Avocado

Kurumba (also known as Kuruba in Karnataka and Kuruma in Kerala), is a group of Southern Dravidian languages of the Tamil–Kannada subgroup spoken by the Kurumba tribes. Some of them are from different branches.^[1]

Etymology

Classification

Kannadoid

• Alu Kurumba
• Betta Kurumba, also known as Urali Kurumba or Kadu Kurumba
• Jennu Kurumba, also known as Ten Kurumba or Kattunaika

Together they are known as Kannada Kurumba as they are similar to Kannada.^[2]

Irulic

• Attapady Kurumba - also known as Palu Kurumba, a dialect of Muduga as they are mutually intelligible.

Malayalamoid

• Mullu Kurumba, also known as Mullu Kuruma

Geographical distribution

Kannadoid Kurumba languages are spoken at the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border. Irulic and Malayalamoid Kurumba languages are spoken in Wayanad district of Kerala.

References

• "The Tribes of Palakkad, Kerala A Sociolinguistic Profile" (PDF).