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The Indian classical languages, or the Shastriya Bhasha, is an umbrella term for the languages of India having high antiquity, and valuable, original and distinct literary heritage.[1] The Republic of India officially recognises six languages as the Classical languages of India. In 2004, the Government of India declared that languages that met certain strict criteria could be accorded the status of a "Classical Language" of India.[2] It was instituted by the Ministry of Culture along with the Linguistic Experts' Committee. The committee was constituted by the Government of India to consider demands for categorization of languages as Classical Languages.

Classical languages

Officially recognised classical languages

The officially declared Classical languages (known as Sashtriya Bhasha in Odia, Shreshtha Bhasha in Malayalam and Chemmoli in Tamil) of the Republic of India: Kannada, Malayalam, Odia, Sanskrit, Tamil and Telugu.

Years of official recognition LanguagesIn own scriptsEarliest attested eras of existenceBirthplace(s)Ancestor language(s)[lower-alpha 1]
2004[3] Tamilதமிழ்450 BCE[4]possibly in the region around the lower Godavari river basin[5]
2005[6] Sanskritसंस्कृतम्Rigveda written in Vedic Sanskrit was composed between 1500 BCE and 1200 BCE.[7][8] Not attested in writing until the 1st century BCE, when it was written in the Brahmi script, and later in various Brahmic scripts.[lower-alpha 2][10][11][12]somewhere north-west of the Indus region[13]
2008[14] Kannadaಕನ್ನಡ370 CE[15][16]
2008[14] Teluguతెలుగు575 CE[17]
2013[18] Malayalamമലയാളം830 CE[19]Malabar Coast[20]
2014[21][22] Odiaଓଡ଼ିଆ10th-11th century CE[23]

Other classical languages

Pali

Pali language is a classical language which is liturgical to the Theravada Buddhism. Originated from the Northern India, it is closely related to the Old Indo-Aryan, Vedic Sanskrit but is not considered to be an offshoot or a direct descendent of Sanskrit. Historically, Pali came to widespread usage because Buddha opposed the usage of Sanskrit for writings of Buddhism. Pali writings existed as early as 1st century BCE, and oral transmission is considered to be in existence since 3rd century BCE.[24]

Meitei

"The beginning of this old Manipuri literature (as in the case of Newari) may go back to 1500 years, or even 2000 years, from now."[25][26][27]

—Suniti Kumar Chatterji, Padma Vibhushan awardee Indian scholar

Meitei language, also known as Manipuri language, is a classical language of Sino-Tibetan linguistic family, having a literary tradition of not less than 2000 years.[28][29] Some of the early literary works include the Ougri (c. 1st century CE musical composition),[30][31][32] the Poireiton Khunthok (c. 3rd century CE narrative text),[33][34] the Khencho (before 7th century CE musical composition),[35][36] 6th-7th century CE copper plate inscriptions of king Khongtekcha,[37][38][39][40] the Panthoibi Khonggul (c. 8th century CE narrative text),[41][42][43] the Loiyumpa Silyen (c. 11th-12th century CE written Constitution, drafted in 429 CE), etc.[44][45] Besides, Meitei language is best known for its classical association with the Manipuri classical dance and other rich cultural heritage of Meitei civilization.[46]

Khamba Thoibi Sheireng (Meitei for 'Epic of Khamba Thoibi'), the third longest Indian epic poem, next to the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, is a classical Meitei epic poem, having 39,000 lines, and is regarded as the national epic of the Manipuris.[47][48][49] Since 2013,[50] Meitei classical language movement for the official recognition of Meitei as a "classical language" is carried out widespreadly, in Manipur, Assam and Tripura, endorsed by the Government of Manipur, several civil society organizations and various language experts.[51][52]

Criteria

In the year 2004, the tentative criteria for the age of antiquity of "classical language" was assumed to be at least 1000 years of existence.[53]

In a 2006 press release, Minister of Tourism and Culture Ambika Soni told the Rajya Sabha the following criteria were laid down to determine the eligibility of languages to be considered for classification as a "Classical Language",[54]

