This paper is a very preliminary attempt to look at how languages encode information. Different languages use different linguistic devices. Indian languages encode information morphologically or lexically. This provides flexibility in their word order. English, on the other hand, uses position for encoding information which results in a relatively rigid word order. This basic structural difference between English and Indian languages has consequences on how meaning is organized in these languages all the way to the discourse level. This is an important factor that needs to be considered while dealing with the Indian languages for any linguistic application.