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-Classification

The Tulu language originates in the southern part of India. It is apart of the Dravidian Languages which make up the languages represented in this region.

-History

Tulu is widely considered one of the most rich and well organized for many reasons. Found largely in Karnataka, it's spoken primarily within the Indian state. Dating back several hundred years,the language has developed numerous defining qualities. The Tulu people follow a saying which promotes leaving negative situations and finding newer, more positive ones. The language, however, is not as popular as others which means it could become endangered and extinct very soon. The influence of more mainstream languages such as Hindi and Bengali present a danger for the Tulu people. With the right degree of awareness, we can help promote Tulu to more people who may appreciate it and it's uniqueness.[1] Today, it is spoken by nearly 5 million people around the globe. Large parts of the language are altered and changed constantly because it is commonly passed down through oral tradition. Oral traditions within Tulu have meant that certain phrases have not always maintained the same meaning or importance.

-Geographic Distribution

As a whole, Tulu is largely contained to the southern part of India. The Indian state of Karnataka is where the language seems to thrive in the present day. Some of the major cities within the Tulu culture include Kasaragod and Mangalore. [2]Speakers of the language have reflected interest in spreading to more modern nations such as the United States.

Official Status

Tulu is not currently an official language of any country but could be if it's popularity grows within India. The country could recognize Tulu if it spreads more throughout the nation.

Dialects/Varieties

There are numerous variations and dialects of the Tulu language. There's no official script for the language which allows for substantial room in variation and personalizing. Malayalam was the script that was used to help write the Tulu language. However, recent studies show that this script may have been designed based off an original Tulu script that's yet to be found. Of the five Dravidian languages, Tulu is considered one of the oldest as more pieces from it's history are being discovered. The different dialects can be based off the location within northern and southern parts of Karnataka. [3]

Derived Languages

As noted earlier, Tulu is one of the five Dravidian languages. It's unclear exactly where it is derived from however it's believed to have come from a predecessor such as one of the elder languages in the Dravidian family. Many of the words, however, are unique to the Tuluvas. These include the words for house, good, belly, bad. The unique part of Tulu is that it uses many other languages and incorporates certain words and phrases. The blend makes for a special originality that other languages simply don't possess. The openness reflects it's people mentality and overall outlook on life. [4]Other words include patience, bundle, and trust which are all verbal derivatives of the language. Other derivatives include stupidity, goodness, and greatness.

Sounds/Phonology

As noted in 'Dialects/Varieties', the Tulu alphabet resembles the Malayalam script in many ways. It's also similar to many characters found in the Tigalari alphabet. This is from the same region in the state of Karnataka. The Tigilari and Kannada alhpabets include a stress on vowels with "a" and "o"sounds. [5] Other vowels include sounds such as "au" "am" and "ah". Numerous consonants have their own origin from the Dravidian languages like "kha" "gha" "dha" and "jha". These are derived from the Tigalari alphabet.

Grammar

Grammatically, Tulu uses the Kannada language which is prominent in the region of Karnataka. The Dravidian language has single and plural numbers. These plural numbers are marked by suffixes. Each language is unique, obviously, Tulu speakers have their own spin on each phrase and style. Many of these characters have a pronunciation in a older style. We can see romanized letters and phrases as well as french and English styles mixed into Tulu. They use their own language but have a unique form of pronouncing it.

Morphology

Many of the words in Tulu are case sensitive and based off it's origin as an oral language that's rapidly changing through generations. Reflexive, causative, and active verbs are all apart of the morphology of Tulu. Many things can change these such as the situation it's being used or even the gender using it.

Syntax

Each sentence is composed of a subject and a predicate and every sentence is a full speech or thought in words. There is both singular and plural while being expressed in first through third person. There are several exceptions to each of these depending on the instance. For example: the verb has to be in a plural style if there are numerous nominatives within a sentence or of different genders that agree with the previous sentence.

Vocabulary/Lexis

Special features of Tulu include characters that produce different sounds including the letters used for "nom" "gen" "dat" "accus".

Writing System

Although it's contents is largely derived from the Kannada language, there is proof that Tulu may have been before others in the Dravidian family. However, the majority does come from Kannada because ushc a large part of Tulu has developed orally.

External links/References

G., L. R. (2013). Elements of comparative philology. Place of publication not identified: Hardpress Ltd.

Maenner, A. (1886). Tulu-English dictionary: By Rev. A. Männer. Mangalore: Printed at the Basel Mission.

C. (1875). A comparative grammar of the dravidian or south-indian family of languages. London: Trübner and Co., Ludgate Hill.

Bhatt, S. L. (2005). A grammar of Tulu: a Dravidian language. Thiruvananthapuram: Dravidian linguistics association.

Goddard, C. (2009). The languages of East and Southeast Asia: an introduction. Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press.

Padmanabha, K. P. (n.d.). A comparative study of Tulu dialects. Udupi.

Narayana, S. B. (1967). Descriptive analysis of Tulu. Poona: Deccan College Postgraduate and Research Institute.

Upadhyaya, U. P. (n.d.). Tulu Lexicon: Tulu-Kannada-English Dictionary. Udupi.

Brigel, J. (2010). Grammar of the tulu language. Place of publication not identified: Nabu Press.

Aiyar, L. R. (1936). Materials for a sketch of Tulu phonology. Lahore.

Full Text of "Elements of Comparative Philology". N.p., n.d. Web. 02 May 2017.

 "Tulu (ತುಳು ಬಾಸೆ)." Tulu Language and Alphabets. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 May 2017.