PRESENT STATUS OF LANGUAGE POLICY IN INDIA
WHAT IS LANGUAGE POLICY?
Any decision or principle of action adopted with regard to the usage of language or languages by an organization or individual is known as language policy.
Language policies are basically designed to promote one or more languages and also it specify the usage of language in different domains, like education, administration, media, etc. So we can say that language policy is a cover term for all the linguistic behaviors, assumptions, cultural forms, folk beliefs, attitudes towards a language, etc. A language policy is multidimensional. Language policy has been an area of interest for many scholars.
There are certain factors that affect the framing of language policy i.e.
- Socio-linguistic settings,
- Attitude of the language speakers,
- The strength of the political set up, etc.
If the speaker of a language develops a positive attitude towards his/her own language he/she can change or modify the existing language policy of that society.
ACCORDING TO FASOLD ( 1984)
“Language policies are constructs, and they change over time.”
Language policy can either be a written clause in the Constitution of a country or a language law, or a cabinet document or administrative regulation. 125 of the world’s Constitution express some policy about language. But this does not mean others don’t have any language policy. Good language policies are always needed for the effective working of a nation and language policy cannot be studied without knowing about language planning.
NEED OF THE LANGUAGE POLICY
The need for a language policy is there at different levels. Like:
- For official use of language (e.g. Administration, law, etc.)
- Use of language at the regional level Language for wider communication (mass media)
- Language for International Communication
- Use of languages in specific domains like education, etc.
For all these purposes we need to choose a language and sometimes the need is to develop that language.
PRESENT STATUS OF LANGUAGE POLICY IN INDIA
India is one of the most linguistically diverse countries in the world. Most languages in India belong to one of the four language families:
- Indo-Aryan
- Dravidian
- Tibeto-Burmese and
- Austro Asiatic.
Indo-Aryan Language Family
The majority of languages spoken in North and Central India belong to the Indo-Aryan language family. Hindi, Bengali, Punjabi, Gujarati, Marathi, and several other languages fall under this category.
Indo-Aryan languages are predominant in the northern, western, and central regions of India.
Key Languages under Indo-Aryan languages are:
- Hindi: Official language of the Indian government and widely spoken in Northern and Central India.
- Bengali: Predominant language in West Bengal and Bangladesh.
- Punjabi: Mainly spoken in Punjab.
- Gujarati: Commonly spoken in Gujarat.
- Marathi: Primary language of the state of Maharashtra.
Dravidian Language Family
Dravidian languages are mainly spoken in South India and some parts of Central India. They have a distinct linguistic structure compared to the Indo-Aryan languages.
Dravidian languages are primarily found in the southern states of India, including Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana.
Key Languages under Dravidian Language family are:
- Tamil: Official language of Tamil Nadu and spoken in Sri Lanka and parts of Southeast Asia.
- Telugu: Main language of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
- Kannada: Predominantly spoken in Karnataka.
- Malayalam: Primary language of Kerala.
Tibeto-Burman Language Family
Tibeto-Burman languages are spoken in the northeastern states of India, particularly in the Himalayan region.
These languages are mainly found in states like Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, and parts of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
Key Languages under this family are:
- Bodo: Spoken in Assam.
- Manipuri: Main language of Manipur.
- Garo: Spoken by the Garo people in Meghalaya.
Austroasiatic Language Family
Austroasiatic languages are spoken by certain tribal communities in Central and Eastern India.
These languages are found in states like Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and parts of Madhya Pradesh.
Key Languages of this family are:
- Khasi: Spoken by the Khasi people in Meghalaya.
- Santali: Widely spoken in Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Odisha.
According to the 2001 Indian Census, there are a total of 122 languages and 234 mother tongues. However, these figures cannot be accepted as final as the Census does not report languages spoken by fewer than 10,000 speakers (for instance, in 1961 around 1652 mother tongues were returned in the Census but only 193 languages were classified). So, India’s linguistic, cultural, ethnic and religious diversity is very strong and wide spread.
EIGHTH SCHEDULE OF INDIAN CONSTITUTION- PART OF THE LANGUAGE POLICY OF INDIA
The Eighth Schedule of the Constitution lists 22 languages that are recognized as scheduled languages. These languages are entitled to representation in the official languages of the Republic of India. The list can be amended by Parliament by law. The names of 22 languages are as follows:
| Assamese | Oriya |
| Bengali | Punjabi |
| Gujarati | Sanskriti |
| Hindi | Sindhi |
| Kannada | Tamil |
| Kashmiri | Telugu |
| Konkani | Urdu |
| Malayalam | Bodo |
| Manipuri | Santhali |
| Marathi | Maithili |
| Nepali | Dogri |
Languages added in 1949: Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Malayalam, Marathi, Punjabi, Oriya, Sanskriti, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu.
Languages added in 1967: Sindhi
Languages added in 1992: Konkani, Manipuri, Nepali
Languages added in 2004: Bodo, Dogri, Maithali, Santhali
There are three views regarding the Eighth Schedule:
- Some view it as the end- the ultimate goal (like by language activists)
- Some view the Schedule as a port that lies in the mid-course- as a milestone for direction or as an instrument of change.
- Some view the Schedule as a beginning- a preamble with expected political overtones and an policy of language engineering.
Criterion for inclusion of language in Eighth Schedule
Criteria for the inclusion of languages in the Eighth Schedule can be:
- Literary traditions and scripts of their own.
- Spoken by the largest number of people in large contiguous geographical zones as dominant languages of certain regions.
- Political concessions. (Sindhi, Nepali)
- Being recognized as official languages in newly formed states. (Konkani, Manipuri)
- Being a classical language of culture and heritage and also a resource language in modernizing the major literary languages. (Sanskrit)
- Being spoken by a large population, geographically distributed and dispersed, but with its own script and literature. (Urdu)
THREE LANGUAGE FORMULA INTRODUCED IN THE NATIONAL EDUCATION POLICY OF 1968
The Three-Language Formula was introduced in the National Education Policy of 1968 in India. This formula was devised to address the linguistic diversity in the country and promote multilingualism among Indian students. The objective was to encourage students to become proficient in three languages: the mother tongue or regional language, Hindi (as a link language), and English.
Mother Tongue or Regional Language
The first language in the formula is the mother tongue or the regional language of the student. The idea was to ensure that students receive education in their native language, allowing for a better understanding of concepts and fostering a strong foundation in the mother tongue.
Hindi
Hindi, one of the official languages of India, was included as the second language in the formula. The policy aimed to promote Hindi as a link language to facilitate communication and understanding between people from different linguistic backgrounds within the country. However, it’s important to note that the formula didn’t enforce Hindi as a compulsory second language in states where Hindi was not the mother tongue or a commonly spoken language.
English
English was included as the third language in the formula. The intention was to equip students with proficiency in English, considering its international significance and its role in higher education and professional domains.
The Three-Language Formula aimed to strike a balance between promoting regional languages, fostering national integration through Hindi, and ensuring access to the global knowledge economy through English. It acknowledged the linguistic diversity of India and recognized the importance of multilingualism for the country’s socio-cultural and economic development.
