A Brief Note on Official Language

An official language, also called state language, is a language given a special status in a particular country, state, or
other jurisdiction. Typically a country's official language refers to the language used in government (judiciary,
legislature, administration).

In India, there is no national language. Article 343 of the Indian constitution, on the other hand, expressly states:
“The Union’s official language will be Hindi in Devanagari script. The international form of Indian numerals shall be
used for official purposes of the Union,” while clause 3 of the Official Languages Act, 1963 states, “Continuation of
English Language for official purposes of the Union and for use in Parliament.” “, designating Hindi and English as the
Union’s official languages. Only Hindi or English are allowed to be spoken in the Indian parliament. Official functions
like parliamentary sessions, courts, and communications between the Central Government and a State Government
are permitted to use English. At the state/territory level, India has several official languages. States within India have
the freedom and authority to legislate their own official language(s). In addition to the official languages, the
constitution recognises 22 regional languages as scheduled languages, including Hindi but not English.

Legislation allows states to designate their own official language(s). As a result, the section of the Indian Constitution
dealing with official languages contains detailed provisions that address not only the languages used for the union’s
official purposes, but also the languages used for the official purposes of each state and union territory in the
country, as well as the languages used for communication between the union and the states.

History

English, Urdu, and later Hindi were the official languages of British India, with English being used at the government
level. Official Hindi dates back to 1900, when MacDonnell issued an order allowing the “permissive — but not
exclusive — use” of Devanagari for Hindustani in the North-Western Provinces’ courts. The Indian constitution, which
was established in 1950, stated that English would be phased out in favour of Hindi over a fifteen-year period, but
that Parliament would have the ability to provision for the use of English even after that. Plans to make Hindi the
Republic’s single official language were met with opposition in several sections of the country. English and Hindi are
still used today, along with other official languages (at the federal level and in some states).

The Official Languages Act of 1963, the Official Language Rules of 1976, and numerous state laws, as well as rules and
regulations issued by the federal government and the states, provide the legal foundation for the use of languages
for official purposes.

The Difference Between National and Official Languages

The main distinction between a country’s national language and its official language is that a country’s national
language is linked to its sociopolitical and cultural functions, whereas a country’s official language is linked to
government affairs such as the functioning of the parliament or the national court.

Official and national languages play a unique role in defining a country’s identity. Both languages’ primary purpose is
to represent the country.

The Union’s official languages

In 1950, the Indian constitution designated Hindi in Devanagari script as the official language of the country. The use
of English for official purposes was to end 15 years after the constitution took effect, on January 26, 1965, unless
Parliament voted otherwise. However, non-Hindi-speaking portions of India, particularly Dravidian-speaking states
whose languages are unrelated to Hindi, were alarmed by the potential of the switchover. As a result, Parliament
passed the Official Languages Act of 1963, which allowed English and Hindi to be used for official purposes even after
1965.

An attempt was made in late 1964 to specifically prohibit the use of English, but states including Maharashtra, Tamil
Nadu, Punjab, West Bengal, Karnataka, Puducherry, Nagaland, Mizoram, and Andhra Pradesh objected. Some of
these demonstrations became violent. As a result, the proposal was dropped, and the Act was amended in 1967 to
provide that the use of English would not be discontinued until a resolution was passed by the legislatures of all
states that had not adopted Hindi as their official language, as well as by each house of the Indian Parliament.
As a result, the Union government continues to use English as a “subsidiary official language” in addition to Hindi for
official purposes, but it is also required to plan and implement a programme to gradually enhance its use of Hindi.
The Constitution, the Official Languages Act, 1963, the Official Languages Rules, 1976, and legislative instruments
issued by the Department of Official Language under these laws regulate the amount and areas in which the Union
government employs Hindi and English, respectively.

Definitions

• Official language is a term that refers to a language that has been designated as having a special legal status
in the state. Official language is typically the language that is used in a country’s legislative bodies and is
frequently used in official government business.

• The term “regional language” refers to a language that is only recognised as having official status in a certain
region, administrative division, or territory within a state. (On this page, a regional language will have
parentheses next to it, and those parentheses will contain a region, province, or other geographic area in
which the language has regional status.)

• One that is spoken by a minority population inside the state and has been formally designated as such; often
provided protection and labelled an officially authorised language for legal and government business in a
certain region or territory of the state where it is spoken. (On this page, a language spoken by a minority
group is marked with parentheses to indicate that it belongs to that group.)

• A national language is a language that distinctively reflects the national identity of a state, nation, or country
and is recognised as such by the government of that country; some national languages are formally
considered to be minority languages. (A national language’s status as a national language is indicated by
parentheses everywhere it appears on this page.) There are certain nations where many languages hold this
status simultaneously.

Conclusion

No national language exists in India. The Indian constitution specifies that Hindi in Devanagari script is the national
language. “The international form of Indian numerals shall be used for official purposes of the Union.” Clause 3 of the
Official Languages Act, 1963 reads, “Continuation of the English Language for official purposes of the Union and for
use in Parliament.” Hindi and English are the Union’s official languages. Indian parliament only allows Hindi or
English. Parliamentary sessions, courts, and Central Government-State Government communications may utilise
English. India has multiple state/territory languages. India’s states can choose their own official language (s). The
constitution recognises 22 regional languages, including Hindi, but not English.

Frequently asked questions

What are the official language rules?

The Official Languages (Use for Official Purposes of the Union) Rules, 1976 are the short title, scope, and start of
these rules. They will cover the whole country, with the exception of Tamil Nadu. They will take effect on the day they
are published in the Official Gazette.

What is the Union's official language?

The Official Language of the Union is Hindi written in Devanagari script. The original constitution stipulated that
English would be used for all official purposes of the Union for a period of 15 years from the date of its adoption.

What does the Official Languages Act of 1963 entail?

The Official Languages Act of 1963 (19 of 1963) is referred to as the “Act.” (b) “Central Government Office” refers to
any office of a Commission, Committee, or Tribunal established by the Central Government; and (c) “Employee”
refers to any person employed by a Central Government office.

What language must be used when communicating with government agencies?

How many official languages does the globe have?

In fact, there are 22 official languages spoken in various parts of the country. Although Hindi is widely spoken, it does
not have the status of a national language. Indonesia is home to over 700 living languages. However, Indonesian is
acknowledged as the country’s official language.