Generally, we think that a country only has one language. Especially, most countries have the same name as their language counterpart.
India clearly has its own difficulties and can even pass one of its languages as one of the hardest to learn in the world.
Overcome language barriers as we uncover the benefits when you learn Indian languages.
India has many languages
Despite what everyone might think, India has no national languages. Instead, it has many “official languages.”
As of today, there are at least 21 modern Indian languages. However, at least 121 languages or dialects are spoken in India which also has 270 mother tongues.
These are the most prominent languages in India that you’ll hear from the common folk and the regional areas.
- Hindi
- Berdu
- Tamil
- Telugu
- Punjabi
- Odia
- Malayalam
There are a lot more languages and even dialects that you may not have heard of.
Today, Hindi is spoken by at least 342 million people.
You bet that the learning experience you’ll get in studying Indian languages will not only make you become keen on the differences in pronunciation and writing but also open your mind to different cultural and historical insights.
Hindi, the Lingua Franca of India
Hindi is descended from Sanskrit, an ancient language of historical and cultural significance comparable to Greek and Latin.
Many of India’s current languages are derived from Sanskrit, which is still used as one of the country’s official languages.
Sanskrit is also the sacred vernacular of the Vedas, the world’s oldest works of literature and the foundation of Hinduism.
When studying Hindi, you may encounter several Sanskrit terminology.
The word for “name” – naam – is the first Sanskrit cognate you’re likely to encounter in Hindi.
In Hindi, “My name is” is Mera naam hai.
Our terms for “mother,” “father,” and “trigonometry” are derived from Latin and Greek, but they also have Sanskrit roots.
Why learn Indian languages?
India has over 1.2 billion people, with more than 500 languages spoken in the country. The diversity of foreign languages in India is huge.
As mentioned earlier, there are tons of native languages in India.
You may be surprised that some native speakers of India don’t even know how to speak some of their other languages.
But, why should you, as a foreigner who isn’t from India, learn Indian languages?
Hindi is accessible through online language courses
It is important for any ethnic or indigenous language to have a solid
What’s a better way to learn a language than through online language classes?
But, you may have to look for what is available for Indian languages. Specifically, a regional language you want to learn.
Duolingo has Indian (Hindi) but not the other native languages.
However, you can study other Indian regional languages online.
Since many enthusiasts of the Indian culture are reachable through online communities, you can visit Facebook groups, forums websites, and even look for non-government organizations that arrange language translation and studies for
India has a rich cultural background
You will not get bored discovering what’s behind India’s rich diversity.
India’s rich heritage, as one of the world’s oldest ancient civilizations, is an all-encompassing synthesis of religions, traditions, and customs.
The treasures of Indian heritage include its art, architecture, classical dance, music, flora and wildlife, and its people’s intrinsic secular philosophy.
The notion of Unity in Diversity is an unspoken rule of nature, the cosmos, and existence.
People from various ethnicities, speaking different languages, eating different foods, and following different customs coexist peacefully in India.
Thus, the spirit of India’s cultural history rests in its all-encompassing fusion of faiths, traditions, customs, and beliefs.
Hindi is relatively easier to understand
If you’ve decided to learn Hindi as one of the Indian languages but you’re an English speaker, you might feel like Hindi is leagues better than studying Chinese.
Apart from Hindi having many letters in its alphabet, they also have a different sentence structure. Hindi uses Subject Object Verb rather than Subject Verb Object.
But if you have knowledge of Arabic, Persian, Urdu, or any similar Sanskrit languages, you’ll have an easier time understanding the flow of the accent and what the words mean.
In modern society today, many Indians tend to put English words in between their sentences for words that don’t have an Indian language alternative.
Final Thoughts
There are many indigenous languages in the world and you may even be lucky to get access to language education for some of these.
If you want to learn Indian and its regional languages, why not visit India yourself?
To learn Indian languages is to prepare yourself with vast historical facts and go through a history of culture, ceremonies, music, traditions, and so much more.
Why not look for Indian friends or try to find a book at your local library that tells more about regional languages in India?