
Kannada is one of South India’s Dravidian languages. In the surrounding Karnataka states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Maharashtra, a great number of people are talking about it as well as being the language of the majority in Karnataka. Of the population of Kannada 21.7 million, Karnataka is home to 86% of the population. Kannada in Southern & Eastern, Kodava in West and Tulu in the same Dravidian languages, and Indo Aryan in North, the family language Marathi, is the richest of Dravidian literature (Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu).
‘Kannada’ and ‘Karnataka’ have been considered synonyms at times. True, both terms also mark the state. Kannada Nadu/Karnata Desha, Kannada Nudi/Karnata Bhasha (Kannada speaking nation, State of Karnataka). But “Kannada’ symbolizes the language and “Karnataka’ state” in official and actual use.
Top 5 tips to learn Kannada
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Master your pronunciation
Get to know the alphabet of Kannada. If you begin with the alphabet, you will know how words are spoken, and even if you don’t know what they mean, they will hear foreign words. This can be of great help when you try to learn the language, especially if you ask a native speaker what a word is about.
Begin with consonants pronounced in the same way as in English. Most consonant sounds in Kannada are very much the same as their English counterparts, though the script is somewhat different. However, you can begin with the phonetic spelling of words and sentences that uses alphabets identical to the English alphabet if you’re working on speaking the language.
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Engaging in Basic Conversations
Start with the fundamental greetings. As with most languages, it is helpful, first of all, to welcome and pleasantly communicate in short interactions with Kannada speakers. There are many ways to welcome you in Kannada and answers to your greetings.
Say “Namaskara” to welcome people. “Namaskara” is the simple version of Kannada of the English “Hello” and can be used in all environments to welcome people. It is also possible to use “namaste” (na-mah-stay), a greeting common to the whole of India.
Use greetings in time-specific. Greetings and welcome adjustment according to the time of the day in most languages are very useful so, there it is Kannada.
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Understanding the basics of Kannada
Know the write scheme of Kannada. The language of Kannada is alpha, meaning that each consonant has an intrinsic vowel tone. Like English, Canarese shifts horizontally from left to right. The second consonant is written as a particular conjunctural symbol when consonants occur together without a vowel between them, normally below the first one.
Learn Kannada utterance. For English speakers, it can be hard to pronounce such Kannada words, as there are some sounds in Canarese which do not have the equivalent of English.
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Immersing yourself with the Language
Watch subtitles for Kannada movies. You have a chance to hear people speak naturally in the language with Kannadiga films. Turning to the subtitles in English will help you understand what happens and what the characters mean. You can turn on subtitles in Kannada to hear the words spoken if you want to know the script.
Review Kannada’s news. You can find news programs on TV and the Internet in Kannada while you live in Bangalore. These programs not only can help you to learn the language but can also help you to remain informed about events in your city.
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Asking for Help
Please ask for guidance. If you first travel in Karnataka or are lost anywhere in South India, it’s extremely important to know how to ask where something is or where you are.
It is not unique in south India that domestic help is standard in hotels in many homes and servants. As such, it is vital that you can talk to your homeowners and order them when necessary.
Learn a few general questions and sentences. It is important to know common phrases and questions in any language when you want to visit the language you speak in. Here are some sentences and questions that may be helpful for you in Kannada.
Conclusion:
So these were some of the ways to learn the Kannada language. Do you know of any other methods? Do mention in the comment below!