Tulu

Tulu is a Dravidian language spoken by the Tuluva people of the coastal region known as Tulu Nadu, in the southwestern Indian states of Karnataka and Kerala. It forms part of the Southern Dravidian branch, closely related to Kannada and other languages of the region. It is primarily spoken in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts of Karnataka and in the Kasaragod district of Kerala. Estimates place the number of native speakers in the low millions. A number of diaspora communities exist in the Persian Gulf, Europe, and North America.

Tulu has several regional dialects, with major varieties in the Udupi and Kundapura areas. The language uses agglutinative morphology and a rich system of suffixes. Its phonology includes a set of consonants typical of South Dravidian languages, with retroflex and aspirated series. In writing, Tulu is most commonly rendered in the Kannada script; there are also historical and experimental uses of other scripts, and some modern authors publish in Devanagari or a specialized proposed Tulu script.

Tulu has a rich oral tradition, including folktales, proverbs, and poetry, and performative arts such as Yakshagana and Bhoota Kola are closely associated with Tulu-speaking communities. Tulu literature dates from medieval to modern periods, with works in various genres including religious, secular, and linguistic texts. Although not an official language of India, Tulu enjoys recognition in regional education and media, and language preservation initiatives exist.