Ethnologue report for India

 

India has a wonderful diversity when it comes to languages. It is often seen that two unknown Indians speak to each other in English when they are meeting out side India instead of their mother tongue. This is bacause they are not sure which language the other person is comfortable with. The number of languages listed for India is 428. Of those, 415 are living languages and 13 are extinct. I am enclosing an extract of the Ethanologue report for India.

In comparison , The number of languages listed for USA is 238. Of those, 162 are living languages, 3 are second language without mother-tongue speakers, and 73 are extinct.

The number of languages listed for China is 236. Of those, 235 are living languages and 1 is extinct.

The world record however goes to Papua New Guinea which has 830 languages listed for . Of those, 820 are living languages and 10 are extinct.

The complete report can be found at http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=in

Languages of India

Republic of India, Bharat. 1,065,070,607. Indo-Aryan 777,361,000, 76%; Dravidian 216,635,000, 21.6%; Austro-Asiatic 12,250,000, 1.2%; Tibeto-Burman 10,350,000, 1%; Other 2,468,600, 0.2%. National or official languages: Hindi and English. There are 22 official 'scheduled' languages: Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, Marathi, Meitei, Nepali, Oriya, Eastern Panjabi, Sanskrit, Santali, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu. Literacy rate: 36% to 52%. Also includes Armenian (560), Burushaski, Chitwania Tharu, Geman Deng, Judeo-Iraqi Arabic, Kathoriya Tharu, Northern Pashto (15,000), Portuguese (250,000), Russian (1,036), Uyghur, Walungge, Western Farsi (18,000), Arabic, Chinese. Information mainly from G. Marrison 1967; R. Hugoniot 1970; C. Masica 1991; K. S. Singh 1994, 1995; J. Matisoff, S. Baron, and J. Lowe 1996; R. Breton 1997; R. Burling ms 1998. Blind population: 9,000,000. Deaf population: 9,400,000 to 14,000,000 (2001). Deaf institutions: 850. The number of languages listed for India is 428. Of those, 415 are living languages and 13 are extinct.

Living languages

Aariya

[aay]  Madhya Pradesh, Chhatarpur, Datia, Panna, Rewa, Satna, Shahdol, Sidhi, Tikamgarh districts. Classification: Unclassified 
More information.

Adi

[adi] 110,000 in India (1997 BSI). Population includes 1,200 Palibo. Population total all countries: 111,088. Arunachal Pradesh, East, West, and Upper Siang districts, Upper Subansiri and Dibang Valley districts; Assam, north hills of Assam Valley, between Bhutan and the Buruli River. Also spoken in China. Alternate names: Abhor, Abor, Boga'er Luoba, Lhoba, Luoba.  Dialects: Ashing, Bokar (Boga'er Luoba), Bori, Karko, Komkar, Milang, Minyong, Padam (Standard Adi), Pailibo, Pangi, Pasi, Ramo, Shimong, Tangam. Sun (1993) lists Tani languages and dialects as Apatani, Milang, Bokar, Damu, Mising, Padam, Bangni, Tagin, Sagli, south Aya, Leli, and perhaps Pailibo, Ramo, Asing, Bori, Pasi, Panggi, Simong, Minyong, Karok, Hill Miri, and some northern and western dialects of Nisi. Intelligible with Adi Galo but they are sociolinguistically distinct. A different language from Yidu Lhoba.  Classification: Sino-Tibetan, Tibeto-Burman, North Assam, Tani 
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Adi, Galo

[adl] 150,000 (2004). A few older adult monolinguals. Arunachal Pradesh, West Siang, East Siang, Dibang Valley (south), Lohit (east), Changlang (northeast), and some in Upper Subansiri (west) districts. Alternate names: Adi, Adi-Gallong, Adi-Galo, Gallong, Galong.  Dialects: Reportedly intelligible with other Adi dialects but they are sociolinguistically distinct.  Classification: Sino-Tibetan, Tibeto-Burman, North Assam, Tani 
More information.

Agariya

[agi] 55,757 (1981 census). Madhya Pradesh, Mandla, Bilaspur, Rewa districts, Maikal hills; Chhattisgarh, Bilaspur District Uttar Pradesh, Agra, Mathura, Mirzapur districts. Alternate names: Agaria, Agharia, Agoria.  Classification: Austro-Asiatic, Munda, North Munda, Kherwari 
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Ahirani

[ahr] 779,000 (1997). Maharashtra, Dhule, Jalgaon districts; Gujarat. Alternate names: Ahiri.  Dialects: Preliminary findings are that it is distinct from Khandesi.  Classification: Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan, Central zone, Khandesi 
More information.

Ethnologue report for India