Languages of Assam: The state, a linguistically diverse state in northeastern India, is home to several indigenous and migrant language communities. The state recognizes Assamese as its official language, with Bodo as an associate official language. However, numerous other languages are spoken across Assam.
Indigenous Languages
- Karbi – A Tibeto-Burman language spoken by the Karbi people, primarily in Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao districts.
- Dimasa – Another Tibeto-Burman language, spoken mainly in Dima Hasao and Cachar districts.
- Mising – A major language of the Mising tribe, belonging to the Tani branch of the Sino-Tibetan family.
- Zeme – Spoken by the Zeme Naga community in Dima Hasao and surrounding areas.
- Garo – A language of the Garo tribe, primarily spoken in Meghalaya but also in western Assam.
- Kokborok – Spoken by the Tripuri community, mainly in Tripura but also in parts of Assam.
- Bodo – A recognized scheduled language in India, spoken by the Bodo people, primarily in the Bodoland Territorial Region.
Indo-Aryan Languages
- Assamese – The dominant language of the state, belonging to the Indo-Aryan family.
- Bengali – Widely spoken in the Barak Valley and among Bengali-origin communities.
- Rajbongshi – A dialect of Bengali spoken by the Rajbongshi people in western Assam.
- Bhojpuri – Spoken by migrant workers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
- Sadri – A lingua franca among tea garden workers, originating from eastern India.
- Hindi – Commonly spoken as a second language in urban areas.
- Nepali – Spoken by the Gorkha community, mainly in the Assam-Bhutan border areas.
- Manipuri – Used by the Meitei community in Assam‘s Barak Valley and adjoining regions.
Statistics
According to the 2011 Census, 48.38% of Assam’s population speaks Assamese, while 28.92% communicate in Bengali. The Bodo language is spoken by 4.51% of the population, followed by Hindi at 3.21% and Sadri at 2.29%. Speakers of Mising make up 1.98%, while Nepali accounts for 1.91%, and Karbi is spoken by 1.64%. The remaining 7.16% of the population speaks various other languages.
