South Dravidian languages
| South Dravidian | |
|---|---|
| South Dravidian I | |
| Geographic distribution | South India,Sri Lanka,diaspora |
| Linguistic classification | Dravidian
|
| Proto-language | Proto-South Dravidian |
| Subdivisions |
|
| Glottolog | sout3138 |
South Dravidian(also called "South Dravidian I" ) is one of the four major branches of theDravidian languagesfamily. It includes the literary languagesTamil,Kannada,MalayalamandTulu,as well as several non-literary languages such asBadaga,Irula,Kota,Kurumba,TodaandKodava.[1]
Kannada, Tamil and Malayalam are recognized among theofficial languages of Indiaand are spoken mainly inSouth India.All three are officially recognized asclassical languagesby the Government of India, along withSanskrit,Telugu,andOdia.[2]
Phonological features[edit]
TamilandMalayalamhave bothretroflex lateral/ɭ/andretroflex approximant/ɻ/sounds, whereas most of the remaining likeKannadahave merged the central approximant with the lateral. Evidence shows that both retroflex approximant and the retroflex laterals were once (before the 10th century) also present in Kannada. However, all the retroflexapproximantschanged into retroflex laterals in Kannada later. In Kannada, thebilabialvoiceless plosive (/p/) at the beginning of many words has disappeared to produce a glottal fricative (/h/) or has disappeared completely. This change was later taken to otherKannadoid languagesand Tuluoid languages like Bellari and Koraga, eg. Tamilpeyar,Kannadahesaru,Bellari/Koragahudari;Tamilpuṟṟu,Jenu Kurubauṯṯu,Ka.puttu, huttu, uttu.[3][4]
Tamil-Malayalam andTelugushow the conversion ofVoiceless velar plosive(/k/) intoVoiceless palatal plosive(/c/) at the beginning of the words (refer tocomparative methodfor details). Kannada and other languages, however, are totally inert to this change and hence the velar plosives are retained as such or with minimum changes in the corresponding words, eg.Tamil ceṭi,Irulagïḍa,Todakïḍf,Kannadagiḍa,Teluguceṭṭu.
Tulu is characterized by its r/l and s/c/t alternation, for e.g.sarɛ, tarɛacross Tulu dialects compare with Kannadatale.The alveolar ṯ, ṯṯ, nṯ became post alveolar or dental, the singular ones usually becomes a trill in other Dravidian languages, e.g. Tamiloṉṟu, āṟu, nāṟu, nāṟṟam, muṟi, kīṟu;Tuluoñji, āji, nāduni, nāta, {mudipuni, muyipuni}, {kīruni, gīcuni}.The retroflex approximant mostly became a/ɾ/and also/ɭ,ɖ/,e.g. Tamilēẓu, puẓu,Tulu{ēḷŭ, ēlŭ, ēḍŭ}, puru.[5]
The vowels have mostly remained the same with the 5 /a, e, i, o, u/ + length; Malayalam and Tulu have an extra /ə̆/ and /ɯ/. The Nilagiri languages developed a set of centralized vowel around retroflexes and alveolars with Irula having /ɨ, ʉ, ə, ɵ/ + length.[3]Kurumba languages have nasalized vowels, eg. Jenu Kurubaã·we,Kannadaāme, āve, ēve, ēme,Tamilyāmai, āmai.[6]
Grammar[edit]
Malayalam lost the prononial endings of verbs. Kannada lost clusivity. Old Tamil retained the PD like tense system of past vs non past but none currently do, all have past, present, future.[3]
Classification and terminology[edit]
The Dravidian languages form a close-knit family. Four subgroups are generally accepted: South Dravidian, South-Central Dravidian, Central Dravidian and North Dravidian.[7][8][9]Most scholars agree that the South Dravidian and South-Central Dravidian branches (called "Tamil-Tulu" and "Telugu-Kui" inZvelebil 1990:56) are more closely related to each other than to the other branches of the Dravidian languages.[8]For this reason,Krishnamurtisuggested the alternative termsSouth Dravidian Ifor the former branch andSouth Dravidian IIfor the latter.[10]
South Dravidian is classified internally into two subbranches: Tamil–Kannada and Tulu.[11]The languages that constitute the Tamil–Kannada branch areTamil,Kannada,Malayalam,Irula,Toda,Kota,Kodava,andBadagaand the languages that constitute the Tulu branch areTulu,Koraga,Kudiya,Bellari.
According toR. C. Hiremath,Director of International School of Dravidian Linguistics in Trivandrum, the separation of Tamil and Kannada into independent languages from the Tamil–Kannada inner branch started with the separation ofTuluin about 1500 BCE and completed in about 300 BCE.[citation needed]
- South Dravidian(= "South DravidianI "," Tamil–Tulu ")[12][11]
- Tamil–Kannada
-
-
-
-
-
- Tamil languages,includingTamil
- Malayalam languages,includingMalayalam
- Irula11,870 (2011 census)
-
- Kodava113,857 (2011 census)
-
- Toda1,600 (2001 census)
-
- Kota930 (2001 census)
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- Kannada languages,includingKannadaandBadaga
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- Tamil–Kannada
References[edit]
Citations[edit]
- ^Steever (2019),pp. 5–7.
- ^"Odia gets classical language status – The Hindu".The Hindu.20 February 2014.
- ^abcKrishnamurti (2003).
- ^"A Dravidian etymological dictionary".1984.
- ^Krishnamurti (2003),p. 127, 146.
- ^Zvelebil, Kamil V. (1988)."Jēnu Kuṟumba: Brief Report on a" Tribal "Language of the Nilgiri Area".Journal of the American Oriental Society.108(2): 297–301.doi:10.2307/603656.JSTOR603656.
- ^Steever (2019),pp. 5–9, 12.
- ^abKolichala (2016),p. 76.
- ^Krishnamurti (2003),pp. 19–20.
- ^Krishnamurti (2003),p. 58.
- ^abZvelebil (1990),p. 56.
- ^Krishnamurti (2003),p. 21.
Sources[edit]
- Kolichala, Suresh (2016). "Dravidian Languages". In Hans Henrich Hock; Elena Bashir (eds.).The Languages and Linguistics of South Asia: A Comprehensive Guide.Berlin/Boston: De Gruyter Mouton. pp. 73–107.ISBN978-3-11-042715-8.
- Krishnamurti, B. (2003).The Dravidian Languages.Cambridge University Press.ISBN0-521-77111-0.
- Steever, Sanford (2019). "Introduction to the Dravidian languages". In Steever, Sanford (ed.).The Dravidian Languages(2nd ed.). Routledge. pp. 1–44.ISBN978-1-138-85376-8.
- Subrahmanyam, P.S. (1983).Dravidian Comparative Phonology.Annamalai University.
- Zvelebil, Kamil (1990).Dravidian Linguistics: An Introduction.PILC (Pondicherry Institute of Linguistics and Culture).