TAM ISO 639-3
Tamil
தமிழ் (Tamiḻ) Autonym
A language of India
- ISO 639
- tam
- Alternate Names
- Damulian, Tamal, Tamalsan, Tambul, Tamili
- Autonym
- தமிழ் (Tamiḻ)
- Population
- 76,900,000 in India, all users. L1 users: 68,900,000 in India (2011 census). L2 users: 8,000,000 (2011 census). Total users in all countries: 85,456,100 (as L1: 77,456,100; as L2: 8,000,000).
- Location:
- Andhra Pradesh state: Chittoor and Sri Potti Sriramulu Nellore districts, east Puducherry enclaves; Karnataka state: Chamarajana district; Kerala state: south; assorted border areas; Tamil Nadu state.
- Language Status
- 2 (Provincial). Statutory provincial language in Tamil Nadu State; union territories Puducherry, Andaman and Nicobar Islands (1950, Constitution, Schedule VIII).
- Classification
- Dravidian, Southern, Tamil-Kannada, Tamil-Kodagu, Tamil-Malayalam, Tamil
- Dialects
- Adi Dravida, Aiyar, Aiyangar, Arava, Burgandi, Kongar, Madrasi, Madurai, Tamil, Sri Lanka Tamil, Malaya Tamil, Burma Tamil, South Africa Tamil, Tigalu, Harijan, Sanketi, Hebbar, Mandyam Brahmin, Secunderabad Brahmin. Burgandi are nomadic. Aiyar and Aiyangar are Brahmin dialects. Southern dialect around Madurai is literary standard. Eastern dialect is colloquial standard (Zvelebil 1998). Sanketi dialect in Karnataka used by immigrants from Madurai and Shenkotta in Tamil Nadu. Lexicon greatly influenced by Kannada.
- Typology
- SOV; postpositions; gender (rational, non-rational); no articles; case-marking (8 cases); verb affixes mark person, number, gender of subject; passives (affective, effective); tense; no comparatives; 18 consonants, 10 vowels and 2 diphthongs; non-tonal; stress on first syllable; inclusive/exclusive pronouns.
- Language Use
- All also use Kannada [kan] (Gowda 1976). Used as L2 by Alu Kurumba [xua], Attapady Kurumba [pkr], Eravallan [era], Irula [iru], Jennu Kurumba [xuj], Kadar [kej], Kanikkaran [kev], Kannada Kurumba [kfi], Kota [kfe], Malankuravan [mjo], Malapandaram [mjp], Malasar [ymr], Moundadan Chetti [cty], Muthuvan [muv], Paliyan [pcf], Paniya [pcg], Saurashtra [saz], Toda [tcx], Vaagri Booli [vaa].
- Language Development
- Taught in primary and secondary schools. Fully developed. Bible: 1727–2002.
- Language Resources
- OLAC resources in and about Tamil
- Writing
- Braille script [Brai]. Tamil script [Taml], primary usage.
- Other Comments
- Officially recognized language. Hindu, Muslim.
Also Spoken in
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Australia
Language Name
Tamil
User Population
73,200 in Australia (2016 census).
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Bahrain
Language Name
Tamil
User Population
13,100 in Bahrain (2019).
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Canada
Language Name
Tamil
User Population
141,000 in Canada (2016 census).
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Germany
Language Name
Tamil
User Population
35,000 in Germany.
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Denmark
Language Name
Tamil
User Population
9,000 in Denmark.
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Finland
Language Name
Tamil
User Population
1,920 in Finland (2018 census).
- Language Status
- 5 (Dispersed)
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Fiji
Language Name
Tamil
User Population
77,000 in Fiji (2019).
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of United Kingdom
Language Name
Tamil
User Population
101,000 in United Kingdom (2011 census).
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Guadeloupe
Language Name
Tamil
User Population
4,400 in Guadeloupe (2008 J. Leclerc).
- Location
- Anurdhapura district: north and southwest; Batticaloa, south Baddulla, Galle, Jaffna, west Kandy, Matale, Mannar, northwest Moneragala, Mullaitivu, Nuwara Eliya, Polonnaruwa, Ratnapura, Trincomalee, and Vavuniya districts.
- Language Status
- 1 (National)
- Other Comments
- Hindu, Muslim. View other languages of Sri Lanka
Language Name
Tamil
User Population
5,540,000 in Sri Lanka (2019).
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Myanmar
Language Name
Tamil
User Population
151,000 in Myanmar (Leclerc 2017b).
- Location
- Flacq, Plaines Wilhems, and Savanne districts.
- Language Status
- 5 (Dispersed)
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. Hindu. View other languages of Mauritius
Language Name
Tamil
User Population
1,100 in Mauritius (Leclerc 2018c).
- Location
- Widespread: Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Kuala Lumpur, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Pulau Pinang, Putrajaya, Selangor, and Terengganu states.
- Language Status
- 4 (Educational)
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Malaysia
Language Name
Tamil
User Population
1,890,000 in Malaysia (2021 Joshua Project). , based on ethnicity.
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Netherlands
Language Name
Tamil
User Population
20,800 in Netherlands (2019).
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of New Zealand
Language Name
Tamil
User Population
6,840 in New Zealand (2013 census).
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Oman
Language Name
Tamil
User Population
12,900 in Oman (2020).
- Location
- Sindh province: Karachi, Korangi, Madrasi Para, and Tri Road.
- Language Status
- 6b (Threatened)
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. Hindu. View other languages of Pakistan
Language Name
Tamil
User Population
2,000 in Pakistan (2020 BBC).
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Qatar
Language Name
Tamil
User Population
27,800 in Qatar (2019).
- Location
- Scattered.
- Language Status
- 8a (Moribund)
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. 90% describe themselves as Indian origin. Hindu. View other languages of Réunion
Language Name
Tamil
User Population
880 in Réunion (2017).
- Language Status
- 1 (National)
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. Hindu. View other languages of Singapore
Language Name
Tamil
User Population
186,000 in Singapore (2016 census).
- Location
- Scattered in Chiang Mai, Krung Thep, and Phuket provinces.
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Thailand
Language Name
Tamil
User Population
38,000 in Thailand (Leclerc 2019a). , based on ethnicity.
- Location
- Scattered.
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of United States
Language Name
Tamil
User Population
191,000 in United States (2015 census).
- Location
- KwaZulu-Natal province.
- Language Status
- 4 (Educational)
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of South Africa
Language Name
Tamil
User Population
32,000 in South Africa (2020 Joshua Project). , based on ethnicity. Ethnic population: 1,030,000 (2012 J. Leclerc).
Map
Location: Andhra Pradesh state: Chittoor and Sri Potti Sriramulu Nellore districts, east Puducherry enclaves; Karnataka state: Chamarajana district; Kerala state: south; assorted border areas; Tamil Nadu state.
Size and Vitality
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