Tulu language: Difference between revisions

| region          = [[Tulu Nadu]]{{efn|([[Dakshina Kannada]] and [[Udupi District]] of Karnataka State and [[Kasaragod district]] of Kerala State)}}<ref name="BhatSteveer" /><ref name="acharya1b" /><ref name="ciil.org"/>

'''Tulu''' ({{lang|tcy-Latn|Tulu Bāse}}) {{efn| Tulu can be written in three different scripts: ''Tulu bāse'' is written [[File:Tulubaase4.png|alt=<File: Tuḷu bāse>|75x75px]] in [[Tulu script]], {{lang-kn|ತುಳು ಬಾಸೆ}} in [[Kannada script]], {{lang-ml|ത‍ുള‍ു ഭാഷ}} in [[Malayalam script]]. {{lang|tcy|ಭಾಷೆ}} ''bhāṣe'', {{lang|tcy|ಭಾಶೆ}}, ''bhāśe'', and {{lang|tcy|ಬಾಶೆ}} ''bāśe'' are alternative spellings for the Tulu word ''bāse'' in the Kannada script. The correct spelling for the word "language" in [[Kannada language|Kannada]] is {{lang-kn|ಭಾಷೆ}} ''bhāṣe'', but that is not necessarily true in Tulu. Männer's ''Tulu-English and English-Tulu Dictionary'' (1886) says, "{{lang|tcy|ಬಾಶೆ, ಬಾಸೆ}} '''bāšè''', '''bāsè''', ''see'' {{lang|tcy|ಭಾಷೆ}}." (vol.&nbsp;1, p.&nbsp;478), "{{lang|tcy|ಭಾಶೆ, ಭಾಷೆ}} '''bhāšè''', '''bhāshè''', ''s''.&nbsp;Speech, language." (vol.&nbsp;1, p.&nbsp;508), meaning that the four spellings are more or less acceptable. The word is actually pronounced {{lang|tcy|ಬಾಸೆ}} ''bāse'' in Tulu. Note that '''š''' and '''sh''' in his dictionary correspond to ''ś'' and ''ṣ'', respectively, in [[ISO 15919]]}}. is a<ref> {{Cite web|title=Five Languages in Karnataka, Including Tulu Vanishing: Unesco|url=http://www.daijiworld.com/news/newsDisplay.aspx?newsID=62360|access-date=2020-09-18|website=daijiworld.com}}</ref> [[Dravidian languages|Dravidian language]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.udupitourism.com/Udupi-Tulu-Language |title=UDUPI |website=Udupitourism.com|access-date=18 November 2016}}</ref> whose speakers are concentrated  [[Dakshina Kannada]] and [[Udupi district|Udupi]] of [[Karnataka]] state in South-Western [[India]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=Tulu Page, Tulu Language, History of Tulu language|url=https://www.nriol.com/indian-languages/tulu-page.asp|access-date=2020-11-17|website=nriol.com}}</ref> and [[Kasaragod]] district of [[Kerala]] state. The native speakers of Tulu are referred to as ''[[Tulu people|Tuluva]]'' or [[Tulu people]] and the geographical area is unofficially called [[Tulu Nadu]].

The [[2011 Census of India|Indian census report of 2011]] reported a total of 1,846,427 native Tulu speakers in India.<ref name="Cenus2021" /> The [[2001 Census of India|2001 census]] had reported a total of 1,722,768 native speakers and over 3 million speakers all over the world,<ref>{{cite web|title=Census of India - Statement 1|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_Data_Online/Language/Statement1.htm|access-date=13 November 2009|publisher=Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India}}</ref> According to one estimate reported in 2009, Tulu is spoken by 3 to 5 million speakers in the world.<ref>{{citation|last=Mannan|first=Moiz|title=Convention to Draw Attention to Tulu Culture|url=http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=world_news&month=august2009&file=world_news2009083021843.xml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017162358/http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=world_news&month=august2009&file=world_news2009083021843.xml|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 October 2015|date=30 August 2009|newspaper=[[The Peninsula (newspaper)|The Peninsula On-line]]|publisher=The Peninsula}}</ref> There is some difficulty in counting Tulu speakers who have migrated from their native region as they often get counted as [[Tulu]] speakers in [[Census of India|Indian census reports]].<ref name="BhatSteveer">{{cite book |last1=Steever |first1=Sanford B |title=The Dravidian Languages |date=2015 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781136911644 |pages=158–163 }}</ref>

