Chenchu language

Chenchu
Chenchu
చెంచు
Native to	India
Region	Andhra Pradesh (highest concentration in Kurnool district, Prakasam district, Guntur district), Telangana (Mahabubnagar district), Karnataka and Orissa
Ethnicity	Chenchu people
Native speakers	26,000 (2007)
Language family	Dravidian Southern Southern II Teluguic Chenchu; ; ; ;
Writing system	Telugu alphabet
Language codes
ISO 639-3	cde
Glottolog	chen1255

Chenchu language is a Dravidian language which belongs to the Telugu branch of its South-Central family. This language is spoken mostly in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana states in India by about 280,764 people (1981 census) of the Chenchu Aboriginal forests hunter-gatherer tribe.^[3] It is also called Chenchukulam, Chenchwar, Chenswar or Choncharu.

References

^ Chenchu at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)
^ Zvelebil (1990), p. 57.
^ Krishnamurti, Bhadriraju (2003). The Dravidian Languages. Cambridge University Press. p. 208. ISBN 978-0-521-79205-8. Chenchu is a tribal Dravidian language spoken mainly in the Nallamala forests in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: checksum (help)

Krishnamurti, Bhadriraju (2003). The Dravidian Languages. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-79205-8. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: checksum (help)

"Chenchu language". Ethnologue: Languages of the World. Retrieved 1 June 2025. Chenchu is a vulnerable Dravidian language spoken in forested regions of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana by the Chenchu tribe, classified as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group.

Government of India, Ministry of Tribal Affairs (2020). Report on Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) (PDF) (Report). Retrieved 1 June 2025. The Chenchu tribe is one of the 75 PVTGs, with a distinct language and culture in forested areas of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

Reddy, V. S. S. (2019). "Language Endangerment and Preservation: The Case of Chenchu" (PDF). International Journal of Dravidian Linguistics. 48 (1): 45–56. Retrieved 1 June 2025. The use of Telugu language has increased among Chenchu children, contributing to endangerment of the Chenchu language.

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[e25-1] Chenchu at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

[FOOTNOTEZvelebil199057-2] Zvelebil (1990), p. 57.

[3] Krishnamurti, Bhadriraju (2003). The Dravidian Languages. Cambridge University Press. p. 208. ISBN 978-0-521-79205-8. Chenchu is a tribal Dravidian language spoken mainly in the Nallamala forests in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: checksum (help)

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