Kannada: Difference between revisions

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{{Culture of Karnataka}}

'''Kannada''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|ɑː|n|ə|d|ə|,_|ˈ|k|æ|n|-}};<ref>{{MerriamWebsterDictionary|Kannada}}</ref><ref>{{Cite OED|Kannada}}</ref> ಕನ್ನಡ, {{IPA-kn|ˈkɐnːɐɖa|}}; less commonly known as '''Kanarese''')<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/kanarese|title = Kanarese &#124; Definition of Kanarese by Lexico}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Kanarese|title=Definition of KANARESE|website=www.merriam-webster.com}}</ref> is a [[Dravidian languages|Dravidian language]] spoken predominantly by the people of [[Karnataka]] in the southwestern region of India. The language is also spoken by linguistic minorities in the states of [[Maharashtra]], [[Andhra Pradesh]], [[Tamil Nadu]], [[Telangana]], [[Kerala]] and [[Goa]]; and also by Kannadigas abroad. The language had roughly 43 million native speakers by 2011.<ref name="census">{{cite web|url=http://censusindia.gov.in/2011Census/C-16_25062018_NEW.pdf |title=Census 2011: Languages by state |publisher=censusindia.gov.in |access-date=5 May 2019}}</ref> Kannada is also spoken as a second and third language by over 12.9 million non-native speakers in [[Karnataka]], which adds up to 56.9 million speakers.<ref name="2001census">{{cite web|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Indiaspeak-English-is-our-2nd-language/articleshow/5680962.cms|title=Indiaspeak: English is our 2nd language|work=[[The Times of India]]}}</ref> It is one of the [[Languages with official status in India|scheduled languages of India]] and the official and administrative language of the state of Karnataka.<ref name="official">{{cite web|url=http://dpal.kar.nic.in/26%20of%201963%20(E).pdf|title=The Karnataka Official Language Act|work=Official website of Department of Parliamentary Affairs and Legislation|publisher=Government of Karnataka|access-date=29 June 2007}}</ref> Kannada was the court language of some of the most powerful empires of South and Central India, such as the [[Chalukya dynasty]], the [[Rashtrakuta dynasty]], the [[Vijayanagara Empire]] and the [[Hoysala Empire]].

Based on the recommendations of the Committee of Linguistic Experts, appointed by the [[Ministry of Culture|ministry of culture]], the [[government of India]] designated Kannada a [[Classical languages of India|classical language of India]].<ref name="tag">Kuiper (2011), p. 74</ref><ref name="oldest">R Zydenbos in Cushman S, Cavanagh C, Ramazani J, Rouzer P, ''The Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics: Fourth Edition'', p. 767, Princeton University Press, 2012, {{ISBN|978-0-691-15491-6}}</ref> In July 2011, a center for the study of classical Kannada was established as part of the [[Central Institute of Indian Languages]] in [[Mysore]] to facilitate research related to the language.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ibnlive.in.com/news/ciil-to-head-centre-for-classical-kannada-study/169646-60-119.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120111170247/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/ciil-to-head-centre-for-classical-kannada-study/169646-60-119.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=11 January 2012 |title=IBNLive – CIIL to head Centre for classical Kannada study |publisher=ibnlive.in.com |date=23 July 2011 |access-date=12 February 2013}}</ref>

== Development ==

Kannada is a Southern [[Dravidian languages|Dravidian language]] and according to scholar Sanford B. Steever, its history can be conventionally divided into three stages: Old Kannada (''Halegannada'') from 450–1200 AD, Middle Kannada (''Nadugannada'') from 1200–1700 and Modern Kannada from 1700 to the present.<ref name="steeve">Steever, S. B. (1998), p. 129</ref> Kannada is influenced to a considerable degree by Sanskrit. Influences of other languages such as [[Prakrit]] and [[Pali]] can also be found in Kannada. The scholar [[Iravatham Mahadevan]] indicated that Kannada was already a language of rich spoken tradition earlier than the 3rd century BC and based on the native Kannada words found in Prakrit inscriptions of that period, Kannada must have been spoken by a broad and stable population.<ref name="civil">{{cite web|title=Classical Kannada, Antiquity of Kannada |url=http://www.classicalkannada.org/LanguageEng.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100425022336/http://www.classicalkannada.org/LanguageEng.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=25 April 2010 |publisher=Central Institute for Indian Languages |work=Centre for classical Kannada |access-date=28 August 2011 }}</ref><ref name="Tamil_epigraphy1" /> The scholar K. V. Narayana claims that many tribal languages which are now designated as Kannada dialects could be nearer to the earlier form of the language, with lesser influence from other languages.<ref name="civil" />

