Origin
of a language
Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam are the most-spoken languages in the family.
Source: scrollin
Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam are the most-spoken languages in the family.
The
family of Dravidian languages originated about 4,500 years ago, an
international study has found. The study used new linguistic analyses and
advanced statistical methods to trace the origins of almost 80 languages and
dialects spoken by about 22 crore people.
The study, published in the
journal Royal Society Open Science on Wednesday, used data collected
from native speakers of the languages. Dravidian languages are mainly spoken in
south and central India and Sri Lanka. Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam are
the most-spoken languages in the family.
“The
history of these languages is crucial for understanding prehistory in Eurasia,
because despite their current restricted range, these languages played a
significant role in influencing other language groups,” the study said. The
research found that the Dravidian languages were probably much more widespread
in the west in the past than they are now.
Researchers
from universities in Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Australia, the
United Kingdom and Sweden were involved in the study. A researcher from the
Wildlife Institute of India in Dehradun was also part of the team.
The study
is based on a phylogenetic analysis – phylogenetics is the study of the
evolutionary history of people. The conclusion is in line with previous
linguistic and archaeological studies, the researchers said.
We
welcome your comments at letters@scroll.in.
