Consider the following statements regarding the spatial distribution of language families in India:
1. The Austric language family, one of the oldest in India, is primarily concentrated in the Indo-Gangetic plains.
2. The Dravidian language family is exclusively found south of the Vindhya mountain range.
3. Languages of the Sino-Tibetan family are spoken predominantly in the Himalayan and North-Eastern regions of India.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
Solution: The correct answer is Only 3.
Explanation:
☛ Statement 1 is incorrect: The Austric (Austroasiatic) language family is primarily spoken in the tribal belts of central and eastern India (such as Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, and Chhattisgarh), the Khasi and Jaintia hills of Meghalaya, and the Nicobar Islands, rather than the Indo-Gangetic plains (which are dominated by the Indo-Aryan group).
☛ Statement 2 is incorrect: While the majority of Dravidian speakers reside in South India, the family is not exclusively confined to the south of the Vindhyas; Dravidian languages such as Kurukh (Oraon) and Malto are spoken in central and eastern India (Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal), and Brahui is spoken in Balochistan.
☛ Statement 3 is correct: The Sino-Tibetan (Tibeto-Burman) language family is predominantly spoken across the Himalayan belt (Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim) and all the North-Eastern states of India.
Extra Exam-Relevant Facts:
☛ Indo-Aryan family (Indo-European): It is the largest language group in India, spoken by about 78% of the total population, mainly in northern, western, and central India.
☛ Dravidian family: It is the second-largest linguistic group in India, spoken by approximately 20% of the population, including major literary languages like Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam.
☛ Austroasiatic family: Comprises two main sub-branches in India: the Munda group (including Santhali, Mundari, Ho, Korku) and the Mon-Khmer group (Khasi in Meghalaya and Nicobarese in the Nicobar Islands).
☛ Santhali language: Belonging to the Munda branch of the Austroasiatic family, it was included in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution via the 92nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 2003.
Important One-Liners for Upcoming Exams:
☛ Which script was developed by Pandit Raghunath Murmu for the Santhali language? → Ol Chiki script
☛ Which is the only Sino-Tibetan language included in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution? → Bodo (and Manipuri/Meitei)
☛ Which Dravidian language is spoken outside India in the Balochistan province of Pakistan? → Brahui
☛ What percentage of the Indian population speaks languages belonging to the Sino-Tibetan family according to the Census? → Approximately 0.6% to 0.8%
☛ Which was the first language to be declared a 'Classical Language' in India in 2004? → Tamil