The Retrospection of The Importance of Telugu Language

The Retrospection ( Simhavalokanam )

of

The Importance of Telugu Language

‘Indian literature helps in personality development’

Teachers must create interest in students about the Telugu language and literature, explain how the language was interlinked with life while the syllabus must be good  say the  Telugu and Sanskrit scholars.

“The country will not survive if the language and culture are not protected. Sanskrit, which is the  mother of Indian languages, Telugu and other languages are unique in the world in the sense that they are inter-twined with life. Whatever said in the literature like Satakams written in the olden ages determines our life. The Indian literature helps in personality development and determines the life,”

Among the Indian languages, Telugu was the only language having closest relationship with Sanskrit and this was the reason for it continuing to be strong even now, he said.

The teachers ought to  explain the  usage of words and pointed out that once a student tastes the sweetness of the language he or she would not neglect the language. They should also explain the students the different aspects of literature.

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The English is  important but Telugu too must be given its pride of place and ought  not be neglected.

Dr. G.V.R. K. Sharma of Harvard Medical School presented the lecture on
“Telugu Language and Literature” in the Harvard University Outreach series
on Saturday, January 10, 2009, at Harvard University Science Center in Cambridge.  The lecture was the fourteenth lecture in the series entitled “Indian Languages and Literature” that commenced in 2006.  It was an informative lecture presenting a complete survey of Telugu language and with the analysis of the evolution of Telugu literature.  Readings of excerpts from literature and recitations made the lecture interesting.  There was good participation from the audience.  The lecture was hosted by Dr. Bijoy Misra of Harvard University.

Telugu (also called 'Andhra Bhaasha') is one of the classical languages of India, an Indo-Dravidian off-shoot which attained its present form at least a thousand years ago.  Ranked seventh in Asia and fourteenth in the world in its usage, it is spoken by about eighty million people, primarily in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India and sizable diaspora populations abroad. The language is composed of approximately sixty percent Tatsama and Tadbhava words with origin in Sanskrit.  Most of the words characteristically end in vowels, 'Ajanta', hence the label 'Italian of the East' ( called

by Brahmasri Charles Philips Brown garu ).              
   
Telugu is closely related to Kannada language, both in script and in literary evolution. The grammar is precise and the prosody consists of meters both in Sanskritic (Margi), and colloquial (Desi) style.  Nannaya (11th century A.D) was the first poet (Adi Kavi),  who rendered Vyasa's Mahabharata (first 2+ canto's) into Telugu in the 'Champu' format (a mixture of poetry and prose) and set the trend for others.  Noteworthy among them were Thikkana who completed the remaining sections of Mahabharata, Nannechoda, Yerrapreggada, Nachana Somana, Srinadha and Pothana.

'The Golden age' of Telugu literature was during the reign of Krishnadevaraya (16th century), a great poet and scholar himself, in whose court were illustrious names like Allasani Peddana, Pingali Surana, Thimmana, Dhoorjati, Tenali Ramakrishna and Bhattu Moorthi.  With the fall of the Vijayanagara empire, the patronage shifted to Tanjavur (Nayakas), but the literary quality declined. Vemana of the 18th century stands out as a rebel against the social, religious and literary orthodoxy. The modern age dawned with Gurajada Apparao and Gidugu Ramamurthy (19th century), the advocates of spoken (Vyavaharika) Telugu (as opposed to the traditional (Sampradayika) form, which had been the only literary norm.

Complete break from the past happened with the advent of Sri Sree (Srirangam Sreenivasarao), hailed as the harbinger of modern Telugu era (navayugavaitalika).  Although the great Viswanadha Satyanarayana remained a staunch traditionalist, others like Devulapalli Krishna Sastry, and Tilak accepted both traditions. Most modern Telugu writers employ the spoken words in blank or free verse in place of the traditional in rigid prosody, and address a wide range of issues, particularly, feminist and dalit, which have been long neglected.  Telugu prose, which was limited to the champu format, found full expression in the modern era with novels, short stories and essays authored by the likes of Chalam, Kutumba Rao, Cha.So (Chaganti Somayajulu) and Rachakonda Viswanadha (Ra.Vi) Sastry.

