ST communities in India do not speak one single language. They speak many different mother tongues depending on the tribe and region, including languages such as Santali, Bhili, Gondi, Khuruk/Oraon, and many others.

Simple answer

  • There is no common “ST language.”
  • Scheduled Tribes are linguistically diverse.
  • Many ST people also speak the dominant state language or Hindi/English in addition to their own mother tongue.

Why this varies

ST communities are spread across different states and remote areas, so their languages and dialects differ a lot. One source notes that ST communities in India speak close to 400 mother tongues, with only some languages having very large speaker populations.

Examples

  • Santali.
  • Bhili.
  • Gondi.
  • Khuruk/Oraon.
  • Rengma, Sangtam, Savara, Tamang, Tangsa, Tibetan, and many others listed in official census tables.

Important note

“ST” is a social and legal category, not a single ethnic group with one shared language. So the right answer is: it depends on the tribe and the area.

TL;DR: ST people speak many different languages, not one common language.