How does classical status help a language?

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Globally, classical languages ​​are considered to be those languages ​​that have an ancient and independent literary tradition and have a written literature that is considered classical. |Image source: Getty Images/iStockphoto

Story so far: Earlier this month, the Union Cabinet approved classical status for five more languages ​​- Marathi, Bengali, Assamese, Pali and Prakrit – by adjusting the criteria for declaration. The announcement, days ahead of the release of the Maharashtra assembly election schedule, has triggered a political war of words with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress claiming responsibility for meeting long-pending demands in the state. Have some credit. Beyond politics, however, scholars and academics also hope that the new status will protect and enhance historical research, literary translation, and the modern fate of these languages.

What makes a language a classic?

Globally, classical languages ​​are considered to be those languages ​​that have an ancient and independent literary tradition and have a written literature that is considered classical. They are generally not spoken as spoken languages ​​- such as Latin or Sanskrit – or differ from their modern versions.

When the new UPA-led federal government introduced classical status to Indian languages ​​in 2004, it used three criteria to define them: its earliest texts or recorded history dating back more than a thousand years; , considered by generations to be a precious heritage; and its literary tradition must be original and not borrowed from other linguistic communities. Tamil was the first language to be declared a classical language.

In 2005, the criteria were adjusted, deferring the historical requirement to 1500 to 2000 and stipulating that “classical languages ​​and literatures differ from modern ones, and there may also be discontinuities between classical languages ​​and their later forms or their offshoots”. ”. Following these norms, over the next decade five more languages ​​were declared classical: Sanskrit, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and finally Odia, which was It achieved this status just months before the 2014 election. During the two terms of the BJP-led NDA government, no new classical language was announced.

How did neoclassical languages ​​achieve this status?

Maharashtra had floated a proposal to declare Marathi as a classical language in 2013, but it was not approved then as per the criteria. “The process actually started in 2012 when the Pathare Committee was formed to develop the proposal using evidence from old documents. It initially submitted its report in Marathi which then had to be translated into English. It was ultimately submitted to [Union Culture Ministry’s] Committee of Experts on Language in November 2013,” said Sadanand More, Marathi writer, historian and chairman of the Maharashtra State Council for Literature and Culture. At that time, both the Center and the states were ruled by Congress-led governments. In July 2014, then Congress Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan also presented the proposal to the newly elected Modi-led government at the Centre.

Over the next decade, state governments led by the BJP and the then Shiv Sena faction joined the Center in pursuing the matter. “This is not only a government movement, but also a popular movement. More than 100,000 people sent postcards to the president; members of parliament raised questions in parliament, and some went to court…” Dr. Moore said. Marathi has a rich literary tradition and a consistent history of at least 2,000 years, he said, claiming that Maharashtrian Cretan was an original language unlike other forms of colloquialism which were derived.

Ultimately, the federal government approved the request after 11 long years and on the eve of crucial assembly elections in the state, after the LEC once again revised the criteria to allow for a broader definition of classical languages. In July 2024, the LEC removed the requirement that “the literary tradition must be original and must not be borrowed from other language communities” in any proposed language, and added that classical languages ​​must include “intellectual texts, especially prose texts other than poetry, Inscriptions and inscriptional evidence”. It also means that the classical language “might” be different from its current form.

These new standards paved the way not only for Marathi but also for Bengali and Assamese, which are also modern languages ​​in use today. “We submitted a 392-page report to the Ministry of Culture in March 2021 tracing the history of the Assamese language to prove its antiquity. The stone carvings date back to the third century AD. Assam Sahitya Sabha “The bark of the Sanchi tree has copper plates and manuscripts written on it, as well as a wealth of Assamese folklore and folk songs,” said former chairman Kuladhar Saikia. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata ·Mamata Banerjee submitted a four-volume report to the Center in January 2024, seeking classical status for Bengali on the grounds that there was concrete evidence of Bengali as a language as early as the 3rd or 4th century A written language existed BC.

The new standards also allowed for the inclusion of Pali and Prakrit, the ancient vernacular spoken by the masses at that time, as compared to the Sanskrit used in the Vedic rituals adopted by Jainism and Theravada Buddhism.

What are the prospects for the newly declared classical languages?

Writer, historian and Indologist Nrisingha Prasad Bhaduri said: “Nobel Prize winner Rabindranath Tagore came to the rescue at a time when many people were reluctant to speak Bengali. It is important that the language spoken by Rabindranath Tagore is considered a classical language. “Many works in Bengali are awaiting translation. The Bengali dialect also needs support. This will also help Bengali research proposals get central funding.

“This is an acknowledgment of the importance of the Marathi language to the national culture, but it is not just a matter of regional pride,” Dr More said. “There is a grant for language development and research, translation, teaching of Marathi outside Maharashtra, and preservation of old forms of the language and old texts.”

The Center funds centers of excellence and university chairs in Sanskrit and Tamil universities and other existing classical languages ​​and has received national and international awards. Central budget allocations for classical languages ​​range from over Rs 51 crore for Tamil over the past decade to Rs 37 crore for Malayalam since 2020.

“There are many rock inscriptions in Assamese that have not yet been deciphered, which will provide support for researchers studying the ancient language and translating Assamese classics,” Mr Saikia said. “But given the rise of English schools, we also hope that it will promote the learning and use of modern Assamese. Our report proves that our language has deep roots. Now we must ensure that it also has the support to spread its wings.

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