The most essential part of human existence is language as it helps us to communicate and understand each other better and create relations. We are well aware of the fact that India is the world’s seventh-largest nation based on area and the second-most populous nation. India has an over 1.3 billion population. There is a diversity of religions, cultures, and languages and people in different areas communicate in different languages. So, in this article, we are going to read about the 10 most spoken languages in India.
10 Most Spoken Languages in India:
Hindi (52.83 crores approx.)
Most Indians speak Hindi and it is also one of the official languages of the nation. Within 10 years, between 2001 and 2011 the population of people speaking Hindi as their mother tongue has increased from 41.03% to 43.63%. It is also the fourth most spoken language after Mandarin, Spanish, and English. It is spoken mostly in every state of India.
Bengali (9.72 crores approx.)
Approx. 8.03% of the total population of India speaks Bengali. It is mostly spoken in South Asia. In the beginning, this language was a secular one of old Indo-Aryans and was influenced by Arabic and Persian. It is mostly used in West Bengal, Tripura, Assam, and Jharkhand. The national anthem of India was written in Bengali by one of the most prominent Bengali writers, Rabindranath Tagore.
Marathi (8.30 crores approx.)
In India, about 6.86% of people speak Marathi. It is also an Indo-Aryan language spoken mostly in the western part of the country as their official language. There are about 42 diverse dialects spoken in Marathi.
Telugu (8.11 crores approx.)
Telugu is a Dravidian language that is hugely used in several states of the country but mostly in the southern part of India. Telugu is mostly spoken in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Yanam states. This language is also spoken in other countries such as the United Kingdom, United States, Australia, New Zealand, UAE, and South Africa.
Tamil (6.90 crores approx.)
Like Telugu, the root of this language is also connected with the Dravidian language. Most of the speakers of this language are based in the southern part of India. Although it is the official language of Sri Lank and Singapore, it is hugely used in India. This is one of the oldest existing languages in the world.
Gujarati (5.54 crores approx.)
Gujarati, like Bengali ad Marathi, is also an Indo-Aryan language. This is the official language of the north-west situated state of Gujarat. This language has evolved from the Sanskrit language.
Urdu (5.07 crores approx.)
Urdu is one of the official languages of India. It is listed as the official language in states like Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Jharkhand, Bihar, and West Bengal. It is also the official language of Pakistan.
Kannada (4.37 crores approx.)
Like Telugu and Tamil, Kannada is also a Dravidian language. And, just like Tamil, it is also one of the oldest surviving languages in the whole world. It is also spoken in other places like Canada, Australia, and the United States of America. It has approximately 20 diverse dialects.
Odia (3.75 crores approx.)
Odia also falls under the category of the official language of India. It is mostly spoken in the state of Odisha.
Malayalam (3.48 crores approx.)
Like Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada, the roots of Malayalam are associated with the Dravidian language. This language is mostly spoken in states like Puducherry, Kerala, and Lakshadweep.
In case, you are wondering about the English-speaking population in India, it is about 2,59,678 approximately. English is not referred to as a foreign language in India anymore. Most Indians are multilingual and they mostly communicate in Hindi, English, and one mother tongue.
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