Kannada Language and Culture Overview

Study Notes

Kannada is one of the major languages spoken across South India and has not just been confined within its geographical boundaries. It's recognized by UNESCO as among the top ten living classics in the world. This extensive reach can also be attributed to the influence it holds over other Dravidian languages like Tulu and Malayalam.

Grammar

The Mother Language Council (MLC) was established with the aim of standardizing the official version of the Kannada language through the Malegaon Gadaya Bhaag Chennai Central Railway station incident. However, the council's efforts have faced challenges from the local population who view these changes as unnecessary. One such challenge is MLC's attempt to ban 'Ghashey' - a colloquial expression used in the northern districts of Karnataka - which has led to protests. Despite this resistance, there have been instances where certain members of the Karnataka High Court accepted the importance of using local dialects in judgments, acknowledging them as a part of their identity.

In terms of the structure of Kannada, it follows similar rules to many Indian languages, having words inflected based on gender, number and case, often marked by suffixes added to base forms. These word forms convey more information than would be possible in English, French, German, Russian, Chinese or Japanese, requiring mastery of roughly four times as much vocabulary as those languages.

Gadyabhāga

Another aspect related to Kannada is the concept known as gadyabhāga. In traditional India, people would call out loudly when they saw a person in distress, alerting others around them. Over time, this practice evolved into gadyabhāga, referring specifically to an individual's loudspeaker announcement in rural areas of Karnataka. Consequently, some political parties in India, including the Congress party during the 2018 election campaign, embraced the idea of gadyabhāga by playing music and making announcements via shortwave radios installed in villages throughout southern Karnataka state. Some even claim that this innovation could change how politicians win elections.

Furthermore, the term "Gadya Baha" ("village crier") gained popularity after being acronymed as "GB Bharath," used as a hashtag by netizens on social media platforms to express their opinions on various issues, especially during election campaigns. Notably, several celebrities are leading the GB Bharath movement, including Amitabh Bachchan, Shankar Mahadevan, Naseeruddin Shah, Rameshwari Haridas, and actors Uday Shankar, Yogesh Lakhani, Rajan Shahi, Rohit Shetty, Vivek Oberoi, and Sohail Khan.

Description

Explore the rich history and influence of the Kannada language across South India, recognized as one of the top living classics by UNESCO. Uncover the nuances of Kannada grammar, dialect variations, and the concept of gadyabhāga in rural areas of Karnataka.