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Local Dialects or Mother Tongues | Indian Culture

BRIEF | MOTHER TONGUES OF INDIA ACCORDING TO THE 1961 CENSUS

The languages of India primarily belong to two major linguistic families, Indo-European (whose branch Indo-Aryan is spoken by about 75 percent of the population) and Dravidian (spoken by about 25 percent). Other languages spoken in India come mainly from the Austro-Asiatic and Tibeto-Burman linguistic families, as well as a few language isolates. Individual mother tongues in India number several hundred and more than a thousand if major dialects are included. While Hindi is the official language of the central government in India, with English as a provisional official sub-language, individual state legislatures can adopt any regional language as the official language of that state. The Constitution of India recognizes 23 official languages, spoken in different parts of the country, and two official classical languages, Sanskrit and Tamil.

The census enumerators were asked to write down the names given by the individuals without making any correction. These mother tongues were then sought to be “rationalized” and identified with the languages or dialects through a careful analysis of the names. Sometimes the individuals gave the name of their caste as their language, not distinguishing between language and caste. Sometimes they gave the name of a language which they did not speak, but which is supposed to be used by the members of the religious group they belonged to. Sometimes, they gave the names of their profession. The region they came from was also used to indicate their speech. While such mixing of the names of languages with caste, profession, religion, and region, etc. somewhat led to a confusing picture of the actual languages spoken in the country, the process of rationalization often (not always) resulted in the identification of the language or dialect that the individual actually spoke. The names of the mother tongues listed in the Cenus of India 1961 clearly reveal the interesting pscho-social and political dynamics of language use in India. The very same dynamics are still in operation, although the subsequent Census reports on Indian languages somewhat tried to standardize the names, and not present the names of mother tongues as they were given by the people.

Abstract of Mother Tongues | Indian Languages

CENSUS OF INDIA 1961 | MOTHER TONGUES

The Language Tables published by the Census of India 1961 is an important milestone in the study of Indian linguistic demography. The Census of India 1961 identified 1652 “mother tongues.” “Mother tongues” thus identified may not have been identical to the languages, dialects, or even speech forms of the individuals. These were the labels used by the individuals to identify their speech, when asked to give the name of the early childhood language used in the household of the individual. A total of 1652 mother tongue names were identified, but it should be remembered that mother tongues are not identical to languages or dialects. The question as to how many languages are spoken in India is still a question that cannot be answered with certainty. We really need another Linguistic Survey of India that will focus not only on identifying the languages and dialects of India, but will provide the unwritten languages with relevant script systems, prepare monolingual, bilingual, and multilingual dictionaries in the lesser known languages, provide resources for the use of these languages at least up to the elementary level in education, and describe and explain the dynamics of language use and identity in the country. A progressive and democratic nation should always feel proud of its diversity and the strength that it derives from such diversity.

EIGHTH SCHEDULE MAY 2007 | MOTHER TONGUES

The Constitution of India now recognizes 23 languages, spoken in different parts of the country. These consist of English plus 22 Indian languages: Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, Meitei, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Santhali, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu. Hindi is a official language of the states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttaranchal, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and the National Capital Territory of Delhi. Tamil is an official language of Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Andamon Nicobar Islands. English is the co-official language of the Indian Union, and each of the several states mentioned above may also have another co-official language.

The following table lists the 22 Indian languages set out in the eighth schedule as of May 2007, together with the regions where they are used:

S. No.
Indian Languages
Indian State(s)/Place(s)/Communities
1.
Assamese/Asomiya
Assam
2.
Bengali/Bangla
Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Tripura, West Bengal,
3.
Bodo
Assam
4.
Dogri
Jammu and Kashmir
5.
Gujarati
Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Gujarat
6.
Hindi
Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, the national capital territory of Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
7.
Kannada
Karnataka
8.
Kashmiri
Jammu and Kashmir
9.
Konkani
Goa, Karnataka,
10.
Maithili
Bihar
11.
Malayalam
Kerala, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep
12.
Manipuri (also Meitei or Meithei)
Manipur
13.
Marathi
Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Goa, Maharashtra
14.
Nepali
Sikkim, West Bengal
15.
Oriya
Orissa
16.
Punjabi
Chandigarh, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab
17.
Sanskrit
Listed as a Classical Language of India.
18.
Santhali
Santhal tribals of the Chota Nagpur Plateau (comprising the states of Bihar, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa)
19.
Sindhi
Sindhi community
20.
Tamil
Tamil Nadu, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Kerala, Puducherry . Listed as a Classical Language of India.
21.
Telugu
Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh
22.
Urdu
Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu

