Kongu Tamil


Kongu Tamil is the dialect of Tamil language that is spoken by the people in Kongu Nadu, which is the western region of Tamil Nadu. It is originally known as "Kangee"` or "Kongalam" or "Kongappechu or Kongu bashai or Coimbatore Tamil".

Etymology

'Ganga' is the source for the name. Kongu Nadu is land of Gangas. Gangeya and Ganganadu are alternative historical names for the Kongu region.

Variations

The speciality of Kongu Tamil is the use of the alveolar ற - Tra/Dra instead of retroflex T/D of standard Tamil. For example, 'ennuDaya' of standard Tamil is pronounced enRa in the Kongu dialect. However, only Coimbatore district people use this. Additionally the use of guttural nasal that sounds "ng" as in the English word Gang, is more prevalent in Kongu Tamil, leading to situations where the grammar of Kongu Tamil would not fit into the grammar of standard Tamil. One of the examples is the use of ங் to end a word like வாங் "vaang", means 'come' expressed in a respectful tone, which in standard Tamil would be "vaanga". Also this is observed in the Kangayam, Dharapuram area. Both of these are stereotyping Kongalam with regional, professional variations.
Kongu Tamil also uses certain Tamil words that are unique to Kongu region and are not used in standard Tamil.

Areas spoken

The Kongu Tamil dialect is heavily spoken by Kongu people in Coimbatore district, Nilgiris district, Tirupur district, Karur district, Erode district, Dindigul district, Namakkal district, Salem district, Dharmapuri district, Krishnagiri district, and parts of Kallakurichi district, Trichy district, Palakkad District and Chamrajnagar district.