The correct option is Austric.
Explanation
The linguistic composition of India is broadly classified into four major language families: Austric (Nishada), Dravidian (Dravida), Sino-Tibetan (Kirata), and Indo-European (Aryan). These families represent distinct ethnic and historical migrations into the subcontinent.
Detailed Analysis:
- Austric Family (Nishada): This family is considered one of the oldest in India. It is linguistically divided into two main branches:
- Mon-Khmer Branch: This group is geographically distinct and is primarily spoken by the tribes of the Meghalaya plateau (specifically Khasi and Jaintia) and the Nicobar Islands.
- Munda Branch: This is the larger branch of the Austric family, spoken by tribes in the Chota Nagpur plateau and surrounding regions (e.g., Santhali, Mundari, Ho).
- Sino-Tibetan (Kirata): This family covers the languages spoken in the Himalayan region and North-East India (e.g., Tibeto-Burman languages).
- Dravidian (Dravida): This family includes the major languages of Southern India (Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam) and some tribal languages in Central India (e.g., Gondi).
- Indo-European (Aryan): This is the largest language family in India, covering Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, and other languages of North and Central India.
Key Takeaway:
The Austric language family is sub-divided into the Munda and Mon-Khmer branches, with the latter being spoken in Meghalaya and the Nicobar Islands.