Kannada is one of the oldest languages in the world. Well known as Kanarese or Canarese, this Dravidian language is predominantly spoken by Kannada people in Karnataka.
Source- Metrosaga
Here are 10 historical facts the Kannada language
1.It is one of the oldest of all the four major Dravidian languages having literary tradition.
2.The Kannada script is closely related to the Telugu script, as both emerged from the Old Kannarese (Karnataka) script.
3.The oldest known dictionary in the language was composed by the poet Ranna in 990 C.E., which is called RannaKanda.
4.One of the earliest surviving manuscripts from Karnataka is the Dhavala Jain writings kept at Mudubidire Basadi. It is written using an ancient Hoysala-era variant of the Kannada script. An early date for the Dhavala text is the ninth-century CE.
5.Kannada is the 3rd heavily Sanskritized Dravidian language just after Telugu.
Source- Jagran Josh
6.The oldest Kannada inscription is Nishadhi dating back to 400 AD and 50 years older than the Halmidi inscription.
7.Kannada has 10 vowels and it can be surprising how every word in Kannada ends with a vowel.
8.Kannada has three major dialect categories, namely Mangalore Kannada (coastal dialect), Dharwad Kannada (northern Kannada), and Bangalore Kannada.
9.The great Greek dramatists of the 4th century BCE were familiar with both the Kannada country and the Kannada language.
10.The oldest preserved manuscript in Kannada is a well-preserved Jain Bhandar, Mudbidri palm leaf manuscript of Dhavala.
