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4th October 2024 (17 Topics)

Centre approves 5 new classical languages

Context

The Union Cabinet approved the status of 'classical language' for five additional languages: Marathi, Bengali, Pali, Prakrit, and Assamese.

About Classical Language

  • The term "Indian classical languages" refers to a group of languages that have a long history and a rich, unique, and distinctive literary legacy
  • The Indian government announced in 2004 that languages might hold the title of "Classical Language" of India if they fulfilled a number of certain requirements.
  • It was established by the Linguistic Experts' Committee and the Ministry of Culture.
  • To be designated as a classical language in India, a language must meet specific criteria:
    • High Antiquity: The language should have an ancient recorded history of 1,500 to 2,000 years.
    • Heritage Literature: There must be a significant body of ancient literature that is cherished by generations of speakers.
    • Diverse Textual Evidence: Knowledge texts, including prose and poetry, along with epigraphical and inscriptional records, should exist.
    • Distinct Historical Form: The classical form of the language may differ significantly from its contemporary iterations.
  • The languages now recognized include widely spoken languages like Marathi, Bengali, and Assamese, alongside Pali, which is significant in Buddhist tradition and taught in universities.
  • This decision increases the total number of recognized classical languages in India from six to eleven.
    • The currently recognised classical languages include Tamil, Sanskrit, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Odia.
    • The new additions include Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese, and Bengali.

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