Languages of India
The languages of India include over 100 languages from different language families . The first linguistic study on the subject, The Linguistic Survey of India (1903-1927), gave the number of languages in today's India and Pakistan as 179 and dialects as 544. The Indian government counted a total of 121 languages in the 2011 census. Despite, or rather because of, this language diversity, there are no national languages for the Indian Republic .
overview
Language families
The languages spoken in India are divided into four language families .
- The largest group is formed by the 21 Indo-Aryan languages (according to the census) . a. with Hindi , Bengali and Urdu , whose speakers make up 78.1% of the population.
- The 17 Dravidian languages spoken mainly in South India are spoken by a total of 19.6% of the population.
- In Central India there are 14 representatives of the Austro-Asian language family ( Munda and Mon-Khmer languages ), the speakers of which make up 1.1%.
- In terms of the number of languages, the Tibetan-Burmese language family is the largest with 66, but these are spoken by only 1.0% of the population.
Furthermore, the census registers small numbers of speakers of English (a representative of the Germanic branch of the Indo-European languages), Afghan or Pashtun (a representative of the Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages) and Arabic (an Afro-Asian language).
Hindi issue
The exact number of languages spoken in India is difficult to determine and depends on the classification as a dialect of Hindi or a single language, with many linguistically independent languages being counted as Hindi for purely political reasons in order to increase its status. The classification of the census is politically influenced, which means that languages such as Bhojpuri or Rajasthani are counted as Hindi dialects there. As a first consequence, in 1995 the Maithili “split off” from Hindi.
Official languages of the central government
The Indian constitution provides Hindi and English as the official languages of the central government. According to the original plans, English should lose this equal status in 1965, be downgraded to the status of a language listed in the eighth appendix ("Eighth Schedule") of the Indian constitution ("scheduled language") and later lose this status in a process to be determined. This unilateral plan was abandoned in particular due to the resistance of the southern Indian states , especially Tamil Nadu , and individual northern Indian states such as West Bengal . The formula for this was in the formulation of Jawaharlal Nehrus (on August 7, 1959 in a speech in front of the Lok Sabha ): "The use of English is maintained for as long as the non-Hindi-speaking peoples wish."
Official languages in the states
The states of India define their own regional official languages. 22 languages are listed in Appendix 8 of the Constitution ( scheduled languages ), which means that they are represented in the Official Language Commission of India. According to Article 345 of the Constitution, the states are free to make one or more regionally spoken languages the official language, regardless of whether they are listed in Appendix 8 or not.
The first version of the constitution, passed in 1949, provided for 14 official languages. These were: Hindi , Urdu , Bengali , Tamil , Gujarati , Kannada , Malayalam , Marathi , Oriya , Telugu , Asamiya , Kashmiri , Punjabi , Sanskrit . In 1967, Sindhi was added with the 21st amendment to the constitution (many Hindus from the Pakistani province of Sindh had emigrated to India after independence), in 1992 with the 71st amendment to the constitution, Konkani , Manipuri (Meitei) and Nepali , and in 2004 with the 96th amendment Bodo , Dogri , Maithili and Santali .
