Classical language
Topic: Federalism and Centre-State Relations · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Classical language is a special status that the Union government gives to an Indian language. It goes to languages that are very old and have their own original body of literature. The status recognises the language's heritage and helps support its study. It does not come from the Constitution. It is a government decision.
Example
Tamil became the first classical language in 2004. In October 2024, Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese and Bengali were added, taking the total to 11.
Don't confuse with
- Eighth Schedule languages: the 22 languages listed in the Constitution. Pali and Prakrit are classical languages but are not in the Eighth Schedule.
- Official language (Art. 343): the language used for the Union's work, which is Hindi in Devanagari, with English. Classical status is about heritage, not about government work.
Related concepts
- Language policy of India
- Official language of the Union
- Official Language Commission
- Official Languages Act 1963
- Anti-Hindi agitation
- Eighth Schedule
- Three-language formula