Among the special features that characterize Telugu are Avadhanam and Sataka Sahitya.  Avadhanam is a unique public display of spontaneous  versification dealing with eight (Ashta), a hundred (Sata) or a thousand (Sahasra) questioners (pricchaka) simultaneously. This literary feat, although known in Sanskrit, was popularized by the duo, Tirupati-Venkata Kavulu; there are many current Telugu avadhanis who have mastered this technique.  Telugu literature abounds in Sataka sahitya. Famous among them are: Sumati, Dasaradhi, Kalahastiswara  and  Vemana.   In the lecture, Mr Rama Bhaskar Nouduri  recited  a  few well-known poems  from  Narasimha Sataka.

Of no less importance is the contribution of Telugu language to Karnatik (South Indian classical) music.  Many Kirtanas, Varnams, Padams, Javalis and Thillanas are composed in mellifluous Telugu.   Dr Narasingarao Eswara illustrated the musical aspects briefly with examples from Annamaya and Thyagaraja.

At the end of the talk Dr Sharma answered questions from the audience dealing with the origin of the words 'Telugu' and 'Andhra', the motivation for good literature in historical times, secular trends in Telugu poetry and the future of Telugu with the onslaught of globalization.  Dr. Misra thanked the speaker and the audience with applause.

Etymology of the word Telugu

Contributed by Sri Ramana Juvvadi

The most popular explanation that is given to the word telugu is that it comes from the word trilinga, i.e. from the three temples at Srisailam, Drakasharamam, and Kaleshwaram. However, not many scholars accept this view. Let us examine some of them here.

Khandavalli Lakshmi Ranjanam

It probably comes from the word talaing . Since tala refers to head, talaings refers to leaders. Probably, talaings were civilized people and conquered the tribals in the area of current Andhra pradesh. Hence the name talaings. Later this must have given rise to the words telungu and trilinga .

Godavarti Ramadasu

Some say that the word telugu comes from the Sanskrit forms trilinga or trikalinga: Actually, the word kalinga itself is a Dravidian word. In Kui language, rice is called Kulinga. Since Kuis were mainly rice eaters, Aryans might have called them kulingas or kalingas.

Marepalli Ramachandra Shastri

In Gondi languahge, unga is form for plural. telu means white. Hence, telunga probably refers to people who are white in complexion.

    Ganti Jogi Somayaji

ten refers to south in Proto-Dravidian. Hence tenungu refers to Southerners.

Which of the two words is older? telugu or tenugu ? Some say that tenugu is older than telugu because Nannaya used the word tenugu and Ketana who is younger than Nannaya used the word telugu in his Andhra Bhaashaa Bhushanam. Malliya Raechana wrote a grammar book (Lakshana Granthamu) called Kavi Janaashrayamu. But he didn't use this word in the place of 'praasa' anywhere, so we are not sure what he really used.

The popular notion is that the first person to use the word trilinga is Vidyanaatha in Kakatiya era. Actually, the first person to use the word trilinga is Rajashekhara in Vidhdhasaala Bhanjika. He is the first person to use trilinga with a ra vattu . Markandeya and Vayu Puranas mention only tilinga. One of the oldest works in Tamil called Agattiyam says Konganam Kannadam Kollam telungam . On the whole, it is more probable that the word telugu is older than the word tenugu.

EVOLUTION OF ANDHRA LANGUAGE

By Etukoori Balaraama Moorti in Andhra Samkshipta Charitra
English translation : PALANA

Andhra was originally the name of a tribe. This tribe was a nomadic one and the hills and rivers adjacent to the habitat of this tribe were named after the tribe - Andhra. Gradually the area where this tribe settled was called "Andhra". There is a valley near Bombay called the "Andhra Valley". There is a small river in Maharashtra called "Andri" (anDri). A subriver of Tungabhadra is also called "Handri" (handri). During 220 AD the word "Andhrapathamu" was used in the inscriptions in Ballari district. This is the evolutionary sequence of the word "Andhra". The language spoken by Andhras was given the name "Andhra Bhasha" finally.

Different tribes used to speak different languages (dialects). The tribes of Andhra such as Dravida, Yaksha, and Naga spoke "Telugu" or "Tenugu". Andhras from North India used to speak another language called "Desi".

