North Dravidian languages
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The North Dravidian languages are a subgroup of the Dravidian language family. The three main North Dravidian languages are Brahui, Kurukh, and Malto. Brahui is spoken in Pakistan, while Kurukh and Malto are spoken in eastern India and Nepal. These languages share common sound changes, suggesting a shared history, though Brahui's westward migration means it has been heavily influenced by neighboring Indo-Aryan and Iranian languages, with only a small percentage of its vocabulary being Dravidian. Kurukh and Malto are not geographically contiguous today. Research in the 20th century led to the reconstruction of Proto-Dravidian, the hypothetical parent language of the Dravidian family, and the identification of new languages within the family.12
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Dravidian languagesNorth Dravidian languagesOf the three North Dravidian languages, Brahui is the most geographically distant, being spoken in Balochistan, the westernmost province of Pakistan. Because Brahui does not retain any archaic features of Proto-Dravidian, it is likely that its speakers migrated westward from the mainland,…
Read MoreOf the three North Dravidian languages, Brahui is the most geographically distant, being spoken in Balochistan, the westernmost province of Pakistan. Because Brahui does not retain any archaic features of Proto-Dravidian, it is likely that its speakers migrated westward from the mainland,…
Read More- Dravidian languagesNorth Dravidian phonological development
In the North Dravidian languages, Proto-Dravidian *k became x before non-high vowels—namely a, e, and o. Proto-Dravidian *c became k before u and ū; e.g., *cuṭu ‘to be hot’ became Kurukh-Malto kuṛ ‘embers.’
Read MoreIn the North Dravidian languages, Proto-Dravidian *k became x before non-high vowels—namely a, e, and o. Proto-Dravidian *c became k before u and ū; e.g., *cuṭu ‘to be hot’ became Kurukh-Malto kuṛ ‘embers.’
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