs/ findings/ efa9. doc) Quote: "Hindi is the language of 30 percent of the
population and the official language of India." 5. United States Library of Congress, Federal Research Division, Country Profile: India (http:/ /
lcweb2. loc. gov/ frd/ cs/ profiles/ India. pdf) Quote: "Languages: Hindi is the official language and the most commonly spoken, but not all
dialects are mutually comprehensible. English also has official status and is widely used in business and politics, although knowledge of
English varies widely from fluency to knowledge of just a few words." 6 United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Country Profile:
India (http:/ / www. unhcr. org/ publ/ RSDCOI/ 3ae6a6400. html) Quote: "Hindi is constitutionally designated as the official language of

Languages of India
India, with English as an associate official language."
[5] See: PART XVII (OFFICIAL LANGUAGE) (http:/ / lawmin. nic. in/ coi/ coiason29july08. pdf)
[6] There's no national language in India: Gujarat High Court (http:/ / timesofindia. indiatimes. com/ india/
Theres-no-national-language-in-India-Gujarat-High-Court/ articleshow/ 5496231. cms)
[7] Andrew Simpson (2007). Language and national identity in Asia (http:/ / books. google. com/ ?id=F3XvBbdWCKYC). Oxford University
Press. ISBN0-19-926748-0. . "... the languages of the Eighth Schedule, which have been referred to as the national languages of India since
Nehru initiated such a practice ..."
[8] James W. Tollefson (2002). Language policies in education: critical issues (http:/ / books. google. com/ ?id=4syP7jPzGSoC). Routledge.
ISBN0-8058-3601-2. . "... Despite negligible practical import, the symbolic significant of Schedule VIII inclusion is substantial ... Any
language included in Schedule VIII is a national language of India ... the "national" languages of India, i.e., those in Schedule VIII ..."
[9] More than a thousand including major dialects. The 1991 census recognized "1576 rationalized mother tongues" which were further grouped
into language categories ( Indian Census (http:/ / www. censusindia. gov. in/ ))
[10] "Language in India" (http:/ / www. languageinindia. com/ aug2002/ indianmothertongues1961aug2002. html). Language in India. .
Retrieved 2010-08-01.
[11] Bhatia, Tej K and William C. Ritchie. (2006) Bilingualism in South Asia. In: Handbook of Bilingualism, pp. 780-807. Oxford: Blackwell
Publishing.
[12] Shapiro, M: Hindi.
[13] Encyclopdia Britannica. "Dravidian languages - Britannica Online Encyclopedia" (http:/ / www. britannica. com/ EBchecked/ topic/
171083/ Dravidian-languages). Britannica.com. . Retrieved 2010-08-01.
[14] Narayan, Heukar; Jha (1997). Non-fictional Indian prose in English, 1960-1990 (http:/ / books. google. com/ ?id=ZqplAAAAMAAJ).
Sahitya Akademi. ISBN978-81-260-0294-8. .
[15] Malayalam literary survey, Volume 15 (http:/ / books. google. com/ ?id=k5JkAAAAMAAJ). Kraa Shitya Akkdami. 1993. p.76. .
[16]
[17]
[18]
[19]
[20]
[21]

Gupta, Balarama (2007). The Journal of Indian writing in English, Volume 35 (http:/ / books. google. com/ ?id=EdpHAAAAYAAJ). p.8. .
Velcheru Narayana Rao; David Shulman. Classical Telugu Poetry (2 ed.). The Regents of the University of California. p.3
Chenchiah, P.; Rao, Raja Bhujanga (1988). A History of Telugu Literature. Asian Educational Services. p.18. ISBN81-206-0313-3.
Aiyar, Swaminatha (1987). Dravidian theories (http:/ / books. google. com/ books?id=D-dIbnuJCjUC). p.286. ISBN978-81-208-0331-2. .
"Malayalam" (http:/ / www. alsintl. com/ resources/ languages/ Malayalam/ ). ALS International. . Retrieved 19 June 2011.
Indian Census (http:/ / www. censusindia. gov. in/ )