Telugu belongs to the family of Dravidian languages. Telugu has resemblances (close) with Tamil, Kannada, and Tulu. Basic vocabulary, verbs, sentence synthesis, and grammar dictate the architecture of the language (any language). Even till today, the basic vocabulary in Telugu language is intact. "amma", "akka", "ceTTu", "puTTa", "niiru", "pa'mu", "tElu", "ga'li" - these were the words the ancient Telugu man used while started saying for the first time. "tinu", "koTTu", "tiTTu", "naDu", "koorcO", "veLLu", "ra'" - these are the most ancient verbs. These ancient words share resemblances with some words in Tamil and Kannada.

  TELUGU                   TAMIL                  KANNADA

  -----------------------------------------------------------

  tala                      talai                  tale

  nela                      nila                   nila'

  puli                      puli                   puli, huli

  Uru                       Ur                     Ur

  magava'Du                 magas                  magan

  uppu                      uppu                   uppu

  pappu                     parupu                 papu

  paTTi                     paRRu                  paDe

  ekku                      ERu                    ERu

  -----------------------------------------------------------

The nominative case (karta), object of a verb (karma) and the verb are some what in a sequence in Telugu sentence construction. The same trend (pattern) is seen in other Dravidian languages. Sanskrit does not follow this rule. "Vibhakti" (case of a noun) and "pratyayamulu" (an affix to roots and words forming derivs. and inflections) depict the ancient nature and progression of the language. The "Vibhaktis" of Telugu language "Du, mu, vu, lu" etc are different from those in Sanskrit and have been in the usage for a long time. Based on these above features, linguists unanimously classify Telugu language as a member of the Dravidian languages.

Satavahana kings' official language was "Prakrut". Prakrut was also the language used by kings those days - Royal Language. For the first time Telugu words can be observed in the Ikshavakula inscriptions after Satavahana's rule. The Nagarjuna Hill inscriptions of 250 AD contain Telugu words like "na'gamna", "viiramna", and "maha'talavara". "talavara" is a Telugu word in "maha'talavara". "tala'ri" or "talavara" means "gra'ma'dhika'ri" (head of the village or town). In Tamil, "talaiva'r" means "pedda adhipati" (big boss). This Telugu word was combined with a Sanskrit word "maha'". Telugu language spoken by people contains some original words and some sanskritized words (as in inscriptions). People those days used to speak Telugu and rulers spoke Prakrut. The following is from the inscriptions of Pallava King, Sivaskandavarma:

"ka'nciipuratO yuvamaha ra'jO Ba'rada'yasa gotto palava'nam navaKandavammO dharmaKDe va'ptam a'napayati. andhapatiiyaga'mO..... viriparam amhEhi Udaka'dim sampadato Etasa ga'mana virivarasa nava bamhadEya pariha'lO vitarama."

The meaning of the above inscription: The Viripara (Epparru) village of Andhra is being donated by Sivaskandavarma.

The inscription of Chalkya Jayasimha Vallabha (in Telugu) is the following:

"jayasimhavallaBa maha'ra'ju la'kun pravardhama'na vijayara'jya samvatsarambuLa - eNumbOdi anmENNa ammin pooNNamana'NNum mla'vinDi ra'jula muTlu kalimuDira'jul mla'vinDi samudrarakai na'ku baNisEsina kalci viiRuruRla maddi kadu mooTiki vitaRti Uttarambuna pulOmbuna CeRuvu paDuma'Ri kOTan eRRumBOdi puTlu aRla paTTu sEnuta'Rii tOmTa la'yu paDuva'rambu icciri."

The above two inscriptions depict the differences between Telugu and Prakrut languages.

The ancient inscriptions contain the names of villages ending in a word "Uru" e.g. "kooDoorE", "ELoorE". The word "Uru" is close to the word "Ur" in the Southern languages. "Elooru" is the other name for "ELoorE". "kODooru" in Krishna District is the other name for "kooDoorE". These village names confirm the relationship of the Telugu with the Dravidian languages.

