View source for Languages of India

{{Use Indian English|date=January 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2016}}
{{Infobox country languages
 | country    = India
  | official = [[Assamese language|Assamese]] <br>[[Bengali language|Bengali]] <br> [[Bodo language|Bodo]] <br> [[Dogri language|Dogri]] <br>[[English language|English]]<ref name="constitution1"/><ref name="governmentministry1" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.ca/books?id=-gFHBAAAQBAJ|title=Language, Culture, and Society: An Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology|first1=Zdenek|last1=Salzmann|first2=James|last2=Stanlaw|first3=Nobuko|last3=Adachi|date=8 July 2014|publisher=Westview Press|via=Google Books}}</ref> <br> [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]] <br>[[Hindi]]<ref name="constitution1"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.archive.india.gov.in/knowindia/profile.php?id=33|title=Official Language - The Union -Profile - Know India: National Portal of India|publisher=}}</ref> <br> [[Kannada]] <br> [[Kashmiri language|Kashmiri]]  <br> [[Konkani language |Konkani]]  <br> [[Maithili]] <br> [[Malayalam]] <br>[[Marathi language|Marathi]] <br> [[Meitei language|Meitei]] (Manipuri)  <br> [[Nepali language|Nepali]]  <br> [[Odia language|Odia]] <br>[[Punjabi language|Punjabi]] <br> [[Sanskrit]]  <br> [[Santali language|Santali]]  <br> [[Sindhi language|Sindhi]]  <br> [[Tamil language|Tamil]] <br> [[Telugu language|Telugu]] <br> [[Urdu]] (Total: 23, including 22 [[Eighth Schedule to the Constitution|8th Schedule]] languages and additional official language, English)
 | sign = {{Plainlist|
* [[Indo-Pakistani Sign Language]]
* [[Alipur Sign Language]]
* [[Naga Sign Language]] (extinct)
 }}
 | image      = South Asian Language Families.jpg
 | caption = {{Plainlist|
* Language families of the [[Indian subcontinent]];
* [[Nihali language|Nihali]], [[Kusunda language|Kusunda]], and [[Thai languages]] are not shown.
 }}
 | regional  =
 | indigenous =
 | minority   =
 | immigrant  = <!--Please don't put too many languages here-->
 | foreign    =*[[English language|English]] - Around 125 million speakers<ref name="timesofindia" />
*[[French language|French]] - approximately 75,000 speakers
}}
{{Culture of India}}
Languages spoken in [[India]] belong to several [[Language family|language families]], the major ones being the [[Indo-Aryan languages]] spoken by 75% of Indians and the [[Dravidian languages]] spoken by 20% of Indians.<ref name="EBCIndoAryanLanguages">{{cite web|title=Indo-Aryan languages |website=Encyclopædia Britannica Online |url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/286348/Indo-Aryan-languages |accessdate=10 December 2014}}</ref><ref name="EBCDravidianLanguages">{{cite web|title=Dravidian languages |website=Encyclopædia Britannica Online |url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/171083/Dravidian-languages |accessdate=10 December 2014}}</ref> Other languages belong to the [[Austroasiatic languages|Austroasiatic]], [[Sino-Tibetan languages|Sino-Tibetan]], [[Tai-Kadai 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}}

Article 343 of the Indian constitution states that the [[official language]] of the Union government shall become [[Hindi]] in [[Devanagari]] script instead of the extant [[English language|English]], but is superseded by English subsequently too as mentioned in section 3 of the same constitutional article that is put to effect by [[s:Official_Languages_Act,_1963|The Official Languages Act, 1963]].<ref name="governmentministry1">{{Cite web|url=http://meity.gov.in/content/official-language-act|title=Official Language Act {{!}} Government of India, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology|website=meity.gov.in|language=en|access-date=2017-01-24}}</ref> The form of numerals to be used for the official purposes of the Union were supposed to become international form of Indian numerals consequently apart from numerals in English language.<ref name="constitution1">{{cite web|url=http://lawmin.nic.in/olwing/coi/coi-english/coi-indexenglish.htm|title=Constitution of India |accessdate=21 March 2012}}</ref> The [[Constitution of India]] does not give any language the status of [[national language]].<ref name="National">{{cite news|last=Khan|first=Saeed|title=There's no national language in India: Gujarat High Court|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Theres-no-national-language-in-India-Gujarat-High-Court/articleshow/5496231.cms|accessdate=5 May 2014|newspaper=The Times of India|date=25 January 2010}}</ref><ref name="PTI">{{cite web|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/hindi-not-a-national-language-court/article94695.ece|title= Hindi, not a national language: Court|website=The Hindu|author=Press Trust of India|accessdate=23 December 2014|date=25 January 2010|location=Ahmedabad}}</ref>

[[English language|English]] was legislated to be reduced to the status of a "subsidiary official language" after fifteen years. But this provision of the constitution was negated by a provision in Section 3, of the same Article 343 that gave primacy to [[s:Official_Languages_Act,_1963|The Official Languages Act, 1963]].<ref name="governmentministry1" /> The Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution lists 22 languages,<ref>[http://rajbhasha.nic.in/UI/pagecontent.aspx?pc=MTUz Languages Included in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constution]</ref> which have been referred to as ''scheduled'' languages and given recognition, status and official encouragement. In addition, the Government of India has awarded the distinction of ''classical language'' to [[Tamil language|Tamil]], [[Sanskrit]], [[Kannada language|Kannada]], [[Telugu language|Telugu]], [[Malayalam language|Malayalam]] and [[Odia language|Odia]].

According to [[Census of India 2001|Census of India of 2001]], India has 122 major languages and 1599 other languages. However, figures from other sources vary, primarily due to differences in definition of the terms "language" and "dialect". The 2001 Census recorded 30 languages which were spoken by more than a million native speakers and 122 which were spoken by more than 10,000 people.<ref name="Census2001"/>  Two [[lingua franca|contact languages]] have played an important role in the [[history of India]]: [[Persian language|Persian]]<ref name="KachruKachru2008">{{cite book|last1=Abidi|first1=S.A.H.|last2=Gargesh|first2=Ravinder|editor=Kachru,Braj B.|others=Kachru, Yamuna & Sridhar, S.N.|title=Language in South Asia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=89aPZJ3qCD4C&pg=PA106|year=2008|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-78141-1|pages=103–120|chapter=4. Persian in South Asia}}</ref> and [[English language|English]].<ref name="contact-lingo">Bhatia, Tej K and William C. Ritchie. (2006) Bilingualism in South Asia. In: Handbook of Bilingualism, pp. 780-807. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing</ref> [[Persian language|Persian]] was the court language during the [[Mughal period]] in India. It reigned as an administrative language for several centuries until the era of British colonisation.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Decline of Farsi language - The Times of India|url = http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Decline-of-Farsi-language/articleshow/11395425.cms|website = The Times of India|accessdate = 2015-10-26}}</ref> Up until now, [[English language|English]] is an important language in India. It is used in higher education and in some areas of the Indian government. [[Hindi]], the most widely spoken language in [[India]] today, serves as the ''[[lingua franca]]'' across much of North and Central India.<ref>{{Cite web|title = The World Factbook|url = https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/in.html|website = www.cia.gov|accessdate = 2015-10-25}}</ref> However, there have been anti-Hindi agitations in [[South India]], most notably in the state of [[Tamil Nadu]].<ref name="nehru1">{{cite book | first=Jawaharlal| last=Nehru|  first2=Mohandas| last2=Gandhi| authorlink=Jawaharlal Nehru | year=1937| title= The question of language: Issue 6 of Congress political and economic studies| publisher=K. M. Ashraf| url =https://books.google.com/?id=R5upQgAACAAJ}}</ref> There is also opposition in non-Hindi belt states towards any perceived imposition of Hindi in these areas.<ref name="Guha2011"/><ref name="Hardgrave1965">{{cite book|author=Hardgrave, Robert L.|date=August 1965|title=The Riots in Tamilnad: Problems and Prospects of India's Language Crisis|series=Asian Survey|publisher=University of California Press}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Major Indo-Aryan languages.png|thumb|Indo-Aryan language subgroups (Urdu is included under Hindi)]]
{{Main article|Linguistic history of India}}

The [[South India|southern Indian]] languages are from the [[Dravidian languages|Dravidian family]].The Dravidian languages are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y88nzRtTNUAC|title=India: The Ancient Past: A History of the Indian Sub-Continent from C. 7000 BC to AD 1200|last=Avari|first=Burjor|date=2007-06-11|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781134251629|language=en}}</ref> [[Proto-Dravidian language]]s were spoken in India in the 4th millennium BCE and started disintegrating into various branches around 3rd millennium BCE.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vhB60gYvnLgC|title=A Comparative Grammar of the Dravidian Languages|last=Andronov|first=Mikhail Sergeevich|date=2003-01-01|publisher=Otto Harrassowitz Verlag|isbn=9783447044554|language=en}}</ref> The Dravidian languages are classified in four groups: North, Central (Kolami–Parji), South-Central (Telugu–Kui) and South Dravidian (Tamil-Kannada).<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Dravidian Languages|last=Krishnamurti|first=Bhadriraju|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2003|isbn=0521771110|location=|pages=}}</ref>

The [[North India|northern Indian]] languages from the [[Indo-Iranian languages|Indo-Iranian]] branch of the [[Indo-European languages|Indo-European family]] evolved from Old [[Indo-Aryan languages|Indic]] by way of the [[Middle Indo-Aryan languages|Middle Indic]] [[Prakrit]] languages and [[Apabhraṃśa]] of the [[Middle Ages]]. The Indo-Aryan languages developed and emerged in three stages&nbsp;— Old Indo-Aryan (1500 BCE to 600 BCE), Middle Indo-Aryan stage (600 BCE and 1000 CE) and New Indo-Aryan (between 1000 CE and 1300 CE). The modern north Indian Indo-Aryan languages all evolved into distinct, recognisable languages in the New Indo-Aryan Age.<ref name="Kachru2006">{{cite book|last=Kachru|first=Yamuna|title=Hindi|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ooH5VfLTQEQC|series=London Oriental and African language library|date=1 January 2006|publisher=John Benjamins Publishing|isbn=90-272-3812-X|page=1}}</ref>

