Kannada 
Introduction |
The earliest inscriptions in Kannada date back to 450 AD, while literature in Kannada began about 850 AD. The initial development of the Kannada language is similar to that of other Dravidian languages, notably Tamil and Telugu. During later centuries, Kannada, along with Telugu, has been highly influenced by Sanskrit vocabulary and literary styles. There is a sharp distinction between the spoken and written forms of the language. Spoken Kannada has many regional dialects, while the written form remains relatively constant across dialects. Colloquial Kannada has three dialects based on social class: Brahmin, non-Brahmin, and Untouchable. |
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Kannada (also known as Kanarese, Canarese, and Madrassi) is one of the 22 official languages of India. It is the official language of the state of Karnataka where it is spoken as a first language by over 35 million people. It is also spoken in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Maharashtra. It is estimated that world-wide it is spoken by 44 million people including those who speak it as a second language (Ethnologue). |
Structure
Sound System |
The sound system of Kannada is similar to that of other Dravidian languages. The language does not distinguish between voiced and voiceless stops. It is characterized by a three-way distinction between dental, alveolar, and retroflex places of articulation as well as large numbers of liquid (approximant) consonants. Word stress is usually on the first syllable. |
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Kannada is a highly inflected language with a grammar that is similar to that of Tamil. Like other Dravidian languages, it is agglutinative, which means that suffixes are added to stems for derivation and for expressing various grammatical relationships. This can result in very long words such as Shivatatvaratnakara, the name of the world's first encyclopedia written in Kannada. |
Writing
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Kannada is written with a syllabic alphabet in which all consonants have an inherent vowel that can be changed to another vowel or suppressed by the use of diacritics. The alphabet has 52 symbols. Take a look at Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Kannada.
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Click here to learn more about the Kannada writing system. |
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Listen to literary readings in Kannada Sara Aboobacker, born on June 30, 1936 in Kasargod, Kerala, is a well known Kannada fiction writer. Click here to listen to her reading of excerpts from four of her stories. Yashwant Vithoba Chittal, born on August 3, 1928 in Hanehalli in Karnataka's North Kanara District is one of the leading Kannada fiction writers. Click here to listen to him reading excerpts from his works. |
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Resources |
Kannada Language Learning Resources
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How difficult is it to learn Kannada? Since these languages are not taught at the Foreign Service Institute, they are not categorized for difficulty |
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