Publisher: L'Harmattan
Date: 1994
Format/Quality: MP3/ 256kkbs
Language: French
Telugu (తలుగు telugu, IPA: [telugu]) is a language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu. Telugu is the language with the second largest number of native speakers in India (74 million as of 2001) and thirteenth in the Ethnologue list of most-spoken languages worldwide. It is one of the twenty-two scheduled languages of the Republic of India and one of the four classical languages.
Telugu is the only literary Central-Dravidian language and is heavily influenced by Sanskrit and Prakrit. It is also influenced by Urdu around Hyderabad region. Telugu words usually end in vowels which makes the language very mellifluous and is sweet to hear. For this reason Telugu is known as Italian of the east. It has been said that, among all the Indian languages, Telugu, which is called Italian of the East, is the most musical, and sounds harmonious even in the mouth of vulgar and illiterate. Telugu literature goes back to 11th century A.D. Its ancient forms were attested through inscriptions dating back to 200 A.D. Telugu is written in the Brahmi script.