High antiquity of its early texts/recorded history over a period of 1500–2000 years; a body of ancient literature/texts, which is considered a valuable heritage by generations of speakers; the literary tradition be original and not borrowed from another speech community; the classical language and literature being distinct from modern, there may also be a discontinuity between the classical language and its later forms or its offshoots.[1]

Benefits

As per Government of India's Resolution No. 2-16/2004-US (Akademies) dated 1 November 2004, the benefits that will accrue to a language declared as a "Classical Language" are:[55]

  1. Two major international awards for scholars of eminence in Classical Indian Languages are awarded annually.
  2. A Centre of Excellence for Studies in Classical Languages is set up.
  3. The University Grants Commission will be requested to create, to start with at least in the Central Universities, a certain number of Professional Chairs for Classical Languages for scholars of eminence in Classical Indian Languages.[56]

Demands for other languages

Over the next few years, demands have been made for other languages to be officially accorded Classical status, including Pali,[57] Bengali,[58][59] Marathi,[60][61] Maithili[62] and Meitei (officially called Manipuri).[63][64][65]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Information on ancestor language or mother language has great importance in the classical languages.
  2. ↑ In conclusion, there are strong systemic and paleographic indications that the Brahmi script derived from a Semitic prototype, which, mainly on historical grounds, is most likely to have been Aramaic. However, the details of this problem remain to be worked out, and in any case, it is unlikely that a complete letter-by-letter derivation will ever be possible; for Brahmi may have been more of an adaptation and remodeling, rather than a direct derivation, of the presumptive Semitic prototype, perhaps under the influence of a preexisting Indian tradition of phonetic analysis. However, the Semitic hypothesis is not so strong as to rule out the remote possibility that further discoveries could drastically change the picture. In particular, a relationship of some kind, probably partial or indirect, with the protohistoric Indus Valley script should not be considered entirely out of the question."[9]

