Telangana is a state in India, established on 2 June 2014 and positioned within the south-primary stretch of the Indian peninsula. Telugu and Hindi are the official languages that are spoken in this state. Dravidian language comprises 24 languages covering entire South Asia, from Baluchistan to Sri Lanka. In terms of coverage, it is the fourth-most spoken language among the Indian languages, after Hindi. According to the 1981 Census, this language is spoken by 45 million people in Andhra Pradesh. It has additionally spread to other parts of the globe like Burma, Indo-China border areas, South Africa, and the US. The region was ruled by the Nizams till 1948; the influence of Urdu on Telugu is quite evident.

History

  • Telugu shows strong influences of Sanskrit and Prakrit. Literature in Telugu was found in inscriptions and oral literary works and later in written works including Nannayyas Mahabharatam. During the Nannayya period, the literary language deviated from the primary language.
  • The sixteenth-century Venetian visitor, Niccolò de’ Conti, who explored the Vijayanagara Empire, noted the similarities between Telugu and Italian, and for this reason, it is often described as “The Italian of the East”.
  • In the seventeenth century, Appa Kavi wrote that Telugu is derived from Trilinga – in Sanskrit, it means three lingas.
  •  In the year of 1921, with the main objective of promoting this language, research was conducted by Madapati Hanumantha Rao, the founding father of the Andhra Mahasabha Komarraju Venkata Lakshmana Rao (creator of Library Movement in Hyderabad State), Suravaram Pratapareddy and others.
  •  The Vijayanagar dynasty gained importance for the language in the late 17th century, reaching its peak during the rule of Krishnadevaraya – in the 16th century, Telugu literature experienced its golden age.
  • The Andhra Pradesh Official Language Act 1966  is the core legislation to refer to with regard to Telugu.

Significance of Telugu

  • It is the official language of the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. It is one of the 22 languages under timetable eight of the Charter of India.
  • It is also one of the languages of Puducherry.
  • Urdu is the second official language of Telangana, but English is used for pretty much all government documents and as a language of the judiciary·       
  • It is the fourth most spoken language in India after Hindi, Bengali, and Marathi.
  • Telugu Language Day is celebrated every year on 29 August, marking the birthday of author Gidugu Venkata Ramamurthy.
  • Migrants are also inextricable parts of the states of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Goa, Bihar, Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan. So other Indian languages are also spoken in Telangana.
  • This is also one of the fastest-growing languages in the US. 
  • The fourth World Telugu Conference was organised in Tirupati in the last week of December – it deliberated at length on issues related to policies for this language.
  •  The script is an abugida composed of 60 symbols: 16 vowels, 3 vowel modifiers, and 41 consonants. This has a complete set of letters following a sound expression system. The script is derived from the Brahmi script, like that of many other Indian languages.
  • This script is written from left to right and consists of simple and complex character sequences. 
  •  The syllables are very large and made of basic units like vowels (“swarm”) and consonants (“vyanjanam”). Consonant clusters take very different shapes from those in other languages. Consonants are assumed to be pure, without any vowel inside.

Conclusion

Telangana is known for its art, language, craft, culture, tradition, and heritage. Telugu is part of the Dravidian language group,which includes 24 languages. In terms of coverage, it is the fourth most spoken Indian language, after Hindi, Bengali, and Marathi.