Tamil | ||||
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தமிழ் Tamiḻ | ||||
Pronunciation | [t̪amiɻ]; pronunciation (info • help) | |||
Native to | India Sri Lanka Singapore Malaysia | |||
Ethnicity | Tamil people | |||
Native speakers | 75 million (2011–2015) L2 speakers: 6 million | |||
Language family | ||||
Early forms: | ||||
Writing system | Tamil (Brahmic) Tamil-Brahmi (historical) Grantha (historical) Vatteluttu (historical) Pallava (historical) Kolezhuthu (historical) Arwi (Abjad) Tamil Braille (Bharati) Latin script (informal) | |||
Official status | ||||
Official language in | India: Sri Lanka Singapore Organizations | |||
Recognised minority language in | Malaysia South Africa | |||
Language codes | ||||
ISO 639-1 | ta | |||
ISO 639-2 | tam | |||
ISO 639-3 | Either: tam – Modern Tamil oty – Old Tamil | |||
Linguist List | oty Old Tamil | |||
Linguasphere | 49-EBE-a | |||
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Tamil is a Dravidian language. It is spoken in the Tamil Nadu and Puducherry states of India and parts of Sri Lanka. Many people in Singapore and Malaysia also speak it. Many people speaking Tamil live in various places around the world.