The Dravidian Languages
Robert Caldwell used the term Dravidian to separate languages prevalent in South India from other, more Sanskrit-affiliated languages of India. Apart from the main South Indian languages of Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Tulu, Brahui in Afghanistan is considered to belong to the Dravidian language family. A few more languages have been identified as such. Scholars in the 19th century prior to Caldwell considered Tamil and other South Indian languages to be rooted in Sanskrit and affiliated to the Indo-European language family. Many linguists have accepted and confirmed Caldwell's work but critics such as Charles E. Gover, author of The Folk Songs of South India, have disagreed with his findings.
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“I am always sorry when any language is lost, because languages are the pedigree of nations.”
—Samuel Johnson (1709–1784)