Indian Languages

The Indian languages now in use have evolved from different language groups that more or less correspond to the different ethnic elements that have come into India from the dawn of history. They can be put into 6 groups:

Blacks

Austric

Sino-Tibetan

Dravidian

Indo-Aryan

Other Speeches.

These languages have interacted over the centuries, and have produced major linguistic divisions of modern India. Among the major groups are the Aryan and Dravidian the dominant families. They have influenced each other anchave, in turn, is influenced by the Austric and Sino-Tibetan tongues.

The key language in this group is: Western Punjabi, Sindhi, Eastern punjabi, hindi, Bihari, Rajasthani, Gujarati, Marathi, Assamese, Bengali, Oriya, Pahari, Kashmiri and Sanskrit.

Hindi or Hindustani has produced two great literature, Urdu and Hindi Both have the same grammar and the same basic vocabulary. They differ, however, in writing and larger vocabulary. UrrfMuses the Persian-Arabic script. Hindi using Nagari script and has a penchant for pure Indian words, in contrast to the many Arab and Persian words tKMTOwed of Urdu.

Sanskrit, the classical language of India, represents the highest achievement of lndo-Aryan languages. Although hardly talk now-a-days, is sanskrit included a nationally recognized language in the VIII Schedule to the Constitution. Dravidian languages form group of himself, and unlike the Aryan, Austric or Sino-Tibetan speak, has no relationships outside the Indian SUT "continent, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The Dravidian family is a lie second largest group in India covering about 25% of the total Indian population.

The Dravidian language came into India centuries before the Indo-Aryan. It is divided into three divisions in Indian’ subcontinent-(I) The northern branch consists Brahui spo ken in Balochistan and KURUKH and Malto is spoken in Bengal and Orissa. Kurukh is also spoken in Biharand M.P. (ii) The central mark consists of Telugu and a series of dia lect spoken in central India - Kill is Khond Holanl, Konda, Gondi, Naiki, Parji, Koya and others, (iii) the southern branch maoe up by Tamil , Kannade, Malayalam, Tula, Badaga Toda, Kota and Kodagu.

The major Dravidian language group are: (i) Telugu (Andhra Pradesh), numerically the biggest of the Dravidian languages, (ii) Tamil (Tamil Nadu), apparently is the oldest and purest branch of the Dravidian family, (iii) Kannada (Karnataka ), another old Dravid Ian language that has developed individually (iv) Malayalam (Kerala), the smallest and youngest of the Dravidian family.

India never had a common language that was comprehensible to the masses across India. For many years Sanskrit remained a common medium,  it was the language they taught classes and not masses Under the British, English was a kind of lingua franca. Here again, it was limited to the educated few. Of the 1652 mother tongues listed in the census, 33 are spoken by people numbering over a lakh.

With independence, of course, the question of a common language came up. The Constituent Assembly could not reach agreement on the matter. The question was put to the vote and won hindi On a single vote, vote or menresiaeni in India.

National Congress had advocated the formation of linguistic provinces. The acceptance of this policy involved the statutory recognition of all the major regional languages.

Official languages of India

There are 22 languages recognized by the Indian Constitution. These languages are:

Assamese - official language of Assam.

Bengali - official language of Tripura and West Bengal.

Bodo - official language of Assam.

Dogri - official language of Jammu and Kashmir.

Gujarati - Language Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu and Gujarat.

Hindi - official language of India.

Kannada - official language of Karnataka.

Kashmiri - official language of Jammu and Kashmir.

Konkani - official language of Goa.

Maithili - official language of Bihar.

Malayalam - official language of Kerala, Lakshadweep and Pondicherry.

Manipuri or Meithei - official language of Manipur.

Marathi - official language of Maharashtra.

Nepali - official language of Sikkim.

Oriya - official language of Orissa.

Punjabi - official language of Punjab and Chandigarh, the second official language of Delhi and Haryana.

Sanskrit - Language, Hinduism, Buddhism Jihad and required teaching in many schools.

Santali - language Santhal tribals of the Chota Nagpur Plateau.

Sindhi - language sindhi community.

Tamil - official language of Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry.

Telugu - official language of Andhra Pradesh

Urdu - official language of Jammu and Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.

Other important Langauges and Scripts :

Brahmi

Gondi

Grantha

Kharosthi

Modi

Pali

Ranjana

Sharda

Siddham

Sourashtra