== Sanskrit and Prakrit influence ==

The sources of influence on literary Kannada grammar appear to be three-fold: [[Pāṇini]]'s grammar, non-Paninian schools of [[Sanskrit]] grammar, particularly ''Katantra'' and ''Sakatayana'' schools, and [[Prakrit]] grammar.<ref name=prak>{{cite book|last=Mythic Society (Bangalore, India)|title=The quarterly journal of the Mythic society (Bangalore)., Volume 76|year=1985|publisher=Mythic Society (Bangalore, India)|pages=Pages_197–210}}</ref> Literary Prakrit seems to have prevailed in Karnataka since ancient times. The vernacular Prakrit speaking people may have come into contact with Kannada speakers, thus influencing their language, even before Kannada was used for administrative or liturgical purposes. Kannada phonetics, morphology, vocabulary, grammar and syntax show significant influence from these languages.<ref name=prak/><ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite book|author1=B. K. Khadabadi |author2=Prākr̥ta Bhāratī Akādamī |title=Studies in Jainology, Prakrit literature, and languages: a collection of select 51 papers Volume 116 of Prakrit Bharti pushpa|year=1997|publisher=Prakrit Bharati Academy|pages=444 pages}}</ref>

Kannada also has borrowed (''[[Tatsama]]'') words such as ''dina'' (day), ''kopa'' (anger), ''surya'' (sun), ''mukha'' (face), ''nimiṣa'' (minute).<ref name="tatsama">{{cite book|last=Kulli|first=Jayavant S|title=History of grammatical theories in Kannada|year=1991|publisher=Internationial School of Dravidian Linguistics|pages=330 pages}}</ref>

==History==

===Early traces===

{{Main|Halmidi inscription|Kappe Arabhatta|Shravanabelagola inscription of Nandisena|Tyagada Brahmadeva Pillar|Atakur inscription|Doddahundi nishidhi inscription|List of people associated with the study of Kannada inscriptions}}

[[File:Kannada inscription (1509 AD) of Krishnadeva Raya at entrance to mantapa of Virupaksha temple in Hampi.JPG|thumb|upright|Kannada inscription dated 1509, of King [[Krishnadevaraya]] ([[Vijayanagara Empire]]), at the Virupaksha temple in [[Hampi]] describes his coronation]]

[[File:Kannada inscription (17th century) at Gaurishvara temple at Yelandur 1.jpg|thumb|upright|Kannada inscription dated 1654, at [[Gaurishvara Temple, Yelandur|Yelandur]] with exquisite relief]]

Purava Hale Gannada is a Kannada term which literally translated means "Previous form of Old Kannada." It was the language of [[Banavasi]] in the late ancient period, the [[Satavahana]], [[Chutu dynasty|Chutu Satakarni]] (Naga) and [[Kadamba Dynasty|Kadamba]] periods and thus has a history of over 2500 years.<ref name="Tamil_epigraphy1">{{Cite book |title=Early Tamil Epigraphy from the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century AD |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DZBkAAAAMAAJ|author=Iravatham Mahadevan|work=Harvard University Press |access-date=12 April 2007|isbn=9780674012271|year=2003}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jHaVqNy-V6UC&pg=PA11|title=Origin of Saivism and Its History in the Tamil Land|last=K R|first=Subramanian|publisher=Asian Educational Services|year=2002|isbn=9788120601444|pages=11}}</ref><ref>Kamath (2001), p. 5–6</ref><ref>Wilks in Rice, B.L. (1897), p490</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vG1mCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA7|title=A HISTORY OF FREEDOM AND UNIFICATION MOVEMENT IN KARNATAKA|last=Shashidhar|first=Dr. Melkunde|publisher=Lulu publication|year=2016|isbn=978-1-329-82501-7|location=United States|pages=7}}</ref><ref name="pai">Pai and Narasimhachar in Bhat (1993), p103</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wk4_ICH_g1EC&pg=PA360|title=Ancient Indian History and Civilization|last=Sen|first=Sailendra Nath|publisher=New Age International|year=1999|isbn=9788122411980|location=India|pages=360}}</ref> The [[Ashoka rock edict]] found at [[Brahmagiri archaeological site|Brahmagiri]] (dated to 230 BC) has been suggested to contain words in identifiable Kannada.<ref name="isila">The word ''Isila'' found in the Ashokan inscription (called the Brahmagiri edict from Karnataka) meaning to shoot an arrow, is a Kannada word, indicating that Kannada was a spoken language in the 3rd century BC (D.L. Narasimhachar in Kamath 2001, p5)</ref>