Telugu language spoken by the Dravidians, Yakshas, and the Nagas was influenced by Desi, Sanskrit, and Prakrut. Sanskrit and Prakrut belong to the same group. Literary language is Sanskrit and spoken one is Prakrut. There is no difference in basic vocabulary or style of sentence construction among Sanskrit and Prakrut. The preachers of Buddhism wrote their books in Prakrut for easy understanding. The language of Andhra was not Prakrut. While writing Bruhatkadha, Gunadya said the following:

"samskruta, pra'kruta, dESi Ba'sha lanu parityajimci nEnu paiSaci Ba'shalO bruhatkadhanu vra'stunna'nu."

Till today, languages called "bra'huyi" in Beloochisthan and "ka'nDu" "ma'rTu", "Oreya'n" in Vindhya exist. These languages belong to family of Dravidian languages. Dravidians inhabited North India prior to Aryan aggression. On the banks of river Sindhu, Aryans created the Harappa and Mahenjadaro cultures. Eventhough Dravidians came and settled in South India, their relatives (some tribes) still remained in the North India. Their languages belong to the family of Dravidian languages. "Papai" in Afganisthan, "shiina" in Kashmir, and "bra'huyi" in Beloocisthan share similarities (resemblances) with Dravidian languages. All these languages are classified in "Dardik Class" of languages by linguistics experts.

"dESi" of Andhras belongs to this class of languages (Dardik). Before settlement in South India, Andhras lived in the Vindhya for some time. Hill tribes of Vindhyas still speak Dravidian languages like "ka'nDu", "ma'rTu", and "oriya'n". Before arriving at the banks of Ganges and Jamuna, Andhras might have visited Beloochisthan, Afganisthan, and Kashmir. This is what historians propose.

Paisachi is an offshoot of Desi. What was the nationality of Gunadya? Was he a Kashmiri or Nepali or an Andhra? This is a debate among historians and linguistics experts. Desi was the ancient language of Kashmiris and Nepalis.

Andhras' Desi Tenugu and Telugu of Nagas and Yakshas combined together into one language. Both belong to the Dardik class of Dravidian languages. That is the reason why this alliance between these two languages was possible.

Linguistics experts showed that languages belonging to the same class can combine into one and languages belonging to different classes eventhough can survive in hormony, the strongest language survives and the weaker one dies. Languages belonging to two different classes can not combine.

The history of Telugu language offers a nice example for the above statement. For about 500-600 years during the Satavahana's rule, Prakrut was used as the royal language in Andhra. Tadbhavas from Prakrut infiltrated the Telugu language. But Telugu did not die. Telugu incorporated the required words from Prakrut and discarded the rest. Guptas of North India and Pallavas of South India fought battles in 400-500 AD. These battles killed the royal language, Prakrut. Finally, Prakrut rested in the Buddhism books in Tibet. Following, Sanskrit influenced Telugu of Andhras for about 500 years. During 1000-1100 AD, Nannaya's Telugu in Bharatam, Telugu in several inscriptions, Telugu in poetry reestablished its roots and dominated over the royal language, Sanskrit. Telugu absorbed the Tatsamas from Sanskrit only. The marriage between "Desi" and "Telugu" was possible.

Words like "Telugu", "Tenugu", and "Andhramu" were used in several instances in the "Tenugu Bharatam" written in 1050 AD. The name for a tribe is "Andhra" which is also used to call the language that had evolved over 1000 years. "Andhrulu", "Andhradesam", "Teluguvaru", "Telugudesam", "Tenugudesam", and "Tenugu Bhasha" are used as synonyms.

ANCIENT HISTORY OF ANDHRAS

By Etukoori Balaraama Moorti in Andhra Samkshipta Charitra
English translation : PALANA

It is impossible to confirm the origin of a culture and the date of its origin. Different tribes, classes, and societies gradually combined over a period of time and a transformed society had evolved. This is the evolution of a society.

Andhra society is one of the ancient societies of India. One can encounter several tales about Andhras in epics like Mahabharatam and Ramayanam, in great puranas, and Budhdhist Jataka Tales. This confirms the ancient nature of Andhra society.

