Sanskrit

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A language of India

ISO 639-3
san
Population

14,100 in India (2001 census).

Location

Also in Nepal.

Language Maps
Language Status

4 (Educational). Statutory language of national identity (1950, Constitution, Schedule VIII).

Classification
Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan
Typology

SOV; both prepositions and postpositions; noun head final; 3 genders; content q-word in situ; up to 3 prefixes, up to 5 suffixes; clause constituents indicated by case-marking; verbal affixation marks person, number and genders of subject and object; non-ergative; tense and aspect; passives and voice; nontonal; 32 consonant and 15 vowel phonemes

Language Use

194,433 L2 speakers.

Language Development
Literacy rate in L1: 60%–100%. Literacy rate in L2: 15%–25% literate. Poetry. Magazines. Newspapers. New media. Radio programs. Dictionary. Grammar. Bible: 1822.
Writing
Devanagari script. Myanmar (Burmese) script. Newar (Prachalit Nepal) script. Sharada script. Sinhala script.
Other Comments

Classical language of learning and liturgical language.

Also spoken in:

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