A comparative ranking  of Indian Scheduled Languages | 1971 | 1981 | 1991 | 2001 | 2011

Mother Tongues | Indian Language Groups

CENSUS OF INDIA 2011 | MOTHER TONGUES

As per the 2011 census, 43.63 percent of Indians speak Hindi as their mother tongue. Bengali, with 8.03 percent speakers, is second in the list, followed by Marathi at 3rd with 6.86 percent speakers, Telugu at 4th with 6.7 percent speakers and Tamil at 5th with 5.7 percent speakers. In all, 13 of the 22 scheduled languages were reported as the mother tongue by at least 1 percent of the population. Except for Sanskrit, each of the 21 scheduled languages was reported as the mother tongue by at least 10 lakh people. Sanskrit is the only language that is spoken by a set of around 25000 people.

Rise in Hindi language speakers : Hindi is the most spoken Indian language. It is one of two languages used by the Union government, the other being English. Currently, 43.63 percent of India speaks Hindi including languages such as Bhojpuri that are fighting to be accorded separate status. Between 2001 and 2011, Hindi grew at a rate of 25 percent, adding about 100 million new Hindi speakers. Among the 10 largest languages in India, Hindi is the only one that saw the rise in the proportion of its speakers. The language has been witnessing the growth since 1971, driven mostly by high population growth in the Hindi-speaking states.

Decline in South Indian language speakers : The lower population growth in the five Dravidian language-speaking states, namely Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana has resulted in the fall in proportion of Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam language speakers. While Hindi grew by 161 percent between 1971 and 2011, these four largest Dravidian languages grew at half that rate that is at 81 percent over the same period.

Growth of Hindi language speakers in South India : The growing movement of people from north to south has led to greater presence of Hindi in the five southern states. In Tamil Nadu, the proportion of Hindi speakers nearly doubled from 2001 to 2011. However, in some cases, this growing migration from North to South resulted in agitation such as in Bengaluru, Karnataka; the government was forced to remove Hindi signages from the city metro.

Drop in numbers of Urdu speakers : As per the language census data 2011, two scheduled languages, Urdu and Konkani, saw fall in absolute numbers. There are 50772631 Urdu speakers in India, a fall of about 1.5 percent since 2001. The decline in Konkani speakers is 9.5 percent. Urdu speakers are spread across India but the language’s strongest presence is in the two largest Urdu-speaking states – Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The Urdu language in modern India is associated only with Muslims, however, this fall in Urdu speakers is strange as the Muslim population in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar has grown between 2001 and 2011.

Bengali retains its position as 2nd most spoken language : As per the 2011 census, Bengali, with 8.03 percent, is second in the list after Hindi in terms of percentage of speakers. As Hindi language, Bengali too spreads to other states with migration. The language is spreading to the south and west, there are 4.4 lakh Bengalis in far-off Maharashtra and 2.2 lakh in Delhi. In South, the numbers are small, however, they are growing. In Kerala, the proportion of Bengali speakers has grown nine times.

Sharpest language divides in Assam : The sharpest language divide of India exists in Assam, where a proposed citizenship law and National Register of Citizens have divided the state’s Assamese and Bengali speakers. Assam is the only major state that does not have any language group in a majority. Assamese speakers, the largest group, make up 48 percent of the state, however, the proportion of Bengali speakers went up in 2001-2011.

Increase in English language speakers : English seems to have registered a 15 percent jump in number of speakers since 2001, making it one of the fastest growing languages in the decade.

Decline in tribal languages speakers : The lesser-known tribal languages spoken in remote corners of India have shown a decline, as per the findings of the 2011 Language Census. These include the Sema language of the Naga tribe, the Monpa language of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland’s Phom, Odisha’s Jatapu, Himachal Pradesh’s Lahauli and Bhumij of Eastern India

Language Census

  • The primary objective of the Linguistic Survey of India is to present an updated linguistic scenario.
  • The census followed a certain methodology to arrive at these findings. It defined “Mother tongue” as ‘the language spoken in childhood by the person’s mother to the person. If the mother died in infancy, the language mainly spoken in the person’s home in childhood will be the mother tongue’.
  • There are total 121 languages that are considered as mother tongues. Of these, 22 languages are included in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.
  • The 22 languages included in the Eighth Schedule account for the mother tongue of 96.72 percent Indians as per the 2011 census.

 

The following table lists the names of Mother Tongues and their respective language groups. Kindly inform us, if any local dialects missed under these Indian language groups.

