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Tamil Language



Countries

Countries
Malaysia, Mauritius, Puducherry, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Tamil Nadu

Total No. Of Countries
6 9

National Language
Singapore, Sri Lanka, Tamil Nadu

Second Language
Andaman and Nicobar Islands, kerala, Puducherry

Speaking Continents
Asia

Minority Language
Canada, Malaysia, Mauritius, Reunion, Seychelles

Regulated By
Official language Commission of Government of Tamil Nadu, Thanjavur Tamil University

Interesting Facts
  • Tamil is the oldest language in the world. Tamil was spoken in South India more than 5000 years ago.
  • The first legally recognized Classical Language of India is Tamil.

Similar To
Malayalam

Derived From
-

Alphabets

Alphabets in
Tamil-Alphabets.jpg#200

Alphabets
247 41

Phonology

How Many Vowels
12 9

How Many Consonants
18 8

Scripts
Tamil

Writing Direction
Left-To-Right, Horizontal

Hard to Learn

Language Levels
3 2

Time Taken to Learn
44 weeks 17

Greetings

Hello
வணக்கம் (Vanakkam)

Thank You
நன்றி (Naṉṟi)

How Are You?
நீங்கள் எப்படி இருக்கிறீர்கள்? (Nīṅkaḷ eppaṭi irukkiṟīrkaḷ?)

Good Night
நல்ல இரவு (Good night) / irravu vanakkam (Good night)

Good Evening
நல்ல மாலை (Nalla mālai)/ மாலை (irravu vanakkam)

Good Afternoon
பிற்பகல் வணக்கம் (perpagal vanakkam)

Good Morning
காலை வணக்கம் (Kaalai Vanakkam)

Please
தயவு (Tayavu)

Sorry
மன்னிக்கவும் (Maṉṉikkavum)

Bye
சென்று வருகிறேன் (Sendru Varukiren)

I Love You
நான் உன்னை காதலிக்கிறேன் (Naan Unnai Kadalikiren)

Excuse Me
என்னை மன்னியுங்கள் (Eṉṉai maṉṉiyuṅkaḷ)

Dialects

Dialect 1
Kongu

Where They Speak
Kongu

How Many People Speak
77,000,000.00 10

Dialect 2
Madurai Tamil

Where They Speak
Madurai, South Tamil Nadu

How Many People Speak
77,000,000.00 8

Dialect 3
Tirunelveli Tamil

Where They Speak
South Tamil Nadu, Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli

How Many People Speak
77,000,000.00 7

Total No. Of Dialects
10 10

How Many People Speak

How Many People Speak?
78.00 million 21

Speaking Population
1.06 % 20

Native Speakers
70.00 million 15

Second Language Speakers
8.00 million 44

Native Name
தமிழ்

Alternative Names
Damulian, Tamal, Tamalsan, Tambul, Tamili

French Name
tamoul

German Name
Tamil

Pronunciation
[t̪ɐmɨɻ]

Ethnicity
Tamil people or Tamilans

History

Origin
300 BC

Language Family
Dravidian Family

Subgroup
-

Branch
-

Language Forms

Early Forms
Old Tamil and Middle Tamil

Standard Forms
Modern Tamil

Language Position
18 16

Signed Forms
Signed Tamil

Scope
Individual

Code

ISO 639 1
ta

ISO 639 2

ISO 639 2/T
tam

ISO 639 2/B
tam

ISO 639 3
tam

ISO 639 6
tam

Glottocode
tami1289, oldt1248

Linguasphere
tami1289

Types of Language

Language Type
Living

Language Linguistic Typology
Subject-Object-Verb

Language Morphological Typology
-

Countries >>
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Origin of Tamil language

In order to communicate with each other, the origin of language was the essential part. Various languages are spoken all over the world. Tamil language is one of the Most Spoken Languages. The origin of Tamil language states that it was put to use in 300 BC. The history of Tamil language reveals that the language is old and used since many years. Check out in brief about Tamil Language History.The evolution of Tamil language began with early forms such as Old Tamil and Middle Tamil. Modern Tamil is the standard form of Tamil language and it is used in government centers. Know all About Tamil Language.

Most Spoken Languages

Tamil population

Tamil population gives us the total count of number of people speaking Tamil language. Tamil language is spoken by 78.00 million people in the world. Most of the Tamil population lies in the Tamil Speaking Countries. Tamil language is spoken as first language by 70.00 million people and as second language by about 8.00 million people. Get to know Tamil speaking population in detail.

Compare Most Spoken Languages

Tamil writing system

There are numerous writing systems but most widely used scripts are Latin, Cyrillic and Arabic. Tamil writing system decides the alphabets, vowels and consonants i.e. the written form of Tamil language. Some languages share common writing systems. Tamil script is used by Tamil language. Learn more about . 

Information about Tamil language

Check out all the information about Tamil language here. You may find it interesting to learn Tamil Alphabets or the vowels and consonants of this language. Also knowing about Tamil Speaking Countries, Tamil speaking continents and Tamil Dialects will help in improving your knowledge about this language. Also while travelling to Tamil countries knowing common Tamil Greetings will help you in communicating with Tamil people.

Most Spoken Languages

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Compare Most Spoken Languages

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