FamilySearch Wiki

India Languages: Difference between revisions

VisualWikitext
(Added Category)
m (Text replacement - "__TOC__\n(={2,6}.*?={2,6})" to "$1")
Tag: Manual revert
 
(31 intermediate revisions by 8 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
Language is diverse in India. Their schools teach 58 different languages. The nation has newspapers in 87 languages, radio programs broadcast in 71 languages, and films are produced in 15 different languages.
{{CountrySidebar
|Country=India
|Name=India
|Type=Topic
|Topic Type=Background
|Background=Languages
|Rating=Acceptable
}}{{breadcrumb
| link1=[[India Genealogy|India]]
| link2=
| link3=
| link4=
| link5=[[India Languages|Languages]]
}}


The reason behind such diversity is the fact that the Indian subcontinent consists of a number of separate linguistic communities each of which share a common language and culture. The people of India speak many languages and dialects, which are mostly varieties of about 15 principal languages.
== Background ==
The Constitution of India specifies the official language of the Union is Hindi, written in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devanagari Devanagari] script, and English. Originally, English was to be an official language only until 1962. The [https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Official_Languages_Act,_1963 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.  


Some Indian languages have a long literary history - Sanskrit literature is more than 5,000 years old and Tamil 3,000. India also has some languages that do not have written forms. There are 18 officially recognized languages in India (Konkani, Manipuri and Nepali were added in 1992) and each has produced a literature of great vitality and richness.
Most of the languages spoken in India are part of either the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indo-Aryan_languages Indo-Aryan] or [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dravidian_languages 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.


All stand for a homogeneous culture that is the essence of the great Indian literature, but each is distinctive in parts. This is an evolution in a land of myriad dialects, and the number of people speaking each language varies greatly. For example, Hindi has more than 250 million speakers, but relatively few people speak Andamanese.
== Languages ==
[[India_Languages#Hindi|Hindi]], [[India_Languages#Bengali|Bengali]], [[India_Languages#Marathi|Marathi]], [[India_Languages#Telugu|Telugu]], [[India_Languages#Tamil|Tamil]], [[India_Languages#Gujarati|Gujarati]], [[India_Languages#Urdu|Urdu]], [[India_Languages#Kannada|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.<ref>[https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Indiaspeak-English-is-our-2nd-language/articleshow/5680962.cms "Indiaspeak: English is our 2nd language"], ''Times of India'', 14 March 2010. Accessed 1 September 2022.</ref>
=== Scheduled Languages ===
This table lists the 22 scheduled languages and the states, union territories, or regions where they are spoken.<ref>[https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/gk-current-affairs/story/eighth-schedule-to-the-constitution-of-india-and-list-of-official-languages-1920700-2022-03-04 "Eighth Schedule to the constitution of India and list of official languages"], ''India Today'', 4 March 2022. Accessed 1 September 2022.</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
! 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
|}


Although some of the languages are called "tribal" or "aboriginal," their populations may be larger than those who speak some European languages. For example, Bhili and Santali. Both are tribal languages, but each have more than 4 million speakers. Gondi is spoken by nearly 2 million people.
=== 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.<ref>Wikipedia, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_India#Classical_languages_of_India Languages of India-Classical languages of India]. Accessed 1 September 2022.</ref>
The six classical languages of India, and the year they were declared to be classical, are:
{{columns-list|2|
*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.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! 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
|}


