Kongu Tamil or Kovai Tamil (also called Kongalam, Kongu Pechu, Coimbatore Tamil) is the dialect of
Tamil language
Tamil (, , , also written as ''Tamizhil'' according to linguistic pronunciation) is a Dravidian language natively spoken by the Tamil people of South Asia. It is one of the longest-surviving classical languages in the world,. "Tamil is one of ...
that is spoken by the people in
Kongu Nadu
Kongu Nadu, also known as Kongu Mandalam, is the geographical region comprising the western and north-western part of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Tamil Nadu and in some instances, parts of southeastern Karnataka a ...
, which is the western region of
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...
. It is originally known as "Kangee"` or "Kongalam" or "Kongappechu or Kongu bashai or Coimbatore Tamil".
Variations
The speciality of Kongu Tamil is the use of the
alveolar ற - Tra/Dra (as in the English word track) instead of
retroflex
A retroflex () or cacuminal () consonant is a coronal consonant where the tongue has a flat, concave, or even curled shape, and is articulated between the alveolar ridge and the hard palate. They are sometimes referred to as cerebral consona ...
T/D (ட) of standard Tamil. For example, 'ennuDaiya' (mine) of standard Tamil is pronounced enRa in the Kongu dialect. However, only Coimbatore district people use this.
Additionally the use of guttural nasal (ங்) that sounds "ng" as in the English word Gang, is more prevalent in Kongu Tamil, leading to situations where the grammar of Kongu Tamil would not fit into the grammar of standard Tamil. One of the examples is the use of ங் to end a word like வாங் "vaang" or வாஙொ "vango" means 'come' expressed in a respectful tone, which in Standard Indian Vernacular Tamil would be வாங்க "vaanga". Both of these are
stereotyping Kongalam with regional, professional variations.
Kongu Tamil also uses certain Tamil words that are archaic to Kongu region and are not used in other dialects of modern Tamil.
See also
*
Kongu Nadu
Kongu Nadu, also known as Kongu Mandalam, is the geographical region comprising the western and north-western part of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Tamil Nadu and in some instances, parts of southeastern Karnataka a ...
, region in South India
*
Kongu Vellalar
Kongu Vellalar is a community found in the Kongu region of Tamil Nadu, India.
Etymology
The Vellalar of the Kongunadu, Kongu country came to be known as Kongu Vellalar. They are also known by names such as "Bupaalan", Gangavamsam, Kudiyaanava ...
, community in South India
*
Coimbatore
Coimbatore (Tamil: kōyamputtūr, ), also known as Kovai (), is one of the major Metropolitan cities of India, metropolitan cities in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of the Noyy ...
, metropolis in Tamil Nadu, India
References
Tamil dialects
Dravidian languages
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