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" />