Chenchu language
| Chenchu | |
|---|---|
| చెంచు | |
| Native to | India |
| Region | Andhra Pradesh (highest concentration in Kurnool district, Prakasam district, Guntur district), Telangana (Mahabubnagar district), Karnataka and Orissa |
| Ethnicity | Chenchu people |
Native speakers | 26,000 (2007)[1] |
| Telugu alphabet | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | cde |
| Glottolog | chen1255 |
Chenchu language is a Dravidian language which belongs to the Telugu branch of its South-Central family. This language is spoken mostly in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana states in India by about 280,764 people (1981 census) of the Chenchu Aboriginal forests hunter-gatherer tribe.[3] It is also called Chenchukulam, Chenchwar, Chenswar or Choncharu.
References
[edit]- ^ Chenchu at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)
- ^ Zvelebil (1990), p. 57.
- ^ Krishnamurti, Bhadriraju (2003). The Dravidian Languages. Cambridge University Press. p. 208. ISBN 978-0-521-79205-8.
Chenchu is a tribal Dravidian language spoken mainly in the Nallamala forests in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
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- Krishnamurti, Bhadriraju (2003). The Dravidian Languages. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-79205-8.
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- "Chenchu language". Ethnologue: Languages of the World. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
Chenchu is a vulnerable Dravidian language spoken in forested regions of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana by the Chenchu tribe, classified as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group.
- Government of India, Ministry of Tribal Affairs (2020). Report on Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) (PDF) (Report). Retrieved 1 June 2025.
The Chenchu tribe is one of the 75 PVTGs, with a distinct language and culture in forested areas of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
- Reddy, V. S. S. (2019). "Language Endangerment and Preservation: The Case of Chenchu" (PDF). International Journal of Dravidian Linguistics. 48 (1): 45–56. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
The use of Telugu language has increased among Chenchu children, contributing to endangerment of the Chenchu language.
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