Classical Languages
The Union Cabinet has recently approved giving the status of ‘classical language’ to five more languages - Marathi, Bengali, Pali, Prakrit, and Assamese. With this cabinet decision, the number of languages that have the status will nearly double from six to 11. The languages that had the tag earlier were Tamil, Sanskrit, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Odia. Tamil was granted the status in 2004 and the last language to get it was Odia, in 2014. Prakrit and Pali are two distinct languages that have been derived from Sanskrit.
What is the criteria for a language to be recognised as classical?
The following criteria have to be met:
● High antiquity of the language’s early texts/recorded history over a period of 1,500-2,000 years.
● A body of ancient literature/texts, which is considered a heritage by generations of speakers.
● Knowledge texts, especially prose texts in addition to poetry, epigraphical and inscriptional evidence.
● The classical languages and literature could be distinct from their current form or could be discontinuous with later forms of their offshoots.