Andhras and Kalingas (ka'Limgulu) supported the Kauravas during the battle between Kauravas and Pandavas (the Bharata yudhdham). Sahadeva defeated the kingdoms of Pandya, Dravida, Odhra, Kerala, Andhra, and Kalinga while performing the Rajasooya yajna. This is depicted in the Mahabharatam. Chanoora (ca'NooruDu) was killed by Srikrishna in Madhura. Harivamsapuranam corroborates the fact that Chanoora was the king of Karoosa Desa (karooSa dESam) (on the North side of Vindhya and on the North banks of Yamuna river) and was an Anhdra (Andhrudu) too.

Ramayanam depicts an interesting tale. Viswamitra condemned the "Naramedha Yagam", freed Sunassepu (SunaSSEpu, the yajna paSuvu), and adopted him as his son. Viswamitra's children diliked this act by thier father and were cursed. Then Viswamitra's children migrated towards east and south. It is understood from this tale that these children of Viswamitra were Andhras (a'mdhrulu).

A tribe called "Andhras" arrived at the banks of Yamuna river during the Mahabharata war (1500 BC). This is clearly described in the epic.

Mahabharata war has a prominent place in the ancient history. Several kings of different tribes fought in this battle. Several thousands of soldiers lost their lives. Kauravas were destroyed. Innumerable number of tiny kingdoms mushroomed. Locust infestation destroyed crops on the banks of Ganges and Yamuna rivers. People inhabiting those regions migrated 300 miles away to south. Chandogyopanishat (Ca'mdOgyOpanishad) confirms this. Iatreya (aitarEya bra'hmaNam) Brahmanam tells us that Andhras lived on the south side of Vindhya along with Pundrapulinda Sabara Mootibas (punDrapulimda Sabara mootibulu). Chandogyopanishad and Itareya Brahmanam were written in 1000 BC.

Andhras were nomads for several centuries. Some tribes (classes) migrated and others did not want to do so and remained in their older settlements. During 700 BC some Andhra tribes inhabited the Salvadesa (sa'lvadESamu) on the banks of Yamuna River. The tale of Apastambarushi (a'pastambaRushi) explains this. Apastamba rules (a'pastamba gruhya sootra'lu) have been widely in practice among Andhra Brahmin families today. A single Rushi was the teacher (a'ca'rya) of each tribe. Apastamba was one such teacher. Apastamba wrote these rules in Salvadesam on the banks of Yamuna river. After Apastamba's death the Andhra tribes crossed the Vindhya mountains, reached the South, and merged with the other Andhra tribes.

Some of those Andhras who came to the south settled on the west side of Vindhya mountains (present Northern regions of Hyderabad). Another tribe crossed the Eastern Ghats over Orissa and reached the Kalinga Desam. "Serivanijo" Jataka tale explains that Andhras built the "ANDHAKAPURAM" on the banks of "Tel" (tEl) river.

Jataka tales were written during 200-250 BC. Tel river is a subriver of Mahanadi in Orissa. This confirms that one of the Andhra tribes migrated this way. The people in this tribe are Kalingas (ka'Limgulu). The books cited above describe the Andhras and Kalingas as two different branches of a single tribe. Sometimes these two words (Andhras and Kalingas) are used as synonyms interchangeably.

Andhra tribes established relationships with Naga, Yaksha, and Dravida tribes of Vindhya mountains who already were living there then. Telugu, Tamil, and Kannada are Dravidian languages. Rayalaseema was the first settlement of Tenugu (identify here! TENUGU is used here) people. Later Telangana was occupied. The name "Tenugu" transformed into "Telugu". From "Telugu" words like "Telagalu", "Telangana", "Telanganyulu" (a subsect of Andhra Brahmins), and "Teligiri" originated. A tribe called "Tailang" (taila'ng) in Burma is proposed to be related to Telugu people.

Tenugu (tenugu) is the meaning for those who travel towards south. In Tamil and Kannada "ten" means south side (dakshina dikku).

History of Telugu langua

(from Visalandhra Mahasabha)

Telugu is a richly developed language and the biggest linguistic unit in India, second only to Hindi. Linguistically, the language has deviated a good deal from its southern sisters – Kannada, Tamil and Malayalam. It is the state language of Andhra Pradesh. It’s an old one too, with origins as early as the 1st century AD, or perhaps even before as one of the later Vedas (700BC) mentions the Andhras, another name for the people of Andhra Pradesh. Early inscriptions of the language date from around the 6th century, but a proper literary career starts five centuries later. The script, almost similar to that of Kannada, took shape in 1000AD from the Pallava script of 7AD.

