Language fact file: Tamil

26/01/2025
|In Uncategorized
|By Stefan Galt

Tamil is mainly spoken in: the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and territory of Puducherry, Sri Lanka and Singapore

Number of native speakers: more than 80 million

Learn some: ‘Vanakkam’ is a very useful Tamil greeting, which can be used at any time of day, in person, over the phone or online!

Fast facts:
Tamil is thought to be one of the world’s oldest living languages, with records dating back as far as the 3rd century BC.

The language is worshipped! Tamil Thāi Temple in Karaikudi, India, is dedicated to the Tamil language. Outside the main shrine are statues of  Murthis of Oli Thai (Goddess of Sound) and Vari Thai (Goddess of Letters). The Tamil festival of Pongal on 14 January also celebrates the language.

Tamil has 12 vowels, more than double the number in English. The alphabet contains 247 letters in total – compare that to 26 in the Roman alphabet!