The Munda language group belongs to which family?

The Munda language group belongs to the Austric (or Austroasiatic) language family [1]. In the Indian context, the Austric family is primarily represented by two branches: the Munda branch and the Mon-Khmer branch [1]. The Munda group includes several tribal languages such as Santhali, Mundari, Ho, and Korku, which are spoken predominantly by tribal populations in central and eastern India, including states like Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and West Bengal [1]. While the Mon-Khmer branch includes languages like Khasi and Nicobarese, the Munda branch is the more widespread component of the Austric family within the Indian mainland [1]. This classification distinguishes them from the Indo-European family (Indo-Aryan), the Dravidian family of South India, and the Sino-Tibetan family found in the Himalayan and North-Eastern regions [2][3].

Sources

1. [1] Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 13: Cultural Setting > Language as a Determinant of Cultural Region > p. 46
2. [2] Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 13: Cultural Setting > Language as a Determinant of Cultural Region > p. 47
3. [3] Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 13: Cultural Setting > Language as a Determinant of Cultural Region > p. 45