A possibly more definite reference to Kannada is found in the '[[Charition mime|Charition Mime]]' ascribed to the late 4th century BC to early 2nd century AD.<ref>Suryanatha Kamath – Karnataka State Gazetteer – South Kanara (1973), Printed by the Director of Print, Stationery and Publications at the Govt. Press</ref><ref>Manohar Laxman Varadpande – History of Indian theatre, Volume 3 (1987), Abhinav Publications, New Delhi.</ref><ref name=":1" /> The farce, written by an unknown author, is concerned with a Greek lady named Charition who has been stranded on the coast of a country bordering the Indian Ocean. The king of this region, and his countrymen, sometimes use their own language, and the sentences they speak could be interpreted as Kannada, including {{lang|kn|Koncha madhu patrakke haki}} ("Having poured a little wine into the cup separately") and {{lang|kn|paanam beretti katti madhuvam ber ettuvenu}} ("Having taken up the cup separately and having covered it, I shall take wine separately.").<ref name="ReferenceA">D. R. Bhandarkar – Lectures on the Ancient History of India on the Period From 650 To 320 B.C. (1919), University of Calcutta.</ref> The language employed in the papyrus indicates that the play is set in one of the numerous small ports on the western coast of India, between [[Karwar]] and [[Kanhangad]] (presently in Kerala).<ref name="ReferenceA" /> The character of the king in this farce refers to himself as 'the Nayaka of Malpe (Malpi-naik)'. B. A. Saletore identifies the site of this play as Odabhandeshwara or Vadabhandeshwara (ship-vessel-Ishwara or God), situated about a mile from Malpe, which was a Shaivite centre originally surrounded by a forest with a small river passing through it. He rejects M. Govinda Pai's opinion that it must have occurred at Udyavara (Odora in Greek), the capital of Alupas.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Ancient Indian And Indo-Greek Theatre|last=Varadpande|first=Manohar Laxman|publisher=Abhinav Publications|year=1981|isbn=8170171474|pages=98–110}}</ref> Stavros J. Tsitsiridis mentions in his research work that ''Charition'' is not an exclusively prose or verse text, but a mixed form. The corrupt lines indicate that the text found at Oxyrhynchus (Egypt) has been copied, meaning that the original was even earlier in date. Wilamowitz (1907) and Andreassi (2001) say that for more precise dating of the original, some place the composition of the work as early as in the Hellenistic period (332–30 BC), others at a later date, up to the early 2nd century AD.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|last=Tsitsiridis|first=Stavros J.|date=2011|title=GREEK MIME IN THE ROMAN EMPIRE (P.Oxy. 413)|url=https://www.academia.edu/1786731|journal=Greek Mime in the Roman Empire|pages=184–189}}</ref>

===Epigraphy===

The earliest examples of a full-length Kannada language stone inscription (''shilaashaasana'') containing [[Brahmi]] characters with characteristics attributed to those of [[Halegannada|proto-Kannada]] in ''Hale Kannada'' (''lit'' Old Kannada) script can be found in the [[Halmidi inscription]], usually dated c. AD 450, indicating that Kannada had become an administrative language at that time. The Halmidi inscription provides invaluable information about the history and culture of Karnataka.<ref name="admin">Ramesh (1984), p10</ref><ref name="hal">Encyclopaedia of Indian literature vol. 2, Sahitya Akademi (1988), p1717, p 1474</ref><ref name="Oldest inscription">A report on Halmidi inscription, {{cite news |title=Halmidi village finally on the road to recognition |url=http://www.hindu.com/2003/11/03/stories/2003110304550500.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031124063238/http://www.hindu.com/2003/11/03/stories/2003110304550500.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=24 November 2003 |author=Muralidhara Khajane |access-date=25 November 2006 |location=Chennai, India |work=[[The Hindu]] |date=3 November 2003}}</ref><ref name="ind">Kamath (2001), p10</ref> The Kannada Lion balustrade inscription excavated at the Pranaveshwara temple complex at Talagunda near Shiralakoppa of Shivamogga district, dated to 370–380 AD is now considered the earliest Kannada inscriptions replacing the Halmidi inscription of 450 AD.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.deccanherald.com/content/591046/kannada-inscription-talagunda-may-replace.html|title=Kannada inscription at Talagunda of 370 CE may replace Halmidi inscription as the oldest|work=Deccan Herald}}</ref> The 5th century Tamatekallu inscription of [[Chitradurga]] and the Siragunda inscription from [[Chikkamagaluru]] Taluk of 500 AD are further examples.<ref name="chikka">Narasimhacharya (1988), p6</ref><ref name="rice">Rice (1921), p13</ref><ref name="tamate">[[Govinda Pai]] in Bhat (1993), p102</ref> Recent reports indicate that the [[Halegannada|Old Kannada]] ''Nishadi'' inscription discovered on the Chandragiri hill, [[Shravanabelagola]], is older than Halmidi inscription by about fifty to hundred years and may belong to the period AD 350–400.<ref>{{cite news

