| Kodava | |
|---|---|
| Coorg, Kodagu | |
| ಕೊಡವ ತಕ್ಕ್ கூடகு எழுத்து
Koḍava takkï | |
| Native to | India |
| Region | Kodagu |
| Ethnicity | Kodava |
Native speakers | 113,857 (2011 census)[1] |
| Kannada Script, Kodava Script, Tamil Script, Malayalam Script, Thirke script (archaic)[2] | |
| Official status | |
| Regulated by | Karnataka Kodava Sahitya Academy |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | kfa |
| Glottolog | koda1255 |
| ELP | Kodagu |
 Kodava is classified as Definitively Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger [3] | |
| Person | Koḍavanï |
|---|---|
| People | Koḍavarï |
| Language | Koḍava takkï |
| Country | Koḍagï |
| Part of a series on the |
| Culture of Karnataka |
|---|
 |
The Kodava (Kodava: [koɖɐʋɐ]) (Koḍava takkï, Kodava: [koɖɐʋɐ t̪ɐkːɨ], meaning 'speech of Kodavas', in the Kodava language, alternate name: Codava, Coorgi, Kodagu) is a Dravidian language spoken in Kodagu district (Coorg) in Southern Karnataka, India.[4] It is an endangered[5] The term Kodava has two related usages. Firstly, it is the name of the Kodava language and culture followed by a number of communities from Kodagu. Secondly, within the Kodava-speaking communities and region (Kodagu), it is a demonym for the dominant Kodava people. Hence, the Kodava language is not only the primary language of the Kodavas but also of many other castes and tribes in Kodagu. The language has two dialects: Mendele (spoken in Northern and Central Kodagu, i.e. outside Kodagu's Kiggat naadu) and Kiggat (spoken in Kiggat naadu, in Southern Kodagu).
Historically, it has been referred to as a dialect of Sentamizh (Pure Tamil), in some Tamil texts the Kodagu language is referred to as Kudakan Tamil.[6] However, it has been re-analysed as a language by early 20th century academics. Now it is considered as an intermediate language between Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, and Tulu in comparative linguistics.[6]
It is traditionally written using the thirke script which is an abugida.[7][8] The 2011 Census of India reports 96,918 persons who returned Kodava as their mother tongue and 16,939 who returned Coorgi/Kodagu, for a total of 113,857 persons coming under the parent group which is again identified as Coorgi/Kodagu (another name for Kodava) as the mother tongue.[9]
- ^ "Census of India Website : Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India". censusindia.gov.in. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
- ^ https://starofmysore.com/discovering-alphabets-of-old-kodava-script/
- ^ "Kodava in India | UNESCO WAL".
- ^ "Dravidian languages - Nonliterary, South India, Tamil | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Britannica. 5 July 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
- ^ "Five Languages in Karnataka, Including Tulu Vanishing: Unesco". www.daijiworld.com. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
- ^ a b Thurston, Edgar (16 June 2011). The Madras Presidency with Mysore, Coorg and the Associated States. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-107-60068-3.
- ^ Kushalappa, Mookonda (24 January 2022). "Discovering alphabets of old Kodava script". Star of Mysore. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
- ^ Kushalappa, Mookonda (4 February 2022). "The discovery of an old alphabet". Deccan Herald. Mysore Printers. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
- ^ "Census of India 2011" (PDF). Census of India : Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 24 January 2020.