Ethnic groups of Tamil Nadu

2021-07-05T17:34:02Z

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{{one source|date=March 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2020}}

'''Tamil Nadu''' is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is [[Chennai]] (formerly known as [[Madras Presidency|Madras]]). [[Tamil Nadu]] lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the [[States and union territories of India|States]] of [[Puducherry (union territory)|Puducherry]], [[Kerala]], [[Karnataka]] and [[Andhra Pradesh]]. It is the tenth-largest state in India and the seventh most populous state.

As of 2001 census, [[Tamil language|Tamil]] is spoken as the first language by 88.59% of the population followed by [[Telugu language|Telugu]] by 5.65 percent, [[Kannada]] by 2.68 percent, [[Urdu]] by 1.51 per cent, [[Hindi]] by 0.64 percent, [[Malayalam]] by 0.89 percent, [[Marathi language|Marathi]] by 0.1 percent and [[Saurashtra language|Saurashtra]] by 0.1 percent.<ref name="censusindia.gov.in">:http://www.censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_Data_Online/Language/Statement1.aspx</ref>{{sfn|Distribution by language|2002}}<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite web|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_Data_Online/Language/Statement3.htm|title=Census of India – DISTRIBUTION OF 10,000 PERSONS BY LANGUAGE|date=|publisher=Censusindia.gov.in|accessdate=2016-12-01}}</ref>

==Tamil people==
{{main|Tamil people}}

The Tamils are an ethnolinguistic group. Tamilians are living in Tamil Nadu, Sri Lanka. According to the 2001 census, they number 100 million.<ref name="censusindia.gov.in"/>

Tamils are native to [[Tamil Nadu]] and [[Puducherry (union territory)|Puducherry]] in [[South India]], and northern and eastern [[Sri Lanka]].

Native speakers of Tamil make up 89.43% of the total population of Tamil Nadu and 6.32% of the total population of India making it the fifth-most spoken language in the country.

==Telugu people==
{{main|Telugu people}}

The [[Telugu people]] or [[Telugu people|Telugus]] are also a Dravidian ethnic group of India. They are the native speakers of the [[Telugu language]]. According to Census of India, Telugu language has 74 million speakers making it as the third largest spoken language in India after [[Hindi]] and [[Bengali language|Bengali]].<ref name="censusindia.gov.in"/> They are native to the [[South Indian]] states of [[Andhra Pradesh]] and [[Telangana]]. Telugu is also the most widely spoken language in [[South India]]. In Tamil Nadu, they are found in [[Chennai]], [[Madurai]], [[Coimbatore]], [[Tiruchirappalli|Trichy]], [[Dindigul]], [[Virudhunagar]], [[Sivakasi]], [[Thiruvannamalai]], [[Vellore]], [[Thanjavur]], [[Tuticorin]], [[Dharmapuri district|Dharmapuri]], [[Salem district|Salem]], [[Erode]], [[Karur]], [[Namakkal]], [[Thanjavur]], [[Tiruppur]], [[Theni]], [[Perambalur]] and [[Ariyalur]] districts. During the bifurcation of states based upon languages from [[Madras Presidency|Madras presidency]], Tamilnadu State annexed Chennai instead of [[Tirupati|Tirupathi]]. It shows the significant population of Telugu speaking people in Tamilandu state.{{cn|date=December 2020}}

According to the [[2001 Census of India|2001 census]], Telugu is spoken by 5.65% of the population of [[Tamil Nadu]], making it the second-most spoken language in the state. The recent migrants from Andhra Pradesh speak [[Telugu language|Telugu]], while the Naidu or Nayakkadu's and Reddiar's , Sakkiliyar living in Tamil Nadu few centuries since before the Indian independence speak Tamil and Lesser extent Telugu. Telugu is the second most spoken with 8.34% of the population in [[Karnataka]], mainly in the north east and south eastern districts bordering [[Andhra Pradesh|Andhra]] and [[Telangana]].{{cn|date=December 2020}}

==Kannada people==
{{main|Kannada people}}

[[Kannada]] is a language belonging to the Dravidian family. Kannada-speakers are native to [[Karnataka]], located north-west of Tamil Nadu.

