Malapandaram

A language of India

ISO 639-3

Alternate Names

Hill Pantaram, Malapantaram, Malepantaram, Pandaram Basha

Population

5,850 (2001 census).

Location

Kerala, Pathanamthitta and Kollam districts, some in Kottayam and Palakkad districts; Tamil Nadu, Villupuram, Coimbatore and Madurai districts.

Language Status

6a (Vigorous).

Classification

Dialects

Lexical similarity: 83%–94% between varieties in Kerala, 63%–68% with Malayalam [mal], 64%–68% with Tamil [tam].

Language Use

Shift toward Malayalam [mal] in Kerala. Home, community. Negative attitudes. Many also use Malayalam [mal], except written.

Language Development

Literacy rate in L2: 48% for Kerala, 59% for Tamil Nadu (2001 census).

Language Resources

Other Comments

A Scheduled Tribe. Hindu, traditional religion.