References

  1. 1 2 "Reviving classical languages – Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis". Dnaindia.com. 13 August 2015. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  2. ↑ "India sets up classical languages". BBC. 17 September 2004. Retrieved 1 May 2007.
  3. ↑ "Front Page : Tamil to be a classical language". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 18 September 2004. Archived from the original on 3 March 2018. Retrieved 1 August 2010.
  4. ↑ "Tamil language | Origin, History, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 2023-11-03. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
  5. ↑ Southworth, Franklin C. (2005), Linguistic archaeology of South Asia, Routledge, pp. 249–250, ISBN 978-0-415-33323-8
  6. ↑ "National : Sanskrit to be declared classical language". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 28 October 2005. Archived from the original on 4 September 2016. Retrieved 1 August 2010.
  7. ↑ Lowe, John J. (2015). Participles in Rigvedic Sanskrit: The syntax and semantics of adjectival verb forms. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-100505-3. It consists of 1,028 hymns (suktas), highly crafted poetic compositions originally intended for recital during rituals and for the invocation of and communication with the Indo-Aryan gods. Modern scholarly opinion largely agrees that these hymns were composed between around 1500 BCE and 1200 BCE, during the eastward migration of the Indo-Aryan tribes from the mountains of what is today northern Afghanistan across the Punjab into north India.
  8. ↑ Witzel, Michael (2006). "Early Loan Words in Western Central Asia: Indicators of Substrate Populations, Migrations, and Trade Relations". In Mair, Victor H. (ed.). Contact and exchange in the ancient world. Perspectives on the global past. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i press. pp. 158–190, 160. ISBN 978-0-8248-2884-4. The Vedas were composed (roughly between 1500-1200 and 500 BCE) in parts of present-day Afghanistan, northern Pakistan, and northern India. The oldest text at our disposal is the Rgveda (RV); it is composed in archaic Indo-Aryan (Vedic Sanskrit).
  9. ↑ Salomon, Richard (1998). Indian Epigraphy: A Guide to the Study of Inscriptions in Sanskrit, Prakrit, and the other Indo-Aryan Languages. Oxford University Press. p. 30. ISBN 978-0-19-535666-3.
  10. ↑ Jain, Dhanesh (2007). "Sociolinguistics of the Indo-Aryan languages". In George Cardona; Dhanesh Jain (eds.). The Indo-Aryan Languages. Routledge. pp. 47–66, 51. ISBN 978-1-135-79711-9. In the history of Indo-Aryan, writing was a later development and its adoption has been slow even in modern times. The first written word comes to us through Asokan inscriptions dating back to the third century BC. Originally, Brahmi was used to write Prakrit (MIA); for Sanskrit (OIA) it was used only four centuries later (Masica 1991: 135). The MIA traditions of Buddhist and Jain texts show greater regard for the written word than the OIA Brahminical tradition, though writing was available to Old Indo-Aryans.
  11. ↑ Salomon, Richard (2007). "The Writing Systems of the Indo-Aryan Languages". In George Cardona; Dhanesh Jain (eds.). The Indo-Aryan Languages. Routledge. pp. 67–102. ISBN 978-1-135-79711-9. Although in modern usage Sanskrit is most commonly written or printed in Nagari, in theory, it can be represented by virtually any of the main Brahmi-based scripts, and in practice it often is. Thus scripts such as Gujarati, Bangla, and Oriya, as well as the major south Indian scripts, traditionally have been and often still are used in their proper territories for writing Sanskrit. Sanskrit, in other words, is not inherently linked to any particular script, although it does have a special historical connection with Nagari.
  12. ↑ "Sanskrit language | Origin, History, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 2023-10-31. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
  13. ↑ Colin P. Masica (1993). The Indo-Aryan Languages. Cambridge University Press. pp. 36–38. ISBN 978-0-521-29944-2.
  14. 1 2 "Declaration of Telugu and Kannada as classical languages". Press Information Bureau. Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Government of India. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 31 October 2008.
  15. ↑ "Kannada language | History, Script & Dialects | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 2023-10-10. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
  16. ↑ "Kannada inscription at Talagunda may replace Halmidi as oldest".
  17. ↑ "Telugu language | Origin, History, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 2023-11-01. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
  18. ↑ "'Classical' status for Malayalam". The Hindu. Thiruvananthapuram, India. 24 May 2013. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  19. ↑ "Malayalam language | Dravidian, India, Scripts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
