Question

Which is the largest linguistic group in India?

• A. Dravidian
• B. Sino-Tibetan
• C. Indo-Aryan
• D. Austric

Hint:

Order of major linguistic groups in India by population: Indo-Aryan $>$ Dravidian $>$ Austric $>$ Sino-Tibetan.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Concept: India is one of the most linguistically diverse countries in the world. Indian languages are classified into four major linguistic families:
• Indo-Aryan
• Dravidian
• Austric
• Sino-Tibetan Among these groups, the Indo-Aryan family has the highest number of speakers.

Step 1: Understanding the Indo-Aryan linguistic group.
The Indo-Aryan language family belongs to the larger Indo-European language group. It is spoken mainly in Northern, Central, and Western India. Languages included in this family are:
• Hindi
• Bengali
• Marathi
• Gujarati
• Punjabi
• Assamese
• Odia
• Sanskrit Approximately 74% of India's population speaks Indo-Aryan languages. Therefore, it is the largest linguistic group in India.

Step 2: Analyzing the Dravidian group.
The Dravidian family is the second-largest linguistic group and is concentrated mainly in South India. Major Dravidian languages include:
• Tamil
• Telugu
• Kannada
• Malayalam It accounts for nearly 20% of the Indian population.

Step 3: Analyzing Austric and Sino-Tibetan groups.
The Austric group is mainly spoken by tribal populations in central and eastern India. The Sino-Tibetan group is spoken in the Himalayan and North-Eastern regions of India. Both of these groups represent comparatively smaller populations.

Step 4: Final conclusion.
Since the Indo-Aryan family is spoken by the majority of Indians, it is the largest linguistic group in India. \[ \boxed{\text{(C) Indo-Aryan}} \]