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National identity” is a very controversial concept in contemporary international academic circles but the least that is universally agreed on is that it pertains to something much deeper than dividing people by territorial divisions. The formation of identity is rooted in the pockets of cultures in every region which have over the course of the past four hundred years evolved and consolidated themselves into nations. These distinguishing cultural elements constitute many aspects including religion, ethnicity, food, dress and most importantly language.
‘Nations’ as we know them today come into creation during the course of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries when European city states conquer and are conquered to form larger territorial blocks while in the east the princely states of South Asia are being consolidated under British rule. Although these nation states eventually adopted one or two languages as national emblems, this was largely for administrative purposes and numerous languages existed and continued to flourish in these nations regardless. Therefore the identity of any nation can be understood to exist in the entire collectivity of languages that flourish within it and not in any one language regardless of the later being promoted to the prestigious title of state language. Since languages have existed for many centuries while nations are a relatively recent creation, the former have grown more in congruity with communities and regions than with nations. The five-hundred or so languages of India for instance have taken centuries to develop into their distinct forms with their particular written and spoken styles while the state of India is only sixty-three years old.
India is a particularly interesting case. Its identity has been forged by the four hundred or so languages that came together in the region. In the earlier years before the British colonization, each of the princely states of India existed as a relatively separate domain due to the limited means of travel available then. Now with modernization and industrialization as well as the consolidation of post colonial governments on the British pattern of governance, a massive change has occurred in the system. In addition to a greater borrowing and lending of terms between languages, the English language has been popularized and has acquired a large following. It has gone from being the language of the conqueror to that of the conquered. The collective history of migrations and invasions occurring in a region is therefore a crucial factor impacting the formation of identity. Languages form a component of national identity only because they facilitate the flow of culturally distinct ideas. The English language clearly has left a major impact on Indian national identity in this regard.
However it is possible that the existence of a wide variety of languages becomes less than a boon for a nation. It may perpetuate conflict in national identity by sharpening the lines of ethnic and sectarian divisions in society.
In the subcontinent for instance, communal differences have often led to ethnic strife and language is a major factor in determining ethnic differentiation. In Sri Lanka, the Sinhalese and Tamils have similarly been divided for decades by distinct languages that have kept them apart. Pakistan too has often been divided over the language question. Most of the rural Baloch and Sindhi communities although deeply integrated into one another have traditionally been isolated from mainstream Pakistani society due to their distinct languages. In addition, subsequent governments have each chosen to put resources into the promotion and protection of one specific language and not others which embitters other communities prevalent in society. Under the PPP government, the increasing criticism being showered onto the Sindhi community due to the support programs created for the promotion of the Sindhi language is a case in point. Thus languages may be the foundation upon which people unite but they also have the potential to create impenetrable divisions within society.
In addition, the prevalence of a large number of languages and therefore more communities in a country has historically hampered rather than facilitated the process of democratic transition.
Modern democratic regimes with fewer languages have found administration made easier by the absence of linguistic barriers. In spite of history of increasing electoral expansion and widening male suffrage, India has still been unable to unite its communities on a single platform. Political parties find it extremely difficult to be the voice of the nation and represent everyone because the nation is not something that means the same thing for everyone. The very concept of the Sangh Parivaar (an organization consisting of all the major political parties of India) reflects the divisiveness in the national identity.
Over the past two hundred years, languages have also seen developments on an entirely different plane. In the aftermath of the British colonization and the recent American imperialism, a kind of hegemony of languages is emerging. A couple of languages have taken over the world stage and are increasingly becoming the most popular modes of communication globally while the smaller languages are relegated to the backwaters of history. Since each language represents the culture, values and beliefs of a community, its death signifies the end of way of life. Dying languages represent dying cultures. Therefore it is important to act now to preserve the languages of the remote communities of India for instance before they are lost forever to mankind. However another possible perspective could be that the increasing monopolization of communication by a couple of languages reflects an irreversible momentum in the history of the interrelationship between language and identity. It could represent the formation of a unified global identity that does away with regional and national differences and allows people world over a unified identity. This is not all that implausible considering “identity” has evolved from distinguishing communities to regions to countries. It is at least clear that it is futile to attempt to contain “identity” within any single definition. 
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