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Glite Dictionary
🗣️ A language family 🌏 Related to southern India
Dravidic

Dravidic

9.9
A family of languages spoken mostly in southern and central India and Sri Lanka like Tamil and Telugu
  • noun
  • /drəˈvɪdɪk/
  • Specialized
translation icon : dravídico
  • Tamil is one of the oldest and most prominent Dravidic languages.

Examples

  • Many people in Tamil Nadu speak Dravidic languages.

  • The influence of Dravidic tongues can be seen in the vocabulary of some Indo-Aryan languages.

  • Linguists have studied the Dravidic languages to trace their origins and development.

  • The Dravidic languages are rich in literary tradition.

  • Linguists have studied the Dravidic languages to trace their origins and development.

  • Tamil is one of the oldest and most prominent Dravidic languages.

  • The Dravidic languages are rich in literary tradition.

Synonyms

Dravidian
vsDravidic
9.9

A group of languages spoken mainly in southern and central India and Sri Lanka

is the family term focused mainly on southern and central India and Sri Lanka
Dravidian language
vsDravidic
9.9

A family of languages like Tamil and Telugu spoken in southern India and Sri Lanka

refers to the entire family rather than a single member

Surface Forms

Dravidic singular
Dravidic languages plural

Morphology

Dravidic = Dravidian (transparent) = Dravid + ic

The relation to 'Dravidian' is direct and the suffix '-ic' clearly means 'relating to', so the formation is transparent to learners familiar with 'Dravidian' (the form is truncated from 'Dravidian' to 'Dravid' before adding '-ic').

Etymology

Dravidic comes from the old Sanskrit name Dravida, which meant 'people of the south'. As a noun, it names the family of languages spoken mainly in southern India and Sri Lanka, such as Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam.