The speakers of major Indian languages belong to how many language families?

The speakers of major Indian languages are traditionally classified into four primary language families. These are the Indo-Aryan (a branch of Indo-European), Dravidian, Austro-Asiatic (also known as Austric), and Tibeto-Burman (Sino-Tibetan) families [3][6]. The Indo-Aryan family is the most widely spoken, primarily in northern and central India, accounting for approximately 74-78% of the population [1]. The Dravidian family is concentrated in southern India, spoken by about 20-23% of the population [1]. The Austro-Asiatic family includes languages like Santhali and Khasi, spoken by tribal groups in central and eastern India [2][3]. The Tibeto-Burman family is mainly concentrated in the Himalayan and northeastern regions [3][6]. While some modern classifications mention additional minor families like Tai-Kadai or Great Andamanese, the standard academic and census-based classification historically identifies these four as the major linguistic groups [3][5].

Sources

1. [3] Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 16: India–Political Aspects > Geographical Bases of India Federalism > p. 8
2. [6] https://www.education.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/upload_document/languagebr.pdf
3. [1] Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 13: Cultural Setting > Language as a Determinant of Cultural Region > p. 45
4. [2] Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 13: Cultural Setting > Language as a Determinant of Cultural Region > p. 46
5. [5] https://www.ias.ac.in/article/fulltext/jbsc/044/03/0062