Interesting Facts About Indian Languages

Facts and Data on The Languages of India

Language is an important attribute of a population, and has great relevance and significance in a pluri-lingual and pluri-ethnic land like India. The Census of India has been the richest source of language data collected and published at the successive decennial censuses for more than a century. The language data is particularly useful in the country having diverse people since no separate question is asked on their ethnicity
except in respect of the scheduled tribes.
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Hindi is the mother tongue of 44 per cent of Indian population

The percentage of Indian population with Hindi as their mother tongue has risen to 43.63 per cent from 41.03 per cent in 2001, according to data on language released as part of Census 2011. Bengali remains the second most spoken language, while Marathi has replaced Telugu in third place.

Sanskrit was the least spoken of the country's 22 scheduled languages. With just 24,821 persons listing it as their mother tongue, it was slotted below Bodo, Manipuri, Konkani and Dogri languages in terms of number of speakers.

More at: timesofindia.indiatimes.com

History of Indian Languages

Read this clip to know about some interesting historical facts about the numerous Indian languages.

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The Classical Languages of India

The first call for a classical language was given by Tamil academicians. They claimed that the Sangam anthologies should be considered as classical languages. It's an ancient language and the old Tamil is the prototype of the Dravidian family of languages. The government took a note and then consulted the experts of the Sahitya Academi. Later a committee was established and some criteria were established to grant the status of classical languages.
The following six languages are included in the list of Classical Languages:
Tamil (since 2004), Sanskrit (since 2005), Telugu (since 2008), Kannada (Since 2008), Malayalam (since 2013) and Odiya (since 2014).

More at: www.gktoday.in

The Top 10 Most Spoken Languages in India

There is an astonishing wealth of languages spoken across India, ranging from widely spoken ones such as Hindi and English, to those at threat of extinction, such as those of the Great Andamanese family.

Read this clip to know about the most spoken languages of India.

More at: www.listenandlearnusa.com

10 Amazing Facts About Sanskrit

Remember how we used to dread our Sanskrit classes? Those dangerous words that never seemed to make any sense used to give a cold sweat to many in the examination hall. But with time, we realised the importance of this ancient language. One of the oldest languages known to mankind, it's heartening to see Sanskrit finally getting the mainstream respect it deserves. So here are 10 amazing Sanskrit facts that'll definitely make you want to learn the language asap.

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All About The Indian Linguistic Space

India writes in many languages and speaks in many more voices.
And yet, communication has never broken down in this sub-continent.
With about 2.4 per cent of the world's land surface and a total
of 16 per cent of the world's population (India: A Country Study by James
Heitzman and Robert L. Worden eds. Federal Research Division;
1995), India houses according to one estimate, 1,652 "mothertongues"
- including 103 foreign mother tongues (Census 1961 &
Nigam 1972: p. xv).

More at: mhrd.gov.in

How did Tamil qualify as a chair at Harvard University

How did Tamil qualify as a chair at Harvard University? And what surprised Harvard the most when considering Tamil? Let's find out.