Tulu is the primary spoken language in [[Tulu Nadu]] consisting of [[Dakshina Kannada]] and [[Udupi]] districts in west of the of Karnataka state and [[Kasaragod district]] of Kerala state.<ref name="BhatSteveer" /><ref name="acharya1b">{{cite web |url=http://www.ciil-ebooks.net/html/piil/acharya1b.html |access-date=11 August 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080117094833/http://www.ciil-ebooks.net/html/piil/acharya1b.html |title=Social Aspects and Dynamics of Convergence |author=Susheela Thomas |archive-date=17 January 2008  }}</ref><ref name="ciil.org">[http://www.ciil.org/Main/Announcement/Abstracts/Abstacts/11.htm] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080720110615/http://www.ciil.org/Main/Announcement/Abstracts/Abstacts/11.htm |date=20 July 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Tulu Nadu, Kasaragod, Kerala, India|url=https://www.keralatourism.org/bekal/tulu-nadu.php|publisher=Kerala Tourism|access-date=12 June 2017|language=en}}</ref> A significant number of native tulu speakers are found in [[Kalasa]] and [[Mudigere]] taluks of [[Chikkamagaluru]] district. Non-native speakers of Tulu include those who are residents in the Tulunadu region but who speak the [[Beary language]], the [[Havigannada|Havyaka]] language and also [[Konkani language|Konkani]] and [[Koraga language|Koraga]] as their mother tongues.<ref name="dravidian">{{cite book |title= The Dravidian Languages |last= Steever |first= Sanford B. |year= 1998 |publisher= Taylor & Francis |isbn= 0-415-10023-2 |page= 158 }}</ref> Apart from Tulunadu, a significant emigrant population of Tulu speaking people is found in [[Maharashtra]],<ref name="languageinindia.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.languageinindia.com/may2003/maharashtraurdu.html |title=Language in India |publisher=Language in India |date=5 May 2003 |access-date=21 May 2012}}</ref> [[Bangalore]], [[Chennai]], the [[English-speaking world]], and the [[Arab states of the Persian Gulf|Gulf countries]].<ref name="mangalorean.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.mangalorean.com/news.php?newstype=broadcast&broadcastid=139752 |title=Serving Mangaloreans Around The World! |publisher=Mangalorean.Com |access-date=21 May 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.daijiworld.com/news/news_disp.asp?n_id=63861& |title=Dr. Veerendra Heggade in Dubai to Unite Tuluvas for Tulu Sammelan |publisher=Daijiworld.com |access-date=21 May 2012}}</ref>

The various medieval inscriptions of Tulu from the 15th century are in the [[Tulu script]].<ref name="BhatSteveer" /> Two Tulu epics named ''Sri Bhagavato'' and ''Kaveri'' from the 17th century were also written in the same script.<ref name="BhatSteveer" /> However, in modern times the Tulu language is mostly written using the [[Kannada script]].<ref name="BhatSteveer" /> The Tulu language is known for its [[oral literature]] in the form of epic poems called ''pardana''. The ''[[Epic of Siri]]'' and the legend of [[Koti and Chennayya]] belong to this category of Tulu literature.<ref name="BhatSteveer" />

[[File:Tululipi4.svg|thumb|right|215px|alt=Tulu script script.|Tulu Script.]]

{{Main|Tulu script|Kannada alphabet|Malayalam script}}

The various historical inscriptions of Tulu found around Barkur and Kundapura are in the [[Tulu script]]. Historically, Brahmins of [[Tulu Nadu]] and [[Havyaka Brahmin]]s used the Tulu script to write [[Vedas]] and other [[Sanskrit]] works. The Tulu script is descended from the [[Brahmi script|Brahmi]] through the [[Grantha script]]. It is a sister script of the [[Malayalam script]]. However, very few works written in vernacular languages like Kannada and Tulu are available. Hence, the Tulu script was employed by Tulu Brahmins to write Tulu and Kannada languages apart from the Kannada script. The National Mission for Manuscripts has conducted several workshops on this script with the help of a scholar, Keladi Gunda Jois. In the 18th century, the use of the Kannada script for writing Tulu and non-availability of print in the Tulu script contributed to the marginalization of the Tulu script. The script is studied by few scholars and manuscriptologists for research and religious purposes. The [[Kannada script]] has become the contemporary script for the Tulu language gradually. All contemporary works and literature are done in the Kannada script.