The earliest copper plates inscribed in Old Kannada script and language, dated to the early 8th century AD, are associated with [[Alupas|Alupa]] King Aluvarasa II from Belmannu (the Dakshina Kannada district), and display the double crested fish, his royal emblem.<ref name="Kannada copperplate">Gururaj Bhat in Kamath (2001), p97</ref> The oldest well-preserved palm leaf manuscript in ''Old Kannada'' is that of ''Dhavala''. It dates to around the 9th century and is preserved in the Jain Bhandar, Mudbidri, [[Dakshina Kannada]] district.<ref name="Palm leaf manuscript">{{cite web |title=Preserving voices from the past  |url=http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/aug212005/sundayherald101012005820.asp|author=Mukerjee, Shruba|work=Sunday Herald |date=21 August 2005|access-date=11 April 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061022233151/http://deccanherald.com/deccanherald/aug212005/sundayherald101012005820.asp <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 22 October 2006}}</ref> The manuscript contains 1478 leaves written using ink.<ref name="Palm leaf manuscript" />

=== Coins ===

Some early [[Kadamba Dynasty]] coins bearing the Kannada inscription ''Vira'' and ''Skandha'' were found in Satara collectorate.<ref name="sat">The coins are preserved at the Archaeological Section, Prince of Wales Museum of Western India, Mumbai – Kundangar and Moraes in Moraes (1931), p382</ref> A gold coin bearing three inscriptions of ''Sri'' and an abbreviated inscription of king Bhagiratha's name called ''bhagi'' (c. AD 390–420) in old Kannada exists.<ref name="bhagi">The coin is preserved at the Indian Historical Research Institute, St. Xavier's College, Mumbai – Kundangar and Moraes in Moraes (1938), p&nbsp;382</ref> A Kadamba copper coin dated to the 5th century AD with the inscription ''Srimanaragi'' in Kannada script was discovered in Banavasi, [[Uttara Kannada district]].<ref name="Kadamba coin">{{cite news |title=5th century copper coin discovered at Banavasi |url=http://www.hindu.com/2006/02/06/stories/2006020609090400.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070526191104/http://www.hindu.com/2006/02/06/stories/2006020609090400.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=26 May 2007|author=Dr Gopal, director, Department of Archaeology and Ancient History |date=6 February 2006|work=[[The Hindu]] |location=Chennai, India}}</ref> Coins with Kannada legends have been discovered spanning the rule of the [[Western Ganga Dynasty]], the Badami [[Chalukyas]], the [[Alupas]], the [[Western Chalukyas]], the [[Rashtrakutas]], the [[Hoysalas]], the [[Vijayanagar Empire]], the [[Kadamba Dynasty]] of Banavasi, the [[Keladi Nayaka]]s and the [[Mysore Kingdom]], the Badami Chalukya coins being a recent discovery.<ref name="coins">Kamath (2001), p12, p57</ref><ref name="coins1">{{cite web |title=Indian coins-Dynasties of South |url=http://prabhu.50g.com/ |author=Govindaraya Prabhu, S |publisher=Prabhu's Web Page on Indian Coinage, 1 November 2001 |access-date=27 November 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060901102258/http://prabhu.50g.com/ |archive-date=1 September 2006 }}</ref><ref name="coins2">{{cite web |title=Vijayanagar Coins-Catalogue |url=http://www.vijayanagaracoins.com/htm/history.htm |author1=Harihariah Oruganti-Vice-President |author2=Madras Coin Society |access-date=27 November 2006}}</ref> The coins of the Kadambas of Goa are unique in that they have alternate inscription of the king's name in Kannada and Devanagari in triplicate,<ref name="triple">This shows that the native vernacular of the Goa Kadambas was Kannada – Moraes (1931), p384</ref> a few coins of the Kadambas of [[Hangal]] are also available.<ref name="han">Two coins of the Hangal Kadambas are preserved at the Royal Asiatic Society, Mumbai, one with the Kannada inscription ''Saarvadhari'' and other with ''Nakara''. Moraes (1931), p385</ref>

