Kurumba, Jennu
A language of India
| Population | 35,000 (1997). |
| Region | North Nilgiri Hills, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka border, east of Kerala border, Karnataka, Mysore and Kodagu districts; Kerala, Wynad District. |
| Alternate names | Jen Kurumba, Jennu Kurumba, Jennu Nudi, Kattu Nayaka, Naik Kurumba, Naikan, Nonstandard Kannada, Shola Nayakan, Ten Kurumba |
| Dialects | May or may not be the same as Jeinu Kuruba dialect of Kannada [kan]. Lexical similarity: 61%–83% among varieties called ‘Jennu Kurumba’, less than 60% with Betta Kurumba [xub] dialects. |
| Classification | Dravidian, Southern, Tamil-Kannada, Tamil-Kodagu, Kodagu |
| Language use | Positive attitude. Few use Kannada, Malayalam [mal], or Tamil [tam]. |
| Language development | Literacy rate in L2: 46% in Tamil Nadu. Attitudes favorable toward literacy. |
| Comments | Jennu Kurumba means ‘Honey Shepherds’. A Scheduled Tribe. Hunter-gatherers; day laborers; agriculturalists. Traditional religion, Hindu. |
Entries from the SIL Bibliography about this language:
Academic Publications
BLAIR, Frank, author; CHITRARASU, K.; PRABHU, R.; RAJAH, B. B.; RAJAIAH, J.; RENSCH, Cal; RENSCH, Carolyn, researchers. 2012. "A Sociolinguistic Profile of Kurumba Dialects."
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