Telugu

Telugu is a South-Central Dravidian language native to India. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Telugu is the third most spoken language in India after Hindi and Bengali. With over 80 million speakers, it is one of the 23 official languages of India and one of the 13 regional languages with official status in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution of India. Telugu is a Dravidian language and is the only member of the Dravidian family to be written in the Brahmic script. The Telugu script is derived from the Ashoka script and is closely related to the Kannada script. The earliest inscriptions in the Telugu language date back to the 6th century CE. The first full-length Telugu poem, the Mahabharata, was written in the 13th century by Gona Budda Reddy. Telugu literature flourished under the Vijayanagar Empire in the 16th century. The first Telugu newspaper, the Andhra Patrika, was published in Madras in 1866. The first Telugu daily newspaper, Andhra Jyoti, was started in 1923. Telugu is predominantly spoken in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, where it is the official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Telugu is also spoken in the union territories of Puducherry and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Telugu is one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is one of the six languages designated as a classical language of India by the Government of India. Telugu is also the official language of the Andhra Pradesh state government.