According to the UNESCO list of endangered languages in India, the following languages/mother tongues of Karnataka are endangered: Badaga which is also spoken in Tamilnadu, Bellari, Kodagu, Koraga and Tulu. The following languages/mother tongues have been identified to be documented by the CIIL, Mysore.

Kuruba                                    Mysore District

            Hakkipikki                  Nomads – spread across Karnataka

            Toda                            In and around Nilgiri Hills

            Kota                            In and around Nilgiri Hills

            Koraga                        Udupi, Mangalore and Kollegala regions

            Soliga                          Mysore, Hunsur and Chamrajnagar districts

            Bellara/Bellari             Udupi district

            Kutia / Kudia              Chikmagalur, Udupi and Kodagu districts

To check this trend, the Government of India has initiated a Scheme known as “Protection and Preservation of Endangered Languages of India”. Under this Scheme, the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL) will document all the tribal, non-tribal and non-scheduled languages/mother tongues of Karnataka spoken by less than ten thousand persons.

The Institute has already started working on documentation of three languages/mother tongues of Karnataka, namely, Hakkipikki, Kuruba/Kurumba and Kutiya/Kudiya. The CIIL, in collaboration with the tribal Research Institute, Karnataka, has further initiated the documentation of six of the mother tongues/languages of Karnataka, namely, Asalaru, Siddi, Iruliga, Malaikudiya, Maratta and Tokri Koli in the current financial year.

RNM/DS/HKJ/SA – endangered languages /11/02/2014