National Languages of India

1. Does India have a National language?

National Languages of India History: Although there is no national language of India, the Indian constitution’s article 343(1) designates Hindi in Devanagari script and English as the country’s official languages.2: Is Hindi the national language of India?

2. Why English is an Official Language in India?

When India gained its independence, English seemed to be the lingua franca of choice. After independence, many people tried to declare Hindi the official language, but non-Hindi speaking states objected. As a compromise, English was selected as an associate official language.

3. How many Scheduled Languages are there in India?

There are 22 scheduled languages in India, which includes, Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Odia, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Santali, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu.

4. How many Official Languages are there in India?

There is a total of 2 official languages of India, namely Hindi, and English.

• Hindi: As per Article 343, Hindi is a language to be used by the Central Government while communicating with states located in the “Hindi Belt”.
• English: English is referred to as the Associate official language and the language which is to be used while communicating with other states.

5. Is Hindi India’s National or Official Language?

According to the constitution, Hindi and English are both regarded as India’s official languages; there is no national language. Hindi written in Devanagari is the nation’s official language, according to Article 343 of the Indian Constitution.

6. Why Hindi is our national language?

Hindi is not our national language. In 1950, Hindi was designated as the official language of the Union of India. The Indian Constitution specifies Hindi in Devanagari script as the official language of the Union. Article 343 states that “the official language of the Union shall be Hindi in the Devanagari script.”

7. Is Hindi our mother tongue?

Hindi cannot be everyone’s mother tongue in India. It may be the mother tongue of 20% of Indians, and several states have accepted Hindi as one of their official languages, therefore it is spoken by 50% of Indians. For example, Tamil people’s mother tongue is solely Tamil, and they don’t speak Hindi in Tamil Nadu, and there is no Hindi in schools there.

8. Which is the largest language in India?

Hindi, one of India’s official languages, is the most widely spoken language in the country, with 52.83 crore speakers. In other words, Hindi is spoken by 43.63% of the total population. Bengali and Marathi come in second and third place, respectively.

9. What is the significance of the Official Languages Act of 1963 in India?

The Official Languages Act of 1963 is a crucial piece of legislation in India that established Hindi as the official language of the Indian government, while also preserving the use of English for official purposes. This act aimed to promote and develop Hindi while providing a transitional period for the continued use of English to ensure non-Hindi-speaking regions were not disadvantaged.

10. What is the role of the government in implementing the national language?

The government consistently reaffirms Hindi as the national language of India, as demonstrated on various occasions through official declarations. For instance, in 2017, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu emphasized Hindi’s status as the national language during a public speech. Nevertheless, there remains some confusion between the concepts of the national language and official language. The national language serves as a representation of the country’s historical and cultural heritage, signifying that the majority of citizens understand and speak this language. On the other hand, an official language is designated for the formal functions of both state and Central government. It’s important to note that a country can have multiple official languages, but it typically designates only one national language.

The National Language of India according to the Indian Constitution has been a subject of discussion since the establishment of the constitution. It’s important to note that India doesn’t have a national language. The official language of India is distinct from a national language. The Constitution doesn’t specify any language as the national language.

When India gained independence, the Constitution initially recognized 14 languages as official languages of the country. In 1950, the Indian Constitution officially established Hindi, written in Devanagari script, as the official language of the union. But this didn’t make Hindi the national language of India; it remained one of the official languages.