Current Affairs Question - 15 January 2020

Explanation :

• Taal Volcano is a large complex volcano filled with a 15 km × 20 km lake located on Luzon Island in the province of Batangas, in the Philippines.
• It is the second most active volcano in the Philippines.
• Because of its proximity to populated areas and its eruptive history, the volcano was designated a Decade Volcano, worthy of close study to prevent future natural disasters.
• The Philippines lies on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” which is the most seismically and volcanically active zone in the world.

Explanation :

• Till date, six languages have been conferred the status of ‘Classical Language’ in India.The first language to be accorded with that status is Tamil in 2004. In 2005 Sanskrit was accorded with this status.
• In 2008, Telugu and Kannada were conferred with the status followed by Malayalam in 2013. Odia is the latest addition to the list and received the status in 2014.
• Of the six classical languages, five of them are regional languages except for Sanskrit which is not specific to any region. Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam are Dravidian languages while Sanskrit and Odia are Indo-Aryan languages.

Criteria for Classical Language in India

• High antiquity of its early texts/recorded history over a period of 1500-2000 years
• A body of ancient literature/texts, which is considered a valuable heritage by generations of speakers.
• The literary tradition to be original and not borrowed from another speech community.
• The classical language and literature being distinct from modern, there may also be a discontinuity between the classical language and its later forms or its offshoots.