[[Persian language|Persian]] or ''Pharsi'' was [[Persian language in South Asia|brought]] into India by the Ghaznavi and other [[Delhi Sultanate|Turko-Afghan dynasties]] as the court language. Persians influenced the art, history and literature of the region for more than 500 years, resulting in the Persianisation of many Indian tongues, mainly lexically. In 1837, the British replaced Persian with English for administrative purposes, and the Hindi movement of the 19th Century replaced the Persianised vocabulary for one derived from Sanskrit also replacing the use of the Perso-Arabic script for Hindi/Hindustani with Devanagari.<ref name="KachruKachru2008"/><ref name="Brass2005">{{cite book|last=Brass|first=Paul R.|title=Language, Religion and Politics in North India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SylBHS8IJAUC&pg=PA129|year=2005|publisher=iUniverse|isbn=978-0-595-34394-2|page=129}}</ref>

Each of the northern Indian languages had different influences. For example, Hindustani was strongly influenced by [[Sanskrit]], [[Persian language|Persian]], and [[Arabic language|Arabic]],  leading to the emergence of [[Modern Standard Hindi]] and [[Modern Standard Urdu]] as [[register (sociolinguistics)|register]]s of the Hindustani language.<ref name="KulshreshthaMathur2012">{{cite book|last1=Kulshreshtha|first1=Manisha|last2=Mathur|first2=Ramkumar|title=Dialect Accent Features for Establishing Speaker Identity: A Case Study|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xHmARyhRoNYC&pg=PA16|date=24 March 2012|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=978-1-4614-1137-6|page=16}}</ref><ref name="nunley1999">{{Citation | title=The Cultural Landscape an Introduction to Human Geography |author1=Robert E. Nunley |author2=Severin M. Roberts |author3=George W. Wubrick |author4=Daniel L. Roy | year=1999 | isbn=0-13-080180-1 | publisher=Prentice Hall | url=https://books.google.com/?id=7wQAOGMJOqIC | quote=''... Hindustani is the basis for both languages ...''}}</ref> Modern Standard Hindi is recognised as the official language of India while Urdu is a scheduled language.

==Inventories==
{{Main article|List of languages by number of native speakers in India}}
The first official survey of language diversity in the Indian subcontinent was carried out by [[George Abraham Grierson|Sir George Abraham Grierson]] from 1898 to 1928. Titled the [[Linguistic Survey of India]], it reported a total of 179 languages and 544 dialects.<ref name="Ahmad2009">{{cite book|author=Aijazuddin Ahmad|title=Geography of the South Asian Subcontinent: A Critical Approach|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I2QmPHeIowoC&pg=PA123|accessdate=17 December 2014|year=2009|publisher=Concept Publishing Company|isbn=978-81-8069-568-1|pages=123–124}}</ref> However, the results were skewed due to ambiguities in distinguishing between "dialect" and "language",<ref name="Ahmad2009"/> use of untrained personnel and under-reporting of data from South India, as the former provinces of Burma and Madras, as well as the princely states of Cochin, Hyderabad, Mysore and Travancore were not included in the survey.<ref name="Saba2013">{{cite book|url=http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in:8080/jspui/bitstream/10603/11248/9/09_chapter+2.pdf |title=Linguistic heterogeneity and multilinguality in India: a linguistic assessment of Indian language policies | author=Naheed Saba |publisher=Aligarh Muslim University | date=18 Sep 2013 |isbn = |location = Aligarh|pages=61–68 |chapter=2. Multilingualism |accessdate=17 December 2014}}</ref>

Different sources give widely differing figures, primarily based on how the terms "language" and "dialect" are defined and grouped. ''[[Ethnologue]]'', produced by the Christian evangelist organisation [[SIL International]],  lists 461 tongues for India (out of 6,912 worldwide), 447 of which are living, while 14 are extinct. The 447 living languages are further subclassified in ''Ethnologue'' as follows:-<ref name="Ethnologue">{{cite web|editor=Lewis, M. Paul |editor2=Simons, Gary F. |editor3=Fennig, Charles D.|year=2014|title=Ethnologue: Languages of the World (Seventeenth edition) :  India|publisher=SIL International|location= Dallas, Texas|url= http://www.ethnologue.com/country/IN|accessdate=15 December 2014}}</ref><ref name="Ethnologue2">[http://archive.ethnologue.com/15/ethno_docs/distribution.asp?by=area Ethnologue : Languages of the World (Seventeenth edition) :  Statistical Summaries]. Retrieved 17 December 2014.</ref>
* Institutional – 63
* Developing – 130
* Vigorous – 187
* In trouble – 54
* Dying – 13

The People’s Linguistic Survey of India, a privately owned research institution in India, has recorded over 66 different scripts and more than 780 languages in India during its nationwide survey, which the organisation claims to be the biggest linguistic survey in India.<ref name="PLSI">{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/language-survey-reveals-diversity/article4938865.ece|title=Language survey reveals diversity|newspaper=The Hindu|date=22 July 2013|author=Singh, Shiv Sahay|accessdate=15 December 2014}}</ref>

The [[People of India]] (POI) project of [[Anthropological Survey of India]] reported 325 languages which are used for in-group communication by 5,633 Indian communities.<ref name="BanerjeeChaudhuryDas2005">{{cite book|last1=Banerjee|first1=Paula|last2=Chaudhury|first2=Sabyasachi Basu Ray|last3=Das|first3=Samir Kumar|author4=Bishnu Adhikari|title=Internal Displacement in South Asia: The Relevance of the UN's Guiding Principles|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VjGdDo75UssC&pg=PA145|accessdate=17 December 2014|year=2005|publisher=SAGE Publications|isbn=978-0-7619-3329-8|page=145}}</ref>

===Census of India figures===
The [[Census of India]] records and publishes data with respect to the number of speakers for languages and dialects, but uses its own unique terminology, distinguishing between ''language'' and ''mother tongue''. The mother tongues are grouped within each language. Many of the mother tongues so defined could be considered a language rather than a dialect by linguistic standards. This is especially so for many mother tongues with tens of millions of speakers that are officially grouped under the language Hindi.

;[[1951 Census of India|1951 Census]]
Separate figures for Hindi, Urdu, and Punjabi were not issued, due to the fact the returns were intentionally recorded incorrect in states such as [[East Punjab]], [[Himachal Pradesh]], [[Delhi]], [[PEPSU]], and [[Kahlur|Bilaspur]].<ref name="langs1951">{{cite book |last1=Dasgupta |first1=Jyotirindra |title=Language Conflict and National Development: Group Politics and National Language Policy in India |url= |year=1970 |publisher=University of California, Berkeley. Center for South and Southeast Asia Studies |location=Berkeley |isbn=9780520015906 |page=47}}<!--|accessdate=25 December 2016 --></ref>

;[[1961 Census of India|1961 Census]]
The 1961 census recognised 1,652 mother tongues spoken by 438,936,918 people, counting all declarations made by any individual at the time when the census was conducted.<ref name="Census1961">{{cite web |author=Mallikarjun, B. | date=5 August 2002 |publisher=M. S. Thirumalai |journal=Languages in India |url=http://www.languageinindia.com/aug2002/indianmothertongues1961aug2002.html |title=Mother Tongues of India According to the 1961 Census | volume= 2 | issn=1930-2940 |accessdate=11 December 2014}}</ref>  However, the declaring individuals often mixed names of languages with those of dialects, subdialects and dialect clusters or even castes, professions, religions, localities, regions, countries and nationalities.<ref name="Census1961"/> The list therefore includes languages with barely a few individual speakers as well as 530 unclassified mother tongues and more than 100 idioms that are non-native to India, including linguistically unspecific [[demonym]]s such as "African", "Canadian" or "Belgian".<ref name="Census1961"/>

;[[1991 Census of India|1991 Census]]
The 1991 census recognises 1,576 classified mother tongues.<ref name="Vijayanunni">{{cite web|url=http://www.ancsdaap.org/cencon98/papers/india/india.pdf|title=Planning for the 2001 Census of India based on the 1991 Census |author=Vijayanunni, M. |format= [[PDF]] |date= 26–29 August 1998 |work=18th Population Census Conference |location= Honolulu, Hawaii, USA | publisher= Association of National Census and Statistics Directors of America, Asia, and the Pacific |archivedate=19 November 2008 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081119080707/http://www.ancsdaap.org/cencon98/papers/india/india.pdf |accessdate=17 December 2014}}</ref> According to the 1991 census, 22 languages had more than a million native speakers, 50 had more than 100,000 and 114 had more than 10,000 native speakers. The remaining accounted for a total of 566,000 native speakers (out of a total of 838 million Indians in 1991).<ref name="Vijayanunni"/><ref name="Census1991">{{cite web |author=Mallikarjun, B. |title=Languages of India according to 2001 Census  |url=http://www.languageinindia.com/nov2001/1991Languages.html |website=Languages in India |date=7 November 2001 |accessdate=17 December 2014}}</ref>

;[[2001 Census of India|2001 Census]]
According to the most recent 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 |accessdate=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|accessdate=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|accessdate=18 December 2014|year=2010|publisher=Georgetown University Press|isbn=1-58901-674-2|page=95}}</ref>

;[[2011 Census of India|2011 Census]]
The language-related data results of the 2011 Census have not yet been released by the Government of India.<ref name="No_2011_results">{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/where-are-the-sanskrit-speakers/article6299433.ece |title= Where are the Sanskrit speakers? |newspaper=The Hindu |location=Chennai| author= Sreevatsan, Ajai |date=10 August 2014 |accessdate=15 December 2014}}</ref>

==Multilingualism==
{{Main article|Multilingualism in India}}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+'''First, Second, and Third languages by number of speakers in India''' (2001 Census)