[22] 1. Oldenburg, Phillip (http:/ / www. columbia. edu/ cu/ lweb/ data/ indiv/ area/ idsas/ OLDENBURG,Philip. htm). (1997-2007) Encarta
Encyclopedia "India: Official Languages."
2. United Kingdom, Foreign and Commonwealth Office: IndiaCountry Profile (http:/ / www. fco. gov. uk/ servlet/
Front?pagename=OpenMarket/ Xcelerate/ ShowPage& c=Page& cid=1007029394365& a=KCountryProfile& aid=1018965323192).
3. UNESCO: Education for AllThe Nine Largest Countries (http:/ / www2. unesco. org/ wef/ en-docs/ findings/ efa9. doc) Quote: "Hindi is
the language of 30% of the population and the official language of India." (these do not refer to the same conception of Hindi)
4. United States Library of Congress, Federal Research Division, Country Profile: India (http:/ / lcweb2. loc. gov/ frd/ cs/ profiles/ India. pdf).
5 United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Country Profile: India (http:/ / www. unhcr. org/ publ/ RSDCOI/ 3ae6a6400. html).
[23] "Constitution of India" (http:/ / lawmin. nic. in/ olwing/ coi/ coi-english/ Const. Pock 2Pg. Rom8Fsss(36). pdf). .
[24] Constitution of India (http:/ / lawmin. nic. in/ coi/ coiason29july08. pdf), page 330, EIGHTH SCHEDULE, Articles 344 (1) and 351].
Languages.
[25] Official 2001 census data (http:/ / www. censusindia. gov. in/ Census_Data_2001/ Census_Data_Online/ Language/ Statement1. htm)
[26] The 2001 census records two figures, of 258 million and 422 million "Hindi" speakers. However, both figures include languages other than
Standard Hindi, such as Rajasthani (ca. 80 million in independent estimates), Bhojpuri (40 million), Awadhi (38 million), Chhattisgarhi (18
million), and dozens of other languages with a million to over ten million speakers apiece. The figure of 422 million specifically includes all
such people, whereas the figure of 258 depends on speaker identification as recorded in the census. For example, of the estimated 38 million
Awadhi speakers, only 2 million gave their language as "Awadhi", with the rest apparently giving it as "Hindi" , and of the approximately 80
million Rajasthani speakers, only 18 million were counted separately. Maithili, listed as a separate language in the 2001 census but previously
considered a dialect of Hindi, also appeared to be severely undercounted.
[27] 7.6 per Ethnologue
[28] 32 in India in 2000 per Ethnologue
[29] "India sets up classical languages" (http:/ / news. bbc. co. uk/ 2/ hi/ south_asia/ 3667032. stm). BBC. 2004-09-17. . Retrieved 2007-05-01.
[30] "Front Page : Tamil to be a classical language" (http:/ / www. hindu. com/ 2004/ 09/ 18/ stories/ 2004091806530100. htm). Chennai, India:
The Hindu. 2004-09-18. . Retrieved 2010-08-01.
[31] "National : Sanskrit to be declared classical language" (http:/ / www. hindu. com/ 2005/ 10/ 28/ stories/ 2005102809281200. htm). Chennai,
India: The Hindu. 2005-10-28. . Retrieved 2010-08-01.
[32] "Declaration of Telugu and Kannada as classical languages" (http:/ / pib. nic. in/ release/ release. asp?relid=44340). Press Information
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[33] Constitution of India, Part XVII.Official Language.Art. 351. Page 217 (http:/ / lawmin. nic. in/ coi/ coiason29july08. pdf) Quote: "It
shall be the duty of the Union to promote the spread of the Hindi language, to develop it so that it may serve as a medium of expression for all
the elements of the composite culture of India and to secure its enrichment by assimilating without interfering with its genius, the forms, style

