List of national languages of India
India has a diverse list of spoken
languages among different groups of people. At least 30 different languages and around 2000
dialects have been identified. The
Constitution of India has stipulated the usage of
Hindi and
English to be the two languages of official communication for the national government. Additionally, it classifies a set of 18
scheduled languages which are languages that can be officially adopted by different states for administrative purposes, and also as a medium of communication between the national and the state governments, as also for examinations conducted for national government service.
As drafted, English ceased to exist as an
official language (on par with Hindi) in
1965, after which it was intended to continue as an "associate additional official language" until such time that a duly appointed committee can decide on a full-scale transition to Hindi, based on a periodic review. However, due to resentment and protests in certain non-Hindi speaking states, the "twin language" system is still in vogue. Due to rapid
industrialization, and a bustling multinational influence in the economy, English continues to be a popular and influential means of communication in the government and day-to-day business, and moves to replace it have effectively been shelved.
National languages (Central administrative)
- Hindi\n#English (associate official)
Recognized national languages of India (Scheduled list for official use)
\n#Assamese (official language of Assam)\n#Bengali (official language of Tripura and West Bengal)\n#Bodo (official language of Assam)\n#Dogri (official language of Jammu and Kashmir)\n#Gujarati (official language of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, and Gujarat)\n#Hindi (official language of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Bihar, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttaranchal)\n#Kannada (official language of Karnataka)\n#Kashmiri\n#Konkani (official language of Goa)\n#Maithili (official language of Bihar)\n#Malayalam (official language of Kerala and Lakshadweep)\n#Manipuri (official language of Manipur)\n#Marathi (official language of Maharashtra)\n#Nepali (official language of Sikkim)\n#Oriya (official language of Orissa)\n#Punjabi (official language of Punjab)\n#Sanskrit\n#Santali\n#Sindhi\n#Tamil (official language of Pondicherry and Tamil Nadu)\n#Telugu (official language of Andhra Pradesh)\n#Urdu (official language of Jammu and Kashmir)
Other popular languages of India
(over 5 million speakers but no official status)\n#Awadhi\n#Bhojpuri (language of Bihar)\n#Bundeli\n#Chhattisgarhi (language of Chhattisgarh)\n#Haryanvi (language of Haryana)\n#Kanauji (language of Uttar Pradesh)\n#Magahi (language of southern Bihar)\n#Marwari (language of Rajasthan)\n
External links
\n*Department of Official Language (DOL) - Official webpage explains the chronological events related to Official Languages Act and amendments