!'''Language'''

!''' First language<br>speakers'''<ref name="1971-2001">{{cite web|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_Data_Online/Language/Statement5.aspx|title=Census of India: Comparative speaker's strength of Scheduled Languages-1971, 1981, 1991 and 2001|first=|last=ORGI|publisher=}}</ref><ref name="thehindu">{{cite web|url=http://www.thehindu.com/data/sanskrit-and-english-theres-no-competition/article6630269.ece|title=Sanskrit and English: there’s no competition|first=Rukmini|last=S|publisher=}}</ref><br>(% of total population)<ref name="pop">http://www.censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/India_at_glance/popu1.aspx</ref>
!''' Second language<br>speakers'''<ref name="thehindu"/>
!''' Third language<br>speakers'''<ref name="thehindu"/>
!''' Total speakers'''<ref name="timesofindia">{{cite web|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Indiaspeak-English-is-our-2nd-language/articleshow/5680962.cms|title=Indiaspeak: English is our 2nd language - Times of India|publisher=}}</ref><ref name="thehindu"/><br>(% of total population)<ref name="pop"/>
|-
|[[Hindi and Hindi Belt Languages]]
|422,048,642 (41.03%)
|98,207,180
|31,160,696
|551,416,518 (53.60%)
|-
|[[English language|English]]
|226,449 (0.02%)
|86,125,221
|38,993,066
|125,344,736 (12.18%)
|-
|[[Bengali language|Bengali]]
|83,369,769 (8.10%)
|6,637,222
|1,108,088
|91,115,079 (8.86%)
|-
|[[Telugu language|Telugu]]
|74,002,856 (7.19%)
|9,723,626
|1,266,019
|84,992,501 (8.26%)
|-
|[[Marathi language|Marathi]]
|71,936,894 (6.99%)
|9,546,414
|2,701,498
|84,184,806 (8.18%)
|-
|[[Tamil language|Tamil]]
|60,793,814 (5.91%)
|4,992,253
|956,335
|66,742,402 (6.49%)
|-
|[[Urdu]]
|51,536,111 (5.01%)
|6,535,489
|1,007,912
|59,079,512 (5.74%)
|-
|[[Kannada]]
|37,924,011 (3.69%)
|11,455,287
|1,396,428
|50,775,726 (4.94%)
|-
|[[Gujarati language|Gujarati]]
|46,091,617 (4.48%)
|3,476,355
|703,989
|50,271,961 (4.89%)
|-
|[[Odia language|Odia]]
|33,017,446 (3.21%)
|3,272,151
|319,525
|36,609,122 (3.56%)
|-
|[[Malayalam]]
|33,066,392 (3.21%)
|499,188
|195,885
|33,761,465 (3.28%)
|-
|[[Sanskrit]]
|14,135 (<0.01%)
|1,234,931
|3,742,223
|4,991,289 (0.49%)
|}

==Language families==
Ethnolinguistically, the languages of South Asia, echoing the complex history and geography of the region, form a complex patchwork of [[language family|language families]], language phyla and [[language isolate|isolates]].<ref name="Moseley2008"/>{{rp|283}} The languages of India belong to several language families, the most important of which are :<ref name="EBIndiaLanguages">{{cite web |title=India : Languages | url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/285248/India/46398/Languages |website=Encyclopædia Britannica Online |accessdate=2 December 2014}}</ref>
* [[Indo-Aryan languages|Indo-Aryan language family]]
* [[Dravidian languages|Dravidian language family]]
* [[Austroasiatic languages|Austroasiatic language family]]
* [[Sino-Tibetan languages|Sino-Tibetan language family]]
* [[Tai–Kadai languages|Tai–Kadai language family]]
* [[Great Andamanese languages]]

===Indo-Aryan language family===
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 790 million speakers, or over 75% of the population, as per data collated during the [[2001 Census of India|Census of 2001]].<ref name="EBCIndoAryanLanguages"/>
The most widely spoken languages of this group are [[Hindi]] (or more correctly, [[Hindustani language|Hindustani]], which includes Hindi and [[Urdu]]), [[Bengali language|Bengali]], [[Marathi language|Marathi]], [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]], [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]], [[Rajasthani language|Rajasthani]], [[Assamese language|Assamese (Asamiya)]],  and [[Odia language|Odia]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/286348/Indo-Aryan-languages|title=Indo-Aryan languages|work=Encyclopedia Britannica}}</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]]''.

===Dravidian language family===

The second largest language family is the [[Dravidian languages|Dravidian language family]], accounting for some 215 million speakers, or approximately 20%, as per data collected during the [[2001 Census of India|Census of 2001]].<ref name="EBCDravidianLanguages"/> The Dravidian languages are spoken mainly in [[South India|southern India]] and parts of [[East India|eastern]] and [[central India]] as well as in parts of northeastern [[Sri Lanka Tamils (native)|Sri Lanka]], Pakistan, [[Nepal]] and [[Bangladesh]]. The Dravidian languages with the most speakers are [[Telugu language|Telugu]], [[Tamil language|Tamil]], [[Kannada language|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 [[Kurukh 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 [[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>

===Austroasiatic language family===
Families with smaller numbers of speakers are [[Austroasiatic languages|Austroasiatic]] and numerous small [[Sino-Tibetan languages]], with some 10 and 6 million speakers, respectively, together 5% of the population.<ref name="Ishtiaq 1999">{{cite book|last=Ishtiaq|first=M.|title=Language Shifts Among the Scheduled Tribes in India: A Geographical Study|year=1999|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publishers|location=Delhi|isbn=9788120816176|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fkIgsfb95rAC|accessdate=7 September 2012|pages=26–27}}</ref>

The Austroasiatic language family (''austro'' meaning South) is the [[autochthonous language]] in South Asia and Southeast Asia, other language families having arrived by migration. Austroasiatic languages of mainland India are the [[Khasi language|Khasi]] and [[Munda languages]], including [[Santali language|Santhali]]. The [[Nicobarese languages|languages of the Nicobar islands]] also form part of this language family. With the exceptions of Khasi and Santhali, all Austroasiatic languages on Indian territory are endangered.<ref name="Moseley2008"/>{{rp|456–457}}

===Sino-Tibetan language family===
The [[Sino-Tibetan languages|Sino-Tibetan language family]] are well represented in India. However, their interrelationships are not discernible, and the family has been described as "a patch of leaves on the forest floor" rather than with the conventional metaphor of a "family tree".<ref name="Moseley2008"/>{{rp|283–5}}

Sino-Tibetan languages are spoken across the Himalayas in the regions of [[Ladakh]], [[Himachal Pradesh]], [[Nepal]], [[Sikkim]], [[Bhutan]], [[Arunachal Pradesh]], and also in the Indian states of [[West Bengal]], [[Assam]], ''(hills and autonomous councils - [http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/india/states/assam/documents/papers/memorandum_feb02.htm BTC])''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=89aPZJ3qCD4C&pg=PA157&lpg=PA157&dq=tibeto-burman+language+hills+of+assam&source=bl&ots=64sgQ_QsyD&sig=GIzSiRnKfXdDuN-Iu73rDZFSQEU&hl=en&sa=X&ei=ncWaVPXXBIPiaK-agZAM&ved=0CDMQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=tibeto-burman%20language%20hills%20of%20assam&f=false|title=Language in South Asia|publisher=}}</ref><ref>http://sealang.net/sala/archives/pdf4/burling1999kamarupan.pdf</ref> [[Meghalaya]], [[Nagaland]], [[Manipur]], [[Tripura]] and [[Mizoram]]. Sino-Tibetan languages spoken in India include [[Karbi language|Karbi]], [[Meitei language|Meitei]], [[Lepcha language|Lepcha]], as well as many varieties of several related [[Tibetic languages|Tibetic]], [[West Himalayish languages|West Himalayish]], [[Tani languages|Tani]], [[Sal languages|Brahmaputran]], [[Angami–Pochuri languages|Angami–Pochuri]], [[Tangkhul languages|Tangkhul]], [[Zeme languages|Zeme]], [[Kukish languages|Kukish]] language groups, amongst many others.

===Tai-Kadai language family===
[[Ahom language]] belonging to [[Southwestern Tai languages|Southwestern Tai language]] had been once the dominant language of [[Ahom Kingdom]] in modern-day [[Assam]] but had been replaced later by [[Kamarupi Prakrit|Kamarupi language]], the ancient form of [[Assamese language]]. Nowadays, small Tai communities and their languages remain in [[Assam]] and [[Arunachal Pradesh]] together with Sino-Tibetans, e.g. [[Tai Phake language|Tai Phake]], [[Tai Aiton language|Tai Aiton]] and [[Khamti language|Tai Khamti language]], which are similar to [[Shan language]] of [[Shan state]] of [[Myanmar]], [[Tai Lü language|Dai language]] in [[Yunnan]] of [[China]], [[Lao language]] of [[Laos]], [[Thai language]] of [[Thailand]] and [[Zhuang language]] in [[Guangxi]] of [[China]].

===Great Andamanese language family===
The extinct and endangered languages of the [[Andaman Islands]] form a fifth family- the [[Great Andamanese languages|Great Andamanese language family]], comprising two families, namely:<ref name="Burenhult1996">{{cite journal|title=Deep linguistic prehistory with particular reference to Andamanese|author=Niclas Burenhult|journal=Working Papers|issue=45|pages= 5–24|publisher=Lund University, Dept. of Linguistics|url=http://lup.lub.lu.se/record/528793/file/624474.pdf |accessdate=2 December 2014 }}</ref>
* the Great Andamanese, comprising a number of extinct languages apart from one highly endangered language with a dwindling number of speakers.
* the [[Ongan languages|Ongan]] family of the southern [[Andaman Islands]], comprising two extant languages, [[Onge language|Önge]] and [[Jarawa language (Andaman Islands)|Jarawa]], and one extinct tongue, [[Jangil]].

