Issues in the study of bilingualism and multilingualism in India and Pakistan are examined, including the delineation of linguistic boundaries, defining a society that is multicultural and yet has developed a "communication ethos" based on a core of common experience, the difficulty in interpreting language role and defining language usage in a multicultural area, the relationship between language identity and communication, definition of bilingual identity, and the role of the government and language elite(s) in language identity. Three indexes of prominent language pressure that affect language use in a given area are described: the state language pressure index; Hindi-Urdu pressure index; and English pressure index. It is concluded that the Indian experience suggests that a genuine understanding of multicultural societies will be guided largely by viewing language as a synergistic network inspiring trust in cross-cultural settings while empowering the particular. Contains 38 references. (MSE)