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Kannada language

Kannada is one of the major Dravidian languages of southern India South India

South India is a linguistic-cultural region of India [i] that comprises the four Indian states [i] ... 

 and one of the oldest languages in India. Speakers of its various dialects number roughly 50 million people. It is the state language of Karnataka Karnataka

Karnataka is one of the four southern [i] state [i]s of India [i] ... 

, one of the four southern states States and territories of India

India [i] is subdivided into twenty-eight state [i]s and seven union territories [i]. ... 

 in India India

India , officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia [i]. ... 

. It is also one of the official languages of the Republic of India India

India , officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia [i]. ... 

. It is written using the Kannada script.

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Encyclopedia

Kannada is one of the major Dravidian languages of southern India South India

South India is a linguistic-cultural region of India [i] that comprises the four Indian states [i] ... 

 and one of the oldest languages in India. Speakers of its various dialects number roughly 50 million people. It is the state language of Karnataka Karnataka

Karnataka is one of the four southern [i] state [i]s of India [i] ... 

, one of the four southern states States and territories of India

India [i] is subdivided into twenty-eight state [i]s and seven union territories [i]. ... 

 in India India

India , officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia [i]. ... 

. It is also one of the official languages of the Republic of India India

India , officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia [i]. ... 

. It is written using the Kannada script.

History




Stone inscriptions

The first record on Kannada language is traced to Emperor Ashoka Ashoka

Emperor Ashoka the Great was the ruler of the Maurya Empire [i] from 273 BC [i] to 232 BC [i]. ... 

's Brahmagiri edict dated 230 BC. The first example of full length Kannada language stone inscription in Hale Kannada script can be found in the Halmidi inscription, dated c. 450 CE. Prior to this, there is an abundance of inscriptions containing Kannada words, phrases and sentences. The 543 CE. Badami fort shilashaasana of Pulakesi I is an example of Sanskrit inscription in Hale Kannada script.

Copper plate inscriptions

An example of early Sanskrit copper plate inscription in Old Kannada script is the Western Ganga Dynasty Gangas

The Ganga also known as Western Ganga dynasty were a dynasty that ruled a large part of ancient Karnataka [i]... 

 Penugonda inscription date early 6th c. CE.. The earliest full length Kannada tamarashaasana in Old Kannada script belongs to Alupas ruled by Aluvarasa II from Belmannu, South Kanara district and has the double crest fish, their royal emblem.

Ancient manuscripts

The oldest well-preserved palm leaf manuscript is in old Kannada and is that of Dhavala, dated to around 9th century, preserved in the Jain Bhandar, Mudbidri, Dakshina Kannada Dakshina Kannada

[i]
... 

 district. The manuscript contains 1478 leaves written in ink.

Kannada language inscriptions are the highest of any language in India, with more than 30,000. These inscriptions were not only discovered in Karnataka but also quite commonly in Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh : , is a state [i] in South India [i]. ... 

, Maharashtra Maharashtra

Maharashtra is India [i]'s third largest state [i] in terms of area [i]... 

 and Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu is a state [i] at the southern tip of India [i]. ... 

. Some inscriptions were also found in Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh is a state [i] in central India [i]. ... 

, Gujarat Gujarat

Gujarat is the most industrialized state [i] in the Republic of India [i] ... 

 and Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh , also popularly known by its abbreviation U.P., means the 'northern province'.... 

. As an example, the inscription at Jura 964 C.E. , belonging to the reign of Rashtrakuta Rashtrakuta

The Rastrakutas were a dynasty which ruled the southern and the central parts or the Deccan [i], India [i] ... 

 Krishna III, is regarded as an epigraphical landmark of classical Kannada literary composition, with charming poetic diction in polished Kannada metre.
This indicates the spread of the language over the ages, especially during the rule of large Kannada empires.

Impact on other cultures and languages

Kannada has had significant influence on other Indian languages and overseas cultures.
It has been brought to light the influence of old Kannada on the language of Tamil Tamil script

The Tamil script is an Indic script [i] that is used to write the Tamil language [i]. ... 

-Brahmi Brahmi

refers to the pre-modern members of the Brahmic family [i] of scripts. ... 

 inscriptions from the 2nd. c. BCE - 4th. c. CE. These observations were made using grammatical and lexical analysis.

