Dravidian language family

Geography glossary

Also called: Dravida · Topic: Population of India: Distribution, Density, Growth and Composition · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 1 "Population: Distribution, Density, Growth and Composition"

Meaning

The Dravidian language family, called Dravida in old texts, is spoken by about 20% of Indians. It is the second-largest family after Indo-European. It has three branches:

  • South Dravidian: Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam, in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala;
  • Central Dravidian: Telugu and Gondi, in Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Maharashtra;
  • North Dravidian: Kurukh and Malto, in Bihar, Odisha, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh.

Example

Kurukh, spoken by the Oraon tribe of the Chota Nagpur region, is a North Dravidian language spoken far from the Dravidian south. Tamil, spoken in Tamil Nadu, was the first language to get classical status, in 2004.

Don't confuse with

  • Austric (Munda) languages: these are spoken in the same tribal belt as Kurukh, but they belong to a completely different family.

Related concepts

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