  20. ↑ Sreedhara Menon, A. (January 2007). Kerala Charitram (2007 ed.). Kottayam: DC Books. p. 27. ISBN 978-81-264-1588-5. Archived from the original on 13 November 2021. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  21. ↑ "Odia gets classical language status". The Hindu. 20 February 2014. Retrieved 20 February 2014.
  22. ↑ "Milestone for state as Odia gets classical language status". The Times of India. 21 February 2014.
  23. ↑ "Odia language | Region, History, & Basics | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 2023-10-13. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
  24. ↑ "Pāli language | Theravada Buddhism, Pali Canon, India | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 2023-10-25. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
  25. ↑ Indian Literature - Volume 14 - Page 20 (Volume 14 - Page 20 ed.). Sahitya Akademi. 1971. p. 20. The beginning of this old Manipuri literature (as in the case of Newari) may go back to 1500 years, or even 2000 years, from now.
  26. ↑ Siṃha, Niṃthaukhoṃjama Khelacandra (1975). Manipuri Language: Status and Importance (in English and Manipuri). N. Tombi Raj Singh. p. 34. The beginning of this old Manipuri literature (as in the case of Newari) may go back to 1500 years, or even 2000 years, from now...
  27. ↑ Sanajaoba, Naorem (1988). Manipur, Past and Present: The Heritage and Ordeals of a Civilization. Mittal Publications. p. 290. ISBN 978-81-7099-853-2.
  28. ↑ "'Manipur language which belongs to Tibeto-Burma has touched the criteria of a classical language'". 2018-02-21.
  29. ↑ "Manipuri is a classical language".
  30. ↑ Ayyappappanikkar (1997). Medieval Indian Literature: Surveys and selections. Sahitya Akademi. p. 326. ISBN 978-81-260-0365-5.
  31. ↑ Singh, Ch Manihar (1996). "The Early Period (Ritual Songs) : Ougri". A History of Manipuri Literature (in English and Manipuri). India: Sahitya Akademi. pp. 13, 14. ISBN 978-81-260-0086-9. Again from amongst the songs mentioned above, 'Ougri' and 'Khencho', in view of their more archaic diction and much advanced historical allusions, may be considered earlier than the rest. ... 'Ougri' is referred to as sung at the coronation of Nongdā Lāiren Pākhangbā, which took place in 33 A.D. ...
  32. ↑ Ayyappappanikkar (1997). Medieval Indian Literature: Surveys and selections. Sahitya Akademi. p. 329. ISBN 978-81-260-0365-5.
  33. ↑ Singh, Khelchandra Ningthoukhongjam. "Poireiton Khunthokpa". History Of Old Manipuri Literature (in English and Manipuri). Manipur University Library, Imphal. India: Digital Library of India. pp. 121, 122. The Poireiton Khunthokpa, is the most conspicuous one of all pre-Garibniwaz manuscripts. From a linguistic point of view, it seems to be much earlier than any of the books yet come under our view. Circumstantial and other incidental evidences would confirm that the book might have been of the time of the third century A. D. It describes the colonization of the valley by a band of people from the land of Death under Poireiton. They first established their colony near the Langol Hill; probably the vast area between the Koubru Hill and the Langol Hill was their kingdom. --Report on the Archaeological studies in Manipur Bulletin No. 1-by W. Yumjao Singh, pp 18-19.
  34. ↑ Bhaṭṭācāryya, Haridāsa (1953). The Cultural Heritage of India: Languages and literatures. University of Michigan. India: Ramakrishna Mission, Institute of Culture. p. 663. ... The beginnings of this Old Manipuri literature may go back to 1,500 years or even 2,000 years from now. ... Poireiton Khunthok, a prose work describing the settlement of some Meithei tribes, is the oldest work in Manipuri going back to the third century A.D. ...
  35. ↑ Ayyappappanikkar (1997). Medieval Indian Literature: Surveys and selections. Sahitya Akademi. p. 330. ISBN 978-81-260-0365-5.
  36. ↑ Singh, Ch Manihar (1996). "The Early Period (Ritual Songs)". A History of Manipuri Literature (in English and Manipuri). India: Sahitya Akademi. pp. 14, 15. ISBN 978-81-260-0086-9. ... 'Khencho' is quite obscure and entirely unintelligible to the present generation though it forms an inseparable element of the daily proceedings of the festival. ...
  37. ↑ "মণিপুরি ভাষা ও লিপি – এল বীরমঙ্গল সিংহ | আপনপাঠ ওয়েবজিন" (in Bengali). 16 September 2021.
  38. ↑ Devi, Yumlembam Gopi. Glimpses of Manipuri Culture. p. 25. ISBN 978-0-359-72919-7.
  39. ↑ Paniker, K. Ayyappa (1997). Medieval Indian Literature: Surveys and selections (Assamese-Dogri). Sahitya Akademi. p. 325. ISBN 978-81-260-0365-5.
  40. ↑ Sen, Sipra (1992). Tribes and Castes of Manipur: Description and Select Bibliography. Mittal Publications. p. 28. ISBN 978-81-7099-310-0.
  41. ↑ Devi, Dr Yumlembam Gopi. Glimpses of Manipuri Culture. p. 119. ISBN 978-0-359-72919-7. ... the text Panthoibi Khongul generally believed to have been written by Akoijam Tomboy during the reign of King Khongtekcha Yoiremba (763 A.D.) ...