Languages of India
and expressions used in Hindustani and in the other languages of India specified in the Eighth Schedule, and by drawing, wherever necessary
or desirable, for its vocabulary, primarily on Sanskrit and secondarily on other languages."
[34] "CLASSICAL LANGUAGE STATUS TO KANNADA" (http:/ / pib. nic. in/ release/ rel_print_page1. asp?relid=19653). Press Information
Bureau, Government of India. 2006-08-08. . Retrieved 2008-11-06.
[35] 2001 Census (http:/ / www. censusindia. gov. in/ Census_Data_2001/ Census_Data_Online/ Language/ Statement1. htm)
[36] Abstract of speakers' strength of languages and mother tongues 2000 (http:/ / www. censusindia. gov. in/ Census_Data_2001/
Census_Data_Online/ Language/ Statement1. htm), Census of India, 2001
[37] "Constitution of India as of 29 July 2008" (http:/ / lawmin. nic. in/ coi/ coiason29july08. pdf). The Constitution Of India. Ministry of Law &
Justice. . Retrieved 13 April 2011.
[38] DOL (http:/ / www. rajbhasha. nic. in/ dolacteng. htm)
[39] Commissioner Linguistic Minorities (http:/ / nclm. nic. in/ shared/ linkimages/ 35. htm)
[40] Language in India (http:/ / www. languageinindia. com/ april2002/ officiallanguagesact. html)
[41] THE OFFICIAL LANGUAGES ACT, 1963 (http:/ / www. indianrailways. gov. in/ RPF/ Files/ law/ BareActs/ officiallang1963act. htm)
[42] National Portal of India : Know India : Profile (http:/ / india. gov. in/ knowindia/ official_language. php)
[43] Committee of Parliament on Official Language report (http:/ / www. rajbhasha. gov. in/ khand8-eng7. pdf)
[44] Language and Globalization: Center for Global Studies at the University of Illinois (http:/ / cgs. illinois. edu/ content/
language-and-globalization)
[45] The Pioneer > Columnists (http:/ / www. dailypioneer. com/ columnist1. asp?main_variable=Columnist& file_name=surya/ surya25. txt&
writer=surya)
[46] "Magazine / Columns : Hindi against India" (http:/ / www. hindu. com/ mag/ 2005/ 01/ 16/ stories/ 2005011600260300. htm). Chennai,
India: The Hindu. 16 January 2005. . Retrieved 2010-08-01.
[47] "Marathi a must in Maharashtra schools - India News" (http:/ / www. ibnlive. com/ news/ marathi-a-must-in-maharashtra-schools/ 28502-3.
html). IBNLive. 2010-02-03. . Retrieved 2010-08-01.
[48] "Abu Azmi slapped by MNS MLA for taking oath in Hindi" (http:/ / www. indianexpress. com/ news/
abu-azmi-slapped-by-mns-mla-for-taking-o. . . / 539149/ ). Indianexpress.com. 2009-11-09. . Retrieved 2010-08-01.

External links

Distribution of languages in India (http://www.mapsofindia.com/culture/indian-languages.html)

http://www.languageinindia.com/
Languages of India (http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=IN) (SIL Ethnologue list)
Languages and Scripts of India (http://www.cs.colostate.edu/~malaiya/scripts.html)
Reconciling Linguistic Diversity: The History and the Future of Language Policy in India (http://www.ling.
upenn.edu/~jason2/papers/natlang.htm) by Jason Baldridge
Titus - Languages of India (http://titus.uni-frankfurt.de/didact/karten/indi/indicm.htm)
Typing in Indian Languages (http://indicpad.com)
Diversity of Languages in India (http://www.kamat.com/indica/diversity/languages.htm)
Official webpage explains the chronological events related to Official Languages Act and amendments (http://
rajbhasha.nic.in/)
A comprehensive federal government site that offers complete info on Indian Languages (http://www.ciil.org/)
Ethnologue Ethnologue report on the languages of India (http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.
asp?name=IN)
Technology Development for Indian Languages, Government of India (http://tdil.mit.gov.in/news.htm)
The Official Portal of the Indian Government (http://india.gov.in/knowindia/india_at_a_glance.php)

