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Glite Dictionary
North Dravidian

North Dravidian

9.9
A group of Dravidian languages spoken in eastern India, like Kurukh and Malto
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : dravídico del norte
  • The North Dravidian languages are primarily spoken in the states of Jharkhand and Odisha.

Examples

  • Kurukh, a North Dravidian language, has over two million speakers.

  • Linguists study the connections between North Dravidian and other Dravidian language groups.

  • The North Dravidian languages are fascinating to linguists.

  • Kurukh is a North Dravidian language spoken in India.

  • Kurukh, a North Dravidian language, is spoken by over two million people in India.

  • Linguists explore the relationship between North Dravidian languages and other language families.

  • Many communities in eastern India use North Dravidian languages such as Kurukh and Malto.

Synonyms

North Dravidian language
vsNorth Dravidian
  • Specialized
9.9

A group of related languages spoken in eastern India like Kurukh and Malto

does not list that additional language among its members

Surface Forms

North Dravidian singular
North Dravidians plural

Morphology

north + Dravidian

The label denotes a geographic subgroup: combining 'north' (northern part) with 'Dravidian' (the language family) transparently yields 'the northern branch of Dravidian languages.' This modifier+noun pattern is cross-linguistically common (e.g., North Germanic), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should infer the meaning.

Etymology

The name North Dravidian comes from language experts: it joins North and Dravidian to label Dravidian languages found farther north than most others. That's why it means 'a Dravidian language group in the north'.