Linguistic Composition

India is a land of immense linguistic diversity. The Linguistic Survey of India, conducted by George Grierson between 1903 and 1928, recorded 179 languages and as many as 544 dialects across the country. This gives you a sense of how deep the variety runs — not just in major languages but in the countless local ways people speak.

In modern India, the Constitution recognises 22 scheduled languages. These are languages listed in the Eighth Schedule, and they receive official support and recognition. Beyond these, there are many non-scheduled languages — languages spoken by smaller communities that are not part of this list. A practical way to see this diversity is to look at a Rs 10 note: the denomination is printed in as many as 15 languages, reflecting the country's multilingual character.

Among the scheduled languages, Hindi has the highest percentage of speakers. At the other end, the smallest language groups, according to the 2011 Census, are Sanskrit, Bodo, and Manipuri. These languages have relatively few speakers but are still constitutionally recognised. …