The Union Cabinet approved classical language status for five more languages i.e. Marathi, Bengali, Assamese, Pali, and Prakrit.
Revised Criteria for Classical Language Status
- Earlier classical languages: Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Sanskrit, and Odia.
- The Linguistics Expert Committee revised the criteria for classical status in July 2024.
- This committee includes representatives from the Union Ministries of Home and Culture and linguistic experts, chaired by the Sahitya Akademi.
What are classical languages?
- Indian classical languages, also known as Shastriya Bhasha, refer to languages with a deep historical background, rich literary traditions and a unique cultural heritage.
- These languages have significantly contributed to the intellectual and cultural development of the region, with their texts offering valuable insights into various domains like literature, philosophy and religion.
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Criteria For Classical Language Status: The Ministry of Culture has rules that must be followed in order to be classified as a classical language in India:
- Ancient origin: The language should have high antiquity of its early texts/recorded history over a period of 1,500-2,000 years.
- Literary heritage: The language should contain a body of ancient literature or texts that is considered a valuable heritage by generations of speakers.
The Constitution of India contains several provisions regarding languages
- Eighth Schedule: Lists the official languages of India, which initially included 14 languages but has been expanded to 22 languages.
- These languages are recognized for use in government communication, examinations, and legislative matters.
- 9 Classical Languages are listed under the 8th Schedule of the Constitution, whereas, Pali and the Prakrit(s) are designated “classical” but not included in the 8th Schedule.
- Article 120: It states that business in Parliament is to be conducted in Hindi or English.
- However, members can speak in their native languages with prior permission of the Presiding Officer of the house.
- Article 210: It allows the use of Hindi, English, or the language of the respective state.
- However, English can continue to be used for legislative purposes as long as the legislature permits it.
- Article 345: States that the legislature of a state may adopt one or more languages for official purposes of the state, but until that happens, English will continue as an official language for those purposes.
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- Originality: The literary tradition should be original and not borrowed from another speech community.
- Discontinuity from modern avatars: The said language and literature should be distinct from its modern format with a marked discontinuity between the classical language and its later forms or its offshoots.
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Benefits of Classical Status
- Academic and Research Support: Establishment of Centres of Excellence for studies in classical languages.
- International Awards: Two major annual international awards for scholars in classical languages.
- Professional Chairs: University Grants Commission (UGC) is requested to create academic chairs for the languages in Central Universities.
- Cultural Recognition: The recognition honours the literary and historical contributions of these languages to Indian heritage.
- Job Creation: The preservation, documentation, and digitization of ancient texts will create employment opportunities in fields like archiving, translation, publishing, and digital media.
October 4, 2024
