Which one of the following was given classical language status recently?
Correct Answer :
Odia
Solution :
The correct option is Odia.
To understand why this is the correct answer, let us look at the history and criteria of classical languages in India:
The Government of India declared Tamil as the first classical language in 2004. Over the years, several other languages that met the strict criteria of having a rich, ancient heritage and original literary tradition were added to this list.
These criteria include:
1. High antiquity of early texts or recorded history spanning over a period of 1500 to 2000 years.
2. A body of ancient literature or texts considered a valuable heritage by generations of speakers.
3. The literary tradition must be original and not borrowed from another speech community.
In February 2014, the Union Cabinet of India officially classified Odia as a classical language. It became the sixth Indian language to receive this status, following Tamil (2004), Sanskrit (2005), Telugu (2008), Kannada (2008), and Malayalam (2013). Among the options provided (Odia, Konkani, Bhojpuri, and Assamese), Odia is the one that was designated as a classical language.
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