Charition mime, a Greek drama discovered at Oxyrhynchus Oxyrhynchus

Oxyrhynchus is an archaeological site [i] in Egypt [i], considered one of the most important ever discov ... 

 and dated to 2nd century CE. or earlier contains scenes where Indian characters in the skit speak dialogue in Kannada.

Prior to and during the early Christian era, Kannada country seems to have been in close trade ties with the Greek and Roman empires of the west. Greek dramatists of 4th century BCE., particularly Euripedes and Aristophanes seem to have been familiar with Kannada language. This is evident in their usage of Kannada words and phrases in their dramas and skits..

Coinage

Recent discovery of copper coin dated back to 5th century CE. in Banavasi, Uttara Kannada district Uttara Kannada

[i]... 

 with the inscription Srimanaragi in Kannada script proves that Kannada had become official by the time of the Kadambas Kadambas

Kadambas C.E. were an ancient royal dynasty of Karnataka [i], who ruled from their capital at Banavasi [i] ... 

 of Banavasi.. Coinage with Kannada legends are common from the time of Chalukyas Chalukya

The Chalukya dynasty was a powerful Indian [i] royal dynasty that ruled large parts of southern [i] ... 

.

Development

The development of Kannada as a distinct spoken language from a southern proto-Dravidian language is probably impossible to date. The spoken language is said to have separated from its proto-Dravidian source at about the same time as Tamil. However, the written tradition of this language is around 1500-1600 years based on the archaeological evidences. The initial development of the Kannada language is similar to that of other Dravidian languages and independent of Sanskrit. During later centuries, Kannada, along with other Indian languages like Telugu Telugu language

Telugu is a Dravidian language [i] spoken in the India [i]n state of Andhra Pradesh [i], where it is the ... 

, Malayalam Malayalam language

Malayalam is the language spoken predominantly in the state [i] of Kerala [i] ... 

 etc., has been highly influenced by Sanskrit Sanskrit

The Sanskrit language is a classical language [i] of India [i], a liturgical language [i] ... 

 vocabulary and literary styles. Kannada is a highly inflected language with three gender Gender

The word gender describes the state of being male [i], female [i], or neither. ... 

s and two numbers . It is inflected for gender, number and tense, among other things.

Dialects

There is also some distinction between the spoken and written forms of the language. Spoken Kannada tends to vary from region to region. The written form is more or less constant throughout Karnataka, however. The ethnologue identifies about 20 dialects of Kannada. Among them are Kundagannada , Havyaka , Are Bhashe , Soliga, Badaga, Gulbarga Kannada, Dharawad Kannada, Chitradurga Kannada, and others. All of these dialects are influenced by their regional and cultural background.

Literature and Poetry

The earliest extant record of Kannada poetry in tripadi metre are the Kappe Arabhatta record of 700 C.E..
Kavirajamarga, of King Nripatunga Amoghavarsha I is the earliest extant literary work in Kannada. It is a complex work on Kannada grammar meant to standardize various Kannada dialects used in literature in previous centuries. The book also makes reference to Kannada works by early writers such as King Durvinita. The work refers to the entire area between the Kaveri River Kaveri River

The Kaveri River is one of the great rivers of India [i] and is considered sacred by the Hindus [i]. ... 

 and Godavari River Godavari River

The Godavari River is a major waterway in India [i], next to the Ganges [i] and Indus [i] ... 

 as Kannada country, implying the language was popular further north in present day Maharashtra. Syamakundacharya of 650 C.E. was an early writer. A early extant prose work in Kannada, Vaddaradhane by Sivakotyacharya of 900 C.E. century described the life of Bhadrabahu of Shravanabelagola Shravanabelagola

Shravanabelagola is a city located in the Hassan district [i], in the India [i]n state of Karnataka [i]. ... 

 elaborately.. Since the earliest extant Kannada work is one of complex grammar and a guide of sorts to unify existing variants of Kannada grammar and literary styles, it can be safely assumed that literature in Kannada must have started several centuries earlier. Many historians consider that only Sanskrit Sanskrit

The Sanskrit language is a classical language [i] of India [i], a liturgical language [i] ... 

 and Tamil Tamil language

Tamil is a classical language [i] and one of the major language [i]s of the Dravidian language [i] ... 

 have an older written tradition than Kannada based on available inscriptions and literature. Many Kannada works from 6th, 7th and 8th centuries mentioned in Kavirajamarga are not yet traced. Kannada literature has been prolific ever since. Chudamani , a commentary on logic Tatwarthamahashastra by Tumbuluracharya is said to be from 7th. century.. Karnateshwara Kathe depicting king Pulakesi II Pulakesi II

Pulakesi II is the most famous ruler of the Chalukya [i] dynasty. ... 

 as its hero is also said to have belonged to the 7th century, Gajastaka a work on elephant management by king Shivamara II of Western Ganga Dynasty Gangas

The Ganga also known as Western Ganga dynasty were a dynasty that ruled a large part of ancient Karnataka [i]... 

 belonged to the 8th century.. Kannada is one of the most ancient literatures not only of South India, but of all India as well. Tamil Buddhist commentators of the 10th century A.D. make references that show that Kannada literature must have flourished as early as 4th century CE..

Current Literary Trends

Modern Kannada in twentieth century has been influenced by many movements. Notable among them are Navodaya, Navya, Dalita/Bandaya.
Kannada literature has had the prestige of most Jnanpith awards and forty eight Sahitya Academy awards among all Indian languages.

Jnanpith Awardees
  1. Kuvempu for Sri Ramayana Darshanam
  2. Da.Ra.Bendhre D. R. Bendre

    D.R. Bendre or Da. Ra.... 

     for Naaku thanthi
  3. Shivaram Karanth for Mookajjiya Kanasugalu
  4. Masti Venkatesh Iyengar for Chikkaveera Raajendhra
  5. Vi.Kru.Gokak for Bhaaratha Sindhhu Rashmi
  6. U.R.Ananthamurthy U. R. Ananthamurthy

    U. R. Ananthamurthy is a leading thinker and writer in the Kannada [i] language. ... 

     for his works in Kannada Kannada language

    Kannada is one of the major Dravidian languages [i] of southern India [i] and one of the oldest language [i] ... 

     / samagra sahitya
  7. Girish Karnad Girish Karnad

    Girish Karnad, is a contemporary India [i]n playwright [i] in the Kannada [i] language, in addition to b ... 

     for his works in Kannada Drama/ samagra sahitya

Classification

The written Kannada language has come under various religious and social influences in its 1600 years of known existence. Linguists generally divide the written form into four broad categories.
  • Poorvada Halegannada : This is the language of Halmidi scripture thought to be from fourth or fifth century CE.
  • Halegannada : From ninth century CE onwards, until fourteenth century, Kannada works were classified under Old Kannada. In this period Kannada showed a high level of maturity as a language of original lierature. Mostly Jain Jainism

    Jainism , traditionally known as Jain Dharma , is a religion [i] and philosophy [i] originating in ... 

     and Saivite Shaivism

    Shaivism is a branch of Hinduism [i] in South India [i] that worships Shiva [i] as the supreme god [i]. ... 

     poets produced works in this period. This period saw the emergence of Jain puranas and Virashaiva Vachana Sahitya or simply vachana, a unique and native form of literature which was the sum contributions from all sections of society.
  • Nadugannada : In the period between fifteenth and eighteenth century CE., Brahmanical Hinduism Hinduism

    [i]

... 

 had a great influence on Kannada. Kannada grammar was further developed based on Sanskrit grammar by Keshiraja Bhatta. The language itself Sanskritized to a large extent. Non-brahmin Hindu saints like Kanakadasa Kanaka Dasa

Kanaka Dasa 1509 - 1609 C.E.... 

 and Purandaradasa Purandara Dasa

Purandara Dasa of Lord Purandara Vittala [i], Lord Vishnu [i] in one of his many avatar [i]s.") is kno ... 

 also produced devotional poems in this period. Kanakadasa's Ramadhanya Charite is a rare work on class struggle. This period saw the advent of Haridasa Sahitya which made rich contributions to bhakti literature and sowed the seeds of carnatic music.
  • Hosagannada : The Kannada works produced by the end of nineteenth century and later are classified under Hosagannada or Modern Kannada. However, till the beginning of twentieth century there were Kannada literary works that could still be classified under Middle Kannada. Most notable among them is poet Muddana's works. Sometimes, his works were described as the 'dawn of Modern Kannada'. Generally, linguists treat Indira Bai or Saddharma Vijayavu by Gulvadi Venkata Raya as the first literary work in Modern Kannada.

Geographic distribution

Kannada is mainly spoken in Karnataka Karnataka

Karnataka is one of the four southern [i] state [i]s of India [i] ... 

 in India India

India , officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia [i]. ... 

