Today’s spotlight language is Telugu! We offer some background information and interesting facts about the language, as well as help finding children’s books in Telugu. Interested in learning about other languages as well? Check out our series of posts on world languages, including Spanish, Oromo, Hindi, Russian, and Japanese!
Where is Telugu spoken?
The Telugu language is spoken by 30 million people around the world. It is primarily spoken in southeastern India. Telugu is the official language of the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana states. It’s the fourth most spoken language in India.
How Many People Speak Telugu in the US?
Currently, there are more than 400,000 Telugu speakers in the US. According to the Center for Immigration Studies, Telugu is the fastest growing language in the US. There are large Telugu speaking populations in Illinois, New York, Washington, Oregon, California, and New Jersey.
Interesting Facts About Telugu
Telugu has four distinct regional dialects.
Telugu sentences are structured in this order: subject, object, verb.
Telugu words usually end in vowels.
Well known Telugu speakers living in the US include the first Indian-American Miss America Nina Davuluri, and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.
Telugu Books – Bilingual Children’s Books
If you interact with children who speak Telugu, or are learning the language yourself, you may want suggestions on some of the best bilingual Telugu kids books and audio books.
The Language Lizard Idiom Book Series is available in English with Telugu.
Do you speak Telugu, or are you learning the language? Comment below and share your interesting language facts!