NORTH DRAVIDIAN Meaning and
Definition
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North Dravidian is a term used to refer to a subfamily of languages within the larger Dravidian language family. The Dravidian family itself is a major linguistic group primarily spoken in southern India and parts of Sri Lanka. North Dravidian languages, however, are predominantly spoken in the northernmost region of the Dravidian-speaking area.
The North Dravidian subfamily encompasses several languages, such as Brahui, Malto, and Kurukh, among others. These languages are primarily spoken in the northern frontier regions of India, Pakistan, and Nepal, extending to parts of Afghanistan and Iran. North Dravidian languages exhibit distinct linguistic features that set them apart from other Dravidian languages, displaying influences from neighboring Indo-Aryan and Iranian language families.
Brahui, the most widely spoken North Dravidian language, is spoken in Balochistan, a region divided between Pakistan and Iran. It possesses significant influences from the Iranian languages, including Persian and Balochi. On the other hand, Malto is spoken in Jharkhand, an Indian state, and Kurukh is primarily spoken in parts of Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Jharkhand.
The North Dravidian subfamily, although smaller in terms of the number of languages compared to the South Dravidian subfamily, plays a crucial role in preserving the linguistic diversity within the broader Dravidian language family. It serves as a testament to the historic expansion and migration of Dravidian-speaking populations in ancient times, resulting in the spread of Dravidian languages beyond the traditional southern Dravidian-speaking area.
Common Misspellings for NORTH DRAVIDIAN
- borth dravidian
- morth dravidian
- jorth dravidian
- horth dravidian
- nirth dravidian
- nkrth dravidian
- nlrth dravidian
- nprth dravidian
- n0rth dravidian
- n9rth dravidian
- noeth dravidian
- nodth dravidian
- nofth dravidian
- notth dravidian
- no5th dravidian
- no4th dravidian
- norrh dravidian
- norfh dravidian
- norgh dravidian
Etymology of NORTH DRAVIDIAN
The term "North Dravidian" is derived from the combination of two different terms: "North" and "Dravidian".
"North" refers to the geographical direction and is derived from the Old English word "norþ", which has Germanic origins.
"Dravidian" refers to a major language family spoken mainly in southern India and parts of Sri Lanka. It encompasses languages like Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam. The term "Dravidian" is believed to have originated from the Sanskrit word "Dramila", which was used to refer to the region of southern India.
Therefore, "North Dravidian" is a term used to describe a subgroup or linguistic category within the Dravidian language family that is spoken in the northern parts of the Dravidian-speaking region.