==Literature==

{{Main|Kannada literature|List of important milestones in Kannada literature | List of notable epics in the Kannada language}}

===Old Kannada===

{{Main|Rashtrakuta literature|Western Ganga literature| Kannada literature in the Western Chalukya Empire|Hoysala literature}}

Emperor Nripatunga Amoghavarsha I of 850 AD recognised that the Sanskrit style of Kannada literature was ''Margi'' (formal or written form of language) and ''Desi'' (folk or spoken form of language) style was popular and made his people aware of the strength and beauty of their native language Kannada. In 1112 AD, Jain poet Nayasena of Mulugunda, Dharwad district, in his Champu work ''Dharmamrita'' (ಧರ್ಮಾಮೃತ), a book on morals, warns writers from mixing Kannada with Sanskrit by comparing it with mixing of clarified butter and oil. He has written it using very limited Sanskrit words which fit with idiomatic Kannada. In 1235 AD, Jain poet Andayya, wrote ''Kabbigara Kava''- ಕಬ್ಬಿಗರ ಕಾವ (Poet's Defender), also called ''Sobagina Suggi'' (Harvest of Beauty) or ''Madana-Vijaya and'' ''Kavana-Gella'' (Cupid's Conquest)'','' a ''Champu'' work in pure Kannada using only indigenous (''desya'') Kannada words and the derived form of Sanskrit words – ''tadbhavas'', without the admixture of Sanskrit words. He succeeded in his challenge and proved wrong those who had advocated that it was impossible to write a work in Kannada without using Sanskrit words. Andayya may be considered as a protector of Kannada poets who were ridiculed by Sanskrit advocates. Thus Kannada is the only Dravidian language which is not only capable of using only native Kannada words and grammar in its literature (like Tamil), but also use Sanskrit grammar and vocabulary (like Telugu, Malayalam, Tulu, etc.) The Champu style of literature of mixing poetry with prose owes its origins to the Kannada language which was later incorporated by poets into Sanskrit and other Indian languages.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dqGojPpe8DIC|title=Indian Literature|last=Nagendra|first=Dr.|publisher=Prabhat Prakashan, 1988|year=1988}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.489059|quote=andayya pure kannada.|title=History of Kannada Literature: Readership Lectures|last=Narasimhacharya|first=Ramanujapuram|publisher=Asian Educational Services, 1988|isbn=9788120603035|year=1988}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ObFCT5_taSgC&q=andayya|title=Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature: A-Devo|last=Datta|first=Amaresh|publisher=Sahitya Akademi, 1987|isbn=9788126018031|year=1987}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y2noBgAAQBAJ|title=Gods, Heroes and their Story Tellers: Intangible cultural heritage of South India|last=Hari Saravanan|first=V.|publisher=Notion Press, 2014|isbn=9789384391492|year=2014}}</ref><ref name="kannada literature">Rice, Edward. P (1921), "A History of Kannada Literature", Oxford University Press, 1921: 14–15</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2fhCH-NRatUC&pg=PA101|title=A History of Kannada Literature|last=Rice|first=Edward P.|publisher=Asian Educational Services|year=1982|isbn=9788120600638|pages=15, 44}}</ref>

===Middle Kannada===

{{Main|Kannada literature in Vijayanagara empire|Literature of the Kingdom of Mysore}}

