Overview of Indian Language History

History: The earliest language of India that we know of was the Indus Valley civilization language,but due to the very low availability of the script, they have become extinct. However,the four major language groups of early India are the Dravidian , the Sino-Tibetan,the Austric and Indo-Aryan.

Sanskrit,the classical language of India, represents the highest achievement of the Indo-Aryan Languages.The beginning of Sanskrit literature may be traced back to Rig Vedic period .It is the oldest literary language of India, which is more than 5,000 years old and the basis of many modern Indian languages including Hindi and Urdu.Its earliest dialect form, Vedic was spoken by the Aryans.All the classical literature and the Indian epics have been written in Sanskrit.

Sources: Manorama Yearbook 2016