S. No.
Mother Tongue Names
Total Speakers
Language Groups
1
Assamese
14816414
ASSAMESE
2
Bengali
96177835
BENGALI
3
Chakma
228281
BENGALI
4
Haijong/Hajong
71792
BENGALI
5
Rajbangsi
475861
BENGALI
6
Bodo/Boro
1454547
BODO
7
Kachari
15984
BODO
8
Mech/Mechhia
11546
BODO
9
Dogri
2596763
DOGRI
10
Gujarati
55036204
GUJARATI
11
Gujrao/Gujrau
15431
GUJARATI
12
Pattani
16510
GUJARATI
13
Ponchi
13812
GUJARATI
14
Saurashtra/Saurashtri
247702
GUJARATI
15
Awadhi
3850906
HINDI
16
Baghati/Baghati Pahari
15835
HINDI
17
Bagheli/Baghel Khandi
2679129
HINDI
18
Bagri Rajasthani
234227
HINDI
19
Banjari
1581271
HINDI
20
Bhadrawahi
98806
HINDI
21
Bhagoria
20924
HINDI
22
Bharmauri/Gaddi
181069
HINDI
23
Bhojpuri
50579447
HINDI
24
Bishnoi
12079
HINDI
25
Brajbhasha
1556314
HINDI
26
Bundeli/Bundel khandi
5626356
HINDI
27
Chambeali/Chamrali
125746
HINDI
28
Chhattisgarhi
16245190
HINDI
29
Churahi
75552
HINDI
30
Dhundhari
1476446
HINDI
31
Garhwali
2482089
HINDI
32
Gawari
19062
HINDI
33
Gojri/Gujjari/Gujar
1227901
HINDI
34
Handuri
47803
HINDI
35
Hara/Harauti
2944356
HINDI
36
Haryanvi
9806519
HINDI
37
Hindi
322230097
HINDI
38
Jaunpuri/Jaunsari
136779
HINDI
39
Kangri
1117342
HINDI
40
Khari Boli
50195
HINDI
41
Khortha/Khotta
8038735
HINDI
42
Kulvi
196295
HINDI
43
Kumauni
2081057
HINDI
44
Kurmali Thar
311175
HINDI
45
Lamani/Lambadi
3276548
HINDI
46
Laria
89876
HINDI
47
Lodhi
139180
HINDI
48
Magadhi/Magahi
12706825
HINDI
49
Malvi
5212617
HINDI
50
Mandeali
622590
HINDI
51
Marwari
7831749
HINDI
52
Mewari
4212262
HINDI
53
Mewati
856643
HINDI
54
Nagpuria
763014
HINDI
55
Nimadi
2309265
HINDI
56
Padari
17279
HINDI
57
Pahari
3253889
HINDI
58
Palmuha
23579
HINDI
59
Panch Pargania
244914
HINDI
60
Pando/Pandwani
15595
HINDI
61
Pangwali
18668
HINDI
62
Pawari/Powari
325772
HINDI
63
Puran/Puran Bhasha
12375
HINDI
64
Rajasthani
25806344
HINDI
65
Sadan/Sadri
4345677
HINDI
66
Sirmauri
107401
HINDI
67
Sondwari
229788
HINDI
68
Sugali
170987
HINDI
69
Surgujia
1738256
HINDI
70
Surjapuri
2256228
HINDI
71
Badaga
133550
KANNADA
72
Kannada
43506272
KANNADA
73
Kuruba/Kurumba
24189
KANNADA
74
Prakritha/Prakritha Bhasha
12257
KANNADA
75
Kashmiri
6554369
KASHMIRI
76
Kishtwari
39748
KASHMIRI
77
Siraji
124896
KASHMIRI
78
Dardi
25600
KASHMIRI
79
Konkani
2146906
KONKANI
80
Kudubi/Kudumbi
17209
KONKANI
81
Malwani
23617
KONKANI
82
Nawait
13123
KONKANI
83
Gorboli/Goru/Gorwani
50259
KONKANI
84
Maithili
13353347
MAITHILI
85
Purbi Maithili
11116
MAITHILI
86
Thati
165420
MAITHILI
87
Tharu
53575
MAITHILI
88
Malayalam
34776533
MALAYALAM
89
Pania
22808
MALAYALAM
90
Yerava
26563
MALAYALAM
91
Manipuri
1760913
MANIPURI
92
Are
53879
MARATHI
93
Koli
13809
MARATHI
94
Marathi
82801140
MARATHI
95
Nepali
2925796
ODIA
96
Bhatri
334258
ODIA
97
Bhuiya/Bhuyan[Ori]
32126
ODIA
98
Bhumijali
34651
ODIA
99
Desia
227313
ODIA
100
Odia
34059266
ODIA
101
Proja (Ori)
156354
ODIA
102
Relli
12969
ODIA
103