References

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Akkida, AlanUS, Alansohn, Alex.muller, AlexanderKaras, Alexandre8, Alexius08, Amarrg, Amitb.india, Amoniasqund, Ampre, Angpradesh, Angr, Anna Lincoln, AnonMoos, Anshuk,
Anuandraj, Anupam.chauhan, Apatani, Aravind V R, Arjun024, Arun, Arun p nair, Arun1paladin, Arunkumar.143, Arvind Iyengar, Ary29, Ashwatham, Asrghasrhiojadrhr, Atif.t2, Atomician,
Avoided, Axlq, BD2412, Bdoserror, Bdsatish, Bella Swan, Ben Ben, Bera7m, Bharath.baps, Bharatveer, Bhawani Gautam, Bill william compton, Bjankuloski06en, Blewenstein, Blicarea,
Blotwell, Bobo192, Bongwarrior, Borameer, Brhaspati, Brianski, Bryan Derksen, C00N-PERISH, C21K, CALR, CSWarren, CWii, Caiaffa, Calabe1992, CarTick, CaroleHenson, CaseyPenk,
CeresVesta, CharlesMartel, CharlieEchoTango, Chirag, ChrisGualtieri, ChrisHodgesUK, Christiantony, Classic 2008, Cmichael, ColdScientists, Commander Nemet, Copana2002,
CorrectKnowledge, Cymru123, DaGizza, DarkseidX, Dav115, Dayaanjali, Dbachmann, Dcljr, Deepak D'Souza, Deepakrajk, Deeptrivia, Deflagrator, Dellbrother, Delrayva, Denisarona, Desi
indian, Deville, Dhiren26, Dinesh smita, Dineshkannambadi, Discospinster, Doctorbruno, Dontstop, Doorvery far, Dreamingclouds, Drmies, Dsav, Dsvyas, Dwo, ERcheck, Ebizur, Eggman64,
Ekkery1, Emperor Genius, Emrrans, Erauch, Ergative rlt, Esgs, Evertype, F, Falcon8765, Fangjian, Florian Blaschke, Fowler&fowler, Fratrep, Funandtrvl, Fundamental metric tensor, F,
GDonato, Ganeshk, Garzo, Ghousebarq, Giridhar, Gnanapiti, Godsree, Gppande, Grammatical error, Greice70, Grenavitar, Grover cleveland, Guru coolguy, Gurubrahma, HIDECCHI001, Haleth,
Happysailor, Happytime, Hemanta.joshi, Hemlock Martinis, Heron, HiJohnSpencer, Hintha, Hmains, Holmes Mike, Hongooi, Hossain Akhtar Chowdhury, Hottentot, Hunnjazal, Idservices,
ImpuMozhi, IndiWorld, Indian Chronicles, Issyl0, Ivirivi00, J-stan, J04n, JWB, Jack Greenmaven, Jackol, Jagged 85, Jamadagni, JamesAM, JanetteDoe, Jayantanth, Jayden54, Jb-adder, Jeff G.,
JesterCountess, Jklumker, John K, John.kakoty, Jon Harald Sby, Jon spenser, Joshua Issac, Jovianeye, Jungegift, Ka Faraq Gatri, Kahasabha, Kalarimaster, Kamal misra, Kanatonian,
Karl-Henner, Katalaveno, Kawaputra, Kayman1uk, Keenan Pepper, Keizers, Kevin McE, Kevin12xd, Kevinsam, Kirti 1102, Kitkatcrazy, Kkkrulz, KnowledgeHegemony,
KnowledgeHegemonyPart2, Kongada, Kornfan71, Krishna Gowda, Krishnaeee, Krsont, Ksanthosh89, Kullar123, Kwamikagami, L.vivian.richard, Lacrimosus, Lazulilasher, LcawteHuggle, Le
Anh-Huy, Leafyplant, Lee Sung Goo, Lexmercatoria, Librarykannan1, LilHelpa, Ling.Nut3, LokiClock, Loodog, LordSimonofShropshire, Luuva, MPerel, MThekkumthala, MachimoI,
Madhurshyammaurya, Mahavir Saran Jain, Malik Shabazz, Malycs, Man vyi, Mantri7, Maris stella, Martin.Budden, Martin451, Masatran, R., Materialscientist, Mathivanan j, Maurice45, Mbutts,
McSly, Mephiston999, Mercury, Metropolitan90, Mgilb4, Michael Hardy, Mjsabby, Moloch09, Monre, Mr. Bouncy, MrPMonday, Mspraveen, Munci, Mwanner, Mysdaao, Mzajac, N-true,