List of languages
Languages listed in the constitution ( scheduled languages )
| language | Language family | Number of speakers in the 2011 census |
% | Spoken in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assamese | Indo-Aryan | 15,311,351 | 1.3% | Assam |
| Bengali | Indo-Aryan | 97.237.669 | 8.0% | West Bengal , Tripura |
| Bodo (Boro) | Tibeto-Burmese | 1,482,929 | 0.1% | Assam |
| Dogri | Indo-Aryan | 2,596,767 | 0.2% | Jammu and Kashmir |
| Gujarati | Indo-Aryan | 55,492,554 | 4.6% | Gujarat , Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu |
| Hindi | Indo-Aryan | 528.347.193 | 43.6% | Uttar Pradesh , Rajasthan , Madhya Pradesh , Bihar , Haryana , Himachal Pradesh , Jharkhand , Chhattisgarh , Uttarakhand , Delhi |
| Kannada | Dravidian | 43,706,512 | 3.6% | Karnataka |
| Kashmiri | Indo-Aryan | 6,797,587 | 0.6% | Jammu and Kashmir |
| Konkani | Indo-Aryan | 2,256,502 | 0.2% | Goa |
| Maithili | Indo-Aryan | 13,583,464 | 1.1% | Bihar |
| Malayalam | Dravidian | 34,838,819 | 2.9% | Kerala , Lakshadweep |
| Meitei (Manipuri) | Tibeto-Burmese | 1,761,079 | 0.2% | Manipur |
| Marathi | Indo-Aryan | 83.026.680 | 6.9% | Maharashtra |
| Nepali | Indo-Aryan | 2,926,168 | 0.2% | Sikkim , West Bengal |
| Oriya (Odia) | Indo-Aryan | 37,521,324 | 3.1% | Orissa |
| Punjabi | Indo-Aryan | 33.124.726 | 2.7% | Punjab , Chandigarh |
| Sanskrit | Indo-Aryan | 24,821 | - | - |
| Santali | Austro-Asian (Munda) | 7,368,192 | 0.6% | West Bengal , Jharkhand |
| Sindhi | Indo-Aryan | 2,772,264 | 0.2% | - |
| Tamil | Dravidian | 69,026,881 | 5.7% | Tamil Nadu , Pondicherry |
| Telugu | Dravidian | 81.127.740 | 6.7% | Andhra Pradesh , Telangana |
| Urdu | Indo-Aryan | 50,772,631 | 4.9% | Uttar Pradesh , Bihar , Maharashtra , Telangana , Andhra Pradesh , Karnataka |
Other languages
In the 2011 census, the following 99 other languages ( non-scheduled languages ) are listed:
| language | Language family | Number of speakers in the 2011 census |
Spoken in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adi | Tibeto-Burmese | 248,834 | Arunachal Pradesh |
| Afghani (Pashto / Kabuli) | Iranian | 21,677 | Jammu and Kashmir |
| Anal | Tibeto-Burmese | 27,217 | Manipur |
| Angami | Tibeto-Burmese | 152.796 | Nagaland |
| Ao | Tibeto-Burmese | 260.008 | Nagaland |
| Arabic | Afro-Asian | 54,947 | - |
| Balti | Tibeto-Burmese | 13,774 | Jammu and Kashmir |
| Bhili (Bhilodi) | Indo-Aryan | 10,413,637 | Rajasthan , Madhya Pradesh , Maharashtra |
| Bhotia | Tibeto-Burmese | 229,954 | Jammu and Kashmir , Arunachal Pradesh , Sikkim |
| Bhumij | Austro-Asian | 27,506 | Jharkhand , West Bengal , Chhattisgarh |
| Bishnupriya | Indo-Aryan | 79,646 | Assam , Tripura |
| Chakesang | Tibeto-Burmese | 19,846 | Nagaland |
| Chakru (Chokri) | Tibeto-Burmese | 91,216 | Nagaland |
| Chang | Tibeto-Burmese | 66,852 | Nagaland |
| Coorgi (Kodagu) | Dravidian | 113,857 | Karnataka |
| Deori | Tibeto-Burmese | 32,376 | Assam , Arunachal Pradesh |
| Dimasa | Tibeto-Burmese | 137.184 | Assam |
| English | Germanic | 259,678 | - |
