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What is the official language of Nagaland?
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Answer: Option C — English
Detailed Solution
Nagaland adopted English as its official language through the Nagaland Official Language Act, 1967. It is used for government work and as the medium of instruction in most schools.
Nagaland became the 16th state of India on 1 December 1963, carved out of Assam. Its capital is Kohima, and its largest city is Dimapur. It is home to 16 or more major Naga tribes (17 recognised tribes in most counts), each with its own language or dialect, customs and traditions. Major tribes include the Angami, Ao, Sema (Sumi), Lotha, Konyak, Chakhesang, Rengma, Chang, Phom, Sangtam, Yimchunger, Khiamniungan and Zeliang.
There are more than 30 Naga languages and dialects, most of which belong to the Tibeto-Burman family. Many Naga languages are so different from each other that people of different tribes cannot understand each other's languages. For this reason:
English is used as the official language and language of education and administration.
Nagamese, a creole language based mainly on Assamese, mixed with words from Naga languages, Hindi and Bengali, is widely used as a common spoken link language (lingua franca) among the tribes and in markets.
Hindi is also understood by many people.
English was adopted partly because Christian missionaries, especially American Baptists, who came to the Naga Hills in the 19th century, introduced Western education and wrote Naga languages in the Roman script. Today, about 87% of the population of Nagaland is Christian, making it one of the three Christian-majority states of India, along with Mizoram and Meghalaya.
Nagaland is known for the Hornbill Festival, held every December at Kisama Heritage Village near Kohima, which showcases the culture of all the Naga tribes. Article 371A of the Constitution gives special protection to Naga customary law and land ownership.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Nagamese is a spoken lingua franca, not the official language.
- ✗Hindi is understood but is not the official language of Nagaland.
- ✗Angami is the language of one Naga tribe.
Quick tip
Remember: Nagaland = official language English (1967), link language Nagamese, state since 1 December 1963, Article 371A, Hornbill Festival in December.
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Languages & Scripts — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Languages & Scripts, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the languages of India, the 22 languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, classical languages, official languages of states, scripts such as Brahmi, Kharosthi and Devanagari, and the most widely spoken languages of the world. Questions often ask which languages have classical status, which language is official in a particular state, or how many languages the Eighth Schedule contains. Remember the amendments that added languages to the Eighth Schedule (for example, the 92nd Amendment added Bodo, Dogri, Maithili and Santhali). Because the list of classical languages has grown over time, check the latest official count before your exam. Practise the languages and scripts questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.