Mala Malasar

A language of India

ISO 639: ima
Alternate Names: Maha Malasar, Malai Malasar, Malasir
Population: 1,000 (2004).
Location:: Kerala state: Palakkad district, Parambikulam wildlife sanctuary; Tamil Nadu state: Coimbatore district, Annamalai hills.
Language Status: 6a (Vigorous).
Classification: Dravidian, Southern, Unclassified
Dialects: Lexical similarity: 68%–74% with Malasar [ymr], 70% with Eravallan [era], 70% with Muduga [udg], 65% with Tamil [tam], 61% with Malayalam [mal], 67%–72% with the Attapady dialect of Irula [iru], 75% with the Walayar dialect of Irula.
Language Use: Vigorous. Home, village, religion. Used by all. Positive attitudes. Also use English [eng]. Also use Malayalam [mal].
Language Development: Literacy rate in L2: 17% in Kerala, 15% in Tamil Nadu (2001 census).
Language Resources: OLAC resources in and about Mala Malasar
Writing: Unwritten [Qaax].
Other Comments: Mala Malasar means ‘king of the forest’. Culturally very distinct from neighboring tribal groups. Hindu, traditional religion.

Location: Kerala state: Palakkad district, Parambikulam wildlife sanctuary; Tamil Nadu state: Coimbatore district, Annamalai hills.