Kolava language

Central Dravidian language of India

Kolava
kolava, kolami
कॊलव, कॊलमि
'kolava' or 'kolami in goykanadi alphabet(top), devanagari alphabet(center) and telugu alphabet(bottom)
'kolava' or 'kolami in goykanadi alphabet(top), devanagari alphabet(center) and telugu alphabet(bottom)
Native toIndia
RegionMaharashtra, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh
Ethnicity239,583 Kolam (2011 census)[1]
Native speakers
128,451, 54% of ethnic population (2011 census)[2]
Language family
Dravidian
  • Central
    • Kolami–Naiki
      • Kolava
Writing system
• Devanagari,

• Telugu script, • Goykanadi

Tamil script
Language codes
ISO 639-3Either:
kfb – Northwestern Kolami
nit – Southeastern Kolami (Naiki)
Glottolognort2699

Kolava (Northwestern Kolami/Southeastern Kolami) also known as Kolami, is a tribal Central Dravidian language spoken in Maharashtra and Telangana states of India. It falls under the Kolami–Naiki group of languages. It is the most widely spoken Central Dravidian language.

Sathupati Prasanna Sree has developed a unique script for use with the language.[citation needed]


Personkolavan, kolavtad
Peoplekolavar
LanguageKolava, kolami
CountryMaharashtra

Classification

Kolava, Kolami language has been classified as a central dravidian language. It is well known as dravidian language of Maharashtra state. Well influenced by south central dravidian languages like Telugu and Gondi. It is also a tribal Dravidian language. Kolami is the dialect of the Kolam tribal group.

The Kolava/Kolami dialect differs considerably from the Gond language of the neighboring district. In some respects, Kolami/Kolava is closely related to Telugu and in others to Kannada. The influence of the Bhilli language is felt as the communication in the surrounding area comes into contact. Some other points of similarity are also important like the Toda dialect of the Nilgiris and according to Dr. Grierson, linguistically speaking, the Kolami/kolava may be the remaining descendants of the Dravidian tribes. who either never participated in the development of the main Dravidian language or who never adopted Dravidian language.

Writing systems

Currently, Kolava language is used in Telugu and Devanagari script and also in Goykanadi for writing purposes.

Characteristics

Kolami has a two-gender system, being either masculine or non-masculine. Kolami has developed aspirated stops, distancing itself from its ancestor Proto-Dravidian.

Phonology

Vowels[3]
Front Central Back
short long short long short long
High i u
Mid e o
Low a
Consonants[3]
Labial Dental/
Alveolar
Retroflex Palatal Velar Glottal
Nasal m n ɳ ŋ
Plosive voiceless p t ʈ t͡ʃ k
voiced b d ɖ d͡ʒ ɡ
Fricative voiceless s h
voiced z
Approximant central ʋ j
lateral l ɭ
Rhotic r

Sample Text

Phrases English Translation Dēvanāgari Telugu
Inne pēr Your name इन्नॆ पेर् ఇన్నె పేర్
Anne pēr My name अन्नॆ पेर् అన్నె పేర్
Āy Yes आय् ఆయ్
Tōted No तोतॆद् తోతెద్
Wā itti Come here वा इत्ति వా ఇత్తి
Sē atti Go there से अत्ति సే అత్తి
Etti āṇi enāṅ where and how ऎत्ति आणि ऎनाङ् ఎత్తి ఆణి ఎనాఙ్

Also see Kolami Swadesh list on wiktionary.

References

  1. ^ "A-11 Individual Scheduled Tribe Primary Census Abstract Data and its Appendix". www.censusindia.gov.in. Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  2. ^ "Census of India Website : Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India". censusindia.gov.in. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  3. ^ a b Krishnamurti, Bhadriraju (2003). The Dravidian Languages. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-139-43533-8.
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