INDIAN LINGO

The 18 official languages of India

1 Assamese
2 Bengali
3 Gujarati
4 Hindi
5 Kannada
6 Kashmiri
7 Konkani
8 Malayalam
9 Manipuri
10 Marathi
11 Nepali
12 Oriya
13 Punjabi
14 Sanskrit
15 Sindhi
16 Tamil
17 Telugu
18 Urdu

Over 200 languages and dialects have been recorded in India. Of these eighteen, many of which have broad similarities, most are regional. Sanskrit is an ancient language no longer spoken, while Urdu is confined mainly to Muslim speakers and Sindhi to those from an ethnic group originating in Pakistan. English does not have full official status, but is widely spoken.