  42. ↑ Mukherjee, Sujit (1998). A Dictionary of Indian Literature: Beginnings-1850. Orient Blackswan. p. 280. ISBN 978-81-250-1453-9. Panthoibi khongul ( ? C ; Manipuri ) : prose narrative , the original of which was believed to have been composed in ancient Meitei language in first half of 8th century AD ...
  43. ↑ "The relationship between Thang-Ta & Meitei Pung maintained by our Ancient ..." (PDF). Centre for Cultural Resources and Training. Ministry of Culture, Government of India. p. 4.
  44. ↑ Sanajaoba, Naorem (1993). Manipur: Treatise & Documents. Mittal Publications. p. 2. ISBN 978-81-7099-399-5. Manipur, known as 'Meetei Leipak' or 'Kangleipak' in the two millennia old Meetei manuscripts had experienced some form of constitutional government under a proto-Constitution in 429 A.D. which was reduced to a final format in 1110 A.D. Constitution entitled 'Loiyamba Shinyen' during the regime of King Loyumba.
  45. ↑ Sanajaoba, Naorem (1991). Law and Society: Strategy for Public Choice, 2001. Mittal Publications. p. 304. ISBN 978-81-7099-271-4. The constitutionalism had developed with the adoption of a prototype of a constitution in 429 A.D. which was finally moulded into the written constitution in 1110 A.D., called 'Loyumba Shinyen' till it was substituted by Manipur State Constitution Act, 1947 which operated till Manipur's merger with India on October 15, 1949.
  46. ↑ Munsi, Urmimala Sarkar; Burridge, Stephanie (2012). Traversing Tradition: Celebrating Dance in India. en: Routledge, Taylor & Francis. p. 35. ISBN 978-1-136-70378-2. ... This means a command of Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Oriya, Meitei, Persian, or Arabic. ...
  47. ↑ George, K. M. (1992). Modern Indian Literature, an Anthology: Surveys and poems. India: Sahitya Akademi. p. 258. ISBN 978-81-7201-324-0. H. Anganghal Singh's Khamba Thoibi Sheireng (Poem on Khamba Thoibi, 1940) is a national epic of the Manipuris based on the story of Khamba and Thoibi of Moirang. The poet composes the whole epic in the Pena Saisak style of folk ballads sung by minstrels or bards popular in Manipur.
  48. ↑ Datta, Amaresh (1988). Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature: Devraj to Jyoti. India: Sahitya Akademi. p. 1186. ISBN 978-81-260-1194-0.
  49. ↑ Das, Sisir Kumar (2005). A History of Indian Literature: 1911-1956, struggle for freedom : triumph and tragedy. Sahitya Akademi. p. 190. ISBN 978-81-7201-798-9. His epic Singel Indu was published in 1938 which was followed by his magnum opus Khamba Thoibi Sheireng (1940), a poem of 39000 lines, considered to be the 'national' epic of the Manipuris, written in the Pena Saisak style of folk ballads.
  50. ↑ "Manipur steps up to renew push for inclusion of Manipuri among India's classical languages". Imphal Free Press. The movement for recognizing Manipuri as a classical language began in 2013, yet there has been a gap in the follow up actions.
  51. ↑ IANS (2016-08-20). "Classic language status for Manipuri demanded". Business Standard India.
  52. ↑ "Classic language status for Manipuri demanded". MorungExpress.
  53. ↑ "India sets up classical languages". BBC. 2004-09-17.
  54. ↑ "CLASSICAL LANGUAGE STATUS TO KANNADA". Press Information Bureau, Government of India. 8 August 2006. Archived from the original on 18 January 2012. Retrieved 6 November 2008.
  55. ↑ "Classical Status to Odiya Language". Press Information Bureau, Government of India. 14 August 2013. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  56. ↑ "Classical Status to Oriya Language". Pib.nic.in (Press release). 14 August 2013. Archived from the original on 12 January 2014.
  57. ↑ Singh, Binay (5 May 2013). "Removal of Pali as UPSC subject draws criticism". The Times of India. Retrieved 20 February 2014.
  58. ↑ "Didi, Naveen face-off over classical language status". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2020-02-12.
  59. ↑ "Bangla O Bangla Bhasha Banchao Committee". www.facebook.com. Archived from the original on 2022-02-26. Retrieved 2020-02-12.
  60. ↑ Clara Lewis (16 April 2018). "Clamour grows for Marathi to be given classical language status". The Times of India.
  61. ↑ "Marathi may become classical language". The Indian Express. 4 July 2013.
  62. ↑ Jagran Team (9 July 2021). "बिहार की एक भी भाषा अब तक नहीं बनी शास्त्रीय भाषा, मैथिली हो सकता शामिल". Jagran.
  63. ↑ "Manipur steps up to renew push for inclusion of Manipuri among India's classical languages (time duration of the movement)". Imphal Free Press. The movement for recognizing Manipuri as a classical language began in 2013, yet there has been a gap in the follow up actions.
  64. ↑ "MP for classical language status : 23rd sep20 ~ E-Pao! Headlines". e-pao.net.
  65. ↑ "Process for recognising Manipuri as classical language of India underway: MP Sanajaoba". Imphal Free Press.
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