Number Theory: Indian multilingualism in perspective

A detailed analysis of the data shows that the picture is more nuanced than it appears from the headline numbers

India is a country where a lot of languages are spoken. Because Hindi speakers have the largest share in population , and therefore political calculus, desirability and mechanics of multilingualism have always been a debated topic in the country. This debate has been resurrected again in the context of the three-language push in the National Education Policy 2020 (NEP). What is the exact picture of multilingualism in India? A detailed analysis of the data shows that the picture is more

AP file photo (AP)

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  How bilingual/trilingual is India?

  According to the 2011 census, 26% of India knows at least two languages and 7.1% knows at least three languages. This means that 74% of India is monolingual, around 19% is strictly bilingual, and 7.1% is tri/multi-lingual. However, these proportions vary vastly by state: from 10.9% of the population knowing at least two languages in Rajasthan to 51.1% in Maharashtra among 18 big states and the UT of Delhi in the 2011 census (neither Andhra Pradesh and Telangana nor Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh were bifurcated at the time). Similarly, the rate of trilingualism varied from 1.3% in Uttar Pradesh to 28.2% in Punjab.
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  What languages drive bilingualism in India?

  70% of the bilingualism in India is driven by just two languages: Hindi (44.1%) and English (26%). All other languages have a share of around 4% or less in second languages. Among the 19 big states and UTs, Hindi is the biggest second language in nine and English in seven. Where are the states where languages other than these two the biggest second language? Karnataka, Assam, and Jammu and Kashmir, where Kannada, Assamese, and Urdu are the biggest second languages. Third languages are even more concentrated within English and Hindi, but with English being more prominent here. English has a 53% share in third languages and Hindi’s share is 28%. English is the biggest third language in 14 of the 19 big states and UTs and Hindi in five.
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  The rate of bilingualism is affected by diversity of first languages within state…

  Clearly, the headline numbers on bilingualism show counter-intuitive trends. Kannada and Assamese being the biggest second language in Karnataka and Assam is only one such trend. Another counter-intuitive trend is that Hindi is the biggest first language in five of the nine states where it is also the biggest second language. What explains this? A partial explanation that the census data suggests is that the diversity of first languages affects the rate of bilingualism and the choice of the second language somewhat. If the minority first languages have a significant share, it is likely that this population will learn the dominant first language of the state and increase the state’s rate of bilingualism. For example, Hindi is not as dominant a first language in Bihar and Jharkhand as in other Hindi-belt states because Maithili speakers in the former and Santali and Bengali speakers in the latter are significant. The reason behind the counter-intuitive trends in second languages in Karnataka and Assam is the same.
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  …and the family of the language in neighbouring states

  To be sure, there is another reason for high rates of bilingualism, as seen in Punjab, Maharashtra, and Gujarat. Punjabi, Marathi, and Gujarati are of the same family (Indo-Aryan) as Hindi, the biggest first language of neighbouring states. In fact, a big chunk of bi/trilingualism in India is because people pick up tongues of the same family. Compared to the 26% rate of bilingualism, only 14% Indians speak languages of different families. Even this is largely because of English, which is the aspirational medium of instruction for most Indians. If English is excluded, the rate of speaking languages from different families drops to just 4.8%. Karnataka, un-bifurcated Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Kerala are the only states where more than 10% of the population speaks languages from two different families excluding English.
• These trends have an implication for the debate on the three-language formula. The NEP 2020, the genesis of the ongoing tussle, requires one to learn two Indian languages. This means that bilingualism because of English alone would put one at a disadvantage in the three-language formula. For example, Kerala and Tamil Nadu fall behind Bihar in bilingualism if English is excluded. Un-bifurcated Andhra Pradesh would fall behind Jharkhand and Odisha. Only Karnataka among peninsular states is placed ahead of the Hindi-belt states.