Which language is the most widely spoken language in Jammu and Kashmir?

Kashmiri
Dogri
Balti
Ladakhi

The correct answer is: A. Kashmiri

Kashmiri is the most widely spoken language in Jammu and Kashmir. It is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by about 6.8 million people in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir and the Pakistani-administered Azad Kashmir. It is also spoken by a significant number of people in the neighboring states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

Kashmiri is a member of the Dardic subgroup of Indo-Aryan languages. It is closely related to other Dardic languages such as Shina, Khowar, and Pashto. Kashmiri is also influenced by Persian, Arabic, and Urdu.

The Kashmiri language has a rich literary tradition. The earliest known Kashmiri text is the 12th-century Mahabharata translation, the Rājatarangini. The 14th-century poet Lal Ded is considered the greatest Kashmiri poet.

Kashmiri is written in the Sharada script. The Sharada script is an ancient script that is used to write several languages of the Indian subcontinent, including Kashmiri, Dogri, and Ladakhi.

The following are the other options in the question:

  • Dogri is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by about 3.2 million people in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. It is also spoken by a significant number of people in the neighboring states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
  • Balti is a Tibetan language spoken by about 150,000 people in the Baltistan region of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. It is also spoken by a small number of people in Ladakh, India.
  • Ladakhi is a Tibetan language spoken by about 200,000 people in the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is also spoken by a small number of people in Zanskar, Himachal Pradesh.