In addition, [[Sentinelese language|Sentinelese]], an unattested language of the Andaman Islands, is generally considered to be related and part of the language family.<ref name="Burenhult1996"/>

===Language isolates===
The only language found in the Indian mainland that is considered a language isolate is [[Nihali language|Nahali]].<ref name="Moseley2008"/>{{rp|337}} The status of Nahali is ambiguous, having been considered as a distinct Austro-Asiatic language, as a dialect of [[Munda language]] and also as being a "thieves' argot" rather than a legitimate language.<ref name="Anderson2007">{{cite book|last=Anderson|first=Gregory D. S.|title=The Munda Verb: Typological Perspectives|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FVL2FrA6WboC&pg=PA6|year=2007|publisher=Walter de Gruyter|isbn=978-3-11-018965-0|page=6}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Anderson|first=G. D. S.|editor=Brown, Keith |editor2=Ogilvie, Sarah|title=Concise Encyclopedia of Languages of the World|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F2SRqDzB50wC&pg=PA94|date=6 April 2010|publisher=Elsevier|isbn=978-0-08-087775-4|page=94|chapter=Austro-asiatic languages}}</ref>

The other language isolates found in the rest of South Asia include [[Burushaski]], a language spoken in [[Gilgit–Baltistan]] (northern Pakistan), [[Kusunda language|Kusunda]] (in western Nepal) and [[Vedda language|Vedda]] (in Sri Lanka).<ref name="Moseley2008"/>{{rp|283}} The validity of the [[Great Andamanese languages|Great Andamanese language group]] as a language family has been questioned and it has been considered a language isolate by some authorities.<ref name="Moseley2008"/>{{rp|283}}<ref name = "Greenb">Greenberg, Joseph (1971). "The Indo-Pacific hypothesis." ''Current trends in linguistics vol. 8'', ed. by Thomas A. Sebeok, 807.71. The Hague: Mouton.</ref><ref name="Abbi2006">Abbi, Anvita (2006). ''Endangered Languages of the Andaman Islands.'' Germany: Lincom GmbH.</ref>

In addition, a [[Bantu language]], [[Sidi language|Sidi]], was spoken until the mid-20th century in Gujarat.<ref name="Moseley2008"/>{{rp|528}}

===Influences===
{{refimprove|date=January 2015}}
The language families in India are not necessarily related to the various ethnic groups in India, specifically the Indo-Aryan and Dravidian people. The languages within each family have been influenced to a large extent by both families. For example, many of the South Indian languages; specifically Kannada and Telugu, have been highly influenced by Sanskrit (an Indo-Aryan language). The current vocabulary of those languages include between 70–80% of Sanskritised content in their purest form.

Urdu has also had a significant influence on many of today's Indian languages. Many North Indian languages have lost much of their Sanskritised base (50% current vocabulary) to a more Urdu-based form. In terms of the written script, most Indian languages, except the Tamil script nearly perfectly accommodate the Sanskrit language. South Indian languages have adopted new letters to write various Indo-Aryan based words as well, and have added new letters to their native alphabets as the languages began to mix and influence each other.

Though various Indo-Aryan and Dravidian languages may seem mutually exclusive when first heard, there is a much deeper underlying influence that both language families have had on each other down to a linguistic science. There is proof of the intermixing of Dravidian and Indo-Aryan languages through the pockets of Dravidian-based languages on remote areas of Pakistan, and interspersed areas of North India. In addition, there is a whole science regarding the tonal and cultural expression within the languages that are quite standard across India. Languages may have different vocabulary, but various hand and tonal gestures within two unrelated languages can still be common due to cultural amalgamations between invading people and the natives over time; in this case, the Indo-Aryan peoples and the native Dravidian people.

==Official languages==
{{Main article|Languages with official status in India}}

===Federal level===
Prior to Independence, in [[British India]], English was the sole language used for [[public administration|administrative]] purposes as well as for [[higher education]] purposes.<ref name="Guha2011">{{cite book|last=Guha|first=Ramachandra|title=India After Gandhi: The History of the World's Largest Democracy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8FKepYC6wzwC|accessdate=3 January 2015|date=10 February 2011|publisher=Pan Macmillan|isbn=978-0-330-54020-9|pages=117–120|chapter=6. Ideas of India (section IX)}}</ref>

In 1946, the issue of national language was a bitterly contested subject in the proceedings of the [[Constituent Assembly of India]], specifically what should be the language in which the Constitution of India is written and the language spoken during the proceedings of Parliament and thus deserving of the epithet "national". Members belonging to the northern parts of India insisted that the Constitution be drafted in Hindi with the unofficial translation in English. This was not agreed to by the drafting Committee on the grounds that English was much better to craft the nuanced prose on constitutional subjects. The efforts to make Hindi the pre-eminent language were bitterly resisted by the members from those parts of India where Hindi was not spoken natively. Eventually, a compromise was reached with [[Hindi]] in [[Devanagari]] script to be the [[official language]] of the union but for "fifteen years from the commencement of the Constitution, the English Language shall continue to be used for all the official purposes of the Union for which it was being used immediately before such commencement".<ref name="Guha2011"/>

Article 343 (1) of the [[Constitution of India]] states "The Official Language of the Union government shall be Hindi in Devanagari script."<ref name=cons>{{cite web|url=http://lawmin.nic.in/coi/coiason29july08.pdf|title= Constitution of India (as of 1 December 2007)|accessdate=13 April 2011|work=The Constitution Of India|publisher=Ministry of Law & Justice}}</ref>{{rp|212}}<ref name="Benedikter2009">{{cite book|author=Thomas Benedikter|title=Language Policy and Linguistic Minorities in India: An Appraisal of the Linguistic Rights of Minorities in India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vpZv2GHM7VQC&pg=PA32|accessdate=19 December 2014|year=2009|publisher=LIT Verlag Münster|isbn=978-3-643-10231-7|pages=32–35}}</ref> Unless Parliament decided otherwise, the use of [[English language|English]] for official purposes was to cease 15 years after the constitution came into effect, i.e. on 26 January 1965.<ref name=cons/>{{rp|212}}<ref name="Benedikter2009"/>

{{Main article|Hindi language}}
{{main article|Anti-Hindi agitations of Tamil Nadu}}

As the date for changeover approached, however, there was much alarm in the non Hindi-speaking areas of India, especially in [[Maharashtra]], [[Tamil Nadu]], [[Punjab, India|Punjab]], [[West Bengal]], [[Karnataka]], [[Puducherry]] and [[Andhra Pradesh]]. Accordingly, [[Jawaharlal Nehru]] ensured the enactment of the [[Official Languages Act, 1963]],<ref name="OLA163Amdt">{{cite web|title=Official Languages Act, 1963 (with amendments)|url=http://www.indianrailways.gov.in/railwayboard/uploads/directorate/official_lang/downloads/act1963_eng.PDF |website=Indian Railways|date=10 May 1963| accessdate=3 January 2015}}</ref><ref name="CPOLch07">{{cite web|url=http://www.rajbhasha.gov.in/khand8-eng7.pdf |title=Chapter 7 - Compliance of Section 3(3) of the Official Languages Act, 1963|work=Committee of Parliament on Official Language report|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120220150003/http://www.rajbhasha.gov.in/khand8-eng7.pdf|archivedate=20 February 2012}}</ref> which provided that English "may" still be used with Hindi for official purposes, even after 1965.<ref name="Guha2011"/> The wording of the text proved unfortunate in that while Nehru understood that "may" meant shall, politicians championing the cause of Hindi thought it implied exactly the opposite.<ref name="Guha2011"/>

In the event, as 1965 approached, India's new Prime Minister [[Lal Bahadur Shastri]] prepared to make Hindi paramount with effect from 26 January 1965. This led to widespread agitation, riots, self-immolations and suicides in Tamil Nadu. The split of Congress politicians from the South from their party stance, the resignation of two Union ministers from the South and the increasing threat to the country's unity forced Shastri to concede.<ref name="Guha2011"/><ref name="Hardgrave1965"/>

As a result, the proposal was dropped,<ref name="Time1966">{{Cite web |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,940936,00.html | title=The force of words | work=Time | date=19 February 1965|accessdate=3 January 2015|subscription=yes}}</ref><ref name="Forrester1966">{{citation |last=Forrester |first=Duncan B. |title=The Madras Anti-Hindi Agitation, 1965: Political Protest and its Effects on Language Policy in India |journal=Pacific Affairs |volume=39 |issue=1/2 |pages=19–36 |date=Spring–Summer 1966 |doi=10.2307/2755179}}</ref> and the Act itself was amended in 1967 to provide that the use of English would not be ended until a [[Resolution (law)|resolution]] to that effect was passed by the legislature of every state that had not adopted Hindi as its official language, and by each house of the Indian Parliament.<ref name="OLA163Amdt"/>

The [[Constitution of India]] does not give any language the status of [[National Language]].<ref name="National"/><ref name="PTI"/>

====Hindi====
[[File:Hindispeakers.png|thumb|The Hindi-belt, including Hindi-related languages such as Rajasthani and Bhojpuri.]]
Hindi, written in [[Devanagari]] script, is the most prominent language spoken in the country. In the 2001 census, 422 million (422,048,642) people in India reported Hindi to be their native language.<ref name="CensusData2001S1">{{cite web|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_Data_Online/Language/Statement1.aspx |title= Statement 1 - Abstract of Speakers' Strength of Languages and Mother Tongues - 2001 |publisher=Government of India | accessdate=11 December 2014 }}</ref> This figure not only included Hindi speakers of [[Hindustani language|Hindustani]], but also people who identify as [[first language|native speakers]] of related languages who consider their speech to be a dialect of Hindi, the [[Hindi language (Hindi belt)|Hindi belt]]. Hindi (or Hindustani) is the native language of most people living in [[Delhi]], [[Western Uttar Pradesh|Uttar Pradesh]], [[Uttarakhand]], [[Chhattisgarh]], [[Himachal Pradesh]], [[Chandigarh]], [[Bihar]], [[Jharkhand]], [[Madhya Pradesh]], [[Haryana]], and [[Rajasthan]].<ref name="ELL2">{{ELL2|Hindi}}</ref>

