ShodhPatra: International Journal of Science and Humanities

Morphological Changes In Karada Dialect Of Kasaragod Under Dravidian Influences

Languages and dialects are dynamic and constantly evolving entities shaped by social, cultural, and historical contexts in which they are used. This evolution often results in morphological changes, which refers to the process of changes in the form of structure of words, phrases, or sentences of a language or a dialect over the time due to the behaviour of speakers. Tracing the morphological changes in Karada dialect of Kasaragod, would also mean understanding its demographic distribution, historicity and regional linguistic influences on it. Originally, Karada brahmins belong to the place of Karada, situated in Satara district of Maharashtra, from where they migrated to Dakshina Kannada and Kasaragod probably during the early sixteenth and the seventeenth centuries. Thus, Karada brahmins of Kasaragod are essentially multilingual, Since their identity and existence depended on Tulu and Kannada when communicating outside their community, as Tulu was dominant in the working space and Kannada was majorly used in administration and educational governance of Kasaragod. The influence of Malayalam is less, since it became dominant in Kasaragod only after the linguistic re-organization of states. The above influences had not only resulted in morphological changes, but had also elucidated on the acceptance and practice of certain culture of the above Dravidian groups by the Karada brahmins, therefore becoming a part of linguistic and cultural diversity of Kasaragod. Karada also becomes unique through various other sub-dialectical variations to it caused by the significant structural and lexical borrowings from Tulu, Kannada and Malayalam, resulting in morphological changes. In view of the above, this study employs qualitative research methodology and examines the basic morphological changes in Karada dialect caused by the predominant regional Dravidian languages of Kasaragod.