which family influence and the caste system are the greatest. _Languages._--According to the linguistic survey of India no fewer than 147 distinct languages are recorded as vernacular in India. These are grouped according to the following system:-- _Vernaculars of India._ Number of languages spoken. Malayo-Polynesian Family-- Malay Group (7831) 2 Mon-Khmer Family (427,760) 4 Tibeto-Chinese Family-- Tibeto-Burman Sub-family (9,560,454) 79 Siamese-Chinese Sub-family (1,724,085) 9 Dravidian Family (56,514,524) 14 Munda Family (3,179,275) 10 Indo-European Family, Aryan Sub-family-- Iranian Branch (1,377,023) 3 Indo-Aryan Branch (219,780,650) 22 Semitic Family (42,881) 1 Hamitic Family (5530) 1 Unclassed Languages 2 Andamanese (1882) Gipsy Languages (344,143) Others (125) --- Total Vernaculars of India 147 The only representatives of the Malayo-Polynesian group in India are the Selungs of the Mergui Archipelago and the Nicobarese. The Mon-Khmer family, which is most numerous in Indo-China, is here represented by the Talaings of southern Burma and the Khasis of Assam. Of the Tibeto-Chinese family, the Tibeto-Burman subfamily, as its name implies, is spoken from Tibet to Burma; while the Siamese-Chinese subfamily is represented by the Karens and Shans of Burma. The Munda or Kolarian family, which is now distinguished from the Dravidian, is almost confined to Chota Nagpur, its best-known tribe being the Santals. The Dravidian family includes the four literary languages of the south, as well as many dialects spoken by hill tribes in central India, and also the isolated Brahui in Baluchistan. Of the Indo-European family, the Iranian branch inhabits Persia, Afghanistan and Baluchistan; while the Indo-Aryan branch is spoken by the great mass of the people of northern India. The only Semitic language is Arabic, found at Aden, where also the Hamitic Somali was returned. Gipsy dialects are used by the nomadic tribes of India, while Andamanese has not been connected by philologists with any recognized family of speech. All the chief languages of India are described under their separate names.