Rabindranath Tagore, one of India's best poets, praised Telugu as the purest Indian language. It is also regarded as the most refined language in India. According to linguists, it is because it has the least number of native words compared to other languages. In addition, there are about 7 ways to say "I love you" in Telugu!
Telugu is a Dravidian language and was originally spoken in South India. Today, it is widely spoken across India by around 40 million people who identify themselves primarily as speakers of Telugu rather than as Indians of Indian origin.
It is estimated that only 1% of Telugu words are derived from Sanskrit. However, due to its proximity to Sanskrit, many students of Telugu believe it to be a derivative of Sanskrit language. This misconception comes from the fact that both languages share a common ancestry back in early 1600s when Portuguese sailors arrived in South India. They brought with them English words like "ticket", "vegetable", and "supply". These English words are now used in Telugu instead of their Sanskrit equivalents.
As a result, the language flourished tremendously abundantly and is now India's largest linguistic unit. Once upon a time, the legendary Indian monarch, Sri Krishna Devaraya, proclaimed in his court that "Desa Bhashalandu Telugu Lessa," which means Telugu is the country's beautiful and ultimate language. The language has been dubbed "Tenugu" in recent years.
Telugu is widely spoken in Andhra Pradesh and also has a significant presence in other parts of India. It is the fourth-most-spoken language in the world after English, Hindi, and Spanish!
Furthermore, it should be noted that India has several official languages: Hindi (in northern India), Bengali (in eastern India), Malayalam (in southern India), Kannada (in Karnataka state), Tamil (in Tamil Nadu state). But only Telugu is spoken by more than 10 million people.
However, not all Indians can speak Telugu. It is the second language for approximately 40 percent of the population. About 80 percent of Indians are able to read Telugu but only 20 percent can write it.
The number of speakers of Telugu is expected to increase over the next decade or so due to the growth of the Indian economy and the increasing interaction between Indians from different regions of the country.
In addition, many institutions have adopted Telugu as their official language.
Sanskrit is the oldest ancient language and the most flawless of the world's great languages. It is the greatest gift that ancient India bestowed upon the globe. This is because the world recognizes Sanskrit as the first member of the Indo-European family. Also, it can be considered the mother of all modern languages, since many countries' national languages come from Sanskrit.
Indians have been known for their scholarship throughout history. From about 500 B.C. to 200 A.D., hundreds of scholars called "grammarians" devoted themselves to the study of Sanskrit grammar. Some famous grammarians were Pāṇini, who compiled a systematic presentation of Sanskrit grammar in his Vedaśīrṣa; Śaunaka, who added several books to Pāṇini's work; and Āpastamba, who expanded on Pāṇini and Śaunaka's work.
For many years, scholars believed that Pāṇini was the author of both Pāṇiniyya and Pāṇinidiya, two grammars composed in Sanskrit. But more recently this belief has been challenged and Pāṇini has been found to only be the author of one of these works - the Pāṇiniyya.
Telugu is the official language of Andhra Pradesh, a state in southern India. Telugu is spoken by about 75 million people worldwide, and it ranks second only to Hindi in terms of native speakers in India. Linguists classify Telugu as a Dravidian language. Like most other Dravidian languages, it has been influenced greatly by Sanskrit, the ancient language of India.
Telugu developed into a separate language after the invasion of various kingdoms in Andhra Pradesh. It is believed to have originated around 800 BC. The earliest references to Telugu come from inscriptions found in northern parts of Andhra Pradesh. It is also mentioned in some ancient texts written in Tamil.
Over time, many people migrated to different parts of the world, including India, where they brought the language with them. Today, you can find Telugis all over the world. According to the 2011 census, there are more than 5 million Telugis living in India alone. Outside of India, you will also find Telugis in countries like Australia, USA, Canada, England, France, etc.
They now account for almost 10% of the population of Andhra Pradesh.
Telugu is widely regarded as the best-educated language in India. It has a literacy rate of more than 80%. By contrast, the overall literacy rate in India is just above 70%.