During this period, the Sanskritic influence is present in most abstract, religious, scientific and rhetorical terms.<ref name="influence">"Literature in all Dravidian languages owes a great deal to Sanskrit, the magic wand whose touch raised each of the languages from a level of patois to that of a literary idiom". (Sastri 1955, p309)</ref><ref name="inf">Takahashi, Takanobu. 1995. Tamil love poetry and poetics. Brill's Indological library, v. 9. Leiden: E.J. Brill, p16,18</ref><ref name="sang">"The author endeavours to demonstrate that the entire Sangam poetic corpus follows the "Kavya" form of Sanskrit poetry"-Tieken, Herman Joseph Hugo. 2001. Kāvya in South India: old Tamil Caṅkam poetry. Groningen: Egbert Forsten</ref> During this period, several [[Hindi]] and [[Marathi language|Marathi]] words came into Kannada, chiefly relating to feudalism and militia.<ref>{{Cite book | year=1899 | title = A Kannaḍa-English school-dictionary: chiefly based on the labours of the Rev. Dr. F. Kittel | author1=J. Bucher | author2=Ferdinand Kittel | publisher=Basel Mission Book & Tract Depository | url=https://archive.org/details/kannadaenglishsc00buchrich}}</ref>

|isbn=978-81-7017-382-3

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2s2xJetsy0wC&q=Romance+of+the+Raga&pg=PP1}}</ref><ref name="tattu">Iyer (2006), p93</ref><ref name="kana">Sastri (1955), p365</ref>

===Modern Kannada===

{{Main|Modern Kannada literature|Kannada poetry}}

Modern Kannada in the 20th century has been influenced by many movements, notably ''Navodaya'', ''Navya'', ''Navyottara'', ''Dalita'' and ''Bandaya''. Contemporary Kannada literature has been highly successful in reaching people of all classes in society. Further, Kannada has produced a number of prolific and renowned poets and writers such as [[Kuvempu]], [[Bendre]], and [[V K Gokak]]. Works of Kannada literature have received eight [[Jnanpith|Jnanpith awards]],<ref>{{Cite news|author=Special Correspondent |url=http://www.thehindu.com/arts/books/article2468374.ece |title=Jnanpith for Kambar|date=20 September 2011|newspaper=The Hindu }}</ref> the highest number awarded to any Indian language.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jnanpith.net/laureates/index.html |title=Welcome to: Bhartiya Jnanpith |publisher=jnanpith.net |access-date=7 November 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013122739/http://jnanpith.net/laureates/index.html |archive-date=13 October 2007 }}</ref>

==Areas of influence==

Besides being the official and administrative language of the state of Karnataka, Kannada language is present in other areas:

*There are about 150,000 Kannadigas in North America (USA and Canada).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.akkaonline.org/|title=North America Kannadigas|date=2016|website=AKKA|publisher=teksource}}</ref>

*Gulf countries of Middle-East, UK and Australia have minority numbers of Kannada speakers.

==Dialects==

{{Main|Kannada dialects}}

<ref>{{cite news|title=Region between Godavari, Cauvery was once Karnataka|url=http://www.deccanherald.com/content/439873/039region-godavari-cauvery-once-karnataka039.html|newspaper=Deccan Herald|date=5 November 2014}}</ref>

Kannada speakers formed 0.12% of Nasik district's population as per 1961 census.<ref>{{cite web|title=The People – Population|url=https://cultural.maharashtra.gov.in/english/gazetteer/Nasik/006%20ThePeople/001%20Population.htm|website=Nasik District Gazetteers|publisher=Government of Maharashtra}}</ref>

==Status==

The Director of the Central Institute of Indian Languages, Udaya Narayana Singh, submitted a report in 2006 to the Indian government arguing for Kannada to be made a classical language of India.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/2006/10/04/stories/2006100419510100.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061013180836/http://www.hindu.com/2006/10/04/stories/2006100419510100.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 October 2006|title=Kannada likely to get classical tag|last=K.N. Venkatasubba Rao|date=4 October 2006|work=[[The Hindu]]|access-date=17 February 2013}}</ref> In 2008 the Indian government announced that Kannada was to be designated as one of the classical languages of India.<ref name="tag"/><ref name="oldest"/>

