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Goa Languages

Being a multi-lingual state, a number of languages are in vogue in Goa. Majority of the Goan population speaks Konkani and Marathi and Konkani is the designated official language in Goa. Apart from these two, the national language Hindi and English are understood and spoken by the people of Goa.

Both Konkani and Marathi had to bear the brunt of Portuguese occupation since the rulers patronized the use of the Portuguese language for correspondences. But as the colonizers were chased out, it resulted in the downslide of the Portuguese language and now only a handful of the older generation uses it for conversation.

Both Konkani and Marathi languages use the Devnagari script like Sanskrit, the source of most of the major Indian languages. Being the official language, Konkani is used for all government correspondences.