FamilySearch Wiki

India Languages

(Redirected from India Language and Languages)


India Wiki Topics
Flag of India
India Beginning Research
Record Types
India Background
India Genealogical Word Lists
Cultural Groups
Local Research Resources

Background

The Constitution of India specifies the official language of the Union is Hindi, written in Devanagari script, and English. Originally, English was to be an official language only until 1962. The 1963 Official Languages Act allows English to continue as an official language until changed by legislation. Each state, union territory, and autonomous region has the right to designate official languages for that area.

Most of the languages spoken in India are part of either the Indo-Aryan or Dravidian language families. Indo-Aryan languages are found in the north, and Dravidian in the south. The 2001 census of India identified 122 major languages spoken in the country. The Constitution lists 22 scheduled languages, which are recognized by the government. There are also six classical languages, which have strong literary traditions and a large body of written literature.

Languages

Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Telugu, Tamil, Gujarati, Urdu, Kannada are the first language of over 80% of the population. Many of the people are multilingual, and according to the 2011 census nearly 130 million persons, or 10.67% per cent, speak English as a first, second, or third language.[1]

Scheduled Languages

This table lists the 22 scheduled languages and the states, union territories, or regions where they are spoken.[2]

Language Where Spoken
Assamese Assam
Bengali Assam, Tripura, West Bengal
Gujarati Gujarat, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu
Hindi Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Ladakh, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, National Capital Territory of Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal
Kannada Karnataka
Kashmiri Jammu and Kashmir
Konkani Konkan region of Goa
Malayalam Kerala, Lakshadweep, Pucucheery
Manipuri Manipur
Marathi Maharashtra
Nepali Sikkim, West Bengal
Oriya Odisha, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh
Punjabi National Capital Territory of Delhi, Punjab, West Bengal
Sanskrit Uttarakhand
Sindhi Sindh
Tamil Puducherry, Tamil Nadu
Telugu Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, West Bengal
Urdu Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, National Capital Territory of Delhi, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh
Bodo Boro
Santhali Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Mizoram, Odisha, Tripura, West Bengal
Maithili Bihar, Jharkand
Dogri Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab

Classical Languages

Classical languages are determined by age (1500-2000 years), an existing body of texts considered to be a "valuable heritage', an original literary tradition, and distinct from the modern version.[3] The six classical languages of India, and the year they were declared to be classical, are:

  • Kannada (2008)
  • Malayalam (2013)
  • Odia (2014)
  • Sanskrit (2005)
  • Tamil (2004)
  • Telugu (2008)

Languages by State and Union Territory

This table lists each State or Union Territory and its official language.

Locality Type Official Language
Andaman and Nicobar Islands Union Territory Hindi, English
Andhra Pradesh State Telugu, Urdu
Arunachal Pradesh State English
Assam State Assamese, Bodo, Bengali
Bihar State Hindi, Urdu
Chandigarh Union Territory English
Chhattisgarh State Chhattisgarh, Hindi
Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu Union Territory Gujarati, Hindi, Marathi, English
Goa State Konkani
Gujarat State Gujarati
Haryana State Hindi
Himachal Pradesh State Hindi
Jammu and Kashmir State Kashmiri, Dogri, Urdu, Hindi, English
Jharkhand State Hindi
Karnataka State Kannada
Kerala State Malayalam
Ladakh Union Territory Hindi, English
Lakshadweep Union Territory Malayalam, Hindi, English
Madhya Pradesh State Hindi
Maharashtra State Marathi
Manipur State Manipuri
Meghalaya State English
Mizoram State Mizo, English
Nagaland State English
National Capital Territory of Delhi Union Territory Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi
Odisha State Odia, English
Puducherry Union Territory Tamil, French, English
Punjab State Punjabi
Rajasthan State Hindi, English
Sikkim State English, Nepali, Sikkimese, Lepcha
Tamil Nadu State Tamil, English
Telangana State Telugu, Urdu
Tripura State Bengali, English, Kokborok
Uttar Pradesh State Hindi, Urdu
Uttarakhand State Hindi, Sanskrit
West Bengal State Bengali, Nepali, Urdu, Hindi, Odia, Santali, Punjabi, Kamtapuri, Rajbanshi, Kurmali, Kurukh, Telugu

Resources

Hindi

Bengali

Marathi

Telugu

Tamil

Gujarati

Urdu

Kannada

References

  1. ↑ "Indiaspeak: English is our 2nd language", Times of India, 14 March 2010. Accessed 1 September 2022.
  2. ↑ "Eighth Schedule to the constitution of India and list of official languages", India Today, 4 March 2022. Accessed 1 September 2022.
  3. ↑ Wikipedia, Languages of India-Classical languages of India. Accessed 1 September 2022.
Retrieved from "https://integration-ru.familysearch.org/en/wiki/index.php?title=India_Languages&oldid=5671740"