Sambalpuri
2630381
ODIA
104
Bagri
1656588
PUNJABI
105
Bhateali
23970
PUNJABI
106
Bilaspuri Kahluri
295805
PUNJABI
107
Punjabi
31144095
PUNJABI
108
Sanskrit
24709
SANSKRIT
109
Karmali
358579
SANTALI
110
Mahili
26399
SANTALI
111
Santali
6973345
SANTALI
112
Bhatia
22409
SINDHI
113
Kachchhi
1030602
SINDHI
114
Sindhi
1679246
SINDHI
115
Irula/Irular Mozhi
11870
TAMIL
116
Kaikadi
25870
TAMIL
117
Korava
10421
TAMIL
118
Tamil
68888839
TAMIL
119
Yerukala/Yerukula
58065
TAMIL
120
Telugu
80912459
TELUGU
121
Vadari
198020
TELUGU
122
Urdu
50725762
URDU
123
Bhansari
22806
URDU
124
Adi
110307
ADI
125
Adi Gallong/Gallong
29246
ADI
126
Adi Miniyong/Miniyong
13344
ADI
127
Talgalo
69256
ADI
128
Afghani/Kabuli/Pashto
21433
AFGHANI/KABULI/PASHTO
129
Anal
24301
ANAL
130
Angami
40721
ANGAMI
131
Ao
119549
AO
132
Chungli
70782
AO
133
Mongsen
69094
AO
134
Arabic/Arbi
54871
ARABIC/ARBI
135
Balti
13654
BALTI
136
Baori
63028
BHILI/BHILODI
137
Barel
991257
BHILI/BHILODI
138
Bhilali
753466
BHILI/BHILODI
139
Bhili/Bhilodi
3206533
BHILI/BHILODI
140
Chodhari
110570
BHILI/BHILODI
141
Dhodia
49097
BHILI/BHILODI
142
Gamti/Gavit
139118
BHILI/BHILODI
143
Garasia
76749
BHILI/BHILODI
144
Kokna/Kokni/Kukna
416787
BHILI/BHILODI
145
Mawchi
98486
BHILI/BHILODI
146
Paradhi
69085
BHILI/BHILODI
147
Pawri
311677
BHILI/BHILODI
148
Rathi
47801
BHILI/BHILODI
149
Tadavi
52347
BHILI/BHILODI
150
Varli
387481
BHILI/BHILODI
151
Vasava
187036
BHILI/BHILODI
152
Wagdi
3393991
BHILI/BHILODI
153
Bhotia
120583
BHOTIA
154
Bauti
100000
BHOTIA
155
Bhumij
10190
BHUMIJ
156
Bishnupriya Manipuri/Manipuri Bishnupriya
74069
BISHNUPURIYA
157
Chakhesang
19846
CHAKHESANG
158
Chakru/Chokri
91216
CHAKRU/CHOKRI
159
Chang
66852
CHANG
160
Coorgi/Kodagu
16939
COORGI/KODAGU
161
Kodava
96918
COORGI/KODAGU
162
Deori
32376
DEORI
163
Dimasa
133327
DIMASA
164
English
259678
ENGLISH
165
Gadaba
40965
GADABA
166
Gangte
16542
GANGTE
167
Garo
1125359
GARO
168
Dorli
47701
GONDI
169
Gondi
2856581
GONDI
170
Kalari
26769
GONDI
171
Maria/ Muria
15864
GONDI
172
Halabi
765464
HALABI
173
Halam
26534
HALAM
174
Hmar
98988
HMAR
175
Ho
1410996
HO
176
Lohara
10422
HO
177
Jatapu
19990
JATAPU
178
Juang
30378
JUANG
179
Kabui
54220
KABUI
180
Rongmei
68706
KABUI
181
Karbi/Mikir
528503
KARBI/MIKIR
182
Ahirani
1636465
KHANDESHI
183
Dangi
150674
KHANDESHI
184
Gujari
57171
KHANDESHI
185
Khandeshi
10670
KHANDESHI
186
Kharia
293665
KHARIA
187
Khasi
1037964
KHASI
188
Lyngngam
11586
KHASI
189
Pnar/Synteng
319324
KHASI
190
War
51558
KHASI
191
Khezha
36383
KHEZHA
192
Khiemnungan
61968
KHIEMNUNGAN
193
Khond/Kondh
111693
KHOND/KONDH
194
Kuvi
43855
KHOND/KONDH
195
Kinnauri
83427
KINNAURI
196
Kisan
206100
KISAN
197
Koch
33962
KOCH
198
Koda/Kora
47181
KODA/KORA
199
Kolami
128451
KOLAMI
200
Kom
15108
KOM
201
Kodu
32166
KONDA
202
Konda
24987
KONDA
203
Konyak
244477
KONYAK
204
Korku
688053
KORKU
205
Muwasi
35827
KORKU
206
Koraku