The Indian languages belong to four language families: Indo-European, Dravidian, Mon-Khmer, and Sino-Tibetan. Indo-European and Dravidian languages are used by a large majority of India's population. The language families divide roughly into geographic groups. Languages of the Indo-European group are spoken mainly in northern and central regions.
== Resources ==
=== Hindi ===
{{columns-list|2|
*Lexilogos: [http://www.lexilogos.com/english/hindi_dictionary.htm Hindi dictionary]
*Omniglot: [https://www.omniglot.com/writing/hindi.htm Hindi Script]
*[http://hindi-english.org/ Hindi online dictionary]
*Library of Congress: [https://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/romanization/hindi.pdf Hindi transliteration information] (PDF)
*MyLanguages.org: [http://mylanguages.org/hindi_romanization.php Hindi to Latin (phonetics) Converter]
*MyLanguages.org: [http://mylanguages.org/learn_hindi.php Learn Hindi]
*[http://aboutworldlanguages.com/hindi Hindi language overview]
}}
=== Bengali ===
{{columns-list|2|
*Lexilogos: [http://www.lexilogos.com/english/bengali_dictionary.htm Bengali dictionary]
*[http://aboutworldlanguages.com/bengali Bengali language overview]
*[http://learn101.org/bengali_grammar.php Bengali basics and grammar]
*BDWord.com: [https://www.bdword.com/ Bengali Dictionary online]
*Library of Congress: [https://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/romanization/bengali.pdf Bengali Romanization Table] (PDF)
*MyLanguages.org: [http://mylanguages.org/bengali_transliteration.php Bengali Transliteration]
}}
=== Marathi ===
{{columns-list|2|
*Lexilogos: [https://www.lexilogos.com/english/marathi_dictionary.htm Marathi dictionary]
*Omniglot: [https://omniglot.com/writing/marathi.htm Marathi]
*University of Chicago, Digital Dictionaries of South Asia: [https://dsal.uchicago.edu/dictionaries/molesworth/ Marathi and English]
*MyLanguages.org: [https://mylanguages.org/learn_marathi.php Learn Marathi]
}}
=== Telugu ===
{{columns-list|2|
*Lexilogos.com: [https://www.lexilogos.com/english/telugu_dictionary.htm Telugu Dictionary]
*Omniglot: [https://omniglot.com/writing/telugu.htm Telugu alphabet, pronunciation and language]
*MyLanguages.org: [https://mylanguages.org/learn_telugu.php Learn Telugu]
*MyLanguages.org: [https://mylanguages.org/telugu_alphabet.php Telugu Alphabet]
}}
=== Tamil ===
{{columns-list|2|
*Lexilogos.com: [https://www.lexilogos.com/english/tamil_dictionary.htm Tamil Dictionary]
*[http://www.tamildict.com/english.php Tamildict.com]
*[http://www.tamiltyping.in/ Tamil Typing]
*Shabdkosh: [https://www.shabdkosh.com/dictionary/english-tamil/ English Tamil Dictionary and Translation]
*University of Chicago, Digital Dictionaries of South Asia: [https://dsal.uchicago.edu/dictionaries/tamil-lex/ Tamil Lexicon]
*ilanguages.org: [http://ilanguages.org/tamil.php Learn Tamil]
*[http://learn101.org/tamil.php Learn 101- Tamil]
*University of Pennsylvania, Web Assisted Learning and Teaching of Tamil (WALTT): [http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/plc/tamilweb/ Learning and Teaching Tamil]
}}
=== Gujarati ===
{{columns-list|2|
*Lexilogos: [http://www.lexilogos.com/english/gujarati_dictionary.htm Gujarati dictionary
*Omniglot: [https://omniglot.com/writing/gujarati.htm Gujarati alphabet, pronunciation and language]
*MyLanguages.org: [https://mylanguages.org/learn_gujarati.php Learn Gujarati]
*MyLanguages.org: [https://mylanguages.org/gujarati_romanization.php Gujarati to Latin (phonetics) Converter]
}}
=== Urdu ===
{{columns-list|2|
*Lexilogos: [http://www.lexilogos.com/english/urdu_dictionary.htm Urdu dictionary]
*Omniglot: [https://www.omniglot.com/writing/urdu.htm  Urdu alphabet, pronunciation and language]
*MyLanguages.com: [http://mylanguages.org/urdu_romanization.php Urdu to Latin (phonetics) Converter]
*MyLanguages.com: [http://mylanguages.org/learn_urdu.php Learn Urdu]
*[http://aboutworldlanguages.com/urdu Urdu language overview]
*UrduWord.com: [http://www.urduword.com/ Urdu online dictionary]
}}
=== Kannada ===
{{columns-list|2|
*Lexilogos: [https://www.lexilogos.com/english/kannada_dictionary.htm Kannada dictionary]
*Omniglot: [https://omniglot.com/writing/kannada.htm Kannada alphabet, pronunciation and language]
*MyLanguages.com: [https://mylanguages.org/kannada_alphabet.php Kannada Alphabet]
*MyLanguages.com: [https://mylanguages.org/learn_kannada.php Learn Kannada]
*All Language Resources: [https://www.alllanguageresources.com/kannada/ How to Learn Kannada]
}}


The languages of southern India are mainly of the Dravidian group. Some ethnic groups in Assam and other parts of eastern India speak languages of the Mon-Khmer group. People in the northern Himalayan region and near the Burmese border speak Sino-Tibetan languages.
== References ==
 
{{reflist}}
Speakers of 54 different languages of the Indo-European family make up about three-quarters of India's population. Twenty Dravidian languages are spoken by nearly a quarter of the people. Speakers of 20 Mon-Khmer languages and 98 Sino-Tibetan languages together make up about 2 percent of the population.
[[Category:India]][[Category:Language and Handwriting]]
 
The heritage of the ancient and medieval periods of Indian culture is still a part of India today. But when India became exposed to European culture--and eventually became part of the British Empire--it came heavily under the influence of Western ideas. Some Indian writers reacted to the European presence by reviving the ancient values of Hinduism. Other writers eagerly adopted Western forms of writing such as journalism and the novel.
 
The modern period of Indian literature began in the 1800's, a period of great social change. All the major languages evolved a thriving literature which they still possess. The most important development was the increased importance of prose. Although prose works had existed in earlier Indian literature, most traditional texts (which were largely religious in content or feeling) had been written in verse. During the modern period, Indian prose achieved maturity as a vehicle for expressing a wide range of ideas.
 
Two related developments helped the process of change. One was the introduction of the printing press by Christian missionaries (scribes had hand-copied texts in earlier times). The other development was the birth of Indian journalism. The spread of Western-style education helped produce a new readership for the new literature. Writers expressed ideas of social reform, and laid great emphasis on realism.
 
[[Category:India]]

Latest revision as of 12:16, 20 March 2024


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"