Most literatures began with translations from Sanskrit. So did Telugu with Nannayabhatta (1020AD), the adikavi or ‘first poet’ of Telugu translating the Mahabharata. It was an unusual translation, with lots of clever innovations but no deviations from the story. But Nannayabhatta couldn’t complete the job. Thikanna came along sometime in the 13th century and furthered it. However, it was Yerrapragada (14th century),who was finally able to clinch it. Nannaya, Tikanna and Yerrapragada are known as the kavitraya or ‘the three great poets’ of Telugu for this mammoth effort. Other such translations followed, like Marana’s Markandeya Purana, Ketana’s Dasakumara Charita, Yerrana’s Harivamsa and others. Shaivite works (in praise of Shiva) like Sivatathwa Sara, Basavapurana and Panditaradhya Charitra were a part of this initial stash too.

By the time the Telugu poets wrote down some original works along with translations, it was almost the end of the 14th century. Slowly but steadily they picked up, some landmarks. Some of the notable being Srinatha’s Sringara Naishadha, Potana’s Dasamaskandha, Jakkana’s Vikramarka Charitra and Talapaka Himmakka’s Subhadra Kalyana. Literary activities flourished, especially during the mighty Vijayanagara emperors. The 16th century was the golden age in the history of Telugu literature, thanks to the king Sri Krishna Deva Raya. The Raja, a poet himself, introduced the prabandha (a kind of love poetry) in Telugu literature in his Amukta Malyada. He had in his court the Ashtadiggajas (literal: eight elephants) who were the greatest of poets of the times. Original verse compositions and stories were written with a new zeal. Of those eight, Allasani Peddana (1510-1575AD) is known as Andhra Kavita Pitamahudu or ‘Grandfather of Andhra Poetry’.

In the following years, poets still wrote their prabandhas. Of the number of poets of the 18th to mid 19th century, the only bright spot was Kankanti Paparaju, whose Uttara Ramayana and the play Vishnumayavilasa were admirable. But other genres bloomed. Innumerable Yakshagana or indigenous dramas of song and prose works were also produced. Tyagaraya of Tanjore (19th century) composed devotional songs in Telugu which form the repertoire of the classical ragas of South India.

Although the first printed Telugu book was out in 1796, it took some time before the modern period in literature set in. Young men acquainted with English literature tried to imitate Shelly, Keats and Wordsworth, and a new type of romantic poetry called the Bhavakavithwa was born. Bengali novelists like Rabindranath Tagore, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee and Ramesh Chandra Dutta were a major influence on modern Telugu fiction. Viresalingam Pantulu (1848-1919) wrote the first novel in Telugu, Rajashekharacharitramu. Other writers joined forces to build modern Telugu literature, like the dramatist Dharmavaram Krishnamachari, Chilakamarti Lakshminarasimham (also called the ‘blind poet of Andhra Desha’) the poets and dramatists Gurujada Apparavu and Krishnamacharlu.

The literary group Sahiti Samiti was set up in 1921, and their ‘progressive and rationalist’ journal Sahiti was followed by several others. Even now many writers preferred the old traditional style, like Tirupati Venkata Kavulu, Sripada Krishnamurthy Shastry and Vavilakolanu Subbarao. The other school was that of the Neo-classicist group of Sri Vishwanatha, Katuri, Pingali, Gadiyaram, Gurram Joshua and others. Today the drama, novel, short story, essay and criticism in Telugu have reached high standards.

Telugu Language

(from Indian Mirror)

Telugu is a one of the four Dravidian languages of South India. It is a luxuriously and ornately developed language. It is the official language of Andhra Pradesh, one of the largest states of India and the centrally administered Yanam district of the Union territory of Puducherry. It is the mother tongue of the majority of people of Andhra Pradesh, and is spoken by a sizable number of people in neighbouring states like Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu. According to the 2001 census, Telugu has the third largest number of native speakers in India and stands in the 15th position of the list of most-spoken languages worldwide. It is considered as an old language, with origins dating to as early as the 1st century A.D. It is known as the "Italian of the East" since every word in Italian and Telugu will end with a vowel, which adds to the sweetness and the quality of the language. It is also one of the twenty-two scheduled languages of the Republic of India