Nayvik, Nbarth, Ncmvocalist, NerdyScienceDude, Neumannkun, Ngoquangduong, Nickshanks, Nishantgarg.81, Nixeagle, Nobletripe, Nrahamthulla, Nsk92, OJWake, Ofarook, Ohnoitsjamie,
OrenBochman, OwenBlacker, Pamri, Paul Clapham, Pearle, Pearll's sun, Pgomat, Phgao, Piano non troppo, Postlebury, Prabodhp, Pradu indus, Prameetc, Pribramcz, Qatter, Qwyrxian, Raj
bhaskar, Rajneeshhegde, Raju.TN, Ramashray, Rangashankara, Ranveig, Ravichandar84, Ravimetre, Ravindran.antonysamy, RedWolf, ReluctantPhilosopher, Remal boon, Rex86, Rhrad, Rich
Farmbrough, Richard-of-Earth, Rjwilmsi, Rlamarnath, Rmetre, Rob101abc, Rocket000, Rohith.br, Roozbeh, RoshanRameshPai, Rr2503, Rsrikanth05, RyGuy17, SBKT, Sai.parepally,
Saimdusan, Salvo46, Sanshlistha m, Sardanaphalus, Sarvagnya, Sarvagyana guru, Sasquatch, Saurav Merchant, Sayakbannerghata, Sbjnu, Secleinteer, Selvin, Shoeofdeath, Siddharthamandal001,
Silly Dan, Sindhutvavadin, Sintaku, Sj, Skinsmoke, SlowPhoton, Smarter1, Snowolf, Soumya mohapatra, SpacemanSpiff, Speed Air Man, Srijondas, Srisharmaa, Srkris, Sroyon, Stateofart,
Station1, Stephen G. Brown, Steven Weston, Storkk, Story Teller 00, Subodh.kumar79, Sudharsansn, Sudipta.kamila, Sukh, Suklaa, Sundar, Sundar2000, Sundaryourfriend, Suneet87,
Supermikel619, Sushantkjadhav, Sw258, Syrthiss, Szquirrel, Tarikur, Taxman, Thattevikram, Thaurisil, The Anome, The Evil IP address, The Fifth Horseman, The High Commander, The
Magnificent Clean-keeper, The Thing That Should Not Be, Thehelpfulone, Thol, ThrustVectoring, Thunderboltz, Tigervivek, Timrollpickering, Tnvkrishna, Tommy2010, Toussaint, Tow,
Trinanjon, Tripping Nambiar, Trusilver, Tulasi, Two Bananas, UnLoCode, Unmesh Bangali, Utcursch, Vadakkan, Vdazzle111, Veinor, Vensatry, Venu62, Versus22, Vgranucci, Viju ace,
Vikashegde, Vikendramalhotra, Vims90, Vtel001, Wachowich, Waltpohl, Ward3001, Warofdreams, Wavelength, Wayward, Wendolpho, Werdan7, WhisperToMe, White Ash,
Wiki-indic-account, Wikiality123, Will Beback, Wingedsubmariner, Woohookitty, Worldpro123, Xenophon777, YellowMonkey, Young Pioneer, Zakawer, Zakuragi, ZooFari, ,
, 1039 anonymous edits

Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors

File:South Asian Language Families.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:South_Asian_Language_Families.jpg License: GNU Free Documentation License
Contributors: Original uploader was Kitkatcrazy at en.wikipedia
File:Hindispeakers.png Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Hindispeakers.png License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0 Contributors: Zakuragi
File:South Indian languages.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:South_Indian_languages.jpg License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0 Contributors:
User:Loodog
File:Asokan brahmi pillar edict.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Asokan_brahmi_pillar_edict.jpg License: Creative Commons ShareAlike 1.0 Generic Contributors:
Abhishekjoshi, Man vyi, Vadakkan

License
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported
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