16154
KORWA
207
Koya
407423
KOYA
208
Kui
941377
KUI
209
Kuki
82049
KUKI
210
Kurukh/Oraon
1976920
KURUKH/ORAON
211
Ladakhi
14952
LADAKHI
212
Lahauli
11162
LAHAULI
213
Bahawal Puri
29253
LAHNDA
214
Hindi Multani
61722
LAHNDA
215
Mara
38671
LAKHER
216
Lalung
33921
LALUNG
217
Lepcha
47331
LEPCHA
218
Liangmei
48388
LIANGMEI
219
Limbu
38067
LIMBU
220
Lotha
179467
LOTHA
221
Lushai/Mizo
825900
LUSHAI/MIZO
222
Pahariya
152814
MALTO
223
Kulehiya
75776
MALTO
224
Mao
97195
MAO
225
Paola
143001
MAO
226
Maram
32460
MARAM
227
Maring
25814
MARING
228
Miri/Mishing
629954
MIRI/MISHING
229
Mishmi
15871
MISHMI
230
Mogh
36652
MOGH
231
Monpa
13703
MONPA
232
Kol
19868
MONPA
233
Munda
464817
MUNDA
234
Mundari
1128050
MUNDARI
235
Nicobarese
29099
NICOBARESE
236
Apatani
44815
NISSI/DAFLA
237
Nissi/Dafla
289166
NISSI/DAFLA
238
Tagin
62897
NISSI/DAFLA
239
Nocte
29810
NOCTE
240
Paite
79443
PAITE
241
Dhurwa
45938
PARJI
242
Pawi
28639
PAWI
243
Phom
54416
PHOM
244
Pochury
21568
POCHURY
245
Rabha
139985
RABHA
246
Rai
10427
RAI
247
Rengma
65328
RENGMA
248
Sangtam
75684
SANGTAM
249
Savara
409481
SAVARA
250
Sema
10802
SEMA
251
Sherpa
16012
SHERPA
252
Shina
32069
SHINA
253
Tamang
20154
TAMANG
254
Tangkhul
187263
TANGKHUL
255
Tutcha Tangsa
10234
TANGSA
256
Thado
227114
THADO
257
Tibetan
83779
TIBETAN
258
Purkhi
93500
TIBETAN
259
Kokbarak
917900
TRIPURI
260
Reang
58539
TRIPURI
261
Tripuri
33138
TRIPURI
262
Tulu
1841963
TULU
263
Vaiphei
42748
VAIPHEI
264
Wancho
59154
WANCHO
265
Chirr
12300
YIMCHUNGRE
266
Tikhir
11071
YIMCHUNGRE
267
Yimchungre
56538
YIMCHUNGRE
268
Zeliang
63529
ZELIANG
269
Zemi
50923
ZEMI
270
Zou
26545
ZOU

Wherever English has spread in the last 200 years, local languages have been wiped out. Over 100 aboriginal languages in Australia have disappeared in the last two centuries. Similar stories abound in the Indian Subcontinent. The 1961 census records India as having 1,652 languages. By 1971, it was 808. Over 220 Indian languages have been lost in the last 50 years, with a further 197 languages categorized as endangered according to the People’s Linguistic Survey of India, 2013. Somehow, despite our faith in diversity, we simply are not able to quantify it, especially in terms of languages and dialects. Out of the 197 endangered languages, only Boro and Meithei have official status in India, as they have a writing system. Such an Act forgets that most of our great scriptures and epics are part of an oral tradition, embossed into actual writing over centuries. Such methodologies should be reformed, granting greater recognition to oral traditions in different languages. If possible on their hands, everybody should works on protection, preservation and documentation of all the mother tongues/languages of India spoken by millions of people which are called endangered languages.

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