Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken primarily in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in Sri Lanka, Singapore, and Malaysia. It is one of the oldest surviving classical languages in the world, with a history dating back to at least 300 BCE.
Tamil is the official language of Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and the Indian Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. It is also one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is recognized as a minority language in several other countries.
Tamil has a rich literary tradition, with ancient Tamil literature dating back to the Sangam period (c. 300 BCE to 300 CE). The language has produced a number of notable poets and writers, including Thiruvalluvar, Avvaiyar, and Subramania Bharati.
Tamil has a complex grammatical structure, with a rich system of noun and verb inflections. The language also has a large number of loanwords from Sanskrit, as well as from Arabic, Persian, and English.
In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the study of Tamil outside of Tamil-speaking regions, with universities around the world offering courses in the language and its literature.