"Modern Standard Hindi", a [[Standard language|standardised language]] is the [[official languages|official language]] of the [[India|Union of India]]. In addition, it is one of only two languages used for business in Parliament.{{citation needed|date=December 2014}}

Hindustani, evolved from ''khari boli'', a prominent tongue of [[Mughal Empire|Mughal times]], which itself evolved from [[Apabhraṃśa]], an intermediary transition stage from [[Prakrit]], from which the major North Indian [[Indo-Aryan language family|Indo-Aryan languages]] have evolved.{{citation needed|date=December 2014}}

[[Hindi languages|Varieties of Hindi]] spoken in India include ''[[Rajasthani language|Rajasthani]],''[[Braj Bhasha]]'',''[[Haryanvi language|Haryanvi]]'', ''[[Bundeli language|Bundeli]]'', ''[[Kannauji language|Kannauji]]'', ''[[Hindustani language|Hindustani]]'', ''[[Awadhi language|Awadhi]]'', ''[[Bagheli language|Bagheli]]'', ''[[Bhojpuri language|Bhojpuri]]'', ''[[Magahi language|Magahi]]'' and ''[[Chhattisgarhi language|Chhattisgarhi]]''. By virtue of its being a ''[[lingua franca]]'', Hindi has also developed regional dialects such as ''[[Bambaiya Hindi]]'' in [[Mumbai]], '' [[Dakhini]]'' (also called ''Hyderabadi Urdu'') in parts of [[Telangana]] and ''[[Bangalori Urdu]]'' in [[Bangalore, Karnataka]]. In addition, a trade language, ''[[Andaman Creole Hindi]]'' has also developed in the [[Andaman Islands]].{{citation needed|date=December 2014}}

In addition, by use in popular culture such as songs and films, Hindi also serves as a ''lingua franca'' across both North and Central India{{citation needed|date=December 2014}}

Hindi is widely taught both as a primary language and language of instruction, and as a second tongue.

====English====
{{Main article|English language|Indian English}}
British colonial legacy has resulted in English being a language for government, business and education. English, along with Hindi, is one of the two languages permitted in the Constitution of India for business in Parliament. Despite the fact that Hindi has official Government patronage and serves as a ''lingua franca'' over large parts of India, there was considerable opposition to the use of Hindi in the southern states of India, and English has emerged as a ''de facto'' ''lingua franca'' over much of India.<ref name="Guha2011"/><ref name="Hardgrave1965"/>

===Scheduled languages===
{{Refimprove section|date=November 2016}}
[[File:Indian-languages-map.jpg|thumb|Main languages of India and their relative size according to how many speakers each has.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://calloftravel.com/20-maps-of-india-that-explain-the-country/?utm_source=Wikipedia&utm_medium=Edit&utm_campaign=India%20maps|title=20 maps of India that explain the country|last=Snoj|first=Jure|website=Call Of Travel|language=en-US|access-date=2016-04-17}}</ref>]]Until the [[Twenty-first Amendment of the Constitution of India]] in 1967, the country recognised 14 official regional languages. The Eighth Schedule and the Seventy-First Amendment provided for the inclusion of [[Sindhi language|Sindhi]], [[Konkani language|Konkani]], [[Meitei language|Meitei]] and [[Nepali language|Nepali]], thereby increasing the number of official regional languages of India to 18. The Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India, as of 1 December 2007, lists 22 languages,<ref name="cons" />{{rp|330}} which are given in the table below together with the speaking population and the regions where they are used.<ref name="CensusData2001S1" /> 
{| class = "wikitable sortable"
! Language
![[List of Indo-Aryan languages|Family]]
|-
| '''[[Assamese language|Assamese (Asamiya)]]''' || Indo-Aryan
|-
| '''[[Bengali language|Bengali (Bangla)]]''' || Indo-Aryan
|-
| '''[[Bodo language|Bodo]]''' || [[Sino-Tibetan languages|Sino-Tibetan]]
|-
| '''[[Dogri language|Dogri]]''' || Indo-Aryan
|-
| '''[[Gujarati language|Gujarati]]''' || Indo-Aryan
|-
| '''[[Standard Hindi|Hindi]]''' || Indo-Aryan
|-
|'''[[Kannada language|Kannada]]''' || [[Dravidian languages|Dravidian]]
|-
| '''[[Kashmiri language|Kashmiri]]''' || Indo-Aryan
|-
| '''[[Konkani language|Konkani]]''' || Indo-Aryan
|-
| '''[[Maithili language|Maithili]]''' || Indo-Aryan
|-
| '''[[Malayalam language|Malayalam]]''' || [[Dravidian languages|Dravidian]]
|-
| '''Manipuri''' (includes '''[[Meitei language|Meitei]]''') || [[Sino-Tibetan languages|Sino-Tibetan]]
|-
| '''[[Marathi language|Marathi]]''' || Indo-Aryan
|-
| '''[[Nepali language|Nepali]]''' || Indo-Aryan
|-
| '''[[Odia language|Odia]]''' || Indo-Aryan
|-
| '''[[Punjabi language|Punjabi]]''' || Indo-Aryan
|-
| '''[[Sanskrit]]''' || Indo-Aryan
|-
| '''[[Santali language|Santali]]''' || [[Austroasiatic languages|Austroasiatic]]
|-
| '''[[Sindhi language|Sindhi]]''' || Indo-Aryan
|-
| '''[[Tamil language|Tamil]]''' || [[Dravidian languages|Dravidian]]
|-
| '''[[Telugu language|Telugu]]''' || [[Dravidian languages|Dravidian]]
|-
| '''[[Urdu language|Urdu]]''' || Indo-Aryan
|}

The individual [[States and territories of India|states]], the borders of most of which are or were drawn on socio-linguistic lines, can legislate their own official languages, depending on their linguistic demographics. The official languages chosen reflect the predominant as well as politically significant languages spoken in that state. Certain states having a linguistically defined territory may have only the predominant language in that state as its official language, examples being [[Karnataka]] and [[Gujarat]], which have [[Kannada]] and [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]] as their sole official language respectively. [[Telangana]], with a sizeable Urdu-speaking Muslim population, has two languages, [[Telugu language|Telugu]] and [[Urdu]], as its official languages.

Some states buck the trend by using minority languages as official languages. [[Jammu and Kashmir]] uses [[Urdu]], which is spoken by fewer than 1% of the population. [[Meghalaya]] uses English spoken by 0.01% of the population. This phenomenon has turned majority languages into "minority languages" in a functional sense.<ref>{{citation |last=Pandharipande |first=Rajeshwari |title=Minority Matters: Issues in Minority Languages in India |url=http://www.unesco.org/most/vl4n2pandhari.pdf |journal=International Journal on Multicultural Societies |volume=4 |number=2 |year=2002 |pp=3–4}}</ref>

;Lists of Official Languages of States and Union Territories of India
{{#lst:Languages with official status in India|Lists of Official Languages of States and Union Territories of India}}

In addition to states and union territories, India has autonomous administrative regions which may be permitted to select their own official language – a case in point being the [[Bodoland Territorial Council]] in Assam which has declared the [[Bodo language]]  as official for the region, in addition to Assamese and English already in use.<ref name="BTC">{{cite web|url=http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/india/states/assam/documents/papers/memorandum_feb02.htm|title=Memorandum of Settlement on Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC)|date=10 February 2003|website=South Asia Terrorism Portal|accessdate=25 December 2014}}</ref> and [[Bengali language|Bengali]] in the [[Barak Valley]],<ref name="BarakValley">{{cite web|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-assam-government-withdraws-assamese-as-official-language-in-barak-valley-restores-bengali-2017504|title=Assam government withdraws Assamese as official language in Barak Valley, restores Bengali|website=DNA India|date=10 September 2014|author=ANI|accessdate=25 December 2014}}</ref> as its official languages.

==Prominent languages of India==
[[File:Language region maps of India.svg|thumb|400px|States and union territories of India by the most commonly spoken first language.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nclm.nic.in/shared/linkimages/NCLM50thReport.pdf |title= Report of the Commissioner for linguistic minorities: 50th report (July 2012 to June 2013) |publisher=Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities, Ministry of Minority Affairs, Government of India |format=PDF| accessdate=17 September 2016}}</ref><ref group="lower-alpha">Some languages may be over- or underrepresented as the census data used is at the state-level. For example, while Urdu has 52 million speakers (2001), in no state is it a majority as the language itself is primarily limited to Indian Muslims.</ref>]]
Besides Hindi, the following languages (arranged in descending order as regards numbers of speakers) are each spoken by more than 25 million Indians - Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Odia and Punjabi.<ref name="CensusData2001S1" /><!-- These are arranged per the "List of languages by number of native speakers in India" Wikipedia article which is based on the 2001 census. It is the last reliable count of speakers in India. Do not rearrange this per some other count.  -->

===Telugu===
{{Main article|Telugu language}}
Telugu is the most widely spoken [[Dravidian languages|Dravidian language]] in India. Telugu is an official language in [[Andhra Pradesh]], [[Telangana]] and the union territory of [[Puducherry]], making it one of the few languages (along with Hindi, Bengali, and Urdu) with official status in more than one state. It is also spoken by significant minorities in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, and by the Sri Lankan Gypsy people. It is one of six languages with [[classical language of India|classical status in India]]. Telugu ranks third by the number of native speakers in India (74 million in the 2001 Census), fifteenth in the ''Ethnologue'' list of most-spoken languages worldwide and is the most widely spoken Dravidian language. 

In loans from [[Sanskrit]], Telugu retains features that have subsequently been lost in some of Sanskrit's daughter languages, including Hindi and Bengali.

