Open In App

National Languages of India: List of 22 Official Languages

Last Updated : 21 Dec, 2023
Improve
Improve
Like Article
Like
Save
Share
Report

National Languages of India: India is a diverse country with different types of language and cultures in every corner of the country. This is a federation of 28 states and 8 union territories with different languages ​​and distinct cultural heritage. Hence there have been many debates on the origin of the constitution, and the concern of the national language.
It is said about the language of India, “The language spoken in India changes just like the taste of water changes in India every few kilometers”. However, India does not have a national language as there is a considerable difference between an official language and a national language.

In this article, We have covered the Official language of India, List of All Official 22 Languages Specified by our Indian Constitution, and Article 343, majority and minority languages spoken India and more.

let’s get a closer look at the languages of India.

National Languages of India

National Languages of India

National Language of India 2024

National Language of India 2024: The Hindi language was fixed as the national language of India but the issue was only 44% of the Indian population understood and spoke Hindi. Thus making it a point for other Indian populations to communicate with other state people.
Finally, the Constitution of India states that both Hindi and English are the official languages ​​of India. In addition, it includes a list of 22 official languages. These languages ​​are eligible for representation in the Commission for Official Languages, and a candidate may choose to take the test in any of these official languages ​​at an examination conducted for the service of the National Governments.

List of All Official 22 Languages India

In the 8th Schedule of the Constitution of India, the government recognized that there are 22 official languages ​​in India. Part XVII Articles 343 to 351 of the Indian Constitution dealt with the official languages ​​of India. Earlier only 14 languages ​​were considered and later after some modifications other languages ​​were added. The following is the list of all 22 official languages of India

S.No.    

Languages         

Spoken in the States

1

Assamese      

Assam, Arunachal Pradesh 

2

Bengali

West Bengal, Tripura

3

Gujarati

Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Gujarat

4

Hindi

Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Bihar, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Mizoram, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal, Almost every part of the country including North-Central India.

5

Kannada

Karnataka

6

Kashmiri

Jammu and Kashmir.

7

Konkani 

It is the official language of Goa but is also spoken in southern Maharashtra, northern Karnataka, and Kerala.

8

Malayalam            

Kerala, Lakshadweep, Puducherry.

9

Manipuri 

Manipur

10

Marathi

Maharashtra, Goa, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu 

11

Nepali

This is the national language of Nepal. This language is also spoken in Sikkim, West Bengal, north-eastern states, Bhutan, Tibet, and Myanmar. 

12

Odia

Odisha 

13

Punjabi

This is the language of Punjab is Punjabi but spoken in Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan, Pakistan, USA, Canada, and Australia also.

14

Sanskrit

Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand

15

Sindhi

Spoken by Santhal people mainly in the state of Jharkhand as well as in the states of Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Odisha, Tripura, West Bengal.

16

Urdu

This is an additional official language of Jammu and Kashmir, Telangana, Delhi, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh. 
There are 481 million Urdu speakers in India, 10.7 million in Pakistan, 6.5 million in Bangladesh and 4 lakh in Britain.

17

Tamil

Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Sri Lanka.

18

Telugu

Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Puducherry.

19

Bodo

Bodo or Boro is a Tibeto-Burman language spoken by the Bodo people living in the Northeast, Nepal and Bangladesh.

20

Dogri

This language is spoken in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Punjab. This is the dialect of Punjabi.

21

Maithili

The Maithili language is spoken in the northern region of Bihar and the valley of Nepal.

22

 

Santali                        

Spoken by Santal people mainly in the state of Jharkhand as well as in the states of Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Odisha, Tripura, West Bengal.

People also View:

Describe the Language Policy of India

List of Harvest Festivals in India: States, Significance

Official Languages of India

According to the usage of the central administration, there are two languages ​​recognized as official languages ​​in India.
Hindi The language adopted by the central government while interacting with the states of the Hindi belt is Hindi.
English -English is the associate official language of India, used to communicate with the states.
Article 343(1) of the Constitution of India stipulates that “the official language of the Union shall be Hindi in Devanagari script. Formation of numerals to be used for the official purposes of the Union shall be the International Form of Indian Numerals.”

Official Language According to the Indian Constitution (Article 343) 

According to Article 343 Indian Constitution, the Parliament can work in Hindi and English, It includes the following:

  • The business of the Supreme Court.
  • The business of the High Courts.
  • The business of any judiciary who is appointed by the President.
  • The business transactions in Parliament.

Article 343 also says that Hindi will be replaced by English for certain purposes which includes the following:

  • The way of communication between the Union and a State;
  • The way of communication between the Union and a public servant;
  • The way of communication between a public servant and a person who is not a citizen of India;
  • The resemblance between the President and the Governors of States;
  • The resemblance between the Vice-President and the Speaker of the House of the People;
  • The resemblance between Ministers and Chief Ministers.

The Constitution does not provide any specifications to any language. The official languages of India idecided by the Parliament through legislation.

Other Major State Languages

The following languages ​​are some of the important state official languages, but are not yet recognized as national languages ​​of India:

  • Tripura’s official language is – Kokborok
  • Meghalaya’s official language is – Garo
  • Meghalaya’s official language is – Khasi  
  • Mizoram’s official language is – Mizo 

These popular Indian languages have speakers of about 5 million but are not specified as official languages in India. Often, many of these languages ​​are considered sub-varieties of Hindi – the national language of India.

  • Bihari People’s languages Are -Angika, Bhojpuri, Magadhi
  • Rajasthani People’s languages Are -Marwari, Mewari, Shekhawati 

Other Languages

other Languaes in India Inludes:

  • Bhili  Language is- Bhili is a member of the Bhil languages, 
  • Gondi  language is the similar language of Telugu, Kannada and Tamil
  • Tulu -The Tulu language, a member of the Dravidian language family, is spoken in southern Karnataka state, India.
  • Kodava,-Another name for the Kodava language is Coorgi. The language is native to the Kodagu district in southern Karnataka, India.
  • Kutchi -This language is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in the Kutch region of India and the Sindh region of Pakistan. 

Indian Minority Language

The Indian Minority language the following:

Mahal – the language of Minicoy, spoken on Minicoy Island, an island in Lakshadweep, India. The number of speakers of some minority languages ​​in India is less than one million. 

Short Essay on Our National Language

According to Constitution of India, Hindi, written in Devanagari script, Which was embraced as the official language of the country under Article 343 in 1949. Even as ancient, rich, and simple language of the world, Hindi is also our national language. It was embraced by the Constituent Assembly shortly after the achievement of independence in 1947. 

FAQs on National Languages of India

1. Does India has a national language?

India does not have a national language, but according to article 343 in the Indian constitution, Hindi in Devanagari script and English are the official languages in India.

2. how many languages in India?

India has 122 major languages and 1599 other languages as per Census of India of 2001.

3. How many languages in India 2023?

According to the Article 343 of Indian Constitution, there is no National Language of India.

4. When Hindi became the national language of india?

Hindi declared as the official language of the union by the Indian constitution in 1950. It is written in Devanagari Script. 

5. What is the National language of India according to Indian Constitution?

According to Indian constitution, There is no national language of India. Hindi and English both are considered as the official language of India. According to Article 343 of the Indian constitution the official language of the country shall be Hindi in Devanagari script.

6. Why is there no national language in India?

India has 2 official languages at the national level Which is English and Hindi (spoken by 40% of India). But Accoording to Indian Constitution  Indian states are free to choose their own language.



Like Article
Suggest improvement
Previous
Next
Share your thoughts in the comments

Similar Reads