Kannada is the third-most spoken language in Tamil Nadu followed by 2.8%. There are more than 20 lakhs Kannadigas in Tamil Nadu. The recent migrants from Karnataka speak Kannada, while the older migrants are bilingual in both Kannada and Tamil.

{{sfn|Distribution by language|2002}}<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
[[File:Tamil_Nadu_Literacy_Map_2011.png|thumb|200px|District level literacy (2011 data)]]

They are largely found in the districts of [[Virudhunagar district|Viruthunagar]], [[Dharmapuri district|Dharmapuri]], [[Salem district|Salem]], [[Coimbatore district|Coimbatore]], [[Erode district|and Erode]], and [[Krishnagiri district]] especially Hosur bordering Karnataka, According to the 1971 census, among metropolitan areas, [[Salem, Tamil Nadu|Salem]] had the largest Kannada-speaking population.<ref name="Government of India">{{cite web|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_Data_Online/Language/Statement3.htm|title=Census of India – DISTRIBUTION OF 10,000 PERSONS BY LANGUAGE|date=|publisher=Government of India|accessdate=2009-09-23}}</ref>

==Malayali people==
{{main|Malayali people}}

Malayalikal are the native speakers of [[Malayalam language]], which has official status in the state of [[Kerala]], [[Lakshadweep]] and [[Puducherry (union territory)|Puducherry]].<ref name="Malayali">{{cite web|url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=mal|title=Malayalam|work=Ethnologue|accessdate=2007-05-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://india.gov.in/knowindia/ut_pondicherry.php|title=Principal languages of Pondicherry|accessdate=2009-12-03}}</ref>

According to the 2001 census, Malayalam is spoken by 0.89% of the total population of Tamil Nadu. Native speakers of Malayalam are mostly concentrated in [[Chennai city]] and the western districts of [[Kanyakumari district|Kanyakumari]], [[Tirunelveli district|Tirunelveli]], [[Coimbatore district|Coimbatore]], [[Nilgiris district|Nilgiris]] and [[Theni district|Theni]]. In 1971, among metropolitan areas, Coimbatore had the largest Malayalam-speaking population.

==Badaga people==
{{main|Badaga people}}

The Badagas are the speakers of the [[Badaga language|Badagu]] language. They are referred to as the first amongst the primitive tribes of the Nilgiris District by the colonial British rulers. The Nilgiris and the Badagas have a uniqueness. The Badaga language has no script of its own, similar to other non-lettered languages spoken in the Nilgiris by other tribal groups such as the [[Toda people|Todas]], [[Kota people (India)|Kotas]] and [[Kuruba|Kurumbas]]. The Badaga language was the language of communication between these tribal groups. The Badagas are the dominant tribal group and dominant land owners of the Nilgiris and possess a unique culture and attire. Almost all places in the [[Nilgiris district|Nilgiris District]] derive their name from the Badaga language. The Badgas worship Hethaiamman and Hiriyodiyya.

==Marathi people==
{{main|Marathi people}}
{{See also|Thanjavur Marathi (people)}}

[[Marathi people|Marathis]] or Maharashtrians are an ethnolinguistic group who speak Marathi, an Indo-Aryan language. They are native to the state of Maharashtra in western India.

As per the 2001 census, Marathi-speakers constitute a little over 0.1% of the total population of Tamil Nadu. They consist mostly of the [[Thanjavur Marathi (people)|Thanjavur Marathi]] people who inhabit the Cauvery Delta region and immigrants who settled in northern Tamil Nadu during the Maratha occupation of [[Gingee]]. Native-speakers of Marathi are mainly found in [[Thanjavur]], [[Kumbakonam]], [[Tiruchirapalli]], [[Chennai]], [[Krishnagiri]], [[Dharmapuri]], [[Salem, Tamil Nadu|Salem]] and [[Vellore]]. Having left for centuries in Tamil Nadu, Thanjavur Marathi people are proficient in Tamil.

