IGNCA’s ‘language atlas’ to shine a light on India’s linguistic diversity

Contact Counsellor

Last Updated27/02/2024

India is working towards promoting education in mother tongues, especially at the primary level.
However, there's a lack of clarity regarding the actual number of "active" languages in the country.
To address this, the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts (IGNCA) has planned to conduct a linguistic survey across India.

India officially recognizes 22 languages listed in Schedule 8 of the Constitution.
According to Census data, 97% of the Indian population speaks one of these languages.
Additionally, there are 99 non-scheduled languages included in the 2011 Census, with around 37.8 million people identifying one of these as their mother tongue.
However, the native languages of around 1.2 million people remain unaccounted for, particularly those spoken by tribal communities.
- Due to the exclusion of languages with less than 10,000 speakers in the Census since 1971.

The first Linguistic Survey of India was conducted by Sir George Abraham Grierson in 1928.
The Indian map was redrawn after Independence, and therefore, the LSI includes languages and dialects that may not be a part of contemporary Indian States.
The most detailed linguistic data was recorded in the 1961 Census, which included even languages with a single speaker.
The book "Tribal and Indigenous Languages of India" documents that the 1961 Census of India recorded 1,554 languages being spoken in the country.

The IGNCA aims to conduct a comprehensive linguistic survey to create the Language Atlas of India.
The survey would involve various ministries and stakeholders, including the Ministries of Culture, Education, Tribal Affairs, etc. apart from various language communities.
Collaborators for the survey include institutes like the Central Institute of Indian Languages, National Museum, etc.
The survey will focus on documenting the number of languages, dialects, scripts, extinct or endangered languages.
It will be carried out in two phases, starting with state-wise data collection and then region-wise analysis.
The survey also aims to digitally archive audio recordings of all languages spoken.

Language preservation is crucial for conserving local wisdom, knowledge, stories, and culture, especially among tribal communities.
The survey will serve as a valuable database for future policy decisions regarding language and education.