What language did ancient India speak?
One of the oldest Indo-European languages for which substantial documentation exists, Sanskrit is believed to have been the general language of the greater Indian Subcontinent in ancient times. It is still used today in Hindu religious rituals, Buddhist hymns and chants, and Jain texts.
What language did Indian?
The Indian constitution recognizes 22 official languages: Bengali, Hindi, Maithili, Nepalese, Sanskrit, Tamil, Urdu, Assamese, Dogri, Kannada, Gujarati, Bodo, Manipur (also known as Meitei), Oriya, Marathi, Santali, Telugu, Punjabi, Sindhi, Malayalam, Konkani and Kashmiri.
What language did India speak before English?
After Indian Independence in 1947, Hindi was declared the first official language, and attempts were made to declare Hindi the sole national language of India. Due to protests from Tamil Nadu and other non-Hindi-speaking states, it was decided to temporarily retain English for official purposes until at least 1965.
Which Indian language is oldest?
The Tamil language is recognized as the oldest language in the world and it is the oldest language of the Dravidian family. This language had a presence even around 5,000 years ago.
What’s the first language in the world?
As far as the world knew, Sanskrit stood as the first spoken language because it dated as back as 5000 BC. New information indicates that although Sanskrit is among the oldest spoken languages, Tamil dates back further. Tamil dates as far back as 350 BC—works like the ‘Tholkappiyam,’ an ancient poem, stand as evidence.
What language did the Jesus speak?
Most religious scholars and historians agree with Pope Francis that the historical Jesus principally spoke a Galilean dialect of Aramaic. Through trade, invasions and conquest, the Aramaic language had spread far afield by the 7th century B.C., and would become the lingua franca in much of the Middle East.
Is Spanish spoken in India?
The Spanish Language is one of the most popular foreign languages in India.
Do Indians speak English?
Amid this Babel, English remains the country’s only lingua franca. … India now claims to be the world’s second-largest English-speaking country. The most reliable estimate is around 10% of its population or 125 million people, second only to the US and expected to quadruple in the next decade.
Why is Indian English so bad?
Even though India is the 2nd largest English speaking country in the world the main reason why people have difficulty in speaking english fluently is that is it not their native language. Second Language Acquisition/Learning maybe very difficult.
Was Persian spoken in India?
The Persian language in the Indian subcontinent (Persian: زبان فارسی در بر صغیر), before the British colonisation, was the region’s lingua franca and a widely used official language in North India. … Persian began to decline with the gradual deterioration of the Mughal Empire.
Is French spoken in India?
Today, Pondicherry still has a community of French people living in the city and French is also an official language. There are 6,500 French people registered in South India, and of these about 5,500 are in Pondicherry.
Which is the mother of all languages?
Known as ‘the mother of all languages,’ Sanskrit is the dominant classical language of the Indian subcontinent and one of the 22 official languages of India. It is also the liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism.
Who brought Hindi language to India?
Like other Indo-Aryan languages, Hindi is a direct descendant of an early form of Vedic Sanskrit, through Sauraseni Prakrit and Śauraseni Apabhraṃśa (from Sanskrit apabhraṃśa “corrupt”), which emerged in the 7th century CE.
What are the 7 oldest languages?
Seven oldest surviving languages in the world.
- Tamil: Origin (according to first appearance as script) – 300 BC. …
- Sanskrit: Origin (according to first appearance as script) – 2000 BC. …
- Greek: Origin (according to first appearance as script) – 1500 BC. …
- Chinese: Origin (according to first appearance as script) – 1250 BC.