Muthuvan

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A language of India

ISO 639-3
muv
Alternate Names
Mudavan, Muduva, Muduvan, Muduvar, Mutuvar
Population

16,800 (2006 IMB).

Location

Kerala, Idukki district, Devikulam tahsil, Devikulam and Adimali blocks; Kozhikode, Kannur, Ernakulam, Kottayam, and Thrissur districts; Tamil Nadu, Coimbatore district, Udumalpet and Valparai tahsils, Anaimalai hills; Madurai district, Cardamom hills; Andhra Pradesh.

Language Maps
Language Status

6a (Vigorous).

Classification
Dravidian, Southern, Tamil-Kannada, Tamil-Kodagu, Tamil-Malayalam, Tamil
Dialects

Eastern Muthuvan (Pandi Muthuvan, Tamil Muthuvan), Western Muthuvan (Malayalam Muthuvan, Nattu Muthuvan). Intelligibility 82%–87% between dialects, eastern dialect more intelligible to western than vice versa, 80% intelligibility of Malayalam [mal]. Lexical similarity: 77%–88% between dialects, 62%–67% with Tamil [tam], 58%–68% with Malayalam [mal].

Language Use

Vigorous. Home, village, religion. All ages. Positive attitudes. Youth understand Malayalam [mal] better than Tamil [tam]. Older people understand Tamil better than Malayalam.

Language Development
Literacy rate in L2: 24% (31% males, 17% females) (1991 census); 40% for Tamil Nadu (2001 census).
Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Muthuvan
Other Comments

A Scheduled Tribe. Hindu.