==Writing system==

{{Main|Kannada alphabet|Kannada braille}}

== Dictionary ==

Kannada–Kannada dictionary has existed in Kannada along with ancient works of Kannada grammar. The oldest available Kannada dictionary was composed by the poet 'Ranna' called 'Ranna Kanda' (ರನ್ನ ಕಂದ) in 996 AD. Other dictionaries are '[[Abhidhana]] Vastukosha' (ಅಭಿದಾನ ವಾಸ್ತುಕೋಶ) by Nagavarma (1045 AD), 'Amarakoshada Teeku'(ಅಮರಕೋಶದ ತೀಕು) by Vittala (1300), 'Abhinavaabhidaana'(ಅಭಿನವಾಭಿದಾನ) by Abhinava Mangaraja (1398 AD) and many more.<ref>N Ucida and B B Rajpurohit, http://www.aa.tufs.ac.jp/~tjun/data/kandic/kannada-english_dictionary.pdf, Kannada-English Etymological Dictionary</ref> A Kannada–English dictionary consisting of more than 70,000 words was composed by [[Ferdinand Kittel]].<ref name="kittel">{{cite web |title=Kannada Dialect Dictionaries and Dictionaries in Subregional Languages of Karnataka|url=http://www.languageinindia.com/sep2005/kannadadictionary1.html|author=Manjulakshi & Bhat|publisher=Central Institute of Indian Languages, University of Mysore|work=Language in India, Volume 5: 9 September 2005|access-date=11 April 2007}}</ref>

[[G. Venkatasubbiah|G. Venkatasubbaiah]] edited the first modern Kannada–Kannada dictionary, a 9,000-page, 8-volume series published by the [[Kannada Sahitya Parishat]]. He also wrote a Kannada–English dictionary and a ''kliṣtapadakōśa'' (ಕ್ಲಿಷ್ಟಪಾದಕೋಶ), a dictionary of difficult words.<ref>{{Cite news|author=Muralidhara Khajane |url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/article3805517.ece |title=Today's Paper / NATIONAL: 100 years on, words never fail him|date=22 August 2012|newspaper=The Hindu }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Johnson Language |url=https://www.economist.com/blogs/johnson/2012/08/language-india |title=Language in India: Kannada, threatened at home |newspaper=The Economist |date=20 August 2012 |access-date=12 February 2013}}</ref>

== Phonology ==

[[File:Deepadadi 25.ogg|thumb|Spoken Kannada]]

Kannada has 34 consonants and 13 vowels.

=== Consonants ===

{| class="wikitable" style=text-align:center href="V K Gokak"

|

|}

Additionally, Kannada included the following phonemes, which dropped out of common usage in the 12th and 18th century respectively:

* {{IPA|ɽ}} ಱ (ṟ), the retroflex tap.

* {{IPA|ɻ}} ೞ (ḻ), the retroflex central approximant.

=== Vowels ===

{| class="wikitable" style=text-align:center

| {{IPA|aː}} (ಆ)

|}

* {{IPA|/ɐ/}} and {{IPA|/aː/}} are phonetically central {{IPA|[{{IPAplink|ɐ}}, {{IPAplink|äː}}]}}. {{IPA|/ɐ/}} may be as open as {{IPA|/aː/}} ({{IPAblink|ä}}) or higher {{IPAblink|ɐ}}.

==Grammar==

{{Main|Kannada grammar}}

The canonical word order of Kannada is [[subject–object–verb|SOV]] (subject–object–verb), typical of Dravidian languages.

Kannada is a highly [[inflection|inflected]] language with three [[Grammatical gender|gender]]s (masculine, feminine, and neuter or common) and two numbers (singular and plural). It is inflected for gender, number and tense, among other things. The most authoritative known book on old Kannada grammar is ''[[Shabdhamanidarpana]]'' by [[Keshiraja]]. The first available Kannada book, a treatise on poetics, rhetoric and basic grammar is the ''[[Kavirajamarga]]'' from 850 AD.

The most influential account of Kannada grammar is [[Keshiraja]]'s ''[[Shabdamanidarpana]]'' (c. AD 1260).<ref name="GS Gai">''Studies in Indian History, Epigraphy, and Culture'' – By Govind Swamirao Gai, pp. 315</ref><ref name="F. Kittel, 'A Grammar of the Kannada Language'">''A Grammar of the Kannada Language''. F. Kittel (1993), p. 3.</ref> The earlier grammatical works include portions of ''[[Kavirajamarga]]'' (a treatise on ''alańkāra'') of the 9th century, and ''Kavyavalokana'' and ''Karnatakabhashabhushana'' (both authored by [[Nagavarma II]] in the first half of the 12th century).<ref name="F. Kittel, 'A Grammar of the Kannada Language'" />

===Compound bases===

Compound bases, called ''samāsa'' in Kannada, are a set of two or more words compounded together.<ref>Ferdinand Kittel, pp. 30</ref> There are several types of compound bases, based on the rules followed for compounding. The types of compound bases or samāsas: tatpurusha, karmadhāraya, dvigu, bahuvreehi, anshi, dvandva, kriya and gamaka samāsa.{{Clarify|date=January 2010}} Examples: ''taṅgāḷi'', ''hemmara'', ''kannusanne''.

