National Language of India: With a diverse ethnic culture, heritage, and language, India is a democratic country. People from different ethnic groups and cultural backgrounds speak various languages in India. About the language of India, it has been correctly stated that “Indian language changes every few kilometres, just like water.” And it’s no surprise because this is correct in every way. Indian language diversity results from the country’s status as a union of states with 28 states and 8 union territories. Languages change with every kilometre traveled. Several debates have taken place on the national language question since the inception of the Constitution. There is no official national language of India. In the case of official languages, there is a distinction between national languages and official languages. India’s national language, Hindi, will be discussed in detail.
National Language of India
In our Constitution, no single language was designated as “national language.” Hindi has unquestionably been selected as the national language of the United Kingdom. However, Hindi is a language only spoken by 40 per cent of the Indian people, which is a significant disparity. As a result, the remainder of the population would have difficulties because everyone would be obliged to learn Hindi, which would be impossible for most people. As required in the Indian Constitution, Hindi and English are the two official communication languages for the national government. Hindi is the primary language, and English is the second official language. A list of the 22 official languages is also included in this section (including Hindi and English). These languages are represented on the Official Language Commission. A candidate for national government service who wishes to sit an examination in one of these languages may do so if they choose to do so.
Official Language of India
It has been decided that the central administration will use two official languages:
- According to Article 343 of the Constitution, when the Central Government communicates with the states in the Hindi Belt, Hindi is the language of communication.
- As an Associate official language, English is also used when communicating with the states.
List of Official Scheduled Language of India
22 languages have been selected to be the scheduled language of India by the Indian Constitution’s Eighth Schedule. Official languages in India are Hindi and English.
| Sr. No | Language | Recognition in state |
| 1 | Assamese | Assam, Arunachal Pradesh |
| 2 | Bengali | West Bengal, Tripura |
| 3 | Bodo | Assam |
| 4 | Dogri | Official language of Jammu and Kashmir |
| 5 | Gujarati | Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Gujarat |
| 6 | 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 |
| 7 | Kannada | Karnataka |
| Kashmiri | Jammu and Kashmir | |
| 9 | Konkani | Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Kerala (The Konkan Coast) |
| 10 | Maithili | Bihar, Jharkhand |
| 11 | Malayalam | Kerala, Lakshadweep, Puducherry |
| 12 | Manipuri | Manipur |
| 13 | Marathi | Maharashtra, Goa, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu |
| 14 | Nepali | Sikkim and West Bengal |
| 15 | Odia | Official language of Orissa |
| 16 | Punjabi | Official language of Punjab and Chandigarh, 2nd official language of Delhi and Haryana |
| 17 | Sanskrit | Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand |
| 18 | Santali | 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 |
| 19 | Sindhi | Gujarat and Maharashtra, especially Ulhasnagar |
| 20 | Tamil | Tamil Nadu, Puducherry |
| 21 | Telugu | Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Puducherry |
| 22 | Urdu | Jammu and Kashmir, Telangana, Jharkhand, Delhi, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal |
FAQs
Q. Do you know how many languages in India have been designated as Scheduled Languages?
Ans- The eighth schedule of the Indian Constitution lists 22 languages.
Q. Is there a specific number of languages included in the Indian Constitution at the beginning?
Ans- The Indian Constitution had 14 languages at its inception.
Q. Which of India’s 22 official languages do you speak?
Ans- 22 national languages of India: Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Hindi
Q. Is Dogri spoken in any Indian states or UTs?
Ans- Yes. Dongri is spoken in Jammu and Kashmir
Q. According to which Article is Hindi designated as India’s national language?
Ans- It is stated in the Constitution in Article 343(1) that Hindi in Devanagari script is the official language of the United States of America.
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