Early inscriptions of Telugu language date back from approximately the 6th century, but a proper and strict literary creations starts at least five centuries later. The script, almost similar to that of Kannada, took form in 1000 A.D. from the Pahlava script of 7 A.D. Telugu literature contains various assorted forms of writing in all genre of verse, novel or play. They are popularly known as Prabandham, Kavyam containing within itself the Padya kavyam, Gadya kavyam and Kanda Kavyam (short poems), Kavitha, natakam (Anthology), Avadhanam, Navala, Katha and Natakam

dialects :

Dialects of Telugu are Berad, Dasari, Dommara, Golari, Kamathi, Komtao, Konda- Reddi, Salewari, Telangana, Warangal, Mahaboob Nagar (Palamuru), Gadwal (Rayalaseema mix), Narayana peta (Kannada and Marathi influence), Vijayawada, Vadaga, Srikakula, Visakhapatnam, Toorpu (East) Godavari, Paschima (West) Godavari, Kandula, Rayalaseema, Nellooru, Prakasam, Guntooru, Tirupati, Vadari and Yanadi (Yenadi). Standard Telugu is often called as pure Telugu.

Vocabulary :

Telugu has a high percentage of Sanskrit words. The vocabulary of Telugu, especially in Telangana region, has a trove of Persian-Arabic borrowings with suitable modifications to fit Telugu phonology. This was due to centuries of Muslim rule in these regions, such as the erstwhile kingdoms of Golkonda and Hyderabad. Modern Telugu vocabulary can be said to constitute a diglossia, because the formal, standardized version of the language, heavily influenced by Sanskrit, is taught in schools and used by the Government and Hindu religious institutions. Everyday Telugu varies with region and social status. Popular Telugu, especially in urban Hyderabad, spoken by the masses and seen in movies includes both English and Hindi/Urdu influences. According to famous linguist Chenchiah, Telugu is Vikriti, that is a language formed by modification of Sanskrit and Prakrit. It would appear that Andhras adopted a form of Prakrit, which, in course of development, became the immediate ancestor of Telugu.

Literature :

During the period of ancient Telugu literature (from 500-1100 A.D), it existed only in the form of inscriptions. It was limited to the poetic works and prospered in the courts of kings and among scholars. Some of the Telugu poets translated poems and dramas from Sanskrit. However, narrative original poems were also written. Nannaya’s Mahabharatam (1030 AD), an adaptation of the renowned Sanskrit epic Mahabharata, marks the beginning of Telugu literature and is known for its simplicity and high literary exellence. Andhra Sabda Chintamani, a grammatical work of Nannaya adds one more feather to his cap. This period also witnessed the translation of Ganitasara, a mathematical treatise of Mahivaracharya, into Telugu by Pavuluri Mallana.

The 12th and the 13th centuries A.D. began to witness the gradual rise of the Lingayata school of thought or Virasaivism, which circularised bhakti towards Shiva as the only resource of achieving salvation. The reflection of Virasaivism very much had impacted upon Telugu literature. Nannecodu, the first of the Saiva poets in Telugu, had penned the memorable kavya Kumara-sambhavamu in campu style. Palakuriki Somanatha (c.1200- 1240) was considered the trailblazer in devising new literary genres in Telugu like gadya, ragada, sataka and udaharana.

Prabandha (a story in verse having a tight metrical scheme), the popular Telugu literary form in Telugu classical compositions perhaps had its beginning with Nanne Codadeva in the 12th century. Many great poets like Srinatha and Errapraggada have adopted and modified it. Srinatha’s Sringara Naishadham is particularly well admired, falling within the Prabandha form of writing in Telugu literature. Many significant Prabandhas continued to be composed till as late as 18th century. A famous example of later day Prabandha is the Vijayavilasam by Cemakura Venkatakavi. Although Prabandhas were created over several centuries by many eminent writers, the ashtadiggajalu (the collective title given to the eight Telugu poets in the court of the emperor Sri Krishnadevaraya who ruled the Vijayanagara empire from 1509 until his death in 1529) were together responsible for the era named as Prabandha Yugam. It would include emperor Sri Krishna Devaraya himself. His Amuktamalayada, considered a mahakavya, is an exceptional illustration of Prabandha style in Telugu literature.