===Pronouns===

In many ways the third-person pronouns are more like demonstratives than like the other pronouns. They are pluralised like nouns and the first- and second-person pronouns have different ways to distinguish number.<ref>Bhat, D.N.S. 2004. ''Pronouns''. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 13–14</ref>

== Sample text ==

The given sample text is Article 1 from the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights Declaration.<ref>{{cite web |title=Universal Declaration of Human Rights |url=https://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/index.html |website=www.un.org |access-date=29 March 2020 |language=en |date=6 October 2015}}</ref>

=== ''Kannada script''===

{{lang|kn|ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಮಾನವರೂ ಸ್ವತಂತ್ರರಾಗಿಯೇ ಹುಟ್ಟಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಹಾಗೂ ಘನತೆ ಮತ್ತು ಅಧಿಕಾರಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಸಮಾನರಾಗಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ತಿಳಿವು ಮತ್ತು ಅಂತಃಕರಣಗಳನ್ನು ಪಡೆದವರಾದ್ದರಿಂದ, ಅವರು ಒಬ್ಬರಿಗೊಬ್ಬರು ಸಹೋದರ ಭಾವದಿಂದ ನಡೆದುಕೊಳ್ಳಬೇಕು.}}

=== ''Transliteration'' ===

{{transl|kn|Ellā mānavarū svatantrarāgiyē huttiddare. Hāgū ghanate mattu adhikāragaḷalli samānarāgiddāre. Thilivu mattu antaḥkaraṇagaḷannu paḍedavarāddarinda avaru obbarigobbaru sahōdara bhāvadinda nadedhukollabeku.}}

=== ''Translation'' ===

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

== See also ==

{{Portal|India|Languages}}

* [[Timeline of Karnataka]]

* [[Yakshagana]]

==Notes==

{{Refbegin|40em}}  

* {{cite book |last=Shapiro and Schiffman|first=Michael C., Harold F.|title=Language And Society in South Asia|orig-year=1981|year=1981|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publishers|location=New Delhi|isbn=978-81-208-2607-6}}

{{Refend}}

==References==

{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==

* {{cite book |last=Masica |first=Colin P.|title=The Indo-Aryan Languages  |orig-year=1991|year=1991|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=Cambridge |isbn=978-0-521-29944-2 }}

* {{cite book |last=Varadpande|first=Manohar Laxman|title=History of Indian Theatre|orig-year=1987|year=1987|publisher=Abhinav Publications|isbn=978-81-7017-221-5}}

* Robert Zydenbos (2020): ''A Manual of Modern Kannada.'' Heidelberg: XAsia Books ([https://crossasia-books.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/xasia/catalog/book/736 Open Access publication in PDF format])

==External links==

{{Sister project links|Kannada|c=Category:Kannada language|voy=Kannada_phrasebook|wikt=Category:Kannada language}}

{{InterWiki|code=kn}}

* {{Curlie|Science/Social_Sciences/Linguistics/Languages/Natural/Dravidian/Kannada/}}  

* {{cite news |url=http://www.hindu.com/2003/11/03/stories/2003110304550500.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031124063238/http://www.hindu.com/2003/11/03/stories/2003110304550500.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=24 November 2003 |title=Halmidi village finally on the road to recognition, Muralidhara Khajane |access-date=25 November 2006 |location=Chennai, India |work=[[The Hindu]] |date=3 November 2003}}

* {{cite news |url=http://www.hindu.com/2005/05/27/stories/2005052703230500.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070105151817/http://www.hindu.com/2005/05/27/stories/2005052703230500.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=5 January 2007 |title=Declare Kannada a classical language, Staff reporter |access-date=25 November 2006 |location=Chennai, India |work=[[The Hindu]] |date=27 May 2005}}

* {{cite web |url=http://inscriptions.whatisindia.com |title=Indian inscriptions-South Indian inscriptions, Vol 20, 18, 17, 15, 11 and 9, Archaeological survey of India, What Is India Publishers (P) Ltd }}

* {{cite web |url=http://www.bdword.com/english-to-kannada-dictionary- |title=English to Kannada Dictionary}}

{{Dravidian languages}}

{{Languages of India}}

{{Languages spoken in Kerala}}

{{Authority control}}

{{Karnataka topics}}

[[Category:Languages attested from the 5th century]]

[[Category:Classical Language in India]]