Languages of India: Difference between revisions

[[Language]]s spoken in the [[Republic of India]] belong to several [[list of language families|language families]], the major ones being the [[Indo-Aryan languages]] spoken by 78.05% of [[Indian people|Indians]] and the [[Dravidian languages]] spoken by 19.64% of Indians,<ref name="EBCIndoAryanLanguages">{{cite web|title=Indo-Aryan languages |website=Encyclopædia Britannica Online |url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/286348/Indo-Aryan-languages |access-date=10 December 2014}}</ref><ref name="EBCDravidianLanguages">{{cite web|title= Hindi languages |website=Encyclopædia Britannica Online |url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/171083/Dravidian-languages |access-date=10 December 2014}}</ref> both families together are sometimes known as [[languages of South Asia|Indic languages]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|last=Kak|first=Subhash|title=Indic Language Families and Indo-European|url=https://www.academia.edu/45150016|journal=Yavanika|date=January 1996 |quote=The Indic family has the sub-families of North Indian and Dravidian}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|last1=Reynolds|first1=Mike|title=Indic languages|date=2007|url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/language-in-the-british-isles/indic-languages/8343FABC094E91986DBD68A492FFEA1B|work=Language in the British Isles|pages=293–307|editor-last=Britain|editor-first=David|place=Cambridge|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-79488-6|access-date=2021-10-04|last2=Verma|first2=Mahendra}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Kak|first=Subhash|title=On The Classification Of Indic Languages|url=https://www.ece.lsu.edu/kak/indic.pdf|journal=Louisiana State University}}</ref> Languages spoken by the remaining 2.31% of the population belong to the [[Austroasiatic languages|Austroasiatic]], [[Sino-Tibetan languages|Sino–Tibetan]], [[Kra–Dai languages|Tai–Kadai]], and a few other minor language families and [[language isolate|isolates]].<ref name="Moseley2008">{{cite book|last=Moseley|first=Christopher|title=Encyclopedia of the World's Endangered Languages|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p-7ON7Rvx_AC&pg=PT528|date=10 March 2008|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-135-79640-2}}</ref>{{rp|283}} As per the [[People's Linguistic Survey of India]], India has the [[Number of languages by country|second highest]] number of languages (780), after [[Papua New Guinea]] (840).<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/seven-decades-after-independence-many-small-languages-in-india-facing-extinction-threat/articleshow/60038323.cms|title=Seven decades after Independence, many small languages in India face extinction threat|first=G.|last=Seetharaman|newspaper=The Economic Times |date=13 August 2017}}</ref> Ethnologue lists a lower number of 456.<ref name="ethnologue_world">{{Cite web|url=https://www.ethnologue.com/guides/countries-most-languages|title=What countries have the most languages?|date=22 May 2019|website=Ethnologue}}</ref>

As per the census of 2001, there are 1635 rationalised mother tongues, 234 identifiable mother tongues and 22 major languages.<ref name="Census2001">{{cite web |url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_Data_Online/Language/gen_note.html |title=Census Data 2001 : General Note |publisher=Census of India |access-date=11 December 2014 }}</ref> Of these, 29 languages have more than a million native speakers, 60 have more than 100,000 and 122 have more than 10,000 native speakers.<ref name="Wischenbart2013">{{cite book|last=Wischenbart|first=Ruediger|title=The Global EBook Market: Current Conditions & Future Projections|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XFmKE7rsKqwC&pg=PA62|access-date=18 December 2014|date=11 February 2013|publisher="O'Reilly Media, Inc."|isbn=978-1-4493-1999-1|page=62}}</ref> There are a few languages like Kodava that do not have a script but have a group of native speakers in [[Coorg]] (Kodagu).<ref name="SchiffrinFina2010">{{cite book|last1=Schiffrin|first1=Deborah|last2=Fina|first2=Anna De|last3=Nylund|first3=Anastasia|title=Telling Stories: Language, Narrative, and Social Life|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6CXbldT6300C&pg=PA95|access-date=18 December 2014|year=2010|publisher=Georgetown University Press|isbn=978-1-58901-674-3|page=95}}</ref>

