Telugu is a Dravidian language with ancient roots, primarily spoken in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, and has over 82 million native speakers, making it one of the most spoken languages in India. It is recognized as one of India's scheduled languages and was designated a Classical Language in 2008. The Telugu script is an abugida derived from Brahmi, and the language features a rich vowel and consonant system, with a typical Subject-Object-Verb word order.
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Telugu is a Dravidian language with ancient roots, primarily spoken in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, and has over 82 million native speakers, making it one of the most spoken languages in India. It is recognized as one of India's scheduled languages and was designated a Classical Language in 2008. The Telugu script is an abugida derived from Brahmi, and the language features a rich vowel and consonant system, with a typical Subject-Object-Verb word order.
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Telugu (తెలుగు)
1. Origins and Linguistic Family:
o Dravidian Language: It belongs to the Central Dravidian branch of the Dravidian language family. o Evolution: Telugu has ancient roots, with inscriptions dating back to around 400 BCE - 100 BCE (Bhattiprolu script). It evolved from Proto-Dravidian and has a rich literary tradition. 2. Geographic Distribution & Speakers: o Primary Region: Predominantly spoken in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, where it is the official language. o Other Regions: Significant populations of Telugu speakers are also found in neighboring states like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh, as well as in diasporas worldwide (USA, Malaysia, Mauritius, Fiji, UK, Australia, Canada, etc.). o Speakers: It's one of the most widely spoken languages in India, with over 82 million native speakers, making it one of the top 20 most spoken languages globally. 3. Official Status: o One of the 22 scheduled languages of India. o The official language of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. o Recognized as a Classical Language of India in 2008, due to its ancient literary heritage. 4. Writing System (Script): o The Telugu script (తెలుగు లిపి - Telugu lipi) is an abugida (a syllabic alphabet where consonants have an inherent vowel, typically /a/, which is modified by diacritics). o It evolved from the ancient Brahmi script, via the Kadamba and Bhattiprolu scripts. o The script is known for its rounded, flowing characters, which historically made it suitable for writing on palm leaves. It shares visual similarities with the Kannada script, from which it diverged. 5. Key Linguistic Features: o Agglutinative Language: Like other Dravidian languages, Telugu is highly agglutinative, meaning grammatical functions are indicated by adding suffixes to root words. o Phonology: Rich vowel and consonant system. Known for its vowel harmony to some extent (though not as strictly as some other agglutinative languages like Turkish). Many words end in vowels, which led 16th-century Italian explorer Niccolò de' Conti to call it the "Italian of the East." o Grammar: Word Order: Typically Subject-Object-Verb (SOV). Cases: Uses a system of cases for nouns. Gender: Has three genders: masculine, feminine, and neuter. Unlike Tamil or Malayalam where inanimate objects are typically neuter, in Telugu, some inanimate nouns can be masculine or feminine based on their endings or traditional classifications. No Articles: Telugu does not have articles like "a/an" or "the." o Vocabulary: The core vocabulary is Dravidia