Kadar

A language of India

ISO 639: kej
Alternate Names: Kada, Kadir
Population: 1,960 (2004 SIL), decreasing.
Location:: Kerala state: Thrissur district; Palakkad district, Chittoor sub-district; Tamil Nadu state: Coimbatore district.
Language Status: 6b (Threatened).
Classification: Dravidian, Southern, Tamil-Kannada, Tamil-Kodagu, Tamil-Malayalam, Malayalam
Dialects: None known. Phonology related to Tamil [tam] and vocabulary related to Malayalam [mal] (Menon 1996). Lexical similarity: 56%–62% with Tamil [tam], 62%–65% with Malayalam [mal], 67% with Mala Malasar [ima], 61%–63 % with Kanikkaran [kev].
Language Use: Some language shift to Malayalam [mal] observed in Kerala. Home, village, religious services. Some young people, all adults. Also use English [eng]. Also use Malayalam [mal]. Also use Tamil [tam].
Language Development: Literacy rate in L2: 51% in Kerala, 56% in Tamil Nadu (2001 census). Grammar.
Language Resources: OLAC resources in and about Kadar
Writing: Unwritten [Qaax].
Other Comments: 3 groups named Kadar in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The Kadar who use the Kadar language live primarily Palakkad and Thrissur hills, and Coimbatore. A second group lives in Wayanad District and use Malayalam [mal]. A third Kadar (Kadir) group is in Tamil Nadu, Triuchirapalli and Tanjavur districts. They have nothing in common with Western Ghats Kadar. Seen as less developed than other tribes of Chittoor. Hindu, traditional religion.

Location: Kerala state: Thrissur district; Palakkad district, Chittoor sub-district; Tamil Nadu state: Coimbatore district.