| Gadaba | Austro-Asian | 40,976 | Odisha , Andhra Pradesh |
| Gangte | Tibeto-Burmese | 16,542 | Manipur |
| Garo | Tibeto-Burmese | 1,145,323 | Meghalaya |
| Gondi | Dravidian | 2,984,453 | Madhya Pradesh , Chhattisgarh , Maharashtra , Telangana |
| Halabi | Indo-Aryan | 766.297 | Chhattisgarh |
| Halam | Tibeto-Burmese | 38,915 | Tripura |
| Hmar | Tibeto-Burmese | 98,988 | Manipur , Assam , Mizoram |
| Ho | Austro-Asian | 1,421,418 | Jharkhand , Odisha |
| Jatapu | Dravidian | 20,028 | Andhra Pradesh |
| Juang | Austro-Asian | 30,378 | Odisha |
| Kabui | Tibeto-Burmese | 122.931 | Manipur |
| Karbi (Mikir) | Tibeto-Burmese | 528.503 | Assam |
| Khandeshi | Indo-Aryan | 1,860,236 | Maharashtra |
| Kharia | Austro-Asian | 297.614 | Jharkhand , Odisha |
| Khasi | Austro-Asian | 1,431,344 | Meghalaya |
| Khezha | Tibeto-Burmese | 41,625 | Nagaland , Manipur |
| Khiemnungan | Tibeto-Burmese | 61,983 | Nagaland |
| Khond (Kondh) | Dravidian | 155,548 | Odisha , Andhra Pradesh |
| Kinnauri | Tibeto-Burmese | 83,561 | Himachal Pradesh |
| Kisan | Dravidian | 206.100 | Odisha |
| cook | Tibeto-Burmese | 36,434 | Meghalaya , Assam |
| Koda (Kora) | Austro-Asian | 47,268 | West Bengal |
| Kolami | Dravidian | 128,451 | Maharashtra , Telangana |
| Com | Tibeto-Burmese | 15,108 | Manipur |
| Conda | Dravidian | 60,699 | Andhra Pradesh |
| Konyak | Tibeto-Burmese | 244,477 | Nagaland |
| Korku | Austro-Asian | 727.133 | Madhya Pradesh , Maharashtra |
| Korwa | Austro-Asian | 28,453 | Chhattisgarh |
| Koya | Dravidian | 407.423 | Telangana , Odisha , Andhra Pradesh |
| Kui | Dravidian | 941,488 | Odisha |
| Kuki | Tibeto-Burmese | 83,968 | Manipur , Assam , Nagaland |
| Kurukh (Oraon) | Dravidian | 1,988,350 | Jharkhand , Chhattisgarh , West Bengal , Odisha |
| Ladakhi | Tibeto-Burmese | 14,952 | Jammu and Kashmir |
| Lahauli | Tibeto-Burmese | 11,574 | Himachal Pradesh |
| Lahnda | Indo-Aryan | 108,791 | Haryana , Punjab , Rajasthan |
| Lakher | Tibeto-Burmese | 42,429 | Mizoram |
| Lalung | Tibeto-Burmese | 33,921 | Assam |
| Lepcha | Tibeto-Burmese | 47,331 | Sikkim |
| Liangmei | Tibeto-Burmese | 49,811 | Manipur |
| Limbu | Tibeto-Burmese | 40,835 | Sikkim |
| Lotha | Tibeto-Burmese | 179,467 | Nagaland |
| Lushai (Mizo) | Tibeto-Burmese | 830.846 | Mizoram |
| Malto | Dravidian | 234.991 | Jharkhand , Bihar |
| Mao | Tibeto-Burmese | 240.205 | Manipur |
| Maram | Tibeto-Burmese | 32,460 | Manipur |
| Maring | Tibeto-Burmese | 25,814 | Manipur |
| Miri (Mishing) | Tibeto-Burmese | 629.954 | Assam |
| Mishmi | Tibeto-Burmese | 44,100 | Arunachal Pradesh |
| Mogh | Tibeto-Burmese | 36,665 | Tripura |
| Monpa | Tibeto-Burmese | 13,703 | Arunachal Pradesh |
| Munda | Austro-Asian | 505.922 | Odisha , Assam , West Bengal , Jharkhand |
| Mundari | Austro-Asian | 1,128,228 | Jharkhand , Odisha |
| Nicobarese | Austro-Asian | 29,099 | Andaman and Nicobar Islands |
| Nissi (Dafla) | Tibeto-Burmese | 406,532 | Arunachal Pradesh |
| Nocte | Tibeto-Burmese | 30,839 | Arunachal Pradesh |