===Tamil===
{{Main article|Tamil language}}
[[File:Thiruppugazh - Umbartharu - Hamsadhwani.wav|thumb|15th-century anthology of Tamil religious poem dedicated to lord [[Ganesha]]]]
Tamil (also spelt as ''Thamizh'':தமிழ்) is a [[Dravidian language]] predominantly spoken in [[Tamil Nadu]], [[Puduchery]] 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 fourth by the number of native speakers in India (72 million in the 2001 Census) 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}}</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 |title=The I.A.S. Tamil Medical Manuscript Collection |publisher=UNESCO|accessdate=13 September 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|url=http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID=23084&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html |title=Saiva Manuscript in Pondicherry |publisher=UNESCO |accessdate=13 September 2012}}</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 |title=Memory of the World Register: India |publisher=UNESCO |accessdate=13 September 2012}}</ref>
Tamil is an official language of Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Sri Lanka and [[Singapore]].

===Bengali===
{{Main article|Bengali language}}
Native to the Bengal region, comprising the nation of [[Bangladesh]] and the [[States of India by Bengali speakers|states]] of [[West Bengal]], [[Tripura]], [[Assam]], and [[Jharkhand]] and the union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Bengali is the fifth most spoken language in the world. After partition of India [1947], refugees from East Pakistan were settled in Delhi, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh. There is also a large number of Bengali-speaking people in Maharashtra and Gujarat where they work as artisans in jewellery industries. Bengali developed from [[Abahatta]], a derivative of [[Apabhramsha]], itself derived from [[Magadhi]] [[Prakrit]]. The modern [[Bengali vocabulary]] contains the vocabulary base from [[Magadhi Prakrit]] and [[Pali]], also [[Tatsama|borrowings]] & reborrowings from [[Sanskrit]] and other major borrowings from [[Persian language|Persian]], [[Arabic language|Arabic]], [[Austroasiatic languages]] and other languages in contact with. Like most Indian languages, Bengali has a number of dialects. Interestingly it exhibits [[diglossia]], with the literary and standard form differing greatly from the colloquial speech of the regions that identify with the language.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lrc.cornell.edu/asian/courses/bengali|title=The Bengali Language at Cornell - Department of Asian Studies|publisher=}}</ref> Bengali language has developed a rich cultural base spanning art, music, literature and religion. There have been many movements in defense of this language and in 1999 [[UNESCO]] declared 21 Feb as the [[International Mother Language Day]] in commemoration of the [[Bengali Language Movement]] in 1952.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Chu|first1=Emily|title=UNESCO Dhaka Newsletter|url=http://www.unesco.org/new/fileadmin/MULTIMEDIA/FIELD/Dhaka/pdf/Publications/UNESCO%20Dhaka%20Newsletter%203v2.pdf|publisher=[[UNESCO]]|accessdate=24 January 2015}}</ref>

===Marathi===
{{Main article|Marathi language}}
[[Marathi language|Marathi]] is an [[Indo-Aryan language]].It is the official language and co-official language in [[Maharashtra]] and [[Goa]] states of Western India respectively, and is one of the official languages of India. There were 68 million speakers in 2001 and 73 million speakers in 2007, ranking 19th in the [[List of languages by number of native speakers#Nationalencyklopedin|list of most spoken languages]]. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India. Marathi has some of the oldest literature of all modern Indo-Aryan languages, dating from about 1200 AD (Mukundraj's ''Vivek Sindhu'' from the close of the 12th century). The major dialects of Marathi are Standard Marathi and the Varhadi dialect. There are other related languages such as Khandeshi, Dangi, [[Vadvali]] and [[Samavedi]]. [[Malvani Konkani]] has been heavily influenced by Marathi varieties.Marathi is one of several languages that descend from Maharashtri Prakrit. Further change led to the Apabhraṃśa languages like [[Old Marathi]].

Marathi is the official language of Maharashtra and co-official language in the union territories of Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli. In [[Goa]], [[Konkani language|Konkani]] is the sole official language; however, Marathi may also be used for all official purposes.

Over a period of many centuries the Marathi language and people came into contact with many other languages and dialects. The primary influence of [[Prakrit]], [[Maharashtri]], [[Kannada]], Apabhraṃśa and [[Sanskrit]] is understandable. At least 50% of the words in Marathi are either taken or derived from Sanskrit. Many scholars claim that Sanskrit has derived many words from Marathi. Marathi has also shared directions, vocabulary and grammar with languages such as Indian Dravidian languages, and foreign languages such as [[Persian language|Persian]], [[Arabic]], [[English language|English]] and a little from [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]].

===Urdu===
{{Main article|Urdu language}}
After independence, [[Modern Standard Urdu]],  the Persianised register of Hindustani became the national language of Pakistan. During British colonial times, a knowledge of Hindustani or Urdu was must for officials. Hindustani was made the second language of British Indian Empire after English and considered as the language of administration. 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 [[Jammu and Kashmir]], [[National Capital Territory of Delhi|Delhi]], [[Uttar Pradesh]], [[Bihar]] and [[Telangana]] that have significant Muslim populations. Some dialects of Hindi, especially those that arose in Muslim-dominated areas.

===Gujarati===
{{Main article|Gujarati language}}
Gujarati is an [[Indo-Aryan languages|Indo-Aryan language]]. It is native to the [[west India]]n region of [[Gujarat]]. Gujarati is part of the greater [[Indo-European languages|Indo-European]] [[language family]]. Gujarati is descended from [[Old Gujarati language|Old Gujarati]] (c. 1100 – 1500&nbsp;CE), the same source as that of [[Rajasthani language|Rajasthani]]. Gujarati is the chief language in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is also an official language in the [[union territory|union territories]] of [[Daman and Diu]] and [[Dadra and Nagar Haveli]]. According to the [[Central Intelligence Agency]] (CIA), 4.5% of population of India (1.21&nbsp;billion according to 2011 census) speaks Gujarati. This amounts to 54.6&nbsp;million speakers in India.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwt-services.co.uk/translations/languages/gujarati-translation-216|title=Translation from Gujarati to English and from English to Gujarati - Translation Services|author=Sandra Küng|date=6 June 2013|publisher=}}</ref>

===Kannada===
{{Main article|Kannada}}
Kannada language is a Dravidian language which branched off from [[Kannada-Tamil]] sub group around 500 B.C.E according to the Dravidian scholar Zvelebil.<ref name="constitution">Zvelebil in H. Kloss & G.D. McConnell; ''Constitutional languages'', p.240, Presses Université Laval, 1 Jan 1989, ISBN 2-7637-7186-6</ref>  According to the Dravidian scholars Steever and Krishnamurthy, the study of Kannada language is usually divided into three linguistic phases: Old (450–1200 CE), Middle (1200–1700 CE) and Modern (1700–present).<ref>Steever, S. B., ''The Dravidian Languages'' (Routledge Language Family Descriptions), 1998, p.129, London, Routledge, ISBN 0-415-10023-2</ref><ref name="krishna">Krishnamurti, Bhadriraju, ''The Dravidian Languages'' (Cambridge Language Surveys), 2003, p.23, Cambridge and London: Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0-521-77111-0</ref> The earliest written records are from the 5th century,<ref name="record">H. Kloss & G.D. McConnell, ''Constitutional languages'', p.239, Presses Université Laval, 1 Jan 1989, ISBN 2-7637-7186-6</ref> and the earliest available literature in rich manuscript (''[[Kavirajamarga]]'') is from c. 850.<ref name="literature1">Narasimhacharya R; ''History of Kannada Literature'', p.2, 1988, Asian Educational Services, New Delhi, ISBN 81-206-0303-6</ref><ref name="literature2">Sastri, Nilakanta K.A.; ''A history of South India from prehistoric times to the fall of Vijayanagar'', 1955, 2002, India Branch of Oxford University Press, New Delhi, ISBN 0-19-560686-8</ref> Kannada language has the second oldest written tradition of all vernacular languages of India.<ref name="verna1">Das, Sisir Kumar; ''A History of Indian Literature, 500-1399: From Courtly to the Popular'', pp.140-141, Sahitya Akademi, 2005, New Delhi, ISBN 81-260-2171-3</ref><ref name="oldest">R Zydenbos in Cushman S, Cavanagh C, Ramazani J, Rouzer P, ''The Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics: Fourth Edition'', p.767, Princeton University Press, 2012, ISBN 978-0-691-15491-6</ref> Current estimates of the total number of [[Epigraphy|epigraph]] present in Karnataka range from 25,000 by the scholar [[Sheldon Pollock]] to over 30,000 by the [[Sahitya Akademi]],<ref name="current">Datta, Amaresh; ''Encyclopaedia of Indian literature&nbsp;– vol 2'', p.1717, 1988, Sahitya Akademi, ISBN 81-260-1194-7</ref> making Karnataka state "one of the most densely inscribed pieces of real estate in the world".<ref name="dense">Sheldon Pollock in Dehejia, Vidya; ''The Body Adorned: Sacred and Profane in Indian Art'', p.5, chapter:''The body as Leitmotif'', 2013, Columbia University Press, ISBN 978-0-231-14028-7</ref> According to Garg and Shipely, more than a thousand notable writers have contributed to the wealth of the language.<ref name="wealth1">Garg, Gaṅgā Rām; ''Encyclopaedia of the Hindu World, Volume 1'', p.68, Concept Publishing Company, 1992, New Delhi, ISBN 978-81-7022-374-0</ref><ref name="wealth2">Shipley, Joseph T.; ''Encyclopedia of Literature&nbsp;– Vol I'', p.528, 2007, READ BOOKS, ISBN 1-4067-0135-1</ref>