, and to a good extent in the neighbouring states of Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh : , is a state [i] in South India [i]. ... 

, Maharashtra Maharashtra

Maharashtra is India [i]'s third largest state [i] in terms of area [i]... 

, Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu is a state [i] at the southern tip of India [i]. ... 

, Kerala Kerala

Kerala is a state [i] on the tropical Malabar Coast [i] of south ... 

 and in Goa Goa

Goa is India [i]'s second smallest state [i] in terms of area after Delhi [i] ... 

.

Official status


Kannada is one of the 22 official languages of India and is the sole administrative language of the state of Karnataka.

Misinterpretation

The term "Kannada language" is often misinterpreted as meaning "the language of Canada Canada

Canada is the world's second-largest [i] country by total area, occupying most ... 

". However, the languages of Canada are English English language

English is a widely distributed language that originated in England [i] but is now the primary language ... 

 and French French language

French is the third-largest of the Romance languages [i] in terms of number of native speakers, after Spanish [i] ... 

.

Kannada script




The language has 49 letters phonemic. These 49 letters are divided into three groups: Swaragalu , Yogavaahakagalu, and Vyanjanagalu , similar to the vowels and consonants of English English language

English is a widely distributed language that originated in England [i] but is now the primary language ... 

, respectively. The character set is almost identical to that of other Indian languages. The script itself, derived from brahmi script, is fairly complicated like most other languages of India owing to the occurrence of various combinations of "half-letters", or symbols that attach to various letters in a manner similar to diacritical marks in the Romance languages Romance languages

The Romance languages, a major branch of the Indo-European language family [i], ... 

. The Kannada script is almost perfectly phonetic, but for the sound of a "half n" . The number of written symbols, however, is far more than the 49 characters in the alphabet, because different characters can be combined to form compound characters '. Each written symbol in the Kannada script corresponds with one syllable Syllable

A syllable is a unit of organization for a sequence of speech [i] sounds. ... 

, as opposed to one phoneme in languages like English. The script of Kannada is also used in other languages such as Tulu, Kodava Takk and Konkani. Simply put the Kannada script is syllabic.

The Dictionary

A German priest Reverend Ferdinand Kittel composed the first Kannada dictionary consisting of more than 70,000 words.

Extinct Kannada Letters

Until the thirteenth century, Kannada literary works employed letters 'rh', 'lh ', whose manner of articulation most plausibly could be akin to those in present day Malayalam Malayalam language

Malayalam is the language spoken predominantly in the state [i] of Kerala [i] ... 

 and Tamil Tamil language

Tamil is a classical language [i] and one of the major language [i]s of the Dravidian language [i] ... 

 . The later Kannada works replaced 'rh' and 'lh' with ? and ? respectively.

Another letter that has become extinct is 'nh' or 'inn' . The usage of this consonant was observed until the 1980s in mostly coastal Karnataka Kannada works. Now hardly any mainstream works use this consonant. This letter has been replaced by ??.

Kannada script in Computing


Transliteration
Several transliteration schemes are used to type Kannada characters using a standard keyboard. These include Baraha . Nudi, the government of Karnataka's standard for Kannada Input is a phonetic layout loosely based on transliteration.
Unicode

Notes



References

  • Dr. Suryanath U. Kamat, Concise History of Karnataka, 2001, MCC, Bangalore
  • Nilakanta Sastri, K.A. . A History of South India, OUP, New Delhi

See also

  • Languages of India
  • List of national languages of India
  • List of Indian languages by total speakers
  • Bangalore kannada
  • Karnataka Karnataka

    Karnataka is one of the four southern [i] state [i]s of India [i] ... 





Kannada Literature
  • Karnataka Literature - A list of famous Kannada scholars and their works.

External links


;General
  • The Hindu, November 03, 2003.
  • Spectrum, July 26, 2005.
  • The Hindu, May 27, 2005.
  • The Hindu, April 17, 2006.
  • , Deccan Herald, February 07, 2006.
  • , by Indira Parthasarathy. The Hindu, August 03, 2003.

;Learning Resources


;Computing tools and resources
  • - Kannada language computing resources.
  • A transliteration tool for Indian languages.
  • -
  • Javascript based transliteration tool .

;Kannada Portals
  • - online community of Kannada speaking people.
  • - a portal containing literary works.
  • by Janardhana Swamy
  • - an on-line Kannada Magazine.