Malavedan
A language of India
| Population | Total population unknown. 6,186 in Kerala, 6,411 in Tamil Nadu (2001 census). |
| Region | Kerala, Pathanamthitta, Idukki, Ernakulam, Kottayam, Kollam, Trivandrum districts; Tamil Nadu, Kanniyakumari, Madurai, Dindigul, Nilgiris, Salem, and Tirunelveli districts. |
| Alternate names | Malai Vedan, Malavetan, Towetan, Vedans, Veda Bhasha, Vettava Bhasha |
| Dialects | Vetan, Vettuvan. Lexical similarity: 64%–68% with Malayalam [mal], 48%–52% with Tamil [tam]. |
| Classification | Dravidian, Southern, Tamil-Kannada, Tamil-Kodagu, Tamil-Malayalam, Malayalam |
| Language use | Dying out in Idukki District, being replaced by Malayalam. Speakers in other districts may be retaining the language. Home, village in Pathanamthitta District. Also use Tamil or Malayalam. Mother tongue being replaced by Malayalam in Idukki District. Many in Pathanamthitta District speak Malayalam with their children. Mala Veda living in Tamil Nadu may have completely shifted to Tamil. |
| Language development | Literacy rate in L2: 67%–78% for Kerala, 56% for Tamil Nadu. |
| Comments | A Scheduled Tribe. Traditionally nomadic hunter-gatherers but now many are agriculturists and wage laborers. Traditional religion mixed with Hindism. |
Ethnologue: Web |
Ethnologue: Print |
Bibliography |
Publications Catalog |
Software |
Email Updates
Who we are |
Shopping cart |
Site search |
Site map |
Home
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | External links
Copyright © 2012 SIL International (formerly known as the Summer Institute of Linguistics)
