UPSC Prelims 2015 Question:

Which one of the following was given classical language status recently?

Explanation:

• • Currently, six languages enjoy the ‘Classical’ status:
    •  Tamil (declared in 2004)
    • Sanskrit (2005)
    • Kannada (2008)
    • Telugu (2008)
    • Malayalam (2013)

• Odia (2014)

• The criteria for declaring a language as classical mandates
  • high antiquity of its early texts/recorded history over a period of 1,500-2,000 years,
  • a body of ancient literature/texts which is considered a valuable heritage by generations of speakers and a literary tradition that is original and not borrowed from another speech community. 
  • Since the classical language and literature is distinct from the modern, there can also be a discontinuity between the classical language and its later forms or its offshoots.
    
    

Therefore, option (1) is the correct answer.

Subject: History | Indian Literature