A linguist surveying a language in India finds that all of its speakers belong to tribal communities. To which language group does this language most likely belong?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Austric
Option (1) Austric — Correct. Austric is a tribal language group: tribes account for all of its speakers. So a language spoken only by tribal communities most likely belongs to the Austric group.
Option (2) Tibeto-Burman — Incorrect. Tibeto-Burman is mainly spoken by tribals, who make up over 80% of its speakers. The remaining speakers come from outside tribal communities.
Option (3) Dravidian — Incorrect. Dravidian is shared with the rest of the Indian population. Tribes make up only about 3% of its speakers, so a fully tribal language is unlikely to be Dravidian.
Option (4) Indo-Aryan — Incorrect. Indo-Aryan is the language group of most Indians. Tribes make up only about 1% of its speakers, so it does not fit a language with only tribal speakers.
NCERT (2026-27): “Classifications of Tribal Societies … |