===Malayalam===
{{Main article|Malayalam}}
Malayalam {{IPAc-en|m|ʌ|l|ə|ˈ|j|ɑː|l|ə|m}}<ref>Laurie Bauer, 2007, ''The Linguistics Student’s Handbook'', Edinburgh</ref> ({{indic|lang=ml|indic=മലയാളം|trans=Malayāḷam|showlang=false}} {{IPA-ml|mɐləjaːɭəm|}}) has [[official language]] status in the state of [[Kerala]] and in the union territories of [[Lakshadweep]] and [[Puducherry]]. It belongs to the [[Dravidian languages|Dravidian family of languages]] and is spoken by some 38 million people. Malayalam is also spoken in the neighboring states of [[Tamil Nadu]] and [[Karnataka]]; with some speakers in [[the Nilgiris District|the Nilgiris]], [[Kanyakumari district|Kanyakumari]] and [[Coimbatore district|Coimbatore]] districts of [[Tamil Nadu]], and the [[Dakshina Kannada]] and the [[Kodagu district]] of [[Karnataka]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.karnatakavision.com/dakshin-kannada.php|title=Dakshina Kannada District: Dakshin Kannada also called South Canara - coastal district of Karnataka state|publisher=Karnatakavision.com|accessdate=2012-02-20}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/2008/11/26/stories/2008112656840300.htm|location=Chennai, India|work=The Hindu|title=Kodagu-Kerala association is ancient|date=26 November 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/2008/12/09/stories/2008120951660300.htm|location=Chennai, India|work=The Hindu|title=Virajpet Kannada Sahitya Sammelan on January 19|date=9 December 2008}}</ref> Malayalam originated from [[Middle Tamil language|Middle Tamil (Sen-Tamil)]] in the 7th century.<ref name="Asher2013">{{cite book|last1=Asher|first1=R|last2=Kumari|first2=T. C.|title=Malayalam|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hRNTAQAAQBAJ&pg=PR24|accessdate=19 December 2016|date=11 October 2013|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-136-10084-0|page=xxiv}}</ref> As Malayalam began to freely borrow words as well as the rules of grammar from [[Sanskrit]], the [[Grantha alphabet]] was adopted for writing and came to be known as ''Arya Eluttu''.<ref>[http://www.tnarch.gov.in/epi/ins3.htm Epigraphy - Grantha Script] Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology</ref> This developed into the modern [[Malayalam script]].<ref>Andronov, Mikhail Sergeevich. ''A Grammar of the Malayalam Language in Historical Treatment''. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 1996.</ref>

===Odia===
{{Main article|Odia language}}
Odia (formerly spelled ''Oriya'')<ref>{{cite news|url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/orissa-to-odisha-negotiable-instruments-act/1/158874.html|title=Mixed views emerge as Orissa becomes Odisha|work=India Today|accessdate=10 November 2011}}</ref> is the only Indian classical language from [[Indo-Aryan languages|Indo-Aryan]] group. Odia is primarily spoken in the Indian state of [[Odisha]] and has over 40 million speakers. It was declared as a classical language of India in 2014. Native speakers comprise 80% of the population in Odisha.<ref name=LSI-Orissa>{{cite book|last=Mahapatra|first=B. P.|title=Linguistic Survey of India: Orissa|year=2002|publisher=Language Division, Office of the Registrar General|location=Kolkata, India|page=14|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011-documents/lsi/ling_Orissa.html|accessdate=20 February 2014|format=PDF}}</ref> Odia is thought to have originated from [[Magadhi Prakrit]] similar to [[Ardha Magadhi]], a language spoken in eastern India over 1,500 years ago. The history of Odia language can be divided to Old Odia<ref name=Gopal>{{cite web|author=[[Gopal Chandra Praharaj]]|url=http://cbioc.eas.asu.edu/cbioc/chitta/bhashakosha/Garbhagruha/Purnachandra%20Bhashakosha%20Vol%20I/Bhashakosha%20I-1,%20folio,%201-400.pdf|title=Purnachandra bhasakosa|volume=1|page=25|publisher=Cbioc.eas.asu.edu|year=1931|accessdate=2012-11-29}}</ref> (7th century–1200), Early Middle Odia (1200–1400), Middle Odia (1400–1700), Late Middle Odia (1700–1850) and Modern Odia (1850 till present day). The [[National Mission for Manuscripts|National Manuscripts Mission of India]] have found around 213,000 unearthed and preserved manuscripts in written in Odia.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Kumarl|first1=Chethan|title=Manuscript mission: Tibetan beats all but three Indian languages - Times of India|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Manuscript-mission-Tibetan-beats-all-but-three-Indian-languages/articleshow/53284630.cms|accessdate=11 November 2016|work=The Times of India|date=19 July 2016}}</ref>

===Punjabi===
{{Main article|Punjabi language}}
[[Punjabi language|Punjabi]], written in the [[Gurmukhi script]] in India, is one of the prominent languages of India with about 33 million speakers. In Pakistan it is spoken by over 60 million people and is written in the [[Shahmukhi alphabet]]. It is mainly spoken in [[Punjab]] but also in neighboring areas.

===Assamese===
{{Main article|Assamese language}}
Asamiya or Assamese language is most popular in the state of Assam and [[Brahmaputra Valley]].<ref name="india-travel-agents.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.india-travel-agents.com/india-guide/languages.html|title=Common Languages of India - Popular Indian Language - Languages Spoken in India - Major Indian Languages|publisher=}}</ref> It's an [[Indo-Aryan languages|Eastern Indo-Aryan language]] having more that 10M speakers as per world estimates by [[Microsoft Encarta|Encarta]].<ref name="web.archive.org">{{cite web|url=http://encarta.msn.com/media_701500404/Languages_Spoken_by_More_Than_10_Million_People.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071203134724/http://encarta.msn.com/media_701500404/Languages_Spoken_by_More_Than_10_Million_People.html|title=Languages Spoken by More Than 10 Million People|archivedate=3 December 2007|publisher=}}</ref>

=={{anchor|Classical}}Classical languages==
In 2004, the [[Government of India]] declared that languages that met certain requirements could be accorded the status of a "Classical Language in India".<ref name="bbcclassical">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3667032.stm |publisher=BBC |title=India sets up classical languages |accessdate=1 May 2007 | date=17 September 2004}}</ref>  Languages thus far declared to be Classical are [[Tamil language|Tamil]] (in 2004),<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/2004/09/18/stories/2004091806530100.htm |title=Front Page : Tamil to be a classical language |publisher=The Hindu |date=18 September 2004 |accessdate=1 August 2010 |location=Chennai, India}}</ref> [[Sanskrit]] (in 2005),<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/2005/10/28/stories/2005102809281200.htm |title=National : Sanskrit to be declared classical language |publisher=The Hindu |date=28 October 2005 |accessdate=1 August 2010 |location=Chennai, India}}</ref> [[Kannada language|Kannada]] (in 2008), [[Telugu language|Telugu]] (in 2008),<ref name="antiquity">{{cite web|url=http://pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=44340|title=Declaration of Telugu and Kannada as classical languages|work=Press Information Bureau|publisher=Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Government of India|accessdate=31 October 2008}}</ref> [[Malayalam language|Malayalam]] (in 2013),<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/classical-status-for-malayalam/article4744630.ece | title=‘Classical’ status for Malayalam |publisher=[[The Hindu]] |date=24 May 2013 |accessdate=25 May 2013 |location=Thiruvananthapuram, India}}</ref> and [[Odia language|Odia]] (in 2014).<ref name=Hindu-Oriya-Classical>{{cite news|title=Odia gets classical language status|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/odia-gets-classical-language-status/article5709028.ece|accessdate=20 February 2014|newspaper=The Hindu|date=20 February 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhubaneswar/Milestone-for-state-as-Odia-gets-classical-language-status/articleshow/30779140.cms|title=Milestone for state as Odia gets classical language status|work=The Times of India}}</ref>
In a 2006 press release, Minister of Tourism & Culture Ambika Soni told the Rajya Sabha the following criteria were laid down to determine the eligibility of languages to be considered for classification as a "Classical Language",<ref name="offshoots">{{cite web|url=http://pib.nic.in/release/rel_print_page1.asp?relid=19653|title=CLASSICAL LANGUAGE STATUS TO KANNADA|publisher=Press Information Bureau, Government of India|date=8 August 2006|accessdate=6 November 2008}}</ref>

{{quote| High antiquity of its early texts/recorded history over a period of 1500–2000 years; a body of ancient literature/texts, which is considered a valuable heritage by generations of speakers; the literary tradition be original and not borrowed from another speech community; the classical language and literature being distinct from modern, there may also be a discontinuity between the classical language and its later forms or its offshoots.}}

The Government has been criticised for not including [[Pali]], [[Arabic]] and [[Persian_language|Persian]] as classical languages, as experts have argued it fits all the above criteria.<ref name=BSingh2013>{{cite news|last=Singh|first=Binay|title=Removal of Pali as UPSC subject draws criticism|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/varanasi/Removal-of-Pali-as-UPSC-subject-draws-criticism/articleshow/19890980.cms|accessdate=20 February 2014|newspaper=The Times of India|date=5 May 2013}}</ref><ref>http://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/column-reviving-classical-languages-2113875</ref><ref>http://www.ummid.com/news/2013/September/04.09.2013/scholars-on-arabic-persian-in-upsc.html</ref>

===Benefits===
As per Government of India's Resolution No. 2-16/2004-US(Akademies) dated 1 November 2004, the benefits that will accrue to a language declared as "Classical Language" are
# Two major international awards for scholars of eminence in Classical Indian Languages are awarded annually.
# A 'Centre of Excellence for Studies in Classical Languages' is set up.
# The [[University Grants Commission (India)|University Grants Commission]] be requested to create, to start with at least in the Central Universities, a certain number of Professional Chairs for Classical Languages for scholars of eminence in Classical Indian Languages.<ref name=":0">{{Cite press release|title = Classical Status to Oriya Language|date = 14 August 2013|url = http://pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=98244}}</ref>

