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Ethnologue: Languages of the World
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Ethnologue > Web version > Country index > Asia > India > Irula

Irula

A language of India

ISO 639-3: iru

Population  200,000 (2003).
Region  Tamil Nadu, Nilgiri, Coimbatore, Periyar districts; Karnataka; Kerala, Palakkad District, Attapady and Walayar panchayats; Andhra Pradesh.
Alternate names   Erukala, Irava, Irulan, Irular, Irular Mozhi, Irulavan, Iruliga, Iruligar, Kad Chensu, Korava
Dialects  Mele Nadu Irula (Southern Irula), Northern Irula (Kasaba, Kasava, Kasuba), Vette Kada Irula (Irula Pallar), Irula Urali, Attapady Irula, Walayar Irula (Urali Irula). Dialects: Vette Kada had 73% intelligibility with Mele Nadu; Northern Irula had 83% intelligibility with Mele Nadu; not inherently intelligible with Tamil [tam] (Irula survey 93). Vette Kada had 94% intelligibility with Attapady; Walayar had 84% intelligibility with Attapady. (Palakkad survey 04). Lexical similarity: 78%–86% between Mele Nadu dialect varieties, 67%–70% with Northern Irula, 64%–66% with Vette Kada, 47%–50% with Tamil; Attapady has 73%–75% with Mele Nadu and 85%–89% with Vette Kada. Walayar has 74% to 79% with Attapady, 76% with Vette Kada, and 69% with Mele Nadu.
Classification  Dravidian, Southern, Tamil-Kannada, Tamil-Kodagu, Tamil-Malayalam, Tamil
Language use  All domains. Positive attitude. Most also use Tamil, 44% Kannada [kan], 32% Badaga [bfq], or Malayalam [mal].
Language development  Literacy rate in L1: Below 1%. Literacy rate in L2: 20% among adults, 50% among younger generation. Grammar. Bible portions: 2001–2002.
Writing system  Tamil script.
Comments  A Scheduled Tribe. Some people called ’Irula’ speak Tamil as mother tongue. Urali Irula (Periyar) is separate from both Betta Kurumba Urali [xub] and Urali [url] in Idukki District, Kerala. 2 Urali Irula dialects in Periyar and Palakkad. SOV; postpositions; nontonal. Peasant agriculturalists: coffee; tea laborers. Traditional religion with Hindu influence, a few Christians.