| Paite | Tibeto-Burmese | 79.507 | Manipur , Mizoram |
| Parji | Dravidian | 52,349 | Chhattisgarh |
| Pawi | Tibeto-Burmese | 28,639 | Mizoram |
| Persian | Iranian | 11,688 | |
| Phom | Tibeto-Burmese | 54,416 | Nagaland |
| Pochury | Tibeto-Burmese | 21,654 | Nagaland |
| Rabha | Tibeto-Burmese | 139,986 | Assam , Meghalaya , West Bengal |
| Rai | Tibeto-Burmese | 15,644 | Sikkim , Arunachal Pradesh |
| Rengma | Tibeto-Burmese | 65,328 | Nagaland |
| Sangtam | Tibeto-Burmese | 76,000 | Nagaland |
| Savara | Austro-Asian | 409,549 | Odisha , Andhra Pradesh |
| Sema | Tibeto-Burmese | 10,802 | Nagaland , Assam |
| sherpa | Tibeto-Burmese | 16,012 | Sikkim |
| Shina | Indo-Aryan | 32,247 | Jammu and Kashmir |
| Tamang | Tibeto-Burmese | 20,154 | Sikkim , West Bengal , Assam |
| Tangkhul | Tibeto-Burmese | 187.276 | Manipur |
| Tangsa | Tibeto-Burmese | 38,624 | Arunachal Pradesh |
| Thado | Tibeto-Burmese | 229,340 | Manipur |
| Tibetan | Tibeto-Burmese | 182,685 | Jammu and Kashmir , Karnataka , Himachal Pradesh |
| Tripuri | Tibeto-Burmese | 1,011,294 | Tripura |
| Tulu | Dravidian | 1,846,427 | Karnataka |
| Vaiphei | Tibeto-Burmese | 42,748 | Manipur |
| Wancho | Tibeto-Burmese | 59,154 | Arunachal Pradesh |
| Yimchungre | Tibeto-Burmese | 83,259 | Nagaland |
| Zeliang | Tibeto-Burmese | 63,529 | Nagaland |
| Zemi | Tibeto-Burmese | 50,925 | Assam , Manipur , Nagaland |
| Zou | Tibeto-Burmese | 26,545 | Manipur |
literature
- Hermann Berger: The diversity of the Indian languages . In: Dietmar Rothermund (Ed.): India. Culture, history, politics, economy, environment. A manual. CH Beck, Munich 1995. pp. 101-110.
- Georgij A. Zograph: The languages of South Asia. Translated by Erika Klemm. VEB Verlag Enzyklopädie, Leipzig 1982.
Web links
- Census of India: Data on Languages
- Department of Official Language (DOL)
- Central Institute of Indian Languages
- Language in India
- Ethnologue: Languages of India
- Overview of the languages of the Indian subcontinent by Dr. Ernst Kausen ( MS Word ; 123 kB)
Individual evidence
- ^ Census of India 2011: Data on Language and Mother Tongue. Statement 9: Family-wise grouping of the 121 scheduled and non-scheduled languages - 2011.
- ^ Constitutional provisions relating to Eighth Schedule. (PDF) Indian Ministry of the Interior, archived from the original on March 5, 2016 ; accessed on October 8, 2016 .
- ↑ THE CONSTITUTION (TWENTY-FIRST AMENDMENT) ACT, 1967. indicacode.nic.in, accessed on October 8, 2016 .
- ↑ THE CONSTITUTION (SEVENTY-FIRST AMENDMENT) ACT, 1992. indicacode.nic.in, accessed on October 8, 2016 .
- ↑ THE CONSTITUTION (NINETY-SECOND AMENDMENT) ACT, 2003. indicacode.nic.in, January 7, 2004, accessed October 8, 2016 .
- ^ Census of India 2011: Data on Language and Mother Tongue. Statement 4: Scheduled Languages in descending order of speakers' strength - 2011.
- ^ Census of India 2011: Data on Language and Mother Tongue. Part B: Distribution of the 99 non-scheduled langauges - India / States / Union Territories - 2011 Census.