The largest of the language families represented in India, in terms of speakers, is the [[Indo-Aryan languages|Indo-Aryan language family]], a branch of the [[Indo-Iranian languages|Indo-Iranian family]], itself the easternmost, extant subfamily of the [[Indo-European languages|Indo-European language family]]. This language family predominates, accounting for some 1035&nbsp;million speakers, or over 76.5 of the population, as per a 2018 estimate. The most widely spoken languages of this group are [[Hindi]],<ref group=n>Although linguistically Hindi and Urdu are the same language called [[Hindustani language|Hindustani]], the government classifies them as separate languages instead of different [[Register (sociolinguistics)|standard registers]] of same language.</ref> [[Bengali language|Bengali]], [[Marathi language|Marathi]], [[Urdu]], [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]], [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]], [[Kashmiri language|Kashmiri]], [[Rajasthani languages|Rajasthani]], [[Sindhi language|Sindhi]], [[Assamese language|Assamese (Asamiya)]], [[Maithili language|Maithili]] and [[Odia language|Odia]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/286348/Indo-Aryan-languages|title=Indo-Aryan languages|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Mandryk |first=Jason |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6EOsBQAAQBAJ&dq=indo+aryan+languages+marathi%2C+bhojpuri%2C+bengali%2C+odia%2C+punjabi&pg=PA406 |title=Operation World: The Definitive Prayer Guide to Every Nation |date=2010-10-15 |publisher=InterVarsity Press |isbn=978-0-8308-9599-1 |language=en}}</ref> Aside from the Indo-Aryan languages, other Indo-European languages are also spoken in India, the most prominent of which is English, as a ''[[lingua franca]]''.

The second largest language family is the [[Dravidian languages|Dravidian language family]], accounting for some 277 million speakers, or approximately 20.5% as per 2018 estimate. The Dravidian languages are spoken mainly in [[southern India]] and parts of [[East India|eastern]] and [[central India]] as well as in parts of northeastern [[Sri Lankan Tamils|Sri Lanka]], Pakistan, [[Nepal]] and [[Bangladesh]]. The Dravidian languages with the most speakers are [[Telugu language|Telugu]], [[Tamil language|Tamil]], [[Kannada]] and [[Malayalam]].<ref name="EBCDravidianLanguages"/> Besides the mainstream population, Dravidian languages are also spoken by small [[List of Scheduled Tribes in India|scheduled tribe]] communities, such as the [[Oraon people|Oraon]] and [[Gondi people|Gond]] tribes.<ref name="West2009">{{cite book|last=West|first=Barbara A.|title=Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Asia and Oceania|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pCiNqFj3MQsC&pg=PA713|date=1 January 2009|publisher=Infobase Publishing|isbn=978-1-4381-1913-7|page=713}}</ref> Only two Dravidian languages are exclusively spoken outside India, [[Brahui language|Brahui]] in [[Balochistan, Pakistan]] and [[Dhangar language|Dhangar]], a dialect of [[Kurukh language|Kurukh]], in [[Nepal]].<ref name="LevinsonChristensen2002">{{cite book|last1=Levinson|first1=David|last2=Christensen|first2=Karen|title=Encyclopedia of Modern Asia: China-India relations to Hyogo|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jFQYAAAAIAAJ|year=2002|publisher=Charles Scribner's Sons|isbn=978-0-684-31243-9|page=299}}</ref>

Asamiya or Assamese language is most popular in the state of [[Assam]].<ref name="india-travel-agents.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.india-travel-agents.com/india-guide/languages.html|title=Common Languages of India&nbsp;– Popular Indian Language&nbsp;– Languages Spoken in India&nbsp;– Major Indian Languages|website=India-travel-agents.com|access-date=28 December 2017}}</ref> It's an [[Eastern Indo-Aryan language]] with more than 23 million total speakers including more than 15&nbsp;million native speakers and more than 7&nbsp;million [[L2 speakers]] as per 2011 Census of India.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-17.html|title=C-17 POPULATION BY BILINGUALISM AND TRILINGUALISM|first=Ministry of Home Affairs|last=Government of India|access-date=2021-08-22}}</ref> Along with other [[Eastern Indo-Aryan languages]], Assamese evolved at least before the 7th century CE<ref>Sen, Sukumar (1975), ''Grammatical sketches of Indian languages with comparative vocabulary and texts, Volume 1'', P 31</ref> from the middle Indo-Aryan [[Magadhi Prakrit]]. Assamese is unusual among Eastern Indo-Aryan languages for the presence of the {{IPA|/x/}} (which, phonetically, varies between velar ({{IPAblink|x}}) and a uvular ({{IPAblink|χ}}) pronunciations). The first characteristics of this language are seen in the [[Charyapada]]s composed in between the eighth and twelfth centuries. The first examples emerged in writings of court poets in the fourteenth century, the finest example of which is Madhav Kandali's [[Saptakanda Ramayana]] composed during 14th century CE, which was the first translation of the [[Ramayana]] into an [[Indo-Aryan language]].

