News: Union Cabinet has accorded classical language status to Marathi, Pali, Bengali, Assamese, and Prakrit.
1. The Centre had created a new category of ‘classical language’ in 2004.
2. Prior to this decision, India had 6 classical languages namely, Tamil, Telegu, Malayalam, Kannada, Sanskrit, and Odia.
3. Tamil was the first language to be accorded classical language status in 2004 followed by Sanskrit in 2005.
4. The criteria for designating a language as classical include: A) Antiquity of its early texts (Recorded history of 1500-2000 years) B) Original literary tradition, C) Ancient literature being considered a valuable heritage by generation of speakers, D) Classical language and literature being distinct from modern.
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