Linguistic Survey of India: 11 Volumes in 19 Parts (1973 Rare Edition)

The Linguistic Survey of India (LSI) is a comprehensive survey of the languages of British India, describing 364 languages and dialects. The Survey was first proposed by George Abraham Grierson, a member of the Indian Civil Service and a linguist who attended the Seventh International Oriental Congress held in Vienna in September 1886. He made a proposal for the linguistic survey and it was initially turned down by the Government of India. After persisting and demonstrating that it could be done using the existing network of government officials at a reasonable cost, it was approved in 1891. It was however formally begun only in 1894 and the survey continued for thirty years with the last of the results being published in 1928.

Grierson made use of Government officers to collect data from across the British Raj. He made forms and guidance material for the officers who gathered the information. There were numerous problems in ensuring uniformity of data gathering and clarity of understanding. One officer noted the difficulty even of noting the name of the language from a household. Interviewees would name their language after their caste.

The maps and boundaries indicated by Grierson have often been used by political groups seeking reorganizations of state boundaries.

The list of volumes published by Grierson from 1898 to 1928 are:

• I. Part I Introduction

Part II Comparative Vocabulary of Indian Languages

• II Mon-Khmer  & Tai Families
• III Part I Himalayan Dialects, North Assam Groups

Part II Bodo–Naga & Kochin Groups of the Tibeto-Burman Languages

Part III Kuki-Chin & Burma Groups of the Tibeto-Burman Languages

• IV. Munda & Dravidian Languages
• V. Indo-Aryan Languages, (Eastern Group)

Part I Bengali-Assamese

Part II Bihari & Oriya

• VI Indo-Aryan Languages, Mediate Group (Eastern Hindi)
• VII Indo-Aryan Languages, Southern Group (Marathi)
• VIII Indo-Aryan Languages, North-Western Group

Part I Sindhi & Lahnda

Part II Dardic or Pisacha Languages (including Kashmiri)

• IX. Indo-Aryan Languages, Central Group

Part I Western Hindi & Punjabi 

Part II Rajasthani & Gujarati

Part III Bhil Languages including Khandesi, Banjari or Labhani, Bahrupia Etc.

Part IV Pahari Languages & Gujuri

• X. Eranian Family
• XI. "Gipsy" Languages