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The Dravidian languages are a family of languages spoken by 220 and 250 million people, mainly in southern India, north-east Sri Lanka, and south-west Pakistan. Dravidian is first attested in the 2nd century BCE, as inscriptions in Tamil-Brahmi script on cave walls in the Madurai and Tirunelveli districts of Tamil Nadu.
Tamil is a Dravidian language natively spoken by the Tamil people of South Asia. Tamil is an official language of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, the sovereign nations of Sri Lanka and Singapore, and the Indian Union territory of Puducherry. Tamil is also spoken by significant minorities in the four other South Indian states of Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, and the Union Territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. It is also spoken by the Tamil diaspora found in many countries, including Malaysia, Myanmar, South Africa, United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia and Mauritius. Tamil is also natively spoken by the Sri Lankan Moors. One of 22 scheduled languages in the Constitution of India, Tamil was the first to be classified as a classical language of India.
Kannada, previously also known as Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a second or third language for around 15 million non-native speakers in Karnataka.
The Tamil languages are the group of Dravidian languages most closely related to Tamil. In addition to Tamil itself, they are Irula, Betta Kurumba, Yerukala, Eravallan, Kanikkaran, Muthuvan, Sholaga, Kaikadi, and Sankethi.
Kurumba may refer to:
Kotas, also Kothar or Kov by self-designation, are an ethnic group who are indigenous to the Nilgiris mountain range in Tamil Nadu, India. They are one of the many tribal people indigenous to the region.. Todas and Kotas have been subject to intense anthropological, linguistic and genetic analysis since the early 19th century. Study of Todas and Kotas has also been influential in the development of the field of anthropology. Numerically Kotas have always been a small group not exceeding 1,500 individuals spread over seven villages for the last 160 years. They have maintained a lifestyle as a jack of all trades such as potters, agriculturalist, leather workers, carpenters, and black smiths and as musicians for other groups. Since the British colonial period they have availed themselves of educational facilities and have improved their socio-economic status and no longer depend on the traditional services provided to make a living. Some anthropologists have considered them to be a specialized caste as opposed to a tribe or an ethnic group.
The Betta Kurumba language is a Dravidian language closely related to Kannada and Tamil, and is spoken by 32,000 people in the Nilgiri mountains and in adjoining areas in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala. Beṭṭa (ಬೆಟ್ಟ) means “hills” in Kannada and kurumba (ಕುರುಬ) means “shepherd”.
Mudha Mooppan was the head of a clan of Kurumba, a primitive tribe living in the hamlet of Attappadi, Kerala, India. Prior to heading the clan in Attapaddi, Mudha Moopan had been headman in the hamlet of Anavai for over 50 years.
Kattunayakar or Jennu Kurumbas are a designated scheduled tribe in the Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh.
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the States of Puducherry, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. It is the tenth-largest state in India and the seventh most populous state.
Kurumba, is a group of Southern Dravidian languages of the Tamil–Kannada subgroup spoken by the Kurumba tribes. Some of them are from different branches.
Konda-Dora, also known simply as Konda or Kubi, is a Dravidian language spoken in India. It is spoken by the scheduled tribe of the Konda-Dora, who mostly live in the districts of Vizianagaram, Srikakulam, and East Godavari in Andhra Pradesh, and the Koraput district in Odisha.
The Malayalam languages are the group of Dravidian languages most closely related to Malayalam. In addition to Malayalam itself, they are:
Mullu Kurumba is a Southern Dravidian language closely related to Malayalam.
Thachanadan is an unclassified Southern Dravidian language spoken by a Scheduled tribe of India. Dissimilar to other Dravidian languages, its most likely affinities are to Mullu Kurumba, with which it has 66-72% lexical similarity.
Muduga, also called Mudugar, is a Southern Dravidian language of India influenced by Kannada and Tulu. It is mainly spoken by Muduga tribes in the Attappady valley south of the Nilgiris in Palakkad district, Kerala. It is mutually intelligible with Attapady Kurumba.
Wayanad Chetti, or Chetti, is an unclassified Southern Dravidian language of India spoken by Wayanadan Chetti community in the Wayanad district of Kerala, India. It has 62-76% lexical similarity with Gowder, 65% with Jen Kurumba and 52% with Kannada. Kannada is the closest major language. Their language is also very similar to Badaga.
Kurumbas (or) Kurumbar are a designated Scheduled Tribe in the Indian states of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The Kurumbar are one of the earliest known inhabitants of the Western Ghats, who are engaged in the collection and gathering of forest produce, mainly wild honey and wax. The members of this community are short, have dark skin, and have protruding foreheads.
Jennu Kurumba, also known as Jen Kurumba, is a Southern Dravidian language of the Tamil–Kannada subgroup spoken by the Jennu Kurumba/Kattunayakan tribe. It is often considered to constitute a dialect of Kannada; however, Ethnologue classifies it as a separate language. Jennu Kurumba speakers are situated on the Nilgiri Hills cross-border area between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, Mysore and Kodagu districts of Karnataka, and Wayanad district of Kerala. The speakers of the language call it "nama basha".
Alu Kurumba, also known as Hal Kurumba or alternatively Pal Kurumba, is a Southern Dravidian language of the Tamil–Kannada subgroup spoken by the Alu Kurumba tribal people. It is often considered to constitute a dialect of Kannada; however, Ethnologue classifies it as a separate language. Alu Kurumba speakers are situated on the Nilgiri Hills cross-border area between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
References
- 1 2 Attapady Kurumba at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
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