The Munda language group belongs to which family?
- A.Austric
- B.Dravidian
- C.Sino-Tibetan
- D.Indo-European
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is A, Austric. The Munda languages form the Indian branch of the Austro-Asiatic group, which belongs to the larger Austric family.
Indian languages fall into four main families. The Indo-European (Indo-Aryan) family, spoken by the largest share of people, includes Hindi, Bengali and Marathi. The Dravidian family includes Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam. The Sino-Tibetan family covers languages of the Himalaya and the North-East such as Bodo, Manipuri and many Naga languages. The Austric family is the oldest group in India; its Munda branch is spoken by tribal communities of the Chota Nagpur plateau and nearby regions, with Santali, Mundari and Ho as the main languages. Santali, written in the Ol Chiki script, is in the Eighth Schedule.
B is wrong because the Dravidian family is the group of the southern languages like Tamil and Telugu. C is wrong because Sino-Tibetan languages are spoken mainly in the Himalaya and the North-East. D is wrong because Indo-European includes Sanskrit, Hindi and the other Indo-Aryan languages.
Exam tip: Munda = Austric (Austro-Asiatic); Santali in Ol Chiki is its best-known language.
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