Tamil is a [[Dravidian language]] predominantly spoken in [[Tamil Nadu]], [[Puducherry (union territory)|Puducherry]] and many parts of [[Sri Lanka]]. It is also spoken by large minorities in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, [[Malaysia]], [[Singapore]], [[Mauritius]] and throughout the world. Tamil ranks fifth by the number of native speakers in India (61&nbsp;million in the 2001 Census)<ref>{{Cite web|title=Scheduled Languages in descending order of speaker's strength&nbsp;– 2001|url=https://www.censusindia.gov.in/census_data_2001/census_data_online/language/Statement4.htm|website=www.censusindia.gov.in}}</ref> and ranks 20th in the [[List of languages by number of native speakers#Nationalencyklopedin|list of most spoken languages]].{{Citation needed|reason=Contradicted by other articles which have reliable sources|date=November 2016}} It is one of the 22 [[scheduled languages of India]] and was the first Indian language to be declared a [[Classical language of India|classical language]] by the [[Government of India]] in 2004. Tamil is one of the longest surviving [[classical language]]s in the world.<ref name="Circulation and the Historical Geog">{{Citation | first= Burton |last=Stein |date=November 1977 | title = Circulation and the Historical Geography of Tamil Country | journal = The Journal of Asian Studies | volume = 37 | issue = 1 | pages = 7–26| doi = 10.2307/2053325 | jstor=2053325|s2cid=144599197 }}</ref><ref>Steever, Sanford B. ''"The Dravidian languages"'', First Published (1998), pp. 6–9. {{ISBN|0-415-10023-2}}</ref> It has been described as "the only language of contemporary India which is recognisably continuous with a classical past".<ref name="richestClassical">Kamil Zvelebil, ''The Smile of Murugan'' Leiden 1973, p11-12</ref> The two earliest manuscripts from India,<ref>{{Citation |url=http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID=23087&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081027173647/http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID%3D23087%26URL_DO%3DDO_TOPIC%26URL_SECTION%3D201.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=27 October 2008 |title=The I.A.S. Tamil Medical Manuscript Collection |publisher=UNESCO |access-date=13 September 2012 |df=dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{Citation |url=http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID=23084&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090804195118/http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID%3D23084%26URL_DO%3DDO_TOPIC%26URL_SECTION%3D201.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=4 August 2009 |title=Saiva Manuscript in Pondicherry |publisher=UNESCO |access-date=13 September 2012 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> acknowledged and registered by [[Memory of the World Programme|UNESCO Memory of the World register]] in 1997 and 2005, are in Tamil.<ref>{{Citation |url=http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID=26531&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091012181205/http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID%3D26531%26URL_DO%3DDO_TOPIC%26URL_SECTION%3D201.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=12 October 2009 |title=Memory of the World Register: India |publisher=UNESCO |access-date=13 September 2012 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> Tamil is an official language of [[Tamil Nadu]], [[Puducherry (union territory)|Puducherry]], [[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]], [[Sri Lanka]] and [[Singapore]]. It is also recognized as a minority language in [[Canada]], [[Malaysia]], [[Mauritius]] and [[South Africa]].

After independence, [[Modern Standard Urdu]], the Persianised register of Hindustani became the [[national language of Pakistan]]. During British colonial times, knowledge of Hindustani or Urdu was a must for officials. Hindustani was made the second language of British Indian Empire after English and considered as the language of administration.{{Citation needed|date=February 2019}} The British introduced the use of Roman script for Hindustani as well as other languages. Urdu had 70 million speakers in India (as per the Census of 2001), and, along with Hindi, is one of the 22 officially recognised regional languages of India and also an official language in the Indian states of [[Andhra Pradesh]]<ref name="correspondent"/>[[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|, Jammu and Kashmir]], [[National Capital Territory of Delhi|Delhi]], [[Uttar Pradesh]], [[Bihar]] and [[Telangana]] that have significant Muslim populations.