Great legendary religious poets like Potana (1450-1510), Jakkana (second half of the 14th century) and Gaurana (first half of the 15th century) are some others worth mentioning. Peddana`s Manucharitra is another outstanding instance of a Mahakavya. Allasani Peddana, who was regarded the `Andhra Kavita Pitamaha`, had authored Swaarochisha Manu Sambhavam (also known as Manu Charitra), another outstanding Telugu mahakavya delivered in the Prabandha style. The Vijayanagara period (1336-1565 A.D.) is at times considered as the golden age of Telugu literature. Tapati-samvaranamu (1565 A.D.) by Addanki Gangadhara Kavi; Yayaticharitramu (1578 A.D.) by Ponnikanti Telaganarya; Nirankusopakhyanamu by Kandukuru Rudra Kavi, Satcakravaticharitramu by Malla Reddy; Vaijayanti-vilasamu by Sarungu Timmanna, and Raghava-Yadava-Pandaviyamu by Balasarasvati were some of the renowned Telugu literary works emerged during the Qutub Shahi dynasty of Golkonda (1518-1687 A.D).

Telugu literature also had prospered in the south in the Samsthanas like Madurai, Thanjavur, etc under the patronage of the Nayaka kings. This period is known as ‘Southern Period’. King Raghunatha Nayaka (1600-1631 A.D.) from this era, had authored Achyutabhyudayamu, Nalcharitramu and Valmikicharitramu. Kandukuri Rudra Kavi wrote Sugrivavijayamu in 1568 A.D. which is considered as the first Yakshagana in Telugu literature. King Vijaraghava Nayaka (1633-1673 A.D.) was an intellectually productive writer and had penned more than twenty Yakshaganas

The first prose in Telugu also had made an appearance under the benefaction and aid of the Nayaka kings of Madurai. Sthanapati had authored Rayavacakamu, a prose biography dedicated to king Krishnadevaraya. Kameshwara Kavi`s Dhenumahatmyamu and Satyabhama-santvanamu, Venkata Krishnappa`s Sarangadharacharitramu, Radhikasnatvanamu and Ahalya-samkrandanamu and Venkatacalapati`s Mitravindaparinayamu are some of the other great prose works in Telugu literature of this period.

The conquest of the Deccan in 1687 A.D by the Mughals put a spoke in the wheels of Telugu literature particularly during the period 1750-1850. Nevertheless, Kucimanci Timma Kavi, Adidamu Sura Kavi, Kucimanci Jagga Kavi, Kankanti Paparaju, Sishtu Krishnamurti, Pindiprolu Lakshmana Kavi, Madina Subhadramma and Tarigonda Venkamamba are the few poets who triumphed during this period. Subsequent to a prolonged period of Renaissance, Telugu literature then stayed witness to a period of transition from 1850 to 1910.

The first Telugu book was printed in 1796. During the 1890's Telugu literature was under the influence of the progressive movement, free verse movement and Digambara mode. Narahari Gopala Krishnamma Chetti was the one who had authored the first novel in Telugu named Rangarajacharita in 1872. Drama had made its presence felt in Telugu literature during the later part of the 19th century. Narakasura-vijaya-vyayogam (1872) by Kokkonda Venkataratnam and Abhijnana-Sakuntalam (1883) by Virasalingam are the earliest illustrations of celebrated Telugu adaptations of Sanskrit plays. Virasalingam also had gone ahead to translate Shakespeare`s The Merchant of Venice and The Comedy of Errors in Telugu.

During the 1920's and 1930's, a new type of romantic poetry called the Bhavakavithwa (poetry of imagination) was introduced based on the styles of foreign romantic poets like Shelly, Keats and Wordsworth. R. Subba Rao`s Trinakankanam (1913), D.Krishna Sastri`s Krishnapaksam (1924), D. Rami Reddy`s Palitakesam and Adivi Bapiraju`s Sasikala are excellent instances of this genre of poetry in Telugu literature. Bengali novelists like Rabindranath Tagore, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhay and Ramesh Chandra Dutta had a great influence on modern Telugu fiction.