The People’s Linguistics Survey of India provides an overview of the extant and dying languages of India. It is the culmination of a nationwide survey of languages that has been documented by linguists, writers, social activists, and members of different speech communities.

Volume 27, Part 3 (Tamil) documents the languages prevalent in the state of Tamil Nadu in Tamil. Critically, the book encapsulates the world view of the speakers of the discussed languages.

Makkal Nokkil Inthiya Mozikal Alavayvu: Tamiz Nattu Mozikal (The Languages of Tamil Nadu) brings to the readers a wealth of information on Tamil, as also the languages spoken by other speech communities like Saurashtri and Thanjavur Marathi. It also provides a detailed study of the scheduled languages such as Telugu and Malayalam that involves the discussion on various linguistics features as well as literature. It also documents the languages of the tribals like the Irula and Toda and nomadic communities such as Narikkuravar, many of whom are on the verge of extinction. 

Ganesh Devy is the chief editor of the PLSI series. He taught at the Maharaja Sayajirao University, Baroda, till 1996 before leaving to set up the Bhasha Research Centre in Baroda and the Adivasi Academy at Tejgadh, where he worked towards conserving and promoting the languages and culture of indigenous and nomadic communities. Apart from being awarded the Padma Shree, he has received many awards for his work in literature and language conservation.

V. Gnanasundaram is former Professor cum Deputy Director of CIIL, Mysore. He has had a long and successful career in the field of linguistics and has worked primarily on endangered tribal languages. He has conducted a survey of indigenous mother tongues spoken in the tribal communities of Tamil Nadu. He has several publications to his credit.

K. Rangan is former Professor and Head of the Department of Linguistics, Tamil University, Thanjavur. His research interests include phonology and sociolinguistics. He has been a visiting scientist at the Department of Linguistics, MIT. He has publications in both English and Tamil.

The People’s Linguistic Survey of India
The National Editorial Collective
List of Volumes
Acknowledgements
Foreword
A Nation Proud of Its Language Diversity: Chief Editor’s Introduction
Introduction to the Volume
Contributors to the Volume
An Appeal to Readers
A Note on the Scripts used in Tamil Nadu
The Process of Compilation of the PLSI, Tamil Nadu
List of Languages Covered in this Volume

PART I: SCHEDULED LANGUAGES

PART II:NON-SCHEDULED LANGUAGES
2. Saurashtri                           V. Renuga Devi
3. Thanjavur Marathi           Kamal K. Sridhar

PART III: TRIBAL LANGUAGES
4. Betta kurumba                            V. Gnanasundaram and C. Sivashanmugan
5. Eravalla (Karinavilu)                   V. Gnanasundaram
6. Irula (Ërula)                                  R. Perialwar and V. Gnanasundaram
7.  Kadar                                           S. Suresh and V. Gnanasundaram
8. Kalrayan Malayali                       K. Annadurai
9. Kanikkara                                     R. Muralidharan
10. Kattunaickar                             R. Muralidharan and K. Rangan
11. Kollimala Tamil Dialect           K. Karunakaran
12. Kota                                           K. Rangan
13. Muduva                                    V. Gnanasundaram
14. Mullukurumba                        Robert Sathya Joseph
15. Pachamalai Malayali              A. Karthikeyan
16. Palu Kurumba                         M. Balakumar
17. Toda                                         K. Rangan
18. Uraii                                         Sam Mohanlal and V. Gnanasundaram
19. Vagri Boli                                 Sreenivasa Varma
20. Villiyan (Iular)                         V. Gnanasundaram
21. Baduga                                    S. Manoharan
22. Malai Pulayan                        C. Maheshvaran

Appendix I – Maps
Appendix II – Editors' introduction

Index