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Languages Of India - Dance, Drama & Cultural Links
| Languages spoken in the Indian subcontinent
are generally classified as belonging to the following families: Indo-European (the
Indo-Iranian branch in particular), Dravidian, Austro-Asiatic (Munda in particular), and
Sino-Tibetan. Fourteen languages are mentioned in the constitution of India: Hindi, Urdu,
Punjabi, Bengali, Oriya, Marathi, Gujarati, Sanskrit, and Assamese, all belonging to the
Indo-Aryan group of the Indo-Iranian branch of Indo-European; Kashmiri, belonging to the
Dardic group of the Indo-Iranian branch of Indo-European; and Telugu, Tamil, Kannada (or
Kanarese), and Malayalam, belonging to the Dravidian language family. The Manipuri
language of Assam and the Newari language of Nepal are usually classified, along with
languages of the Bodo group, as belonging to the Tibeto-Burman branch of the Sino-Tibetan
language family. Among the Munda languages (classified as a branch of the Austro-Asiatic
language family), Santhali and Khasi have the most speakers.
Languages used in Pakistan include the Sindhi, Punjabi, and Urdu languages, which
belong to the Indo-Aryan group, and Brahui, which is a Dravidian language. Bengali is the
language of Bangladesh. See Indo-Aryan languages; Indo-Iranian languages. |
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| Indian dance can be divided
into classical, folk, and modern types. The classical tradition is at least 2,000 years
old, and in the course of history its influence has diffused throughout much of Southeast
Asia. India evolved a type of classical dance drama that combines movement, gesture,
singing, music, and costumes. The dancer dances out the story by using stylized gestures
that are both highly symbolic and emotionally suggestive. The stories that are enacted are
based on Hindu religion and mythology. The classical dance drama is both aesthetically
appealing and highly psychological in its approach. It has attained world recognition as
one of the most exquisite forms of classical dance.
Indian folk dancing is highly varied, differing as it does from region to region and
from one ethnolinguistic group to another. Dance is also an integral, even an
indispensable, element in many of the productions of India's vast motion-picture industry.
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