==Saurashtra people==
{{main|Saurashtra people}}

[[Saurashtra people|Saurashtrians]] are an [[Ethnolinguistic group|ethnolinguistic]] group of people who speak the [[Saurashtra language]],<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.ethnologue.com/language/saz|title=Saurashtra|work=Ethnologue|access-date=2018-02-20|language=en}}</ref> an [[Indo-Aryan languages|Indo-Aryan language]], residing in the Indian states of [[Tamil Nadu]], [[Kerala]], [[Andhra Pradesh]] and [[Karnataka]].

[[Saurashtra language|Saurashtra]], once spoken in the [[Saurashtra (region)|Saurashtra region]] of [[Gujarat]], is spoken today chiefly by a small population of [[Saurashtra people|Saurashtrians]] settled in parts of [[Tamil Nadu]]. With the Saurashtrian language being the only [[Indo-Aryan languages|Indo-Aryan language]] employing a [[Dravidian languages|Dravidian script]] and is heavily influenced by the [[Dravidian languages|Dravidian]] languages such as [[Tamil language|Tamil]] and [[Telugu language|Telugu]]. However, Census of India places the language under [[Gujarati languages|Gujarati]]. Official figures show the number of speakers of [[Saurashtra language|Saurashtra]] as 185,420 in [[Tamil Nadu]] (2001 census). [[Madurai]] in the southern part of [[Tamil Nadu]] has the highest number of Saurashtrians. They are also present in significant numbers in [[Ambur]], [[Ammapettai, Thanjavur|Ammapettai]], [[Ammaiyappan|Ammayappan]], [[Aranthangi]], [[Arni, Tiruvannamalai|Arni]], [[Ayyampettai, Thanjavur|Ayyampettai]], [[Bhuvanagiri, Tamil Nadu|Bhuvanagiri]], [[Chennai]], [[Darasuram|Dharasuram]], [[Dindigul]], [[Erode]], [[Kanchipuram|Kancheepuram]], [[Kanyakumari]], [[Karaikudi]], [[Kottar]], [[Kumbakonam]], [[Namakkal]], [[Nilakkottai|Nilakottai]], [[Palani]], [[Palayamkottai]], [[Paramakudi]], [[Parambur]], [[Periyakulam]], [[Puducherry (union territory)|Puducherry]], [[Pudukkottai]], [[Rajapalayam]], [[Ramanathapuram]], [[Salem, Tamil Nadu|Salem]], [[Thanjavur]], [[Thirubuvanam, Thanjavur|Thirubhuvanam]], [[Thiruvaiyaru]], [[Thiruvarur]], [[Thuvarankurichi]], [[Tirunelveli]], [[Tiruvannamalai]], [[Tiruchirappalli|Trichy]], [[Vaniyambadi]], [[Veeravanallur|Veeravanalur]], Vellanguli, [[Vellore]] and [[Walajapet]].

==Other ethnic groups==
Some of the smaller ethnic groups who reside in Tamil Nadu are the [[Tuluvas]] , [[Marwaris]], [[Gujaratis]], [[Sindhis]], [[Punjabis]] and [[Biharis]]. [[Sikhs]] from the [[Punjab, India|Punjab]] and [[Jainism|Jains]] from [[Rajasthan]] are found in fairly appreciable numbers in the cities of [[Chennai]], [[Coimbatore]], [[Salem, Tamil Nadu|Salem]], [[Tiruchirapalli]], [[Madurai]], [[Tirunelveli]]. The city of Coimbatore has a significant population of [[Konkani people|Konkani]]-speaking [[Gaud Saraswat Brahmins]] who had migrated from [[Karnataka]]. Tamil Nadu also has a population of about 300 [[Zoroastrians]] most of whom reside in the neighbourhood of [[Royapuram]] in Chennai.

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ethnic Groups Of Tamil Nadu}}
[[Category:Social groups of Tamil Nadu]]

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Ethnic groups of Tamil Nadu