Definition of Mother Tongue
- In the context of the Indian Census, a person’s “mother tongue” is simply the language first learned at home—traditionally from one’s mother. If the mother passed away when the child was very young, the primary language spoken in the household counts as the mother tongue. In more ambiguous situations (e.g., for infants or those who are unable to speak or hear), one relies on the language usually spoken by the mother or the broader household.
How the Census Handles Languages
- During the Census, people’s self-reported mother tongues are initially recorded as “raw returns.” These might contain variations like spelling mistakes or misunderstandings (for instance, people might give the name of a local community or a profession instead of an actual language). Through a process called “rationalisation,” these raw returns are carefully checked and grouped under valid language names.
Raw Returns – The unedited responses on mother tongue (e.g., 19,569 in 2011).
Rationalised Mother Tongues – After correcting and analysing raw returns, these become the valid mother tongue names (e.g., 2,843 in 2011).
Classified Mother Tongues – Each rationalised mother tongue is further examined for linguistic features and grouped under broader language families or dialects. Those successfully identified in 2011 numbered 1,369.
Unclassified Mother Tongues – Some mother tongues cannot be conclusively identified or need further research, so they are placed under “unclassified.” There were 1,474 such entries in 2011.
For reporting, the Indian Census recognises:
- Scheduled Languages (languages listed in the Indian Constitution’s Eighth Schedule—22 in total in 2011).
- Non-Scheduled Languages (all other languages).
- Others (mother tongues that have fewer than 10,000 speakers each or remain unclassified).
Census 1971
- Recorded around 3,000 mother tongues initially.
- After scrutiny, languages/mother tongues with 10,000 or more speakers were grouped into Part A (15 scheduled languages) and Part B (90 others).
- Anything below 10,000 speakers or not identifiable was put under “Others.”
Census 1981
- Similar structure to 1971: Part A (15 scheduled languages) and Part B (93 other languages/mother tongues).
- “Others” again for entries below 10,000 speakers or not clearly identifiable.
Census 1991
- Around 10,400 raw returns were checked, leaving 1,576 “rationalised” mother tongues and 1,796 “unclassified.”
- Eventually, 114 languages were listed (18 scheduled, after adding three more, and 96 non-scheduled).
Census 2001
- 6,661 raw returns were rationalised down to 3,592 mother tongues.
- 1,635 were “classified” and 1,957 were deemed “unclassified.”
- 22 scheduled languages (with 93 mother tongues grouped under them), and 100 non-scheduled languages (with 141 mother tongues).
- “Others” included 473 classified mother tongues with fewer than 10,000 speakers and 1,957 unclassified.
Census 2011
- 19,569 raw returns were reduced to 2,843 rationalised mother tongues.
- Of these, 1,369 were fully “classified,” and 1,474 remained “unclassified.”
- 22 scheduled languages (with 123 mother tongues grouped), 99 non-scheduled languages (147 mother tongues), and “Others” containing 373 classified (under 10,000 speakers) plus 1,474 unclassified mother tongues.
- Additionally, every Census publishes data on bilingualism and trilingualism—how many people speak two or three languages, along with further breakdowns by age, sex, and educational level.
In simpler terms:
- The Census asks everyone which language they learned first.
- All those answers are collected, then carefully sorted out to correct mistakes and combine duplicate names.
- The final list is organised into “Scheduled” (officially recognised) and “Non-Scheduled” languages.
- Those with fewer than 10,000 speakers or that could not be identified with certainty go into the “Others” category.
- This process helps provide a clearer picture of the languages and dialects people speak across India, illustrating the country’s linguistic diversity.