Koya language

South-Central Dravidian language of India
Koya
కోయా, କୋୟା, कोया
Native toIndia
EthnicityKoya
Native speakers
455,000 (2011)[1]
Language family
Dravidian
  • South-Central
    • Gondi–Kui
      • Gondi languages
        • Koya
Writing system
Telugu, Odia, Devanagari
Language codes
ISO 639-3kff
Glottologkoya1251

Koya is a South-Central Dravidian language of the Gondi–Kui group spoken in central and southern India. It is the native language of the Koya people. It is sometimes described as a dialect of Gondi, but it is mutually unintelligible with Gondi dialects.[2][3]

Koya is the language spoken by the tribal community in Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA),Rampachodavaram, East Godavari district ; ITDA,Kotaramachandrapuram, West Godavari district; ITDA,Bhadrachalam in Khammam district in Andhra Pradesh. The Koyas also live in the southernmost part of Sukma in Chhattisgarh and Malkangiri, the southwesternmost district of Odisha.

Koya is variously written in the Oriya, Telugu, Devanagari or Latin script. Sathupati Prasanna Sree has also developed a unique script for use with the Koya language. With 270,994 registered native speakers, it figures at rank 37 in the 1991 Indian census.[citation needed] There are textbooks developed in Koya language under Mother Tongue based Multilingual Education Programme by Government of Andhra Pradesh and implemented in 50 primary schools in Koya habitations.

References

  1. ^ Koya at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) Closed access icon
  2. ^ Bhadriraju Krishnamurti (2003). The Dravidian languages. Oxford University Press. pp. 25.
  3. ^ "Statement 1: Abstract of speakers' strength of languages and mother tongues - 2011". www.censusindia.gov.in. Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 2018-07-07.
  • v
  • t
  • e
Official
languages
Union-level
8th schedule to the
Constitution of India
State-level only
Major
unofficial
languages
Over 1 million
speakers
100,000 – 1 million
speakers
  • v
  • t
  • e
South
Tamil–Kannada
Kannada
- Badaga
Kannadoid
Toda-Kota
  • Toda
  • Kota
  • Kodagu
    Irula
    Tamil -
    Malayalam
    Tamiloid
    Malayalamoid
    Tulu-Koraga
    Others
    South-Central
    Teluguic
    Gondi-Kui
    Gondi
    Konda-Kui
    Central
    Kolami-Naiki
    Parji–Gadaba
    North
    Kurukh-Malto
    Proto-languages
    Italics indicate extinct languages (no surviving native speakers and no spoken descendant)