Census of India 2001 : Series 1: India: Language, India, States and Union Territories Table C-16

Contents: Preface. Acknowledgement. General note. Statement: 1. Abstract of languages and mother tongues and their strengths-2001. 2. Distribution of population by Scheduled and Nonscheduled Languages-India, States and Union Territories-2001. 3. Distribution of 10, 000 persons by language--India, States and Union Territories-2001. 4. Scheduled languages in descending order of strength-2001. 5. Comparative strengths of Scheduled Languages-1971, 1981, 1991 and 2001. 6. Growth of Scheduled Languages-1971, 1981, 1991 and 2001. 7. Growth of Non Scheduled Languages-1971, 1981, 1991 and 2001. 8. Family-wise grouping of the 122 Scheduled and Non Scheduled Languages-2001. 9. Fifteen numerically biggest languages in descending order of strength in each State and Union Territory-2001. 10. Fifteen numerically biggest mother tongues in descending order of strength in each State and Union Territory-2001. Table C-16. Language and mother tongues, 2001. Fly leaf. C-16 Part A (i): distribution of the 22 Scheduled languages--India, States and Union Territories--2001. C-16 Part A (ii): Distribution of mother tongues (having a minimum of 10, 000 speakers in India) included under the 22 Scheduled Languages-India, State and Union Territories-2001. C-16 Part: B (i): Distribution of the 100 Non Scheduled Languages-India, States and Union Territories-2001. C-16 Part B (ii): Distribution of mother tongues (having a minimum of 10, 000 speakers in India) included under the 100 Non Scheduled Languages--India, States and Union Territories--2001. C-16 Part C (i): Languages in descending order of strength--India, States and Union Territories--2001. C-16 Part C(ii): Mother tongues in descending order of strength-India, States and Union Territories--2001. 

"From the preface: "The data on Mother Tongues and Languages are historically important particularly in a pluri-lingual and pluri-cultural society as ours representing different ethnicity and identity. The population census is the only comprehensive data source on languages in India and has been providing a wealth of data for distinct planning and development of various languages by researchers and linguists. In each successive census, attempts have been made to add vitality to the database and to meet the demands for undertaking wide ranging studies by different scholars.

The Census Organisation publishes the data on mother tongue, returned by each individual during decennial census enumeration, after proper rationalization and classification under relevant languages, wherever possible. The presentation of the language data of 2001 census is in the sphere of the same principles as agreed to for 1971, 1981 and  and 1991 censuses. The speakers of all the mother tongues were compiled, scrutinized and linguistically classified under the relevant 122 Scheduled and Non-Scheduled languages comprising 234 mother tongues. These 122 languages were identified as belonging to five families, namely, Indo-European, Dravidian, Austro-Asiatic, Tibeto-Burmese and Semito-Hamitic. The mother tongue data is exclusive whereas language data is inclusive of mother tongues grouped under languages. The Table C-16 presented in this volume comes under C-Series of Social and Cultural Tables. This segregated data will be of great use to scholars and researchers as well as to state and local governments in providing adequate facilities for instruction in mother tongue at primary stage of education as envisaged under Article 350 A of the Constitution of India."