Unveiling The North Dravidian Languages: A Linguistic Journey Through India And Pakistan

The Dravidian language family, encompassing 27 languages spoken by 220 million people, boasts a rich history, often associated with Southern India. However, the North Dravidian languages, a subgroup, present a compelling case of linguistic diversity and growth, with their origins and future remaining uncertain. American linguist Sanford B. Steever, in his book "The Dravidian Languages" (2015), identifies the Dravidian family as the fourth or fifth largest in the world. While concentrated in southern and central India, these languages also extend to other South Asian countries. British missionary Robert Caldwell first used the term 'Dravidian' to classify this language family. North Dravidian languages include Kurux, Malto, and Brahui. The origin of the Dravidian languages, according to Cavalli Sforza, was in western India. The North Dravidian subgroup is distinguished by unique phonological, morphological, and lexical features. For example, Kurux shares 73% of its Dravidian-sourced words with Malto, but only 12% with Tamil and 14.5% with Telugu, indicating a close relationship with Malto. Kurux, also known as Oraon, Dhangar, Uraon, or Kisan, is spoken by approximately two million people across India, Bangladesh, and Nepal. Notably, Kurux distinguishes between men's and women's speech, with 'interfemale' forms used exclusively between women. Malto, considered the closest relative to Kurux, is spoken by nearly 100,000 people and has at least three dialects. Brahui, the farthest branch, is spoken in Balochistan, Afghanistan, and Turkmenistan. It is written in Perso-Arabic and has only 10% Dravidian words, with the rest coming from various other languages.