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Ethnologue > Web version > Country index > Asia > India > Kurumba, Jennu

Kurumba, Jennu

A language of India

ISO 639-3xuj

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."  Available online