==Other local languages and dialects==
The 2001 census identified the following native languages having more than one million speakers. Most of them are dialects/variants grouped under Hindi.<ref name="CensusData2001S1"/>
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Languages !! No. of native speakers<ref name="CensusData2001S1"/>
|-
|[[Bhojpuri language|Bhojpuri]] || 33,099,497
|-
|[[Rajasthani language|Rajasthani]] || 18,355,613
|-
|[[Magahi language|Magadh/Magahi]] || 13,978,565
|-
|[[Chhattisgarhi language|Chhattisgarhi]] || 13,260,186
|-
|[[Haryanvi language|Haryanvi]] || 7,997,192
|-
|[[Marwari language|Marwari]] || 7,936,183
|-
|[[Malvi language|Malvi]] || 5,565,167
|-
|[[Mewari language|Mewari]] || 5,091,697
|-
|[[Khortha language|Khorth/Khotta]] || 4,725,927
|-
|[[Bundeli language|Bundeli]] || 3,072,147
|-
|[[Bagheli language|Bagheli]] || 2,865,011
|-
|[[Pahari language|Pahari]] || 2,832,825
|-
|[[Lamani language|Laman/Lambadi]] || 2,707,562
|-
|[[Awadhi language|Awadhi]] || 2,529,308
|-
|[[Harauti language|Harauti]] || 2,462,867
|-
|[[Garhwali language|Garhwali]] || 2,267,314
|-
|[[Nimadi language|Nimadi]] || 2,148,146
|-
|[[Sadri language|Sadan/Sadri]] || 2,044,776
|-
|[[Kumauni language|Kumauni]] || 2,003,783
|-
|[[Dhundari language|Dhundhari]] || 1,871,130
|-
|[[Tulu language|Tulu]] || 1,722,768
|-
|[[Surgujia language|Surgujia]] || 1,458,533
|-
|[[Bagri language|Bagri Rajasthani]] || 1,434,123
|-
|[[Banjari language|Banjari]] || 1,259,821
|-
|[[Varhadi dialect|Nagpuria (Varhadi)]] || 1,242,586
|-
|[[Surajpuri language|Surajpuri]] || 1,217,019
|-
|[[Kangri language|Kangri]] || 1,122,843
|}

=== Practical problems ===

India has several languages in use; choosing any single language as an official language presents problems to all those whose "mother tongue" is different. However, all the [[Boards of Education in India|boards of education]] across India recognise the need for training people to one common language.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cgs.illinois.edu/content/language-and-globalization|title= Language and Globalization: Center for Global Studies at the University of Illinois|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510062844/http://cgs.illinois.edu/content/language-and-globalization|archivedate=10 May 2013}}</ref> There are complaints that in [[North India]], non-Hindi speakers have language trouble. Similarly, there are complaints that North Indians have to undergo difficulties on account of language when travelling to [[South India]]. It is common to hear of incidents that result due to friction between those who strongly believe in the chosen [[official language]], and those who follow the thought that the chosen language(s) do not take into account everyone's preferences.<ref>{{cite news|last=Prakash|first=A Surya|url=http://www.dailypioneer.com/columnist1.asp?main_variable=Columnist&file_name=surya%2Fsurya25.txt&writer=surya |title=Indians are no less racial|work=The Pioneer|date=27 September 2007|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927033944/http://www.dailypioneer.com/columnist1.asp?main_variable=Columnist&file_name=surya%2Fsurya25.txt&writer=surya|archivedate=27 September 2007}}</ref> Local official language commissions have been established and various steps are being taken in a direction to reduce tensions and friction.{{Citation needed|date=May 2011}}

==Language conflicts==
{{Further information|Anti-Hindi agitations of Tamil Nadu |Pure Tamil movement|Gokak agitation}}

There are conflicts over [[linguistic rights]] in India. The first major linguistic conflict, known as the [[Anti-Hindi agitations of Tamil Nadu]], took place in Tamil Nadu against the implementation of Hindi as the official language of India. Political analysts consider this as a major factor in bringing [[Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam|DMK]] to power and leading to the ousting and nearly total elimination of the Congress party in Tamil Nadu.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/mag/2005/01/16/stories/2005011600272536.htm |title=Magazine / Columns : Hindi against India |publisher=The Hindu |date= 16 January 2005|accessdate=1 August 2010 |location=Chennai, India}}</ref> Strong cultural pride based on language is also found in other Indian states such as Bengal, Maharashtra and in Karnataka. To express disapproval of the imposition of Hindi on its states' people as a result of the central government, the governments of Maharashtra and Karnataka made the state languages mandatory in educational institutions.<ref>{{cite web|author=<!--Updated 1136 hrs 3 Feb 2010 (+5:30 GMT) --> |url=http://ibnlive.in.com/news/marathi-a-must-in-maharashtra-schools/28502-3.html |title=Marathi a must in Maharashtra schools&nbsp;— India News |publisher=IBNLive |date=3 February 2010 |accessdate=1 August 2010}}</ref>

The [[Government of India]] attempts to assuage these conflicts with various campaigns, coordinated by the [[Central Institute of Indian Languages]], [[Mysore]], a branch of the Department of Higher Education, Language Bureau, and the [[Ministry of Human Resource Development (India)|Ministry of Human Resource Development]].{{clarify|date=December 2014}}{{citation needed|date=December 2014}}

==Writing systems==
{{Main article|Indic scripts|Nasta'liq script}}

Most languages in India are written in Brahmi-derived scripts, such as [[Devanagari]], [[Tamil alphabet|Tamil]], [[Telugu alphabet|Telugu]], [[Kannada alphabet|Kannada]], [[Odia alphabet|Odia]], [[List of languages by writing system#Eastern Nagari script (Assamese/Bengali)|Eastern Nagari - Assamese/Bengali]], etc., though Urdu is written in [[Urdu alphabet|a script derived from Arabic]], and a few minor languages such as [[Santali language|Santali]] use independent scripts.{{citation needed|date=December 2014}}

Various Indian languages have their own scripts. [[Hindi language|Hindi]], [[Marathi language|Marathi]] and [[Angika language|Angika]] are languages written using the [[Devanagari]] script. Most major languages are written using a script specific to them, such as [[Assamese language|Assamese (Asamiya)]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Indoarische_Sprachen.png|title=File:Indoarische Sprachen.png|publisher=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=OtCPAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA430&lpg=PA430&dq=asamiya+language&source=bl&ots=u2gVwFFHqt&sig=KkJn-GM-K3fXwk5gVRV-B-LutRQ&hl=en&sa=X&ei=hLuaVP-vFey67gb5-4HwDg&ved=0CGAQ6AEwDg#v=onepage&q=asamiya%20language&f=false|title=The Indo-Aryan Languages|publisher=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=zkguECp3vKEC&pg=PA58&lpg=PA58&dq=asamiya+language&source=bl&ots=fuTUJUZFYW&sig=uyDN70iTgfBBGQFCzjLI4NVasxQ&hl=en&sa=X&ei=m7uaVJvfHu2Q7AbN1YDYDg&ved=0CCAQ6AEwADgK#v=onepage&q=asamiya%20language&f=false|title=Encyclopaedia of Scheduled Tribes in India|publisher=}}</ref> with [[Assamese alphabet|Asamiya]],<ref name="books.google.co.uk">{{cite web|url=https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=HUXrVyUk0RAC&pg=PA348&lpg=PA348&dq=asamiya+language&source=bl&ots=Xfdjxdyu5c&sig=4U1JEMze-3DnU4_0N6O1HK6f9pE&hl=en&sa=X&ei=m7uaVJvfHu2Q7AbN1YDYDg&ved=0CCsQ6AEwAzgK#v=onepage&q=asamiya%20language&f=false|title=The Brahmaputra Basin Water Resources|publisher=}}</ref> [[Bengali language|Bengali]] with [[Bengali script|Bengali]], [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]] with [[Gurmukhi script|Gurmukhi]], [[Odia language|Odia]] with [[Odia script]], Gujarati with [[Gujarati script|Gujarati]], etc. [[Urdu language|Urdu]] and sometimes [[Kashmiri language|Kashmiri]], [[Saraiki language|Saraiki]] and [[Sindhi language|Sindhi]] are written in modified versions of the [[Urdu alphabet|Perso-Arabic script]]. With this one exception, the scripts of Indian languages are native to India. Languages like [[Kodava language|Kodava]] that didn't have a script whereas [[Tulu language|Tulu]] which had a script adopted Kannada due to its readily available printing settings; these languages have taken up the scripts of the local official languages as their own and are written in the [[Kannada script]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/kfa/|title=Kodava|newspaper=Ethnologue|access-date=2016-10-14}}</ref>[[File:Development of Orissan scripts.jpg|thumb|800x800px|Development of Odia script]]

<gallery widths="250px" heights="120px">
File:Jambai Tamil Brahmi.jpg|[[Tamil-Brahmi]] inscription in [[Jambai_village#Jambaimalai|Jambaimalai]].

File:Asokan brahmi pillar edict.jpg|North Indian Brahmi found in Ashok pillar.

File:Halmidi OldKannada inscription.JPG|The [[Halmidi inscription]], the oldest known inscription in the Kannada script and language. The inscription is dated to the 450 CE - 500 CE period.
File:Telugu inscription at Srikakulam, Krishna District in Andhra Pradesh.jpg|An early [[Telugu script|Telugu]] inscription found in the [[Krishna district]] of [[Andhra Pradesh]].
</gallery>
==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==See also==
{{Portal|India|Languages}}
* [[List of endangered languages in India]]
* [[List of languages by number of native speakers in India]]
* [[National Translation Mission]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
* [http://www.muturzikin.com/cartesasie/10.htm Linguistic map of India] with a detailed map of [http://www.muturzikin.com/cartesasiesudest/7.htm the Seven Sister States (India)] at Muturzikin.com
* [http://www.cs.colostate.edu/~malaiya/scripts.html Languages and Scripts of India]
* [http://indicpad.com/ Typing in Indian Languages]
* [http://www.kamat.com/indica/diversity/languages.htm Diversity of Languages in India]
* [http://www.ciil.org/ A comprehensive federal government site that offers complete info on Indian Languages]
* [http://tdil.mit.gov.in/news.htm Technology Development for Indian Languages, Government of India]

{{Languages of India}}
{{Languages of South Asia}}
{{Languages of Asia}}
{{Life in India}}

[[Category:Languages of India| ]]
[[Category:Demographics of India]]