Editing Tamil language (section)

== Status ==
{{see also|States of India by Tamil speakers}}

=== Official Status ===
Tamil is the [[official language]] of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and one of the [[Languages with official status in India|22 languages under schedule 8 of the constitution of India]].<ref name="Eight">{{cite web|title=Eighth Schedule|url=https://www.mea.gov.in/Images/pdf1/S8.pdf|publisher=[[Government of India]]|access-date=5 December 2023}}</ref> It is one of the official languages of the union territories of [[Puducherry (union territory)|Puducherry]] and the [[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]].<ref>{{citation | last = Ramamoorthy | first = L | publisher = Language in India | url = http://www.languageinindia.com/feb2004/multilingual.html | date = February 2004 | title = Multilingualism and Second Language Acquisition and Learning in Pondicherry | access-date =16 August 2007}}</ref><ref>{{citation | last = Sunwani | first = Vijay K | publisher = Language in India | url = http://www.languageinindia.com/feb2007/northeasternstates.pdf | date = February 2007 | title = Amazing Andamans and North-East India: A Panoramic View of States, Societies and Cultures | access-date =16 August 2007}}</ref> Tamil is also one of the official languages of [[Singapore]]. Tamil is one of the official and national languages of Sri Lanka, along with [[Sinhala language|Sinhala]].<ref name="languagesdept">{{citation|url=http://www.languagesdept.gov.lk |title=Department of Official Languages|publisher=Government of Sri Lanka|access-date=13 September 2012}}</ref> It was once given nominal official status in the Indian state of [[Haryana]], purportedly as a rebuff to [[Punjab (India)|Punjab]], though there was no attested Tamil-speaking population in the state, and was later replaced by [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]], in 2010.<ref>Bharadwaj, Ajay (7 March 2010) [http://www.dnaindia.com/india/1356124/report-punjabi-edges-out-tamil-in-haryana Punjabi edges out Tamil in Haryana]. DNA India</ref> 

In addition, with the creation in October 2004 of a legal status for classical languages by the [[Government of India]] and following a political campaign supported by several Tamil associations,<ref name="dmkpolitics2">{{citation |last=Dutta |first=Sujan |title=Classic case of politics of language |date=28 September 2004 |work=The Telegraph |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1040928/asp/frontpage/story_3813391.asp |access-date=20 April 2007 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130203214540/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1040928/asp/frontpage/story_3813391.asp |archive-date=3 February 2013 |url-status=dead |place=[[Kolkata]], India |quote=Members of the committee felt that the pressure was being brought on it because of the compulsions of the Congress and the UPA government to appease its ally, M. Karunanidhi's DMK.}}</ref><ref name="historyofdemand">{{Citation |last=Viswanathan |first=S. |title=Recognising a classic |date=October 2004 |work=The Hindu |url=https://frontline.thehindu.com/static/html/fl2122/stories/20041105004310600.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926212522/http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl2122/stories/20041105004310600.htm |archive-date=26 September 2007}}</ref> Tamil became the first legally recognised [[Languages of India#Classical languages of India|Classical language]] of India. The recognition was announced by the contemporaneous [[President of India]], [[Abdul Kalam]], who was a Tami himself, in a joint sitting of both houses of the [[Parliament of India|Indian Parliament]] on 6 June 2004.<ref name="LanguageInIndia">{{Citation |last=Thirumalai |first=MS |title=Tradition, Modernity and Impact of Globalization&nbsp;– Whither Will Tamil Go? |date=November 2004 |journal=Language in India |volume=4 |url=http://www.languageinindia.com/nov2004/tamilglobalization1.html |access-date=17 November 2007}}</ref><ref name="BBC Classical language">{{Cite news |date=2004-09-17 |title=India sets up classical languages |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3667032.stm |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref name="The Hindu Classical language">[https://web.archive.org/web/20051030050314/http://www.hindu.com/2005/10/28/stories/2005102809281200.htm "Sanskrit to be declared classical language"]. ''The Hindu''. 28 October 2005.</ref>

=== Education ===
In Malaysia, 543 primary education government schools are available fully in [[Tamil primary schools in Malaysia|Tamil as the medium of instruction]].<ref>{{citation|url=http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/540/handouts/sparadox/sparadox.html |title=Language Shift in the Tamil Communities of Malaysia and Singapore: the Paradox of Egalitarian Language Policy |publisher=Ccat.sas.upenn.edu |access-date=13 September 2012}}</ref> The establishment of Tamil-medium schools has been in process in [[Myanmar]] to provide education completely in Tamil language by the Tamils who settled there 200 years ago.<ref name="bbc.com">{{Cite news |date=2014-03-06 |title=Myanmar's Tamils seek to protect their identity |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-25438275 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref> Tamil language is available as a course in some local school boards and major universities in [[Canada]] and the month of January has been declared "Tamil Heritage Month" by the [[Parliament of Canada]].<ref>{{citation|url=http://www.pm.gc.ca/eng/news/2017/01/14/statement-prime-minister-canada-thai-pongal|title=Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on Thai Pongal|date=13 January 2017}}</ref><ref>{{citation|url=http://www.thenewsminute.com/article/canada-officially-declares-pride-its-tamils-passes-bill-calling-tamil-heritage-month-51059|title=Canada officially declares pride in its Tamils, passes Bill calling for Tamil Heritage Month|date=8 October 2016|work=The News Minute|access-date=6 August 2017}}</ref> Tamil enjoys a special status of protection under Article 6(b), Chapter 1 of the [[Constitution of South Africa]] and is taught as a subject in schools in [[KwaZulu-Natal]] province.<ref>{{citation|url=http://www.constitutionalcourt.org.za/site/constitution/english-web/ch1.html|title=Constitutional Court of South Africa – The Constitution|website=www.constitutionalcourt.org.za|access-date=5 August 2017}}</ref><ref>{{citation|url=http://www.jagranjosh.com/current-affairs/five-indian-languages-reinstated-as-official-subjects-in-south-african-schools-1395392591-1|title=Five Indian languages reinstated as official subjects in South African schools|date=21 March 2014|work=Jagranjosh.com|access-date=6 August 2017}}</ref> Recently, it has been rolled out as a subject of study in schools in the [[Overseas France|French overseas department]] of [[Réunion]].<ref>{{citation|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/For-these-islanders-a-reunion-with-Tamil/article17009446.ece|title=For these islanders, a reunion with Tamil|work=The Hindu|date=8 January 2017|access-date=6 August 2017|last1=Srivatsa|first1=Sharath S.}}</ref>

=== Mass Media ===
{{See also|Tamil cinema}}
Tamil language paper media such as [[newspaper]]s are very common with a 2001 survey claiming there were 1,863 newspapers published in Tamil, of which 353 were dailies. Tamil language digital media is also abundant with films being especially common.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |title=Linguistic Survey of India Tamil Nadu |publisher=Language Division Office of the Registrar General, India |pages=48–66 |language=en}}</ref>